Suck it? Public Breastfeeding.

Come on, breastfeeding is not obscene. Breastmilk has evolved into an immune-building milk tailor-made for each child to protect infants and children from illnesses in their environment. There are over 400 ingredients in breastmilk whose reasons for being there are not fully known. There is a component in breastmilk which is only there to grow the baby’s brain. That’s it. It can’t be replicated. Saying a certain non-humanmilk-based formula is ‘closer to’ breastmilk is akin to saying Michigan is closer to Hawaii than Pennsylvania. True, but one wouldn’t be closer to Hawaii’s environment, would they?

Our September Print edition cover- It is western culture that has sexualized breasts to the point where seeing a mother breastfeeding her child is obscene. image: courtesy of the author

Did you know that if you leave a naked baby on mom’s chest right after birth, they have the knowledge and ability to crawl to the breast and nurse perfectly by themselves (especially if mom was un-medicated during the birth). It is a beautiful moment to watch. That instinct is there for 3-4 months.

Should breastfeeding ever hurt? No. Just because many women do have pain in breastfeeding, doesn’t make it ‘normal.’ Most pain in breastfeeding, in my 20-year experience, is from poor latching or lack of knowledge. There isn’t enough time in a full prenatal labour/birth class to give breastfeeding instruction the time it needs. Attending La Leche League (LLL) meetings while pregnant can help prepare you (www.LLLc.ca). Or, talk with an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant if you are nervous speaking in a group. Plus, partners may feel more comfortable speaking individually. IBCLC’s are listed here: http://www.americas.iblce.org/ibclc-registry. Both LLL and IBCLC’s are available before and after you have your baby and are a tremendous resource and support.

Maternite (Motherhood) by Maria Blanchard. Due to physical conditions that prevented Maria from ever being able to have children, she powered up her paintings with sentiment and substance. CP

The World Health Organization, and the Canadian Pediatric Society both say to exclusively nurse your baby for the first 6 months of life and to breastfeed for 2 years or more. That is the world standard. It is western culture that has sexualized breasts to the point where seeing a mother breastfeed her child is obscene. There is no food on earth which can replace the vitamins, minerals, and immunities which are found in human milk. How is seeing a baby nurse in public worse than seeing the lingerie models in the mall?
Dads should not be left out of baby’s life. But, if dads were meant to feed babies, they would lactate. Skin-to-skin bonding with dad/baby increases parenting hormones and normalizes baby’s temperature, heart, and breathing.

Public breastfeeding- what’s the big dealio? image: courtesy of the author

Dads, or other support people, may use a medicine cup (like what comes with children’s fever medicine) to feed the baby. In addition, baby’s tongue works similarly to breastfeeding, so feeding a baby with cup and at the breast should not cause nipple confusion.
There are documented risks to formula-feeding (increased risks for obesity, diabetes, and general colds/flus). Plus, moms may have an increased risk of breast cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes if she chooses formula feed. Breasts are part of our anatomy to feed our babies. Honour that.

For the Silo by Aboriginal midwife Stephanie MacDonald, IBCLC. Contact Stephanie on twitter @StephIBCLC

Supplemental- 30$ per scoop Ice cream made from human breastmilk on sale in London, England

Posted

September 1, 2012

Culture

The Silo

Comments

21 responses to “Suck it? Public Breastfeeding.”

Tiffany Teske

June 23, 2013

Thank you for adding your voice. And to you, [the Silo], for this link on breastfeeding. I am glad to know of others who boycott Nestle. I do think that speaking with your $$ by only supporting companies you feel good about buying from is the best way to hurt these companies. I don’t trust the government to help with laws. We need to be pro active and speak with our pocketbooks. Tiffany Teske
Gina Peterson

September 11, 2012

The Magisterium of the Catholic Church wholeheartedly supports nursing mothers, because breastfeeding provides the ideal food for babies and follows the natural law ordained by God. Over the course of history, many popes, bishops, theologians and Catholic laypeople have publicly supported breastfeeding women. The Catholic Nursing Mothers League also follows the Catholic Church’s lead in encouraging nursing mothers.

Your article accurately presents the benefits of breastfeeding and also reminds people about the importance of the father in the baby’s life. However, I do agree with Holy Trinity Catholic High School in that the article could have been more tastefully named. Thanks for educating the public about the health advantages and normalcy of breastfeeding!

