In a recent discussion about the Similac recall, several moms said they were glad they breastfed their babies. The formula feeding moms got upset and chastized the BFing moms for "making them feel worse" and told that they were essentially saying "told you so". Yet in the same discussion, moms who used Enfamil were saying they were glad they didn't use similac, or glad they used an off-brand and weren't affected by the recall, but those comments were perfectly fine. The only comments that the formula feeding moms took exception to, were the ones that were made by breastfeeding moms, when the only difference in the comment was "I'm glad I breastfeed" vs "I'm glad I use Target Brand". It was pretty interesting to read actually. I'm not going to deny that there are parents out there who are on the extreme side of Lactivism and try to make moms who formula feed feel bad, but there was none of that in this discussion, and still the formula feeding moms were on the defensive.
The Luscious Lactivist posted a blog the other day about needing to have open discussions and focus on doing what is best for our children. I whole-heartedly agree. Its time to put aside any assumptions we have about other mothers, put down the defenses and just have a conversation.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
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People who bf are usually proud of their accomplishments, as they should be. Bf'ing isn't easy, and it takes a lot from a woman to do so. However, being able to bf doesn't make one mom better than another who isn't, and I think that more acceptance needs to be practiced. Saying things like 'I'm glad this doesn't affect me' are fine, but saying things like 'breastfeeding is the best feeding' or 'I'm supermom because I breastfeed' really aren't helpful and, actually, are kind of self-indulgent.
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