Normalize Breastfeeding As A Right Of Mothers And Children
Breastfeeding is the most suitable feeding method for the baby and an important element in the formation of the attachment bond. However, despite the numerous benefits it brings, it is still viewed with judgment and stigma by many people. Normalizing breastfeeding is everyone’s task, as we must contribute to breaking down the psychological barriers that prevent us from seeing it as the natural act that it is.
In fact, we have become a denaturalized society that distances us from our origins and our essential needs. We are driven to prioritize independence, productivity and self-demand in all areas of our lives.
However, human warmth, contact and mutual support are essential, especially in a phase as delicate as the beginning of motherhood.
Babies need their mother’s affection, care and protection. And women need the support and understanding of society. We must normalize breastfeeding, as the child has the right to receive care and to be fed and the woman has the right to feed her baby without fear, guilt or shame.
breastfeeding is necessary
Breastfeeding provides the most suitable food for the baby. This practice has numerous benefits, as it strengthens the immune system, protects the baby from illness and provides all the nutrients he needs. WHO recommends that this be the exclusive food source for the child during the first six months of life.
From then on, other types of foods can be introduced gradually and appropriately. However, breastfeeding should continue until at least two years of age.
This recommendation is neither an imposition nor a hard limit. It is not necessary to stop breastfeeding once the baby reaches this age. It is much more beneficial to do a respectful weaning when mother and child feel ready.
decide freely
The nutrition choice that each child will follow is a mother’s personal choice, and all are equally valid. There are several reasons why breastfeeding cannot be implemented or is not wanted, and choosing to use infant formula is a completely legitimate decision, as long as it is not motivated by public pressure.
Many mothers renounce this right because they do not receive sufficient information or support, both from the family and from the health system. Support during breastfeeding is needed to help resolve the difficulties and for the mother to have the necessary guidance and emotional support.
However, the opposite is generally the case. Breastfeeding is frowned upon by much of society, which considers it an impediment for the mother to develop professionally and as a person. On the other hand, the options for conciliation are clearly insufficient.
Furthermore, when a woman breastfeeds in public, she may receive looks of disapproval, censure, and incomprehension. For this reason, many mothers are relegated to nursing rooms (when they exist) or go directly to the toilets when they want to feed the baby.
Still other times, they are forced to cover the child with a cloth while he feeds from the breast.
Normalize breastfeeding as a right
Lack of support and social pressure can lead many women to give up this wonderful right that is so needed by them and their babies. Breastfeeding is not just food, it is also care, protection and security.
That’s why it’s important to normalize this natural act, something that many famous or influential women are seeing as a responsibility. Visibility is the first step, because if we don’t talk about a certain subject, it won’t have space.
Remember that your baby has a right to be fed when needed and that this is not a cause for shame or ridicule. You don’t need to hide, nor do you need to hide your little one. After all, none of us would want to eat in the bathroom or with a cloth over our heads.
Find out, find health professionals or breastfeeding support groups, join other mothers … Don’t hide! Breastfeeding is a natural, necessary and beneficial act. The evil is in the eyes of those who see and see something different from that.
