Login / RegisterBrittney Kirton: Is breastfeeding a trend or the new standard?
By Brittney Kirton
In recent years, you may have noticed more discussion regarding breastfeeding in the news, on TV, out in public, and in social media. There are frequent reports covering some hot topic issues such as music artist Pink getting in a fight over her right to breastfeed in public. Salma Hayek was also reported to have nursed a malnourished infant on camera in Sierra Leone while on a UNICEF-sponsored trip. And, of course, there was that cover of Time magazine depicting a mother breastfeeding her three-year-old child. Ultimately the prevalence of breastfeeding in North America has changed substantially over the last 100 years, and rightly so. Every woman should not only have the right to breastfeed her children, but she should feel encouraged by society and her peers to do so.
Historically, breastfeeding was how infants and children received all of their nourishment. Unfortunately, in the late 1860s, social stigma started to equate breastfeeding with low social status, and as a result, the first commercial infant formula was introduced in Germany in 1867. The U.S. followed suit when infant formula was first produced in the late 1920s under the name of Similac (named for “similar to lactation”). By 1950, 50 percent of infants in North America were on formula. By 1970, this number grew to over 75 percent formula-fed North American infants.
In 2003, due to the research proving the superiority of breast milk to formula in regards to both physical and mental health, 73 percent of Canadian mothers began breastfeeding their children. But out of these women, only 31 percent continued to breastfeed past five months, even though the World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding, along with appropriate complementary feeding, for two or more years. It is speculated that the reason women are unsuccessful with prolonged breastfeeding is because many women today don’t have older generations to look to for guidance and support, as the vast majority were raised on formula.
Today, more and more women are opening up to the idea of breastfeeding. With the implementation of mommy groups, breastfeeding support groups, mothers breastfeeding in public, nursing and family rooms in malls and other public places, and even breastfeeding sit-ins in retaliation to being told not to breastfeed publicly, now is truly the time for this generation of young mothers to embrace breastfeeding.
But it’s not just everyday moms joining this movement; celebrity moms are participating in the discussion by openly voicing their opinions and experiences with breastfeeding. In a Golden Globes acceptance speech, Mary Louise Parker thanked her “newborn son for making [her] boobs looks so good in [her] dress”. Angelina Jolie was featured on the cover of W magazine nursing one of her twins, dad Brad Pitt having taken the photo. Naomi Watts spoke to David Letterman about her “mommy brain”, which she referred to as a “lactose lobotomy”. Modern Family’s Julie Bowen proudly showed a photo of herself breastfeeding her twins in double football hold on the George Lopez show. Even Jersey Shore’s new young mom Snooki has tweeted about how much she enjoys breastfeeding her new son. The list of celebrity breastfeeding endorsements continues, proving that breastfeeding shouldn’t just be considered a fad, but a standard.
With celebrity trends heavily influencing today’s youth, and with the medical evidence that nature had it right all along, we can only assume that breastfeeding rates will continue to increase. The only question that remains is will the stigma rise as well, or will new moms be able to seize their right to not only nourish their young wherever they choose, but also be able to lead future generations of mothers by example?
Brittney Kirton is an International Board certified lactation consultant and registered holistic nutritionist at Elements Wellness Centre.
The reason women are unsuccessful at prolonged breastfeeding has pretty much nothing to do with the fact that their mothers may not have breastfed. It has to do with the fact that most of them work, and even in the most accommodating companies, pumping between meetings and business trips is, well, pretty much impossible.
But what I don't understand is why some nursing mothers "object to the objecters".
The proposed theory is that breasts are not sexual objects, so nobody should be offended if breasts are exposed for the purpose of nursing a child. But the undeniable reality is that breasts ARE sexual objects - both for the women who possess them and for the men who find them stimulating.
This has nothing to do with the tendency of modern society to "sexualize" breasts (e.g. Playboy). It has to do with the fact that female breasts and nipples are erogenous zones. Most adults among us - female and male - know that from hands-on experience (pardon the pun).
If women or men derive sexual pleasure from fondling female breasts and nipples, or having them fondled, then let's not pretend to be "shocked" that some individuals find their exposure in public to be disturbing. Their reaction is just as "natural" as those who wish to nurse in public.
There is a way for both sides to get along, of course. Viewers can simply avert their eyes and nursing mothers can accept that discretion is important.
Brittney, there's a very non-controversial reason why so few women breastfeed past 5 months...it's damn hard. Breast milk is produced based on consumption. If a women is trying to get back to a "normal" sleep schedule she will likely not breastfeed through the night. Milk production then drops. When milk production drops the baby gets cranky because it's more work to pull out the remaining milk. So then mama is supplements with a little formula...and so milk production drops so more. This cycle doesn't happen to all women, but it does to most.
As a lactation consultant you probably know this. But the solution doesn't jive with how modern women want to live. That is, they have to wake up frequently during the night to feed, which means they have to nap with baby during the day to catch up. Few women are prepared for the moo-cow lifestyle. And feminist theory certainly doesn't have much tolerance for expecting that sacrifice from women.
I personally feel that it's amazing when a women breastfeeds past 6 months because I know the sacrifice she has made. But it's a luxury for many families as well, because it means someone else is pulling in the income to support the family.
And personally, I don't think there's any adequate replacement for breast milk, formula included. Women should only use formula if they cannot produce their own milk, or if there are other medical reasons for it. Being too busy to breastfeed is a total copout! If you have the time to raise a child, you can spare some moments to breastfeed, or pump. It's the difference between feeding your child home cooked meals over McDonald's!