We live in a society where the milk from a cow’s udder is considered more acceptable for human consumption than a mother’s milk directly tailored to human needs.
I don’t have any issues with milk – regardless of its source.
I do however have a huge issue with how breastfeeding is being portrayed in the media.
Suddenly our mammary glands and their content is something dirty, and harmful.
I realise that many mothers feel the pressure of the “breast is best” stance and I get that formula feeding mothers feel shamed, however, realistically no newspaper or media outlet would ever dare criticise formula publicly; or would even consider doing so. This only happens to breastfeeding mothers.
In your wildest dreams can you even imagine a headline like this on “This Morning”?
“Is it OK to feed a young child powdered breast milk from cows?
What do you think?
Tomorrow we are meeting a mum who prefers feeding her baby milk that comes from a cow’s udders rather than milk from her own breasts.”
This would never, ever happen.
The hypocrisy in infant feeding is shocking. We constantly talk about the pressure to breastfeed but realistically the pressure to stop breastfeeding is considerably more forceful in our society.
It seem to come from every possible angle, especially after you’ve breastfed for what’s considered “beyond the norm”.
I’ve been laughed at, ridiculed and shamed for breastfeeding. I’ve had a doctor laughing me in the face when
I explained that my son, who was poorly with pneumonia, would only breastfeed. He thought I was joking – like it was a laughing matter.
My son could barely breathe and somehow the doctor found it more likely that I would be in the mood to mess around and make up this insane joke about breastfeeding my child, rather than consider that I was actually breastfeeding him at the age of three.
So here’s the thing “This Morning”, “The Daily Mail”, and all other ignorant media outlets attempting to benefit on ridiculing a devoted mother.
You are completely guilty of affecting women’s mental health negatively and shaming mothers – you have such power and you use it in a horrible way.
You benefit profoundly from the advertising of formula and the dismissal of breastfeeding, so I do get it. Profit comes first!
Turning breastfeeding into a “freak show” might make you money – but what does it make you?
Sofie Thomson is a writer, breastfeeding advocate and (breastfeeding) peer supporter from Sweden, now living in the Scottish Highlands with her husband and children. Since completing her degree in Child and Youth Studies, she has focused on encouraging parents to follow biological norms and trust their natural parenting instincts via her blog – The Gentle Mum. You can also follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
