Hanging on the wheels of the breastfeeding bandwagon, TheBump.com and Breastfeeding.com have teamed up to launch the "Public Display of Breastfeeding" campaign. Their goal of encouraging moms to publicly show their support of breastfeeding seems to be working. On August 15–right in the middle of National Breastfeeding Awareness Month–more than 1,000 moms have pledged to nurse their babies in public.
As the new mom of a two-month old baby boy, I'm doing everything I can to ensure that my little guy gets the best start possible. According to pediatricians and experts worldwide, that means breastfeeding. As a mom on the go, that also means nursing in public, as I've been doing since he was about two weeks old.
Of course, I get nervous just about every time I do it–you can never be sure whether someone will complain or even ask you to stop. And even though I know I have a right to feed my child wherever and whenever necessary, there's definitely a stigma attached to exposing a breast in a public place. Breasts are just about the most oversexualized part of the human body, and it seems that it's often forgotten that they actually have a function that goes far beyond carnal pleasure–they are life-sustaining and provide a perfect source of nutrition that actually evolves as your baby grows.
As of late, it seems that people everywhere–from New York's mayor Michael Bloomberg to mommy bloggers around the globe–have made it their mission to spread awareness. I'm all for this event, despite the fact that in my new mom stupor, I probably won't even realize when that date has rolled around, but I'll very likely be nursing somewhere outside of my home–whether by coincidence or not! –Shayne Rodriguez Thompson
Image via dailycloudt/flickr
