Last night I hosted a party, it including a demonstration of the goods the party-goers could buy and was followed by a meal and talking among ourselves. Little firework was at the party since it was at my apartment, and she played with all the guests and tried our soup but, since she is only 6 months old, she is still breastfed 6-10 times throughout the day. She got hungry and didn't want the soup.. she wanted her mama's milk! I didn't think twice about sitting in my glider and raising my shirt to nurse my baby in my house! Conversation continued and most of the guest (my friends) were commenting on how sweet it was and were actually interested in watching a baby nurse. All of my guest were women and all over the age of 20, but only one other woman had ever SEEN a baby breastfeed before!
My firework started to fight sleep, so I just stood up and walked around while she nursed so she would settle down. Then, a woman, whose son is just 3 months older than my firework baby, said "Your just a little to comfortable with that" I said, "What do you mean?" She replied, " I mean I wouldn't do that in front of people!" I used my go to response, "You see more of a woman's breast at the beach than when I am breastfeeding." To my dismay, this mother of an infant, said, "Oh I don't care if I see a boob, but she is SUCKING on your nipple!!?!" Well.. how is the milk supposed to come out? Are there magical letdown fairies that help with this that I don't know about? So I said, "That's what they are there for!" She replied, "No it isn't".
Do we, as American women, honestly put our men's sexual gratification above our children s' nutritional needs? It is just an odd concept! Do American men have such a fixation on breast that it is impossible for them to watch their own child nurse? I know that my man considers himself lucky to get to share (occasionally) with our firework baby! They are made for nurturing a child NOT pleasing a man.
So as my friend made her ignorant remark, and the room got silent, all these things were racing through my head. All I manage to get out is "What else are they there for?" Now everyone is looking at me and my precious, nursing baby. I gain my courage, "This is the best thing for her! She is never sick, ALWAYS happy and racing ahead in all her developmental milestones! Why wouldn't I want to 'let her suck my nipple?'"
DO NOT TRY TO SHAME THIS MOMMA!
To this she replied, "Your making me want to breastfeed my next baby."
Success :)
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