I've never seen the problem with public breast feeding. The whole "woah, she just pulled our her boob!" thing is quickly spoiled by the fact that there's a baby clinging to it and the idea that it's some sort of vulgar act which shouldn't be in public never made sense because it's a completely natural part of raising a child. When it comes to older children, breast milk is known to be quite healthy, we've lived off of it for years. Provided the knowledgeable people at the World Health Organization say it's beneficial up to the age of two as Tribble says I don't see any reason to question a child breast feeding until then. I wouldn't feel qualified to say they shouldn't simply because it's not something "normal" or seen every day in this particular culture. As for baby carrying, isn't it just a nifty way of carrying your kid around? My parents used to carry me around in a carrier, even after I could walk sometimes. It let us go places where my young self would otherwise get tired or be in danger of getting hurt walking, such as on mountain hikes.
First of all this cover really angers me . This photo was intended to be shocking and portray extended breastfeeding to the extreme. It portrays it as sexual, inappropriate which is very unrealistic . I Breastfed my son until he was 19 months ( not 18 like noizdaemon666 says lol ) until he self weaned shortly after my daughter was born . I fhe didn't stop i would of probably carried on until 2-3 years( 3 years being my personal cut off point ) I am currently breastfeeding my 10 month old daughter and will continue until she wants to stop. I also co slept with my Son until he was one and would have baby weared from day one but since my pregnancies i have had back problems ( not looking good as i am only 20 haha) . i I really don't understand why there is so much controversy over something that is so good for baby ! Its the way nature intended ! Breast milk has over 400 more nutrients in then formula and also contains antibodies to help protect the baby from illlness(please noone say my kid was breastfed and ill all time or formula and wasn't , it doesn't mean that thay won't be ill just breastfed babies will be ill less then they would of been formula fed and will recover faster ) . There are so many more benefits . I obviously don't have a problem with extended breastfeeding but i am shocked at somethings i have read about it like ' it can stunt there development and make them lazy and co dependant ' My son has never had any development issues and infact and done everything well above average for example was walking from 10 months , able to feed himself from a very early age and has been fully potty trained for few months now (since shorlty after his 2 birthday). Amelie (my 10 month old) is following the same pattern .In fact breastfeeding has been known to boost IQ ! Also people say it is disgusting. Why ? I personally can tell you there is nothing sexual about breastfeeding and i certainly don't 'get my kicks ' from it . It is purley a comfort , nutrional and beautiful thing . Breast were intended to feed our babies alone , and it may shock you but the universal age to breastfeed to is 4 years !! Have a look at these and then tell me it is not right ? https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.ne...2090_288062657898494_1033226_1208270865_n.jpg http://www.bestforbabes.org/kelly-preston-extended-breastfeeding(scroll down a bit for benefits ) Don't knock things before you know the facts for those who don't agree with extended breastfeeding . My opinion is if you want to do it then that;s great and there are so many benefits . However i do think that past a certain age (personally 4 ) then maybe its more for the mothers benefit then the child . There is so much more i can say about this but i know i'm not making any sense so i'll stop lol .
+1 - this cover choice was intended to get people talking about Time Magazine (which it has) not about the topic it is supposedly trying to prime for discussion. I thought the same thing when I first saw it.
Sexualisation was not my first impression of the cover (although the mum looks rather fit). Her pose (looking the viewer right in the eyes) appears kind of defiant, militant. She looks like Sarah Connor breast feeding John Connor when he was a toddler. The fact that the toddler wears camouflage pants kind of drives home the militant message. The breast is definitely there, but there is an appropriative gesture around it: "This is not for your sexual gratification, but for the nutrition of my child." In that respect a sexual undertone may be a clever manipulation of the viewer. She's a fit woman with her breast out. But it's not meant for the viewer, it's meant for the toddler. You look at it and feel slightly intrusive, ashamed by any sexual interpretation you (were manipulated to) project on it. it makes you question how you look at breast feeding, and why.
Unrealistic? Most definitely. Sexual? Hmmm I'm not sure. I just see it as Time trying to shock those who will be shocked by it. Oh and extended breastfeeding is not "retarded" it's just different. But when the norm is to give breastfeeding 'a go' and then stop and use formula it doesn't take much to be different these days.* Disclaimer: I'm a mom of 5yo twins who were were breast fed until they were two. *Yes we all know girls who've 'had a hard time' breast feeding, or that the babe 'didn't take to it'. The real truth is formula is often seen to be easier and some people gravitate to it. If formula didn't exist some of these babes may get really sick from hunger or dehydration... but most of them would be kept nice and healthy by their mums.** **Or a wet-nurse... but that's an entirely different way to do things.
