Friday, July 13, 2007

I love My Laptop

I love having my laptop back. Oh my.

Now. Regarding the comments on my last post.


Mellie is a strong advocate for breastfeeding. I call her, I consult her because I respect her opinion greatly. She is by far my strongest supporter as I embark on this journey of breastfeeding. Without her, I probably would have chucked the breast for the bottle months ago.

I know that for people who don't know her, she may come across as a fanatic and harsh. Let me be the first to say that that is NOT who she is. She holds strong beliefs, many of which I share. When she responds to my blog, she's often conversing with ME. And she and I talk frequently, so sometimes there are pieces of our conversations that others may not get. I'm sorry if they offend anyone.

I'm loyal and defensive when it comes to my friends. Anonymous, you made some good points. I agree with many of them. But I'd also like to tell you that Mellie doesn't "preach" to anyone, not in real life. She understands that some women cannot nurse their children. Her heart breaks for those who would love to nurse, but cannot. What frustrates her is the society that we live in which treats women who breastfeed as criminals. It is a shame that we must cover up and act as if we are ashamed to feed our child from our bodies. I choose to cover up, simply because of modesty issues (ha--- can you believe it--- me, the flasher???) but I would be fine if someone needed to nurse in public. Granted, I wouldn't want to see their whole breast, but I assume (perhaps wrongly) that most women can nurse as I do--- discreetly and without displaying everything.

Feeding your child is such a personal thing. Whether you do it from the breast, from milk in a bottle, or from formula, it's a personal issue. You, as mom, know your child better than anyone. You know your body better than anyone. There was a time when women had no choice but to breastfeed. Now we have that option. Yes, breastmilk (or boob juice, as we call it) is the natural source of food for babies. It's the easiest on their system, and the most complete, nutritionally. But some women can't or don't want to nurse. And formula, while not ideal, is a much better choice than NOT feeding your baby. In the end, the time that you spend with your child, the cuddles you give them, the closeness, that is what they will latch (ha!) on to.

Please remember that my blog is my place to vent, to be funny, to communicate my views. I respect your rights, as readers, to comment. Sometimes I just have to respond to the comments! :) That's the fun of having my own place to write!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for clarifying my quirkiness for everyone! :o) The Lord is pruning me to be more tactful. Jenette is absolutely right. I'm conversing with her and she knows the nuances of exactly what I mean because we talk and have known each other for a long time. For those of you who don't know me (and even if you do), I am a postpartum nurse. You know... the one who takes care of you in the hospital after you have your baby. It's my JOB and one of my great loves to be a "breastfeeding guru" as Jenette calls me. I respect anyone's decision to give their baby formula and it DOES break my heart and I take it personally (like I've let them down by being unable to help) when someone is "unable to breastfeed". Which in most cases is related to a poor support system and lack of commitment to BF... which is why I'm Jenette's breast friend. Because she wants to feed her baby boob juice and I'll help her out in any way I can (even all the way from Vermont). Love you, baby.

Queen Elaine said...

All this talk about boob juice is making me hungry....