I was going to post a whole rant about that Time magazine cover. You know the one. But I am tired of it. Anyone who uses that cover to make a decision about breast feeding is not informed. Period. I'm not going to link the cover photo and I refuse to read the article that accompanies it. If we give sensationalist media the attention the so desperately crave, they keep putting out sensationalist media. It's a vicious cycle and I don't want to participate.
Here's the thing. I don't cover up when I feed my son. Not in my house, not in public. I don't do it to be an activist about it or make a statement. I don't cover up because I need to see what's going on. I suffered through cracked, bleeding nipples in the beginning and I want to make sure his latch is correct. I also like to see my baby. I want to know if he's falling asleep, or spitting up, or nursing because he's hungry or needs comfort or is tired. It's also really hot under there! He's already up against my skin (which may or may not already be sweaty), and it's getting hotter every day, and putting a blanket on top of the whole thing would make everyone involved miserable. I will admit that I feel a little bit like everyone else should get over it already. I'm not doing anything weird. I'm feeding my baby. It's not like I'm breastfeeding my husband. And if it makes you uncomfortable, guess what? You don't have to look! That's the beauty of it! And if you did happen to look? You'd see a 0.5 second flash of nipple before a baby head eclipsed your view. But if it makes you feel uncomfortable, maybe you should examine the reasons why... Just sayin'.
I have noticed that in mixed company, most moms will cover up, but when it's mostly other moms of small babies, almost no one covers up. There are certain "safe" spaces to breastfeed without a cover - like a La Leche League meeting, or a mommy play date, and that makes me kind of sad. On the one hand, personal comfort level trumps all. If you don't feel comfortable breastfeeding without a cover in public, then you shouldn't. But on the other hand, you are feeding your child and that is beautiful. Period.
I feel very strongly about breast feeding. I would consider myself a "lactivist", as one friend put it. I think that sexualizing women's bodies in Western culture has had a deleterious effect on our self-esteem, but also on how we view babies and child-rearing in general. The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breast feeding until at least six months of age, and recommends continuing breast feeding until age two. Formula, like c-sections and the like, is an amazing advancement that allows us to feed babies who otherwise wouldn't have access to food. How you choose to feed your baby is your business, and formula-fed babies are still being fed with love by their parents. I'm not here to make any judgments about people who choose formula over breastmilk. Some women don't have a choice in the matter, and their babies grow up healthy and strong, too. But I will say this, if you can breastfeed, you definitely should. Not just because of the benefits for your child - those are myriad and well documented. (Side note: breastmilk is seriously magic.) But for you. I felt super weird about breastfeeding until my son was born. I had weird dreams about breastfeeding all sorts of weird people and it was upsetting. But when he was born and latched on for the first time, it was a magical moment. It sounds cliche to say it like that, but honestly, it was like no one else in the world existed but us. And now that he's a little bit older, he looks at me while he eats and it's like we have a silent conversation with our eyes. It's a connection I have with him that no one else in the world has, and it's amazing.
One final note: La Leche League is an amazing organization. You can call a leader any time, day or night for advice and help with breastfeeding. They were instrumental in getting me through the first few (rough) weeks of breastfeeding. It's a mama-to-mama support network, and is just all around great. If you have questions or concerns or need help or just need to hear from people in similar situations, look them up. It's so worth your time.
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