Saturday, March 5, 2011
That's what Ronald calls me, the Rosa Parks of breastfeeding.
Let's rewind a little.
I have many passions, I love to dance, I like how it's so much fun and such a nice workout. I also love to read, I can become engrossed in a book so much so that hours seem to turn into minutes and before I know I've skipped both lunch and dinner.
I also love parenting, yeah, I love being a parent. I love knowing that I am molding a person, teaching him to be the best they can be, giving him values that he will carry for the rest of his life.
So with that kind of responsibility comes tough choices.
Crib or co-sleeping
breast or formula
home cooked or jarred food
private or public school
You get the picture, the list goes on and on and only you have the kind of power to make those decisions.
I chose to breastfeed my child, mainly because that's the only thing I knew. Where I come from, breastfeeding is the norm. It's as normal as using a spoon to eat soup or as normal as using your eyes to see. It's just the way it is. Formula is left for the mothers who truly, honest to God cannot breastfeed for health issues, orphans maybe, or for the wealthy kind who can actually afford it. The rest breastfeed because it's healthier and because their mothers taught them that it is the way to feed an infant.
So, I grew up with that, I saw my mother breastfeed my sisters, I saw it on the park when my neighbors went out, even saw it on the bus when strangers had no problem pulling up their breasts from out of their shirt and feed their child.
Nobody found it appalling, or disgusting, there wasn't a single person with a look of disgust or amazement. Yeah there were pervs who looked twice, but those same people would look at a young girl wearing tight pants if she was nearby.
My point is, I was brought up around this, this is what I wanted to do with my child and after gathering enough information about the benefits to both him and I, it seemed like the right choice.
So I breastfed, he grew so much so quickly. He is a healthy 19 month old who is smart in every way. Could he have been as smart had he not breastfed? Probably, but I was not willing to find out. I gave him the best and the best made him who he is.
So what's up with the title of this post? Well, even though Ronald is pro-me-breastfeeding, he could care less what others do with their children. Nonetheless, he sees me everyday checking blogs, going on facebook pages that talk about breastfeeding, preparing myself with witty comments to shoot back at people who make mean ones. He's seen it all coming from me, and he's also seen how passionate I am about this. Not only is he thrilled how big and beautiful has his son turned out to be, but he sees what it does to me. The weight loss, AMAZING!
He knows the benefits, but he would never become an advocate, he would never go out there and spread the word. I, on the other hand would. I do it all the time with family members and friends. Yeah they hear me, yes they agree to the benefits but sometimes I see that look on their face, the "When are you shutting up" look.
I think I push it too much but how can I not? Baby's lives are at steak! I'm not sure I can say it another way without getting into an argument about it, but, breast is the best possible thing you can give your child.
I'm not saying that formula is bad, no no no.
I look at it this way: If you had a healthy meal full of veggies and yummy nutritious things on one plate, and a not so healthy meal full of deep friend stuff with not so many nutritious things on another plate, which one would you eat? I mean both things are going to fill your tummy and yes you might get some of the good stuff from the deep fried ensemble, but you know deep down in your heart that the best possible option is the first one.
We as adults don't make the right choices when it comes to our bodies, but if the option to feed our babies lie between pure, healthy breastmilk and artificial milk that is constantly reformulated to imitate the real thing?
I think the answer is obvious, but for whatever reason we do not see that.
To end this long rant I want to say this, how you raise your kids is your business, you and only you have the right to decide how you're going to mold your kid.
All I want you to do is to truly make an informed decision, be it what you feed him/her or where they're going to sleep. You must investigate both sides before you choose, and if someone offers advise, do not turn them down from the get go just because you already choose. Information comes in different forms, and our friends and family sometimes can offer the best advise.
I got soooo much unwanted advice while pregnant and just after my baby was born. I didn't like most of it but I still took the time to listen because all of that time was a learning time for me. I wanted to know it all and take the best advise to heart and the bad advise as things I would never do.
So why does Ronald call me the Rosa Parks of breastfeeding? He says that I remind him of her, if I needed to sit on the bus and not get up until police to get me to actually make the world understand how important this issue is, I totally would have done it right there with Rosa Parks encouraging me.
