Breastfeeding in Africa
I breastfed both of my children. I decided that this was the best way for them to get nutrition and it was a great bonding time. I must admit there were times when I didn’t want to expose myself in public or when I needed to be away from my children for more than two hours and couldn’t hurry back to feed them that it became harder to do. My oldest child would not take a bottle. Even after trying different bottles and allowing her to go hungry for awhile it didn’t work. Breastfeeding was the only option. Even beyond that… I wanted to make sure that they had all the care that my body could provide. It was worth the sacrifice.
The women in Africa and Asia breastfeed because it is a normal way of life for them. They are not embarrassed to feed their children in public. In South Africa
There are cultures who don’t believe in breastfeeding in public because of their religion. In Iran
Women should do what they are comfortable with and what feels right to them. In the future I will look at a persons’ history and see if this is something that they might be willing to embrace before I encourage breastfeeding. I can offer resources that might help them make better educated decisions.
References:
allafrica.com/stories/201108241403.html. Retrieved: Sept. 14, 2011.
www.007b.com/public-breastfeeding-world.php. Retrieved: Sept. 14, 2011.
I enjoyed reading your post. I believe that breastfeeding is the most natural thing that a mother can do as a means of feeding her child. When and where the mother chooses to do so should be at her discretion. I do not agree with the fact that the women in Africa have no option to breastfeed or not; I am curious as to the reasoning behind this because some countries use it as a natural means of birth control. Thank you for sharing!
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