oh please...

at the risk of offending people i have decided to post this because i originally started this blog to be a journal for my children of my thoughts and emotions throughout their lives and i would hate to let the fact that people may or may not read this keep me from documenting those thoughts. so let me have it backlashers... but every time i hear someone talk about how much they love breastfeeding this is my thought: "oh please...you cannot possibly *love* breastfeeding!" but before i have every la leche league member accosting me like miss california realize that i am entitled to my own opinion. i know that there are people out there that do enjoy breastfeeding--i just do not see how. i do not mind the act itself, infact there are times that i enjoy the time (early morning with no other children around or late evening when everyone is settled and i am not being asked to read books, get juice, or answer doors) ...what i mind is the time it takes and how often i have to do it. however, all of this time set aside breastfeeding has allowed me to come up with one amazing realization, and that realization is that like all other things in society, it is all about status.
for instance...in the early American history the rich or upper class society would not have been caught dead letting a miniature version of themselves suckle at their bosom exposing the fact that it was not indeed made of gold. for that task they used wet nurses. wet nurses were hired and were a symbol of the status that allowed the upper class to show everyone that they did not have subject themselves to the task that they subjected on their hired help. again, when women started going back to work to establish themselves as equal to their male cohorts they ditched the breastfeeding just to show that they could. formula was expensive and breastfeeding was for the women that chose to sacrifice careers or could not afford formula. the lack of breastfeeding symbolized that status of a strong, independent woman. when celebrities started preaching the health benefits of breastfeeding many followed suit. many successful women started buying expensive pumps and trotting off to work to milk themselves in order to give their baby the best milk in the world. however, breastfeeding takes commitment of time and money. so once again breastfeeding becomes a sign of status. formula is an approved item for government assistance and therefore breastfeeding becomes a little more difficult to commit to throughout the baby's infancy. obviously this is not a conclusive historical study, but just an overview of a trend. many people do not fit inside trends, but most do....look at all of our pictures from the 80's for proof.
without question, breast milk is the best option for our babies. it is our God given ability to feed our children, but i am not convinced that this is enough of a reason for a people as selfish as we all inherently are to make the sacrifice that is necessary to make this choice. it is not best for baby to have the baby sleep in the bed with parents, but many ignore the death rate due to parental overlay in order to cater to their own need for cuddles or sleep. i make the choice not only because i know it is best for my baby but because it is financially irresponsible for me to buy formula. i would not qualify for government assistance to pay the 25.00 + for a can of formula that would last a week and i do not work outside the home... i realize that there are many reasons that people make the choices that they do.
i totally respect all the women in the world that choose to breastfeed and i know that not all women feel the same way about the subject as i; some women are genuine in their love for nursing their children and i covet that selflessness, but i know that many women are also guilted in or caught up by the trend and are not only breastfeeding because they know it is best for baby. i have used formula and breastfed my babies and all of them have been healthy, well adjusted and intelligent. harper was completely denied breast milk and she is healthier then calvary....so that either debunks the idea that formula is cheating your children of potential or it raises suspicion of the quality of my breast milk...
i just get tired of hearing or seeing those condemning eyes looking down on all the mother's that choose not to or cannot breastfeed their children. not everyone has the same privileges...and i think it is unfair for these women to be made to feel that they love their babies just a little less because of that choice. i do not want harper to feel that she is any less loved than calvary or oliver because i chose not to breastfeed her. i know many moms that feel intense guilt because they physically could not breastfeed...and i think that is ridiculous.