XD
Let's rewind a little.
I have many passions, I love to dance, I like how it's so much fun and such a nice workout. I also love to read, I can become engrossed in a book so much so that hours seem to turn into minutes and before I know I've skipped both lunch and dinner.
I also love parenting, yeah, I love being a parent. I love knowing that I am molding a person, teaching him to be the best they can be, giving him values that he will carry for the rest of his life.
So with that kind of responsibility comes tough choices.
Crib or co-sleeping
breast or formula
home cooked or jarred food
private or public school
You get the picture, the list goes on and on and only you have the kind of power to make those decisions.
I chose to breastfeed my child, mainly because that's the only thing I knew. Where I come from, breastfeeding is the norm. It's as normal as using a spoon to eat soup or as normal as using your eyes to see. It's just the way it is. Formula is left for the mothers who truly, honest to God cannot breastfeed for health issues, orphans maybe, or for the wealthy kind who can actually afford it. The rest breastfeed because it's healthier and because their mothers taught them that it is the way to feed an infant.
So, I grew up with that, I saw my mother breastfeed my sisters, I saw it on the park when my neighbors went out, even saw it on the bus when strangers had no problem pulling up their breasts from out of their shirt and feed their child.
Nobody found it appalling, or disgusting, there wasn't a single person with a look of disgust or amazement. Yeah there were pervs who looked twice, but those same people would look at a young girl wearing tight pants if she was nearby.
My point is, I was brought up around this, this is what I wanted to do with my child and after gathering enough information about the benefits to both him and I, it seemed like the right choice.
So I breastfed, he grew so much so quickly. He is a healthy 19 month old who is smart in every way. Could he have been as smart had he not breastfed? Probably, but I was not willing to find out. I gave him the best and the best made him who he is.
So what's up with the title of this post? Well, even though Ronald is pro-me-breastfeeding, he could care less what others do with their children. Nonetheless, he sees me everyday checking blogs, going on facebook pages that talk about breastfeeding, preparing myself with witty comments to shoot back at people who make mean ones. He's seen it all coming from me, and he's also seen how passionate I am about this. Not only is he thrilled how big and beautiful has his son turned out to be, but he sees what it does to me. The weight loss, AMAZING!
He knows the benefits, but he would never become an advocate, he would never go out there and spread the word. I, on the other hand would. I do it all the time with family members and friends. Yeah they hear me, yes they agree to the benefits but sometimes I see that look on their face, the "When are you shutting up" look.
I think I push it too much but how can I not? Baby's lives are at steak! I'm not sure I can say it another way without getting into an argument about it, but, breast is the best possible thing you can give your child.
I'm not saying that formula is bad, no no no.
I look at it this way: If you had a healthy meal full of veggies and yummy nutritious things on one plate, and a not so healthy meal full of deep friend stuff with not so many nutritious things on another plate, which one would you eat? I mean both things are going to fill your tummy and yes you might get some of the good stuff from the deep fried ensemble, but you know deep down in your heart that the best possible option is the first one.
We as adults don't make the right choices when it comes to our bodies, but if the option to feed our babies lie between pure, healthy breastmilk and artificial milk that is constantly reformulated to imitate the real thing?
I think the answer is obvious, but for whatever reason we do not see that.
To end this long rant I want to say this, how you raise your kids is your business, you and only you have the right to decide how you're going to mold your kid.
All I want you to do is to truly make an informed decision, be it what you feed him/her or where they're going to sleep. You must investigate both sides before you choose, and if someone offers advise, do not turn them down from the get go just because you already choose. Information comes in different forms, and our friends and family sometimes can offer the best advise.
I got soooo much unwanted advice while pregnant and just after my baby was born. I didn't like most of it but I still took the time to listen because all of that time was a learning time for me. I wanted to know it all and take the best advise to heart and the bad advise as things I would never do.
So why does Ronald call me the Rosa Parks of breastfeeding? He says that I remind him of her, if I needed to sit on the bus and not get up until police to get me to actually make the world understand how important this issue is, I totally would have done it right there with Rosa Parks encouraging me.
XD
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