Support From Unlikely Sources

breastfeedingcafecarnivalWelcome to The Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival!

This post was written as part of the Breastfeeding Cafe’s Carnival. For more info on the Breastfeeding Cafe, go to www.breastfeedingcafe.wordpress.com. For more info on the Carnival or if you want to participate, contact Claire at clindstrom2 {at} gmail {dot} com. Today’s post is about breastfeeding myths and dispelling them. Please read the other blogs in today’s carnival listed below and check back for more posts July 22nd through August 4th!

I live in a neighborhood where the residents are either very old imports from Italy/Greece/Hungary or else young families. The folks across the street from us are very old Italians who keep chickens (and share eggs!), make wine in their basement (and share it!), bring us figs every August…and have lots to say about when we should have children and why they shouldn’t be crying at all hours of the night with the windows open in summertime.

Of course, all the older people on our street make these sorts of comments. They tell me to put rice in my baby’s bottle to help him sleep longer. The old ladies lay their hands on my squishy, postpartum belly and ask how far along I am. When I’m actually pregnant, they tell me I must be carrying a girl because of my acne. You know, all sorts of very polite observations!

You can imagine that I don’t turn to these neighbors for support when I’m feeling frustrated about nursing.

Because my four year old doesn’t like to stay indoors, I often wind up nursing my 14-month-old on the porch while my big guy rides his bike on the sidewalk out front. Sometimes I wind up nursing him while running down the sidewalk after my older son. The other day when this happened, the neighbors across the street were outside, and I braced myself for some sort of abrasive comment.

“You’re still nursing that baby?” the woman asked me.

“Yep,” I said.

“That’s good! Breastfeeding is the best thing! Look how big and fat he is!” She was squeezing his chunky thighs by this time, smiling. And I started smiling. “Big boy! Yes, mama is making you healthy! Look at you, wonderful big boy! Breastfeeding is the best thing. Such a good thing, all that good milk.”

Now, when I go outside to bring up the trashcans, she hollers over, “You keep breastfeeding that baby! Make him big and fat and strong! Here, you want some tomatoes?”

Did you get any unexpected support while you were breastfeeding? Leave us a comment to share your unlikely supporters.


 


Here are more post by the Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival participants! Check back because more will be added throughout the day.

6 comments to Support From Unlikely Sources

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