no beads, please

in new orleans it is custom during mardi gras for women to expose their breasts in return for beads. while this may be the goal for some women on bourbon street, women on main street who expose their breasts in public are not doing so to collect a cheap necklace; they are simply doing what is best for their babies.

i know our blog is normally filled with family updates and other news about what is going on in our lives. today i am taking more of a political slant, but it is an issue that aaron and i feel is both important and very relevant at our current point in life.

we attended a public hearing of the wisconsin public health committee to support a bill that protects women's right to breastfeed in public. thankfully the committee members, and all present at the hearing, appeared to be in favor of the bill. it is unfortunate that many people continue to view breastfeeding as lewd and exhibitionist when it is simply a woman doing what is best for her baby. why is it that our society accepts the exploitation of breasts in the media as sexual objects, yet is uncomfortable with viewing breasts doing what God intended them to do? it is a sad statement on our society that this legislation is needed at all. unfortunately, some people are intolerant of a baby's right to eat whenever/wherever needed, even if that happens to be in public.

as a woman who will soon begin the journey of motherhood, there are many uncertainties and anxieties that i have about what the coming months and years will bring. i do not believe that one of those anxieties should be about when and where it is acceptable to feed my baby. when a baby is hungry, he/she should be allowed to eat wherever mother and baby may be. the baby should not have to fuss and cry while the mother tries to locate a socially acceptable feeding location. if a baby is hungry he/she should get to eat, just like the rest of us. it really should be that simple.

some people argue that women should pump and bottle feed their babies in public; however, some babies will not take a bottle, while other women cannot afford a pump (which usually are not covered by insurance). other women think that pumping and storing is much more inconvenient than breastfeeding. whatever the reason, women who choose to breastfeed should have the same rights as those who choose to bottle feed.

breastfeeding moms are not nursing in public to be difficult, to make a statement, or make people uncomfortable. more importantly, they are not flaunting their breasts for the world to see. breastfeeding is most often very discreet and tasteful - something i don't think most opponents of this bill realize. i have to believe that my view is not unique; most breastfeeding moms and healthcare providers i have met throughout my pregnancy share this opinion.

i'll spare you the rest of my political rant on the issue, but i will leave you with a few statistics, images, and videos that i believe speak for themselves.

• the WHO and American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life, and should continue with the introduction of solid foods for up to: at least one year of age (AAP) or two years of age or beyond (WHO)

• oxytocin is the hormone that allows a woman to let down her milk and is optimal when a woman is comfortable and at ease; how many women will feel comfortable trying to breastfeed in a public restroom (a "socially accepted/expected" place to breastfeed)?

• asking a woman to cover up while breastfeeding can cause the baby to overheat, make baby fussy, and interfere with the breastfeeding relationship between mother and baby

if you are a wisconsin resident, please contact your local representative to support bill AB-57. whether or not you are a wisconsin resident, please consider thanking or encouraging women that you see breastfeeding in public -- i guarantee that they will appreciate your support. i know i would.