Is Breastfeeding in Public Widely Accepted?
Connie can only shake her head seeing how something as natural could provoke the most curious of looks.
Connie Wilson, 24, is mother to eight-month-old Connor, and way before her baby was born, Connie made the choice to breastfeed. Connie and her husband had long planned to give their newborn the best nutrition there is and that meant feeding her with mother’s milk for the longest possible time.
“I was lucky to get a six-month break from my work as human resources head, and I took all that time with my kid,” Connie says.
One glitch however is the fact that Connie had to breastfeed her baby Connor outside their home. She had no problems with that. But apparently, many do.
For instance, when Connor was three months old, Connie went to the neighborhood hairdresser to have her hair done. While waiting, she breastfed her baby at the reception area. Out of nowhere, a man swooped over and draped a big, black rubber cape over the baby.
“At first I thought he was prepping me up for a haircut, not knowing that I was finished. Then I. realized .he wanted to protect his other patrons, most of whom were women, from the sight of nursing a baby,” Connie narrated. “Imagine my baby eating lunch under a material that doesn’t breathe. So I told the man that it’s my baby’s food. I didn’t make a big production out of it, but I managed to politely send the man away.”
MOST IMPORTANT FOOD
There is no argument that mother’s milk is the most important food in sustaining good infant nutrition. This is the reason why the health sector is trumpeting how crucial breastfeeding is in promoting not only infant nutrition, but also the long-term effects on a person’s health.
International experts in breastfeeding and fertility management also recommend LAM or Lactational Amenorrhea Method as an excellent family planning choice for couples.
Because breastfeeding stops the production of hormones necessary for ovulation and fertility in mothers, LAM is proven to be 98 percent effective in avoiding pregnancy for up to six months from the birth of the baby.
However, LAM provides natural family planning protection against pregnancy only if all the following conditions are present: the woman is fully or nearly fully breast-feeding with her baby getting at least 85 percent of his or her feedings as breast milk: her menstrual periods have not returned and her baby is less than six months old.
Baby Nursing may also have psychological benefits for the infant as well, creating early attachment between mother and child. Many psychologists believe the nursing baby enjoys a sense of security from the warmth and presence of the mother, especially when there is skin to skin contact during feeding.
Ironically, as in the case of Connie and countless others, the noble decision to breastfeed the baby does not leave the most insecure of feelings.
