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| Beyonce with hBlue Ivy. Carter Family/Ed Burke for Beyonce.com/AP Photo |
Beyonce sparks public breastfeeding debate. Whoop-ti-do!! Apparently, the star was seen nursing Blue Ivy at a public restaurant. I’m baffled that this is making national news. Some people frown upon mothers choosing to nurse out in the open, and I don’t get it. I’ve been nursing for 18 months strong and make no excuses for breastfeeding Princess in public.
I’ve nursed just about every where. Don’t get me wrong, I never completely exposed my boobies. But if I happened to be eating at a restaurant, I’ve whipped it out right there. Why should I have leave the table and go to the bathroom? That’s just gross. There’s no reason why Princess can’t eat with us at the table. I know a lot of folks may disagree. So what! At the end of the day, I’m happy and my baby’s happy. I’m careful and discrete enough to not let patrons get an eye full. If they do, oh well.
I remember nursing in the middle of a shopping mall. I really didn’t care who saw. My baby girl was starving and cranky, so I did what I had to do at the time. An employee saw me and kindly informed me of a comfy lounge for nursing moms, which I thought was very nice. But let’s face it, if there are tons of people around and your child is screaming for food then a mom’s gotta do what a mom’s gotta do.
That’s exactly what Beyonce did. I just don’t understand why it’s such a big deal. Nursing moms do it all the time. However when you factor in the statistics reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2010, I can sort of understand why some may feel that it’s a huge deal. A reported 54 % of black (non-Hispanic) moms breastfeed, in comparison to 74% white, and 80% Hispanic. One blogger feels that stars like Beyonce will encourage more black women to nurse
While I would love to see the stats for nursing black moms rise, the reality is that it may not be right for everyone. It doesn’t make them bad moms. It’s just a personal choice. Kudos to Beyonce for breastfeeding beautiful Blue Ivy! But, I don’t feel that we should appoint her as a breastfeeding trailblazer for us. I just think all women should educate themselves about the benefits of nursing. Then make a conscious decision as to whether or not it’s right for them. You shouldn’t do it because a celebrity makes it “cool.”
As for me, I’ll continue to wear my breastfeeding badge with pride.
Would you consider nursing because a celebrity does it?
Weather Anchor Mama