"Do we really need to see it?"
Yes.
My answer is yes.
Yes, we need to see mothers breastfeeding in restaurants, subway stations, waiting rooms and local parks.
Yes, we need to see mothers breastfeeding newborn babies, infants, toddlers and preschoolers.
Yes, we need to see pictures of mothers breastfeeding on social media sites, newsstands and billboards, as well as on TV shows and in films.
We need to be so familiar with breastfeeding, with seeing it, talking about it and understanding it, that none of the scenarios above would raise a single eyebrow.
Because if we continue to treat it as a secret art form, reserved for private rooms and hushed conversations, it will remain a taboo. It will become lost in the passage of time, further misunderstood and out of reach for future mothers.
It was almost out of reach for me... and it's more than likely that it didn't come easily to you... but by seeing it, by talking about it and by mastering it, we are passing on a torch.
And sometimes this torch gets heavy, particularly with the level of ignorance and hate (literally hate) thrown in the direction of breastfeeding advocates around the globe... but still we march on, because baby is hungry. Still we march on, because we are carrying a torch that is and will become a gift to other mothers. One feed, one picture or one conversation at a time, we are fueling something so much bigger than ourselves.
Imagine if our daughters felt empowered to breastfeed their own children without being shamed or feeling embarrassed. Imagine if our sons valued, supported and protected their partner's right to breastfeed.
So, yes.
My answer is yes.
We really do need to see it.
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