Public Breast Feeding Issues

Corky Harvey and Wendy Haldeman are two women who are making an effort to discourage criticism of mothers who breastfeed in public. At a little over 3,361 hits, their YouTube videos on the subject are not the most popular, but they contain important information. According to Harvey and Halderman, people all over the world stereotype mothers who breastfeed in public, with some going so far as to say that breastfeeding is disgusting. The problem comes because many of these people think of breasts only in a sexual way.

Harvey and Halderman also state that men are generally more supportive of breastfeeding then woman, claiming that a total of 30 percent of people surveyed in the U.S said they were comfortable with mothers who breastfeed in public, while the remaining 70 percent were undecided.

Milk from the mother is proven to be very good for babies, mostly because it contains a lot calcium and iron to make babies strong and viable. According to the World Health Organization, infants who are not breastfed constitute a risk group. Natural feeding is a tradition in Africa, where women recognize that mother’s milk is superior to anything that can be mixed with water, especially when formula has to be made in areas that are not sanitary.

In the U.S., however, women are more likely to listen to doctors who lecture that formula is more wholesome. Those opposed to formula note that babies and toddlers have died due to toxic ingredients contained in the formula. In China, some formula manufacturers added fillers to their products simply to make the container heavier and justify the high cost.

Those who are not inclined to breastfeed in public but still want to provide their babies with mother’s milk may use a breast pump and bottle their own. The key for success with this process is to keep the temperature of the milk just right. The drawback for these mothers is, if they don’t pump enough milk, they could have a major health problem — namely, mastitis, a breast infection that is very painful.

Breast pump aside, the only alternative is to wear the appropriate attire so that you aren’t calling so much attention to yourself when breastfeeding your baby.

At the Puna Women Infants and Children office of Bay Clinic, Honorah Domizio and crew are planning to participate in World Breastfeeding Week held each August. Their hope is to call more attention to this natural practice and help women who do breastfeed to feel proud of themselves. The Puna WIC office crew is creating a poster that will feature a number of celebrities who promote the practice. Actress Salma Hayek is one of the most dedicated mothers who breastfeeds, according to Domizio.

Search the Internet for information on this subject and you will easily find videos of Hayek sharing feelings like this: “I’m like an alcoholic. It’s like I don’t care if I cry or I’m fat, I’m going to do it for a whole week.”

The Puna W.I.C. crew wants to help mothers feel more relaxed with breastfeeding in public. “Maybe if mothers see that celebrities breastfeed, maybe they would like to do it too,” Domizio said.