Thanks to other bloggers, I was able to catch your segment on breastfeeding. Sad to say, I don’t think we’ll be having lunch out together anytime soon. Not that you and I would ever agree on a restaurant, anyway, since the only way you can tolerate breasts and eating in unison is at Hooters.
I understand you don’t have kids, and therefore, don’t understand the importance of breastfeeding. You probably don’t like eating near kids who are loud at the table, either. However, these kids are your future. They will be paying your social security, they will be serving as your nurses as they feed you your Ensure through a straw. So you might want to take some interest in their upbringing.
You, as a celebrity, are in a unique position for people to hear your message. I can rant and rave on my little blog here as much as I like, but I’m probably only reaching 200-300 people at most. You can reach millions. Yet you squandered your chance to educate and inform by choosing to belittle breastfeeding activists and speak out against breastfeeding openly in public.
All research points to breastfeeding being the optimal food for an infant. (Take a moment and read the American Academy of Pediatrics official policy. It’s enlightening.) Millions of years of evolution (you do still believe in evolution, right?) have produced the perfect food for humans during one of their most critical periods of development. Cow milk is for baby cows, dog milk is for baby dogs, and human milk is for baby people. But even though we know this, and all medical associations promote and support breastmilk as the optimal food for infants for their first year of life, only 41.5% of infants in the U.S. are still being breastfed at six months. Less than 12% were breastfed exclusively past six months.
Why is this? Well, one reason is because of asshats like you. Remarks like those you made recently shame women into thinking their breasts are only indecent sexual objects, only to be brought out from under a shirt at home, Mardi Gras, or a good topless bar. You have reinforced the public belief that breasts are only meant for a man’s pleasure. But the primary function of the breast is for milk production.
What exactly do you have a problem with concerning breastfeeding in public? Are you really that concerned with seeing a little bit of tit flesh while you dine? Why are you looking, anyway? It’s pretty easy to tell when a woman is about to breastfeed – why not notice and then make the conscious choice to go back to your own meal and conversation with friends and not dwell on it. Or are you more upset that the baby is getting closer to a breast than you have lately?
Because of people like you, many women feel uncomfortable breastfeeding in public, leading them to bring a bottle if their baby is hungry. That bottle may be pumped milk, but more likely they’ll just grab some of the formula given to them in their promotional diaper bag from the hospital. I’ll bet many moms choose to give up breastfeeding entirely due to the fear they have developed of feeding their child in public. After all, who wants to stay cooped up in their house for a year? Good going there, Bill: take away an infant’s best source of food – providing antibodies, protection against diabetes, obesity, SIDS, and a possible increase in intelligence – all because you can’t control your ability to stop staring at a breast.
Were we to ever have that hypothetical lunch, Bill, there’s a good chance my daughter would need to eat during our time together. I can guarantee you that were you sitting right across the table from me, you’d see less breast than you would by walking across a college quad on a hot day.
You really screwed up, Bill. Now do the right thing, admit you’re wrong, and publicly support a woman’s right to breastfeed in public. I don’t have a soapbox big enough to get the message out, but you do.
Sincerely,
A mom
************
I also wanted to draw everyone’s attention to this documentary I found on YouTube, called Formula for Disaster. It’s put together by UNICEF and discusses the impact that formula marketing has had on the Philippines. In only a short amount of time, breastfeeding rates in the Philippines has dropped to a record low, mainly because of the media push for formula.
Many of these women actually believe that formula will make their kids into geniuses and grow faster, because that’s what the advertising tells them. Health professionals are wined and dined to promote formula, and women are told that their own milk is not good enough. Forget that many of the poorer women can’t afford this stuff, and that water supplies are often questionable.
Who makes this formula? American companies. (Primarily Nestle, the worst offender out there.) They’re raking in huge profits for a product that is of lower quality, using outrageous claims that you wouldn’t see here, but people there believe.
It’s an eye opening documentary that I think everyone needs to see. Here’s part one, and parts two, three, four and five can be viewed on You Tube. It’ll take about 20 minutes total.
And to clarify: as I’ve said before, I’m not against formula. I had to use it with Cordy. There are situations where it is necessary, and there are women who can’t breastfeed. When used properly, it can be lifesaving. But the marketing tactics used by these companies can be underhanded, and not enough support is given to women during the early days of breastfeeding, when it is difficult and painful, and easy to give up.
Hey I really like your blog, I am out today trying to expand the
Parent community that is growing on Criteo. Would you like
to try Criteo AutoRoll? I think it will be beneficial to showing you
other parent blogs where you can develop relationships.
http://criteo.com
Rex
I’ve not really been much of a late night TV watcher, so my saying I’ll never watch him again doesn’t mean much. But what an ass. And I don’t mean that in a sexual way. Just like I wasn’t showing my breasts off in a sexual manner while breastfeeding my children.
It just absolutely baffles me that people continue to be such idiots about this issue. They’re breasts. Your mother has them. Get over it.
Your soapbox may be smaller than his darlin’ but your class places you a step above.
This is one of the best commentaries I think I’ve ever read! I don’t breast feed (my daughter is adopted), but I am a fervent supporter of all who do.
