Saturna

so it appears that a mother was booted from a Delta Commuter flight on Freedom Air on October 13, and now there is a nurse-in being staged in the Burlington, VT airport.

that this has to happen at all, and in one of the most liberal towns that i know of in this country, is such a shame. we Americans are so backwards. i guarantee that the reason the flight attendant asked the mother to cover her baby with a blanket is because he is not a baby, but a 22 month old toddler.

just so you know, that age (22 mos) does not even reach the minimum age of two years, recommended by the World Health Organization. in fact, it is biologically normal for an infant to receive breastmilk and a mother to lactate for 2.5-7 years. (source: A Natural Age of Weaning) for some comparison, normal is not: breast augmentation for vanity, convenience C-sections, heavily medicated birth, formula.

wake up, you repressed Americans who can only view the breast as a sex object - this is normal in nearly every part of the world but here. i know we have endured the onslought of the pharmas who told our mothers and grandmothers that formula was perfect and that nursing was gross, etc, etc, etc...... but we are past that.

or are we, if this kind of things is still happening?

there is research. read it. i am so glad that i have nursed jah isaac, and still do. we will stop when we are ready. sometimes i reach that thought daily - but i also know that he has had only one ear infection, he is a robust and healthy child, he is mentally, physically, and i daresay, emotionally developing just wonderfully, if not off the charts.

our children are only little for so long. i firmly believe that allowing them to be as attached, as close, as possible, is key in the development of independent adults. this comes with the addendum that i am not strictly "attachment" as the labels go..... each family has to do what is best for them, and it is nobody else's business.

but give me a BIG FAT BREAK on the kicking an entire family off a plane because the mother was nursing a toddler.

addendum: i guess you can tell this issue is a big one with me. i get angry about the denegration of mothers who are doing the healthiest thing they can for their children. my apologies if my fire burns anyone else up - i just do not understand why a person would choose to not breastfeed, when the evidence is there, but i have far less understanding of those who are offended by those who choose to do so.

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 16th, 2006 at 6:28 pm and is filed under Family, Motherhood. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.