In all my motherly sojourns on the internet over the last decade, I have run across many different types of mothers. There are a lot of options and choices when one becomes a mother, and to the internet mommy mafia you MUST choose the right ones or risk being bullied. This has always disturbed me, but few things disturb me more than the all too obvious push for breastfeeding.
Before I get the nasty comments directed at me, I'm not anti-breastfeeding. On the contrary, I support breastfeeding mothers and even their right to do so where ever they may be. What I don't support is what has become known as lactivism, or the breastfeeding bullies. There is advocacy for support, and then there is the bully form of pushiness that preaches non-sense not backed by actual science but by bogus memes aimed to keep mothers from abandoning breastfeeding... because it's hard! When it doesn't go just right, it can be the single most challenging part of being a new mom. This isn't a reason to spread lies. I detest liars. I see them every day on all the wonderful birthing support sites, and all the pages promoting support for mothers.... lies in the forms of memes and blog posts citing exaggerated studies.
I asked myself why... Why would this be a thing? Why would anyone seriously need to become the bullies we preach to our kids about not becoming? To make someone feel inferior because they themselves feel insecure for some reason.
Back to the mothering choices - We don't treat mothers horribly over diapering decisions. We don't ostracize other mothers because they co-sleep or don't. Why on Earth has this feeding frenzy become filled with the piranha mothers who are out for a bite of flesh? WHO that's why. No really - WHO: World Health Organization.
Their push for breastfeeding numbers to increase has pit mothers against mothers throat to throat. There is also not only a pro-breastfeeding agenda, but also an anti-formula agenda. Hospitals who claim now to be "baby friendly" are starting to brow beat mothers and guilt trip mothers, tired, brand new mothers into their agenda. Why? Statistics... it looks good if the numbers are high enough. That's right moms - you're a number to them. They don't care if you come down with postpartum depression, if your milk supply dwindles, or if you are exhausted, have flat nipples, or are on medication that is contraindicated for breastfeeding infants. You're a number, a percent, and a statistic.
Bottom line here? It's not THEIR life, it's yours. There is absolutely nothing wrong with breastfeeding your child.. nothing at all, but there is also nothing wrong with formula feeding your child either. If it's poison as some so boldly claim - where are the deaths? toxicology reports? Where are the detrimental injuries to people because of this so called poison? Where is the evidence of this claim? It doesn't exist. Formula or breastmilk are both simply food for infants. When has any food you've ever eaten influenced every supposed aspect of the rest of your life? That's the claim they make about this particular "food".
Feed your child - love your child, and ignore the guilt-tripping lactivists who are peddling a bundle of guilt-laden ideology from WHO. Don't be afraid to make which ever choice most benefits your circumstance, your life, your child! Let motherhood empower you - and tell the mommy mafia to stick it.
