I was bemused by this response when I once told a man that I
was an ardent supporter of breastfeeding. Somehow in his head he had linked
breastfeeding with the earthy, Birkenstock wearing mommy crowd – and absolutely
no offense to them as they do exist, but I am not one of them.
“You seem pretty normal,” he continued.
Normal indeed, much like the crunchy granola mommies are
normal, too, and much like breastfeeding is normal, and the way nature intended
for us to feed our young. I should make clear I am also not one of those moms
who levels judgement on other moms for choosing formula for their babies, but I
do believe in the benefits of breastfeeding – and even more than that I believe
in ensuring the moms who choose it receive the support they need to succeed,
because while it is normal and natural often new moms need that support.
It’s why I was pleased to attend the recent anniversary
celebration for the Fort McMurray Breastfeeding Support Group. Held in the
concourse of the Suncor Community Leisure Centre it was wall to wall mommies
and babies, taking me back to a time when the Intrepid Junior Blogger was much,
much smaller.
The IJB was born in a small community in northwestern
Ontario. I fully intended to breastfeed, and thanks to the support of the local
La Leche League I had strong support getting started. When she was three months
old, though, I developed the chronic eye disease with which I still contend
even today, and my ophthalmologist tried to convince me to give up
breastfeeding to use oral medications that he was worried could prove harmful
to my new baby.
I was terribly torn as I was committed to breastfeeding my
daughter and I was devastated at the thought of quitting when we had just
gotten the hang of it. I went online to search for information, and that was
how I found Dr. Jack Newman, the Canadian physician who has proven the saviour
of breastfeeding women everywhere.
I fired off an email to Newman, never expecting a response –
but not only did he respond to me he contacted my ophthalmologist and between
the two of them they devised a treatment plan which would not require me to
give up breastfeeding my daughter. There were people who thought the lengths I
went to were absurd, but I knew I wanted to breastfeed and I was going to do it,
come hell or high water – and I did, weaning my daughter when she and I were
ready and having been satisfied that both her needs and my medical needs had
been met.
Being surrounded by breastfeeding moms, pregnant women and
those who support these important initiatives for women took me right back to
those early days. I was grateful for the initial support of my local La Leche
League, but even they were in a bit over their heads when it came to the
medical crisis I faced. What I would have appreciated back then was an even larger core of groups
dedicated to supporting women who choose to breastfeed and who could provide
the resources I needed when things got tough – which is why I am so grateful to
see this kind of support network in our community.
I have written in this blog about our need for a birthing
centre as our community grows with each new family member added. I have written
about the need for doulas and midwives, the support systems many pregnant women
seek, and I have written about breastfeeding. And this isn`t about saying
breastfeeding is the only choice, or that doulas or midwives are better, or
that birthing centres trump hospitals – it`s about providing women with the
options and support they need as they bring our most important asset into this
world: our next generation of citizens.
Every member of a community is important, of course, and we
all have our respective roles. To me, though, there can be no more important
role than raising children as the continuation of our species, community and
society relies on that very act and I am not only an advocate of breastfeeding but
an advocate of parenting as it is so very vital. As a community and society we
have a responsibility to provide the support and encouragement and fundamental
services parents need so they can focus on what matters most: the children.
You see it takes a village to raise a child, and in our
village we need to come together to support those raising the children, making
sure their parents have the best possible support, resources and options they
can to succeed in their incredible role in building our community.
Connect with Fort McMurray Breastfeeding Support Groups
to support local moms and babies!
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