It is the most non-controversial, ginned up and ridiculous blahbity blah in the history of celebrity gossip-mongering, but here we go:
OMG! The biggest news in the world of breast-feeding over the past week: Beyoncé reportedly breast-fed baby Blue Ivy in public.News flash, people: human beings have been breast feeding our young for centuries.
Even for an A-lister, the buzz over her breasts has got to be a bit daunting. Beyoncé was sighted apparently breast-feeding 7-week-old Blue Ivy as they both lunched with Daddy, Jay-Z, at New York City’s Sant Ambroeus restaurant during the last weekend of February.
We are mammals. As in mammary glands.
As in this is what nature designed us to do as a species. Hello. Get over yourselves.
I would bet money that the only reason anyone knows about Beyonce breastfeeding in the first place is because the paparazzi have a camera trained on this poor child every second of the day. It is entirely possible to nurse discreetly in a restaurant and not bother any other patrons who might get the vapors at the sight of a completely natural, very healthy for the child feeding.
They make special clothing just for this purpose that I used when The Peanut was tiny, or this other miraculous invention that I like to call a blanket or wrap that goes right over the top of everything blocking any view of the breast portion of the feeding.
But, honestly? For heavens sakes people, it's just a boob. Get over it already.
As any mother who has ever been lactating can tell you, the child begins to cry and you immediately have an overwhelming urge to feed her. Period. And sometimes? It doesn't even have to be your child. When I was nursing The Peanut, if any baby started to cry my milk would start getting ready because my body wanted to be able to help even when my mind was saying "um...hello?!?"
It is wonderful that everyone is having a conversation about breastfeeding and its health for the child and why more women should consider it for their own babies. But for heaven's sake, can we all agree that it is a perfectly natural thing for mammals such as we human beings to do with our babies and put away our smelling salts?
It's called doing the best thing for your own child as you decide for your own family. And everyone else outside Beyonce's little family? Ought to just butt out. Just like you'd want everyone else to do if this conversation were about you and your own child. Am I right?
(Photo of hungry baby birds via paix120.)
4 comments:
"So what?" indeed!
Wouldn't it be nice if it wasn't news for women to be who God created us to be?
I'm sharing this widely!
Sharon, I read this article this morning and went "why is this news? on the Time Magazine website, no less?" I mean, hello, we have been feeding our babies just like this as a species for eons, why on earth would this be NEWS?!?
I keep thinking that some of the fuss must be to do with the fact that throughout Beyonce's pregnancy and birth experience, there were constant rumors that she wasn't really carrying the baby, just wearing a bump while a surrogate actually bore their daughter. So perhaps the fact that she's nursing "proves" to some people that she really did give birth to her child herself, thus the lactating?
I still think it's nuts though.
Sarah -- It really does seem a bit crazy, doesn't it? I mean, honestly, women everywhere breastfeed. Across all sorts of cultures and really for centuries and centuries of human existence. Why the fuss? Although frankly, I bet there would be a fuss if she were bottle-feeding, too -- I think it has as much to do with the tabloid people needing to make a story out of whatever they can as anything. So sad.
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