I am not a breast-feeding mama. Buddha and Stella are able to manage just fine without needing to breast feed these days, but we all know that if they did need to I'm just the kind of dog mama that would probably figure out a way to breast feed them.
I'm not trying to be funny, actually. I am a doula. And I always encourage my new mamas to breast feed their kids. I do believe that breast milk is one of nature's best inventions and if you are able to breast feed your baby, you should. Of course some mamas are not able to do that and I completely respect those mamas, too. We all make the choices that we have to make in this life, including the ones involving our offspring and the very best care and feeding of them.
If you are a mama that has chosen to breast feed your child, however, I do believe that you should be able to do it whenever your child is hungry. Not when it is convenient for those around you. I am not one of these people that believes that there is an appropriate place for breast feeding a baby. Oh no. I am one of those folks who believes that breast feeding your child is a loving act of nourishment and it is none of my business to tell you how to do it or where to do it or when to do it.
If you need to feed your child in Applebees, go right ahead. I'm not going to stare at your nipples or your naked breasts while you do. If you want to feed your hungry child on the airplane while you're flying to Hawaii, be my guest. I promise to look you in the eye while I'm chatting with you and not stare at your chest. If your child is hungry while you're in the audience of the Bill Maher show, I sure hope you take the opportunity to feed your child right then and there at that very moment.
Come on, people. Breast feeding doesn't need to be a political or polarizing event. Breast feeding is a beautiful fact of life. All life. And as long as we continue to choose to populate this planet, we should accept that breasts will provide the perfect food for our babies.
