Wednesday, February 11, 2009
I Just Can't Believe It
Nurse-in was perhaps the wrong term to use, I think breastfeeding awareness is a better term, however, I think the fact that the IWK did issue an apology was wonderful, but this morning, the Chronicle Herald published a beautiful photo of Shannon breastfeeding - I see absolutely nothing indecent about what she's doing, and the comments...oh my goodness the comments! I was walking out the door to meet the rest of the ladies at the IWK feeling sick to my stomach at what people were saying...just a taste for you:
I agree that breastfeeding is a wonderful way of feeding your newborns for the mother, but I think that they should be covering themselves up a little and as for the Tim Horton's comment of covering everyone's head up, it's not the child's head people don't want to see. Some children breastfeed until they are a year or older and exposing your breasts to everyone, everywhere is not what I, as a woman, want to see.
or
What ever happened to modesty? Although a beautiful part of a woman's body, I think women like this lady is an exhibitionist (as many women are). There are many ways "to make a statement", but sometimes those "statements" create disgust.
or my personal favourite:
I think its digusting to see people feeding thier (sic) children in public like that !!!!!!!!!!!!!Is there any wonder ,when you hear on the news about young sex offenders,where they would get the idea from !!!!!!!!!!!cover-up you must feed in public .................
You're trying to tell me that sex offenders "get the idea" from feeding my child from my breast? Seriously? It's just symptomatic of our general societal sexualization of the breast. And believe me, there was not a lot sexy about my post-partum, rock hard, sore, aching, leaking breasts! Despite the gratuitous use of exclamation marks here, this last one made me really mad. Mad that my cheeks are still burning with the ignorance of it. But most of all, I was really saddened by the lack of support for breastfeeding and the negativity surrounding this story. Here's some knowledge for you - the Department of Health Promotion and Protection offers the following: the Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI): Making it Work in Nova Scotia, will focus on initiatives and programs to make breastfeeding the cultural norm in our province.
24% of Nova Scotia women are still breastfeeding their babies at 4 months of age. 1 in 5. We have better chances of contracting an STD than we do of breastfeeding our babies!
I'm just shocked and saddened, I guess that's all I can say. I'm very proud of the ladies who came out in support of breastfeeding, but judging by the negativity shown by commenters to the Chronicle-Herald, it is a larger societal problem than we think.
The Chronicle-Herald closed the story to comments mid-morning.
When I started breastfeeding, my father would often avert his eyes or leave the room, not being sure where to look, but he became more comfortable with it in time, because it was part of his life. If breastfeeding is not a part of most people's lives, how can we expect the prevailing opinion to change?
I know Shannon personally, I have a lot of respect for Shannon, her work, of Doulas, and I like Shannon. I know that she is NOT an exhibitionist, and I know that she would have been genuinely shocked and flustered to not have found out who asked her to cover up. Haven't we all had experiences where we "wish we would have said..." hindsight is 20/20.
She has stated she was quite happy that the IWK issued an apology, we're all very happy for it, but as I say, it's a larger societal problem, and if we don't try to change it, who will?
I suspect this issue will not go away...
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