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On air: Is breastfeeding 'creepy'?

Claudia Bradshaw Claudia Bradshaw | 10:08 UK time, Wednesday, 30 June 2010

Breastfeeding.jpg

Note: This blog post was written by Karnie, and her colleague Claudia just posted it up.

Kathryn Blundell, deputy editor of a leading parenting magazine here in the UK has got women all over the the world talking. She refers to breastfeeding as being "".

Describing her breasts as

"part of my sexuality too... seeing your... baby latching on where only a lover has been before feels, well, a little creepy."
It's the question that every mother-to-be asks, discusses, talks about: To breastfeed or not to breastfeed?

I myself, a mum to an 18 month old, have sat in many mother and baby groups; talking to other mothers, listening and discussing the opinions of this very sensitive issue. The decision to breastfeed was instinctive for me. My mum breastfed, so did my sister and so did almost all the women in my family... it was the thing that everyone just did. But I've heard other mum's call it "wrong".

Fair enough you think, to each his own but that's not necessarily the case. What we're finding (mainly in the western world) these days is a war-like debate on the issue. There is outrage on both sides of the argument: people are outraged when you say you don't want to breastfeed and then there's debate when you do want to - Should you do it in public? Should your breasts be covered? How long should you breastfeed for? Is it wrong to continue breastfeeding a young child that can walk and talk? The questions are endless.

But why judge? Where is the sense of sister-hood? Shouldn't women have the right to choose whether they would like to breastfeed or not and once that decision is taken, isn't it right to respect that decision?

Kathryn Blundell says she chose not to breastfeed because she did not want to put her "fun bags" in a "bawling baby's mouth".

According to responses to her comments include

"A campaign group supported by nearly 500 people has been set up on the social networking site Facebook calling on Blundell to apologise".

I think the way in which she describes breastfeeding is incredibly subjective, but she is not alone. One mum in this says:

"Yes she speaks for me. The truth is that I've never liked the idea of breast feeding, long before I had a baby".
Why can't women be allowed to make up their own minds about breastfeeding? And why aren't women more understanding of the choices other women make?

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