World Breastfeeding Week

"So what's new on the interwebs?"

"It's world breastfeeding week"

"which means...."

"hmmmm...don't know, I guess it's like an effort to encourage women to breastfeed, let them know all the benefits of nursing, and to educate society as a whole that there is nothing dirty or shameful about it"

"So it's kind of like Le Leche League's version of Boobquake"

/rolls eyes
"Yes sweetie, that's exactly what it is"

This post does not include a recipe....*pause for relieved sighs*.....But since nursing is how a baby eats, I feel it is relevant to include in a food blog. How is this important in your life? Well one day you may be faced with the decision of nursing or bottle feeding, you may have nursed a baby in the past, and everyone most certainly (unless you restrict yourself exclusively to bar hopping...and why are you reading my blog?) will one day be faced with the controversial mum nursing in public.

What do I want you to learn from this blog? Well if you are in group A (one day hoping to have children), know that breastfeeding can be difficult, but soooo worth it. As most things in life that come with work, there are many rewards to making the decision to nurse. Not only to you and your child, but think of all that trash that comes with formula feeding for a year! Not to mention the dishes you create, the water you use, and the money you spend. Really do try to nurse if it's an option for you, and if you can't make enough milk to feed the whole nursery like Sally down the street, don't stress! It doesn't come easy to everyone, and Mothers need not be graded by their milk supply.

Group B....Kudos to you! What a wonderful decision to make! I'm sure you will all agree that it's not always easy, sometimes comes with pain, and most certainly comes with some loss of sleep. My stance on this is giving it your all when it comes to nursing deserves credit wether it gets you to the 6 month, 1 year or beyond....My philosiphy with nursing is the same as with feeding my children of any age, I try to think "more healthy food" instead of "less bad food". Not that there aren't foods that I keep away from my kids, and I certainly avoid formula, but I think focusing on figuring out how to get more healthy foods into them gives them a more positive outlook on food (and hopefully less food issues) than always telling them how bad food is for them. Or forbidding entire groups like carbs, fats, or sugars....but back to nursing.

This last group is all inclusive. If you've eaten at a restaurant, gone to Disneyland, or hung out at the park for long enough you may have (or someday soon will) seen the elusive and controversial woman nursing in public.....you may not even have realized it at the time. What is important for you to know about nursing? That it's legal, good for the baby, and it's just food! Babies need to eat every two hours after they are born, day and night. It would be crazy to expect a new mother (especially one with older kids) to drive home and hide in their house to do something that can just as easily be done discretely anywhere else. Another argument I have heard is that women should bring bottles with them when they go out in public...well guess what, not all women can pump enough to fill a bottle on top of nursing every two hours. I couldn't. So don't stare, and don't glare. Oh and if it bothers you to know what's going on under a nursing cover, or if the noise bothers you.....then you clearly you are sitting too close and have some issues going on so feel free to leave, or put a blanket over your own head. :)