Gina Peterson, BS, IBCLC
Executive Director of the Catholic Nursing Mothers League
http://www.catholicbreastfeeding.org
The Silo

September 11, 2012

Update- Holy Trinity highschool has agreed to accept and display in school a small number of our current PRINT edition with modified cover titling. We have applied wide stickers to completely obscure the words Suck it? Although admittedly this is a form of censorship, ultimately this is a good compromise and a positive step.
Eg of censored magazine covers in the Middle East- http://controcorrente.ilcannocchiale.it/blogs/bloggerarchimg/Controcorrente/natgeo_iran.jpg
The Silo

September 11, 2012

Hi Sue- Thx for recognizing our article was informative. It’s clear however that you can’t be a regular online reader of The Silo- if you were, you’d know that we value, ALL opinions including rebuttals (take a look around thesilo.ca- there’s plenty) and that we have always provided a forum for open comment on EVERY post on our site since day 1.
You are mistaken to believe that this article or any other for that matter is an opportunity for exploitation. Our mandate with this article was clear- CREATE INTEREST IN TOPIC and I believe we not only met that goal, we exceeded that goal. CP

chas·tise/CHasˈtīz/
Verb:
1.Rebuke or reprimand severely.
2.Punish, esp. by beating.
Synonyms: punish – castigate – chasten – penalize – discipline

re·al·po·li·tik/rāˈälˌpōliˌtēk
noun:
1.1.A system of politics or principles based on practical rather than moral or ideological considerations
susan

September 11, 2012

As the mother of four children all born by midwives when it was still an underground profession I am also a huge proponent of breast feeding. Not one of my children ever had a bottle they all went from breast to cup. Your article was informative. Howerver..
I found Marguerite’s critique of the article well written. The picture was not the issue but the word SUCK IT. I think you successfully exploited this subject and your rebuttals to all who disagreed with you inform me that you do not want anyone elses opinion. If your paper encourages free thought and promotes open opinions than you should not chastise readers who have different opinions and thoughts that you have no control over. Will you be offended if i say SUCK IT UP?
This has got nothing to do with the beauty of breastfeeding and has overshadwed its content.
John B. Lee

September 10, 2012

Breastfeeding is beautiful, natural and nurturing. Offence where it is taken, is not necessarily given, though I’m sure the editors are entirely aware of the potential provocation in having used the phrase ”suck it?” which has other very obvious and potentially offensive connotations. The cropping of the original photo makes in necessary to look closely to see what is actually going on in the photo. I was drawn to the issue after I heard about the controversy, and it amuses me to think that there are those in the public who are so easily provoked when the article has such important information and is so essential for young mother’s and father’s.

all good things, John B. Lee
D Fisch

September 9, 2012

Good for you!
The Silo

September 7, 2012

Thanks for your comments Joan. It’s a little disheartening from our perspective- the spec focused more on me, personally, than the content but hopefully the old adage “no such things as bad publicity” rings this time. The fact is, we are sent story submissions and content and press releases and thats how this business works. If you want to promote something, you can’t sit around waiting for it to be discovered. Conversely if a reader sends you something and its good content or a good issue such as public breastfeeding- its not necessarily self-promotion, its called MARKETING. cheers CP btw, the Spec story is available online at – http://www.thespec.com/news/local/article/794317–pushing-it-for-publicity now thats SELF promotion ;> )
Joan Milton

September 7, 2012

You did a great job of getting this out and now lots more attention to natural breastfeeding. I was surprised when I saw you guys in my Spec this morning. You really made an impression. Joan
Marguerite Larmand

September 5, 2012

Quote “By the way, it’s worst not worse”. Buzinga! I’m mocking.
And the last line about jargon, ignore it, it doesn’t belong. It was a P.S. and different subject altogether.
The Silo

September 5, 2012

Thanks for your comment Lisa. I think there is a disconnect with those readers that are not in favour of our titling. This issue is PARTLY about breastfeeding but there are often intertwining connected content- in this case the connection of our cover and lead-in story to the Freedom of Information article also found in this issue (and on the very next page).
In particular note the captioned cartoon- (paraphrased) “you can say what you want as long as its in an acceptable format”.
Perhaps if our title was Suck it (in public)? Or Hide it (in public)? you would have approved? Freedom of speech and expression goes hand in hand with public breastfeeding rights. Are you in favour of public breastfeeding (read:exposed breast) or ‘acceptable format’ (read:hidden breast) CP
Lisa Fraser

September 5, 2012

I have to agree with Sally and Marguerite. The article is very informative but really-SUCK IT? In my mind it is rude!
Stephanie MacDonald

September 5, 2012

I’m so happy that this issue is impacting our area. It is thought provoking. It is stimulating discussion. I can say I’m not surprised that HT has pulled it.

I have 2 boys in a local high school. The pictures which are shown of STD’s are far more explicit and horrifying (at least that’s what my 14 year old said) than a picture of an infant nursing.

