There is a big article about the importance of breastfeeding in the news today. I am pleased to see that both the Seattle Times and CNN were carrying it. I have very strong feelings about breastfeeding, and I think it is time that women were educated and knowledgeable about this important topic.

In the article it says that only 12 to 14% of babies in the US are breastfed up to 6 months of age. This is appalling. I almost did not believe it...until I thought back on all the Moms and babies I know. A great number of women that I admire, that are highly educated and very invested in parenting, did not make it past 6 weeks. Sometimes they supplemented with formula unnecessarily. Breastfeeding was difficult and inconvenient and tiring. They had formula as infants...and they turned out just fine. What's the big deal anyways? I can't tell you how many times I heard this.

I think it needs to be said that it is a big deal. I feel we should stigmatize bottle feeding. It should be the norm to breastfeed your child...and if you don't, people should assume that something went horribly wrong. For too long, breastfeeding has been something out of the mainstream. Something those hippy, crunchy Moms did with a self righteous air wafting around them. Sure it was great if it worked out, but no biggie if it didn't.

I have breastfed all my boys, and am currently still nursing the youngest. I nursed the other two until they were older than 2. I had a very hard start with my first son, and was almost unprepared for how difficult it was. I stuck with it because I honestly felt it was the most important thing I could do for him at that time of his life. I never gave any of them a drop of formula. When my first was born, I had a series of nurses coming into the room slapping down the bottle of formula on the table - telling me I was going to have to give it to him. I refused. I was prepared to pump every hour and jam it down his throat with a tube if I had to.

I was inspired by my own Mum, who pumped every 3 hours for a month so that I could have her milk while I was in the ICU in the hospital. If she could do that for me, then I could buckle down for my boy.

If you read the facts about breastfeeding, it is actually very rare that a woman cannot nurse. With the right support and education, most hurdles can be overcome. It is also very very rare that a woman does not produce enough milk - 2 to 5 %. I have probably spoken with over a hundred women who claim to not have produced a sufficient supply. This is indeed the most common response given as to why they stopped nursing.

I resolve to be more outspoken about breastfeeding. I won't keep quiet.

Breastfeeding is the hardest thing I have ever done. It is also one of the very best.

Lets put those formula companies out of business!