Empowerment

So there's a huge "drama" happening in the breast feeding world surrounded by a mother who was quite inappropriately and illegally harassed on a public bus for doing what her body was made to do. Feed her baby. It's stuff like this that not only makes my blood boil, but it also puts a fear in me. Fear of being ostracized for my personal decision to breast feed my son.

I've said it before that I hate being made to feel like a leper for doing what comes natural to me. I've been told my various people that I should be more modest, I've been asked to go "do that" in my car and plenty of other things. It makes me feel insecure about doing whats best for my son. Formula feeding mothers aren't made to cover up, why should I?

Originally my desire to cover up stemmed from wanting to protect others, not wanting to offend anyone. The more I think about it, the more I find that there is nothing offensive about what I'm doing. Human milk comes from the same body part as cow milk. A teat. No one runs in fear of a baby calf suckling on their mothers nips, why are mine so offensive?

Someone said something on my birth board that I loved. Her arguments for nursing freely were very well written. I hope she doesn't mind, but I'm quoting her here.

"I can't help it that other people are uncomfortable with a nursing mother. I can't cater to the world, unfortunately. Instead, I have to make decisions based on what works for me and my family. My children absolutely come before some stranger's discomfort with breastfeeding....And please, people need to stop using the excuse that they're uncomfortable seeing an exposed breast. That's absolutely untrue. People are uncomfortable with what the breast is being used for. I highly doubt those same people avoid going to the beach or watching R-rated movies. Maybe some do, but the vast majority don't. Just call it as it is: you don't like the IDEA of a child sucking on its mother's breast. That's what makes you uncomfortable. I show WAY less skin while nursing than the average woman just walking down the street in clothing accepted by our society."

I could not possible agree with her statements more. I hate using a cover and especially now that summer time is rolling around, people will have to get used to the idea of me nursing freely. I'm not going to suffocate my son under a hot stuffy cover for the "comfort" of others. His comfort comes first and quite frankly, I wouldn't eat under a blacked out blanket, so why should he? Of course I'll still cover up around my dad and brother (especially around my poor brother) but anyone else will just have to turn away. No I will not feed my son in the bathroom. Do you eat your food in the can? Didn't think so. Feed him in my car? You go eat in your car if you find it so comfortable to do so. Cover up? NO! I'm feeling empowered and I'm not going to let anyone slow me down