After becoming a mother; I wonder why this topic is up for debate?  I’m not trying to hurt anyone’s feelings especially if they had or have trouble breastfeeding.  God knows it’s a sensitive topic!  But, I think if we are going to have a productive conversation it is important to note that before there was a “choice” there was the Breast.

Again, it’s how we were designed.

In 2010 Gisele Bundchen, a figure model and the wife of a Professional athlete had the guts to come and say it should be law that all women breastfeed for at least 6 months.  There was tremendous uproar and I couldn’t understand why.  Personally, I agree with her.  I can’t understand why everyone got so upset but maybe it’s because “she” said it.  Afterall, perhaps it’s not enough that she’s the most highly paid supermodel of all time (with an estimated net worth of $150 million) she’s also married to the NFL’s hunkiest sports star (Patriots quarterback Tom Brady), and now she has to be the world’s most sanctimonious supermommy, too?

I get it!

Maybe she shouldn’t have used the word “law”; because after all it’s not fair to penalize a woman if she can’t do it.

I mean she definitely has the “luxury” to make sure that her baby has everything it needs. AKA. Mom.

So, why didn’t every woman stand up behind this?  This is our right.  And, this should be our children’s right.

Like our DNA our breast milk offers that little something extra for our children; it’s divine design.  If the environment is right and you are in the right frame of mind this should come naturally to new mothers.

Did you know that babies receive all the nutrients and disease-fighting powers they need from breast milk, which helps keep infections and other illnesses at bay? Breast feeding for six months is recommended by “doctors” to stave off infections for the first year.

And, that’s why breast is best.  It can’t be duplicated.  No two mothers have the same breast milk, and breast milk taken from one woman during one part of the day won’t even be the same as a sample taken from the same woman later in the day. Breast milk is always changing to the needs of our child.

But, factor in stress and the individual and you have a whole other set of challenges.

When my first two children were born I was a working mom.  I had my babies and at 6 weeks was expected to return to “work”.   I wanted to breastfeed I knew that there was no other nutritional substitute that would offer my baby the long-term health benefits for their life as my body would provide for them.

But, for me, the commute, the distance, and the “stress” of trying to pump in public placed a toll on my body and I was only able to breastfeed for 6 months.  I was lucky it lasted that long.  

For my third baby, I got to stay home and I am happy to say that my milk supply has surpassed that of my earlier children.

But, it got me thinking.

If BREAST really is Best why don’t we make that known.  And, if it’s already known why don’t we create an environment to let women provide that for their children?

The choice isn’t easy these days.

Have you ever gone shopping in Macy’s? (an upscale retail store) They have a nice comfortable lounge there for mothers who are breastfeeding.  Go to target? They don’t have one.  ODD.  Considering after children I think Target is my second home.

Large corporations, perhaps Headquarter locations, might have been able to provide a “lounge” go to average workplace? They don’t have one.

Let’s face it.  A mother’s duties and the importance of what she is able to provide just from the NATURE of her physical body are shoved to the side.

I think it’s unfortunate that the wealthy are able to have access to educational resources and experts to help them live The Optimal Life and make the best “health” choices that the rest of the population struggles to understand or implement.

Maybe if we understood that the female body really is capable of bouncing back after pregnancy and you don’t have to be a supermodel to get your figure back or lose your figure to pregnancy we would all be singing a different tune?

In my religion (Islam) we are encouraged to breast feed for two years.  It is also said that, when the infant has been breastfed by the woman five times within the first two years of life, before weaning, then he becomes her child through breastfeeding.

You could say this was crazy, but as muslims we are encouraged to use science to understand the words of God. Not a doctor!  The fact that GOD says sharing breast milk is powerful enough to make me a “brother” to another “man” led me to believe that the importance of breast milk is significant.

Maybe if we want to have a healthy population  it should be “law” to “allow” the woman the opportunity to try to breast feed her baby for six months; but we shouldn’t force her by “law”.  That’s the Natural Way.

Live and Learn. We all Do.

Thanks for reading.  Please pass this on to someone who means something to you.