Aug 20, 2007

Or is that Advocate?

You all know that I'm a proud supporter of breastfeeding and La Leche League. Women should be allowed to breastfeed as long as they like without criticism. Okay, I guess I'd advocate that somewhere between 3 and 5 it gets creepy, but hey! to each his own. (By the way, the median age for weaning worldwide is 5. Yup.)

Well, tonight something got my hackles up. Might say it turned me into a breastfeeding Nazi! (Many people seem to believe that all members of LLL are hairy, granola crunching, hippie Nazis that force women to breastfeed forever. Not. True. Except I'm a bit on the hairy side. Can't help that! And granola hurts my teeth.)

SuperNanny.

Did anyone else watch this show tonight? I happened to flip it on (and I never watch TV, so it's odd...) and there is the SuperNanny telling a mom of a 14 month old to quit breastfeeding because it's only for mom's emotional attachment, nothing else.

What?

Excuse me?

Wish I could have been there to enlighten the SuckNanny and support the mom. Because, you know, she did decide to wean. And weaning under pressure is not a good thing. Personally (for the 2 cents that's worth - self addressed stamped envelopes only, please) I believe that the child should lead the weaning process.

A 14 month old is not a small adult with the cunning and wiles to manipulate her mother. The emotional attachment is NOT one sided. The 14 month old is still a baby who needs that closeness in her world. She doesn't even realize yet that she and mommy are not the same person!

Granted, I like some of the stuff she says about discipline and family togetherness, but breastfeeding advice? Stay away, Jo Frost. I read her bio and it says she has no children and therefore no breastfeeding experience. How can you offer advice about something that you know NOTHING about? It's like me, offering advice on the best way to grow bananas or pick fleas off your pet monkey! Idiotic!

So, I guess if it makes me an adversary to support the mom, so be it. I'd rather be the advocate and spread the word. It's not wrong, it's nature. God bless mammary glands!



7 comments:

Megan@SortaCrunchy said...

Oh no! I hardly ever watch that show, but I can tell you I would have been FIRED UP to see that one. Shame, shame, Jo Frost . . .

Barb Szyszkiewicz said...

Although my kids did not nurse that long, I would never presume to tell the parent of a 14-month baby that it's too late to still be nursing!! Oh, that really toasts my marshmallows.

Ladybug Mommy Maria said...

I'm with you, Sara!

Write that letter to her - now! :-)

MamaGeek @ Works For Us said...

Wow; that certainly suprises me. I'm in the weaning process now (for my 13 month old) but know a lot of friends who plan to do it longer.

Awesome Mom said...

Yikes!!! That reminds me of when Evan was a baby. He was in the hospital and I was pumping for him. I had a consultation with the lactation consultant and she was very young looking. I had to wonder if she had even nursed a child. She did give out good advice about pumping though.

SAHMmy Says said...

Wow--14 months is really tiny to wean, in my opinion--I agree that around 3 years old I might get a little squeamish, but 14 months is still a Baby!

Anonymous said...

I agree in kids leading the way. I also agree in mothers, like you, knowing what's best.


Mike
http://somethingaboutparenting.typepad.com/

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