The title of the piece (by editors) was to impact our area. Let’s hope that because of this article and the discussion it is generating, that when a mom nurses in public, she won’t be harassed. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?!
The Silo

September 5, 2012

We have just received a call from the local catholic highschool Holy Trinity regarding our current edition. Although they ‘welcome the next issue’ of The Silo, they have removed all in-school copies of our current paper. They feel that the titling of this lead story is inappropriate. We have asked that HT comment more on this development via our comment post feature while we have contacted the Catholic Nursing Mother’s League for clarity on the official catholic position of breastfeeding.
“…[Breastfeeding] benefits the child and helps to create the closeness and maternal bonding so necessary for healthy child development. So human and natural is this bond that the Psalms use the image of the infant at its mother’s breast as a picture of God’s care for man…”
– Pope John Paul II
http://www.catholicbreastfeeding.org
The Silo

September 5, 2012

After reading your comments, images of Justice potter Stewart of the United States Supreme Court (who did not mean to be funny and said he could not define obscenity but “I know it when I see it”) came to mind. And that’s not a bad thing. Engaging our readers in thought-provoking and informed debate is also not a bad thing. Now when the debate turns into an editorial witch-hunt due to readership dichotomy (some like it hot, some like it cold) fueled by a title no less- im inclided to say that’s still not a bad thing. This issue is garnering HUGE interest and we are succeeding in informing our readers about breastfeeding and for the record there has been overwhelming positive response to our cover and lead story. Interestingly, “the pro’s” seem less inclined to publicly state their position than “the con’s”.
We do not feel any need to justify our editorial choices and stand behind this and every issue of the Silo proudly. As for the grammatical errors and typos- what do they have to do with your titling concerns? CP
Marguerite Larmand

September 5, 2012

The article corresponds with the photograph. Edgy in its cropping,
the photo has just enough of the baby’s mouth to make the connection
between the nurturer and the nurturee. There is a softness to it and
the small decorative shape connected to the satin edging of the
baby’s clothing can, at a glance, resemble the drool which is often
part of the process of feeding at this newborn stage.
This slightly increases the edginess.
Let’s keep in mind however, the beauty inherent in this photo. Tender
and sensitive, it represents the article well, an article without
precedence in The Silo, (as far as I can remember). There’s only a
brief sentence about some seeing breast feeding as “obscene” which
reads like an unfounded accusation rather than asking or presuming
what I think about breast feeding in public.

As for the text…

So, what is the big delio? The word delio trivializes the subject/
issue (and what’s is a contraction of what is and so it needs an
apostophe).

SUCK in capital letters sensationalizes and provokes. Why should
this tender, sweet and natural subject (I’m basing that on the photo)
be sensationalized? be used as a form of provocation?

The word “it” objectifies the breast and falls well backwards in
terms of respect for mothers.

And the question mark is pointless because of the the fact that the
act is so natural that babies like all animals can find the breast
shortly after birth.
Of course the baby will suck it. Why ask and in fact, why SHOUT the
question? to a newborn? In other words, To whom is the question
directed? To me?

The oversized text is in conflict with both the image and the written
article.

No one would assume that the issue sucks. This paper has a history of
providing quality. So stop with the aggrandizing, keep your goal in
mind to remain unique and provide consistent quality and just do it.

Also,

I don’t want to be told by the ‘content producer’ how I should feel
or not feel. I will rely on intuition and logic for my responses.

By the way it’s worst with a “t” not an “e”

In The Silo, widely read by the diverse, it appears as jargon. From
my educational history, jargon is known to place the user in a
dominant position. Level the playing field.

Marguerite
The Silo

September 4, 2012

Sally- how do you know what the purpose of the article was? The author had many points to make as did our publication. As an artist you must already understand the notion of ‘attractive titling’ and ‘double-entendre’ and by commenting on our cover choice- you’ve proven one of our points. Breastfeeding is not crude and the title- Suck it? (question mark) not Suck it! (action exclaimation) ASKS the reader a question (is it okay) to (breastfeed) Suck it? The reader feedback which this cover is generating is substantial and these types of issues and stories are part of what makes the Silo so effective a read. We boldy go where the other papers dare not.
ps- The photo was submitted by the author and was hardly cropped- we are proud of this cover image, stand behind it (and the author) and thank-you for your comments. CP
Sally Gable

September 4, 2012

It was good to see your article about breastfeeding but I was disappointed in your choice of photo for the cover & especially the choice of title”Suck It!”
The photo was cropped in such a way that it made it difficult to see what you were looking at. If you are going to feature the importance & benefits about breastfeeding then why not embrace the subject with a more sensitive & thoughtful image ?
The title “Suck It” was just as thoughtless and crude which was not the purpose of the article.
Breastfeeding is a wonderful, natural & important experience for a mother & child.I feel the title & cover photo did not capture this.
Stephanie MacD

September 4, 2012

Thank you, ladies. This was a fantastic opportunity to at least open dialogue about breastfeeding, risks of formula feeding and nursing in public. What a great paper to do this for Canada’s Breastfeeding Week in the first week of October!
Lacey Dearie

September 2, 2012

Congratulations on this great article. There needs to be less awkwardness attached to breastfeeding. It is, after all, the most natural way to feed a child. In Scotland, where I live, it is illegal to prevent a woman from breastfeeding in a public place, and I would like to see more western countries adopt our attitude to breastfeeding.
Pat Young

September 1, 2012

Wonderful when moms get all the info and resources they need to breastfeed. Shame it is such an issue now days. Pat in SNJ, USA