Courtney Jung

The ultimate point of this book is to look at how breastfeeding (especially pumping) is now used politically -- example, pumping is a great excuse to not give paid maternity leave because LOOK! moms can attach plastic suction cups to their boobs and have other people feed their babies breast milk! I was very surprised by the WIC program that gives better benefits to moms that breastfeed over moms that give their child formula (even if it's because the mom CANNOT breastfeed). I was APPALLED by what I read regarding WHO, UNICEF, breastfeeding, and HIV. Very interesting reading for anyone that has breastfed or is planning to in the future.

Choices are important and we should have them. To have a baby or not to have a baby, to vaccinate or not to vaccinate, to breastfeed or not to breastfeed -- these are all choices that are up to women/mothers/parents. While I have opinions on what I think a person *should* do, it isn't up to me.

I chose to breastfeed (I also chose to vaccinate because *science*). Evie was exclusively breastfed for the first ten weeks, but then she went to daycare and we introduced breast milk via bottle. I pumped for months. I hated every second. I pumped because "breast is best" and I was under the impression that I was saving my child from measles (I know, silly, but there were all those measles outbreaks after she was born). Yes, breast milk does pass on some of those antibodies, but only for like a month. Anyway...breastfeeding was really pushed on my at the hospital. One of my nurses gave me this very emotional speech about her own struggles with breastfeeding and how she just kept trying. It was intense.

I always knew I was going to breastfeed though, I didn't need impassioned speeches. I'm still breastfeeding now and Evie is 18 months old. I think the bonding experience is worth it, it's a comfort for her. I would do it all again and breastfeed if I had another child...but you know what I wouldn't do? I wouldn't stress out about pumping (I didn't take an actual lunch break for roughly 6 months) and I would've introduced formula much sooner.

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On Immunity and Breasts (by Florence Williams)… (altro)