Anyway, I received my new American Baby magazine for this month. Though I am not very happy with Parents Magazine, and now American Baby, I have indeed enjoyed their information on products and ways bathe your baby, or how to get them to interact to increase certain cognitive skills or whatever else may be helpful, outside of breastfeeding. So when I turned to page 72 of my November 2010 issue, I saw an article titled It's time to nurse. Again with an orange circle above it in white lettering saying Holiday Hitch. Ok, so my first thoughts were "well not everyone wants to see boob," followed by "they must mean church-goers who are out at their two-hour-long, sometimes even longer, Christmas program and the mom doesn't want to miss her other child(ren)'s big debut as whatever character in the churches production of the Nativity, but the baby is crying because they're hungry" or something along those lines.
Due to our own culture, women are left feeling shy, disrespectful or even immodest for feeding their baby publicly without some sort of cover. Now granted, for those that do feel this way, companies have been making loads from women who want to cover but still look stylish while doing it. I am trying to see this from a perspective outside of my own upbringing, but my own upbringing says, "the mother should have been prepared, and if she is out somewhere publicly than she should have brought something to cover herself with if she feels that uncomfortable about it and will just have to leave wherever she is and find a more private area." On the other-hand, my extremist side says, "there is nothing disrespectful, immodest or sexual about what you're doing. Feed your child whether you have a cover or not. If you hear several sharp intakes of breath, well they are obviously looking too hard at you and not paying attention to what is really going on." Now I'm all for covers. I wear a cover most of the time when I'm in public. If I don't have one, oh well. If you really want to stare that hard you can do it through the two black eyes my husband will be happy to give you, as we are usually together.
So, back to this article. I am very upset about it, and really, I shouldn't be so surprised about it coming from a magazine that advertises a lot of formula and not very much about breastfeeding. Going through the magazine, there is a mention of a benefit of breastfeeding and type 2 diabetes on the same page with a small section about sun subs, both are unrelated to each other. Another page shows a baby holding a large bottle, one of those the milk man drops off (do these guys still have a job), with an article talking about how you should get organic instead of regular cows milk. Oh, and there's a little mention to the other side of the baby saying "You can introduce cows milk once your tot is 12 months." Turn a few more pages and there's a full page ad for enfamil. A FULL PAGE AD!!! Yet a mention of the benefit of breastfeeding gets a small 2x3 (I'm guestamting here, not going to pull out my ruler) section. Turn a couple more pages, there's a full page, 5-step how-to on formula. Here's their "Safety First" guidelines:
- To avoid getting dust or dirt in formula, wipe the top of the container with a damp paper towel before opening (something you do not need to really worry about if you're breastfeeding, unless of course you were playing or have a job where you did get dirty, than I suggest either taking a shower or cleaning your breasts and then feed your child)
- Don't use mineral water to prepare formula. It has high levels of salt and minerals that can harm your baby's kidneys (Something that can harm your baby...hmmm...and this is allowed as opposed to the breastmilk that is filled with all the right nutrients and antibodies, not to mention the most safest liquid a child can drink that will nourish them and help them grow without the fear of disease or infection, dependent upon your own health)
- Microwaving formula produces hot spots that can burn your baby's mouth. Never nuke! (Hmmm...breastmilk is already at the proper temperature, but if you are using a bag of frozen breastmilk, thaw it under some warm water and test the temperature before pouring into a bottle)
- Toss any formula remaining in the bottle after feeding. It contains bacteria from baby's mouth and can make him sick (You won't have this problem with breastfeeding, and as far as bottle-feeding your pumped milk I'm not sure as I've rarely done it)
Finally, we get to the article that has me upset.
At home you may happily breastfeed au naturel, but during holiday visits a blanket will help you avoid unwanted comments and Aunt Margaret's raised eyebrows. "Bring a couple of elegant pashminas to up with," says Leslie Tucker, of Leesburg, Virginia. Lilliam Kim used to feel lonely when her hungry 2-month-old kept the two of them confined to the bedroom for feedings. Then she found a way to avoid feeling left out of the fun: "When I had to nurse I'd grab a relative to join me," she says. "I had a lot of significant conversations, which don't always happen at the dinner table, where everyone's grabbing at once."So yes, this is good sound advice, but what if this is your home people are coming into or if you do not or cannot use a cover maybe because your baby doesn't like to use a cover. Where is the information in the article that should tell a breastfeeding mother how she can say something to her family that her baby doesn't want to be covered or that she doesn't want to miss out on the great time they will all have if they banish her to another room to feed her baby. How about telling a breastfeeding mom how she can turn a chair and breastfeed her baby without anyone seeing anything, or that there are nursing tops that helps keep showing your breast to a minimal.
I suppose though, I shouldn't expect much from a magazine that advertises mostly on formula. This is just about enough to keep me from renewing my subscription. This really angers me.
