I can feel it in the air that the tide is turning in favor of
breastfeeding anytime anywhere. There are now a huge number of
comments, over 90% of which affirm a baby's right to eat when hungry
free from harassment.
http://forums.delawareonline.com/viewtopic.php?t=29879
There is no reason to get mad over this man's opinion. The truth is
on our side, and it will prevail. Negative opinions about
breastfeeding will join the ranks of other fringe beliefs such as a
flat earth. Anyone who for some reason does not see the beauty in
breastfeeding mothers and babies needs our sympathy and education.
If anyone doubts that they can feel compassion for this guy, please
read Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's Letter from a Birmingham Jail:
http://almaz.com/nobel/peace/MLK-jail.html
MLK was able to feel compassion for the enemies of human rights, and
in the process, won their hearts and minds to his cause. He not only
won the battle for the civil rights amendment, but he won the war --
getting people to fully embrace the idea that all people deserve
respect as human beings. He did this for African-American people,
but in the process, helped free many white people from the anger,
fear, and racism that was contaminating their own souls.
We would do really well to study what he did (or if you were alive
then, revisit it), and then embrace his philosophy as a breastfeeding
advocate. Too many breastfeeding supporters give in to their anger
(justifiably, but not effective for our cause), but we can only win
for mothers and babies if we are strong enough to respond to
naysayers with love, compassion, and calm education.
I was very dismayed to see some formula bashing in the comments
(which I know none of us would do publicly, but I'm sure we all do it
in our minds sometimes; I know I have been guilty of this!). Bashing
the opposition conveys lack of confidence in our own beliefs. The
truth about breastmilk speaks for itself; it does not need to
criticize formula in order to build itself up. Formula feeding moms
are our allies in reclaiming the sovereignty of mothers to do what
they feel is right for their babies. Not all moms are able to buck
the bottle-feeding system that they are immersed in, but they will in
the future have grandchildren or friends who want to breastfeed.
Being considerate of their feelings is critical in winning the war to
reclaim breastfeeding for the WHOLE future, not just the immediate
future of the next mother and baby who walk through your door.
If you are still reading, thanks! I am feeling very impassioned
today. Or maybe I am just trying to avoid my laundry. :-)
Warmly,
Lynnette
***********************************************
Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html
Mail all commands to [log in to unmask]
To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail
To start it again: set lactnet mail (or [log in to unmask])
To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet or ([log in to unmask])
To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]
|
