Dissapointed

I was watching a show the other night about breast feeding and how the journalist in question was not able to breast feed due to continuous infection and at one point even being hospitalized.  As for many of us who were unable to breast feed for one reason or another, she also expressed the guilt that she felt and still does to this day.

She was speaking to younger girls, one of which felt that her breasts were there purely for sex and enjoyment but not for a child. I feel that we are all entitled to our own opinions and if that is what she felt, who are we to judge or make assumptions? She may have experienced different messages when growing up surrounding her physical make up. Yes we should probably challenge these as I feel if you can breast feed, you should try but in the same sense do not beat yourself up about it or do it because someone else is making you feel like a bad Mum for not doing it.  There are so many health benefits surrounding breast feeding but we can also get a lot of these in formula too. Love is what our children need, as well as time being spent with them, and not a mother who is left feeling anxious and depressed about the choice SHE made.

We are all women who should be supportive and not judgmental! What happened to sisterhood?Do we not get enough grief in life without having to fight to be heard and have equality as women? Women don't have to be at one anothers throats after having made informed decisions about what they feel to be right.

One of the things that probably disturbed me the most was what one of the mothers said about breast feeding and bonding. She said that a mother doesn't bond as well if they don't breastfeed. I was so angered at what was said because of my own personal feelings surrounding PND and what I think was one of the factors involved. How dare she speak for millions of mothers around the world! What gives her the right to make such judgements without understanding what the implications of such a statement could mean to mothers who feel guilt?  This is maybe how she feels and we are entitled to how we feel but to push that on and say that it is fact , is utter nonsense and very damaging.