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Jamie Oliver and Breastfeeding Fiasco - What a Mess!

I don't know what it was about what Jamie Oliver said about breastfeeding that was so offensive. People of the internet have every reason to be insulted for anything and everything in between.

I have been on both sides of the fences. I have partially breastfed my elder son because I got nervous, anxious, depressed, sad, disappointed with myself and extremely worried that my son was soon going to dissolve into a pool of flesh in his newly-bought cot so, I 'caved into' formula milk three weeks on. I consoled myself that I tried really hard and it was OK. I will buy him the 'most nutritious' formula milk there is in the market.

When my second one came along, I trucked it out like a soldier and refused to give up despite having a human plaster stuck to me 24 hours. I worked, slept, shopped and showered breastfeeding (not kidding - LOL) for three YEARS instead, consistently having more milk than there was demand.

So, I have been there, I know it's hard and I also know that it CAN be done.

What Jamie Oliver said about breastfeeding were merely facts. It IS more nutritious, it is better for both mother and child, people should try if they can but that isn't an end-all-be-all comment. These are known facts. So, I don't get with the whole Adele blowing up with the 'go f yourself' comment with some people saying that he has no right to say things like this because he is not a mother and can't breastfeed. As much right as Adele has to ask Jamie Oliver to go eff yourself, he has the right to say that breastfeeding is nutritious. Doesn't he?

I don't believe in turning breastfeeding into some kind of civil rights movement and I strongly suggest that a mother do whatever a mother has to do to provide her best for her children. Even if I was breastfeeding now, I would not join the legion of mothers who openly breastfeed as a form of 'statement' or 'protest' although I have to say that breastfeeding in toilets suck! But to approach this problem, I think we should get more places to have nursing rooms instead. I have had my top yanked open in public one time too many, you see. hahaha

I can see the same fight for men having changing rooms in the Men's toilets too. It's only fair. I can imagine a father's despair if HE had to change a baby in public only to find that the only place to change a baby is...yes, in the closed toilet cubicle. The same way I had to breastfeed sometimes.

Mothers DO have the right to breastfeed in public without getting shaming looks too. It hurts and makes us feel guilty. And a tad angry. We were given feeding body parts, take that up with our Maker instead of looking at us like we've committed adultery in full view of children.

Jamie Oliver is a father and he probably encourages his wife to breastfeed too but I don't think he is the kind of person who would condemn his wife for failing to do so if she can't.

Adele and mothers of the world, support each other and let's be a little more understanding. There are so many things standing in the way of being a 'good parent' and if we just open up our minds a little, we don't have to be angry at such things because we are all trying to work as a single troop of parents.

It's great if you can, it's perfectly fine if you can't.

Parenting is hard as it is, let's not make it harder for each other. Judge less, support more.

Love,
Marsha

Credit: Baby feeding image from FreeImages.com

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