My husband and I lived in Costa Rica for a time (and traveled extensively throughout Latin America), and the whole formula ad campaign thing had just blown up there with the findings that children were being malnourished because mothers were being persuaded through the media that their milk wasn’t “good enough,” yet they couldn’t afford enough formula. It’s just sick.
The whole formula in the Phillipines is more disturbing than Bill’s ugly face any day. And like you, I’m not against formula. I just feel as though people should be informed about everything in an honest way.
And I never found him funny. Won’t watch his show. And am closing my facebook account.
I encourage others to do so.
People like Maher make me angry. Really, really angry. It’s so hard for a new mom (any mom, really), and we just don’t need more negativity. AND we don’t need to be cooped up for a year or more either…
was an asshat … girl I am on your boat to get the message out!
What formula companies, especially Nestle do in the rest of the world is why some have been boycotting them for decades. I think formula is a great tool, but they’re scum. Makes you not want to use their stuff.
Great post, Christina! Very well thought out and balanced.
Everything I tried to write about the subject had too many curse words.
Fame does not bring wisdom. Clearly.
I can’t believe this is still a topic of discussion. I thought the media was all ready to bash thoughtless mothers who were too selfish to breastfeed . . . but I guess any female bashing is too good an opportunity to pass up. Damned if you don’t, damned if you do.
Excellent post! You said everything so well. And I’m going to check out that documentary. I have the same position as you on formula. It is, of course, necessary in some cases. Of course, if the formula companies want to make it seem better than breastmilk, all the better for them because no company ever made a dime off of a mother’s milk.
And the discomfort thing? I so get that. Of course, I’m just one of those lazy mothers who don’t plan ahead and have the audacity to stay out in public for more than an hour an a half. Ugh. It would be really nice if some men would graduate from adolescence already.
Beautifully said! Right down to the appropo monkier of “asshat”. I hope you don’t mind- I linked to your blog on mine. You said everything I wish I could articulate more clearly and without the profanity. 🙂
A great post on this subject – when I was nursing my girl I always appreciated any little sign of support and understanding. I will always be especially grateful to the older woman at my church who came up to me after I’d nursed during the sermon – I was expecting a scolding, but instead she told me how happy it made her to see a little baby getting the food she needs when she needs it.
I saw this episode, and the comments were delivered in a typical male adolescent manner.
Not being able to breastfeed was so disappointing to me. But because I didn’t, I sometimes find it hard to relate to the passion that these kind of incidents incur.
I do understand it, though, and support your position 100 percent. This is a natural function, nothing sexual about it.
Men who cannot separate breastfeeding from sex are hindered by their own raunchy arrested development.
excellent – well said.
Ok, I’m about eight weeks away from being able to breastfeed, and since our first child is adopted I wasn’t able to breastfeed him.
And I am definitely PRO breastfeeding; in fact I can’t wait to be able to do it with baby to be. In fact, it was one of the big reasons we decided to do IVF instead of adopt again.
But, something I don’t quite understand, and maybe it’s because I haven’t done it yet, is can’t breastfeeding in public be done discreetly? My Mom talks about breastfeeding my brother and me almost 40 years ago and how she could do it and people hardly ever knew.
I plan on breastfeeding whenever and wherever I need to, and heaven help someone who tries to tell me I can’t. But I always assumed I would be able to do it in a way that no one else had to see my breasts.
Am definitely going to have to watch that episode on demand.
hmmm this post makes me want to take off my shirt and just walk around naked jiggling my boobies and see what kind of response i get…i bet that would be more acceptable then nursing
This is one of the few posts I have read on breastfeeding (at any time, not just this uproar) that didn’t make me feel like a completely horrid mother because I formula feed, and for that I thank you, because for me, it was a heartbreaking process trying and failing to make it work.
That said.
Bill Maher is an idiot. But I would hope that anyone who has listen to him for more then 30 seconds would know this. He really hasn’t made his sexism a secret.
I asked my 14 year old hormonally charged step son about the whole thing the other day and what he thought about Moms who BF in public.
He said “Dude.. kids gotta eat, feed it”
Age doesn’t always make one wise.
Gah. I already couldn’t stand Bill Mahr, but when I saw the topic and watched the show, my blood was boiling. What an ass clown.
I didn’t breastfeed because it was “difficult and painful and easy to give up.” LOL!
BUT having said that, I would NEVER belittle another woman for doing it!! I think she deserves a medal of honour!! It’s the ultimate form of sacrifice. Not to mention what NATURE INTENDED. I don’t understand how the government in these countries will allow this blasphemous advertising of formula.
In Canada, the formula canisters say first thing “Breast milk is the best form of nutrition for your baby”…
Mr. Maher is a complete bafoon. I hope he never gets to see another breast (in the flesh) again.
I think breasfeeding in public is rude to those around you. Sorry, but I do. I have one child and have another that will be here shortly, and have no intentions of breastfeeding the 2nd one, either. However, if you want to bare your breast in public, more power to you, but you should expect people to stare. After all, it is a naked breast, regardless of whether there is a child attached to it or not. Also, all the breastfeeders out there shouldn’t be so harsh towards those of us that don’t – maybe if you weren’t, some women wouldn’t feel the way I do!!
Ah, “anonymous”… pseudonym of antagonistic trolls everywhere! 😉