Interestingly, the European release of Time didn't have that front cover on it; not sure if a cultural change or they just thought that the article on Hollande was more pertinent. I've not read the full article but the Wench did and she spoke quite highly of it being a fairly balanced piece on the subject. Compared to some other cultures (Mongolia springs to mind), we're remarkably reticent about the whole thing. Mongolian women will often leave a bowl of expressed breast milk for their husbands / older children to drink as a matter of routine for example. The Wench is currently breastfeeding our 7 month old, along side baby lead weaning. We're also massive fans of using a sling (single stretch of cloth style). The thing about all of these decisions is that they make life massively more straightforward and reduce a lot of the hassle at what can be a fairly manic stage of life. It's also a lot cheaper! The takeup of breast feeding varies massively from area to area. Of the group of people we know down here almost all of them breast feed and are still doing so. Back in Wrexham where my family are based the takeup is almost non-existent. At times it's been bloody difficult, but niblet has some other issues which complicate matters (long story). As has been mentioned by others, he'll stop feeding when he wants to, although given the gusto with which he is taking to real food I imagine it may not be that long! TBH it's a lot of the more modern approaches that lead to more significant issues. I'm really not a fan of people like Gina Ford (massively sowing abandonement issues) nor Annabel Carmel's ideas about things like hiding vegetables in food. All that does is set the baby up to the idea tha vegetables are bad things and to be avoided. Currently Niblet's favourite foods are brocolli and mushrooms, two things that tend to rank fairly high on the dislikes of children. We've just come back from a weekend in London. In hindsight taking the buggy instead of just using the sling was a staggeringly bad idea. Sling and no buggy makes life so much easier it's amazing to think anyone would bother with buggies at all there. As with any school of thought, it's very important to find a middle ground and to realise that these things are highly personal.
Weird that breast feeding should be discussed at all :-/ it is natural in all respects, necessary, etc. the only problem is that some people cannot help but stare, which probably says a lot about their sexual problems.
I have no problem with breastfeeding, even in open public spaces, but in a restaurant is a bit inconsiderate imo.
I don't see how? It's a perfectly natural thing. I've had customers at work ask if it's okay to breastfeed, I've told them to go right ahead. I've only ever had one person come up and complain someone was breastfeeding, so I gave him a bag to put his food in so he could take it away.
If he finds it inconsiderate (read inappropriate or embarrassing) he does, end of. Some people don't like suckling breasts "shoved in their faces" when they're eating food. Just as some people only go in for the missionary position. It's their preference, it doesn't have to match yours. I think the point about a restaurant is that if you're of that opinion and mid way through your meal it happens you can't exactly get up and walk away, without sacrificing your dinner, which you've paid for, so why should you have to. Maybe they should have a "breast-feed here!" sign so people know what to expect. If nothing else they'd get extra business from those who misinterpret the sign Or perhaps a screened off area is the answer?
Well that's his problem, end of. "Ninja edit" As for dining in finer restaurants? Well I've never noticed this to be an issue, could be because most families don't shell out (can't afford) ex amount of pounds sterling to dine at a five star restaurant with babies. Also, dining in such a fashion tend to be what couples do.
I'm sort of with Carrie on this. Whilst breastfeeding is indeed perfectly natural, so indeed are breasts themselves. However, if a non-breastfeeding woman were to flash them in a restaurant or other public space, whilst it would not be harmful in any real way, it would be considered inappropriate my many people. To those who are offended by something like this, the function of the exposure is often irrelevant (wrongly in my opinion). It is the fact that a "forbidden" part of the body is on display in a public place that makes them feel uncomfortable. On a similar note, if the couple next to you in a restaurant were shoving their tongues down each other's throat, whilst it might not be considered offensive or particularly unusual to most of us, it would offend some people. Sadly, people have a right to be offended as much as they have a right to offend - ultimately it's down to the owner of a given business to make the call. The correct course of action for an restaurant owner would be to ask people as the adjacent tables if they had an issue with it. If not, then mum could go ahead. If so, then the mum would need to respect the wishes of the other paying customers. As a male it will never be something I'll need to consider, but as far as I'm aware it's not overly complex to express some milk into a bottle if you are planning a trip to a restaurant to avoid the issue altogether. In a genuinely public place with no entry fee, there can be no issue. Look the other way if you don't want to see it.
I think there are limits to how much you can expect an other person to change their behaviour just because it offends you. As long as it does not encroach on your space or behaviour it should not be a problem. This is not like, say, smoking in a restaurant, where your smoke wafts over to bother other people. Breast feeding is not an ostentatious affair. You can hardly even see the breast --unless you stare. So what the sensitive diner can do is move to the opposite side of the table and literally turn his back on it. What if a diner starts taking offense at a gay couple affectionately holding hands? Or if a less enlightened Muslim, Mormon or Orthodox Jew takes offense at your blatantly sluttish and provocative display of a cleavage or uncovered hair? Should we respect their wishes to eat unperturbed by such inappropriate sights? Or should people learn to be more tolerant of what are in the end natural behaviours and body parts? This is the big wide world, where the wild things are. If the sight of other people dressing, acting and looking differently from your beliefs and standards offends you, stay at home with the curtains drawn.
