User:Julia63718/sandbox

=Western Cultural Stigmas with Breastfeeding and the Intro to Breast pump extending mobility of breast milk and Care Relationships= Breast seen as a Sexual Object rather than a Source of Nourishment

Negative perception of breastfeeding in social settings has led some women to feel discomfort when breastfeeding in public. Even though many women are educated about the health benefits of breastfeeding, less than 25% choose to breastfeed their children. Western society tends to think of breasts in sexual terms instead of for their biological purpose, to bring nourishment to infants. The misuse of the purpose of breasts has led many to have an adverse reaction to breastfeeding because people do not like to associate feeding an infant with sexual pleasure. The consequences of Western culture’s sexualization of breasts has led women feeling embarrassed to breast feed in public. This fear immobilizes women and keeps them restricted to their homes. Limitations on places in which women can breastfeed, as well as negative cultural connotations with breastfeeding may play a role in the amount of time a woman will breastfeed. The end result is often that the woman may give up breastfeeding and switch to a bottle. When mothers lack support to breastfeed they are often destined to fail .

Maternal guilt and Shame Associated with Feeding Infants

Research has shown that maternal guilt and shame is often associated with how a mother feeds their infant. This guilt and shame is a result of the inability to achieve the idealized notion of what it means to be a good mother. Mothers of both bottle and breast fed babies often feel shame and/or guilt for different reasons. Mothers who bottle feed their infants may feel that they are failures at breastfeeding. On the other hand, mothers who breastfeed may feel exposed when breastfeeding in public places because of sexual connotations associated with breasts. They may also fear ridicule from emotional responses to an exposed breast. Some may see breastfeeding as, ““indecent, disgusting, animalistic, sexual, and even possibly a perverse act .” In response to scrutiny concerning public breastfeeding, advocates use nurse-ins to show others that there should be no shame in breastfeeding in public. However some advocates don’t fight the shame a woman can feel when she cannot breastfeed and must bottle-feed her baby. Shame should not be used as a tool to advocate breastfeeding, rather women should be able to individually define what a good mother is. Rather than focusing on the choice a woman has made on whether or not to breastfeed, it is suggested that there be a redirection with the emphasis of providing women with education on the benefits of breastfeeding as well as problem solving skills for women who may find it difficult.

The Third Option: Giving Mobility to Breast milk

The cultural context of Western society, does not always seem to advocate for breastfeeding in public. According to one study published in the Journal of American Dietetic Association, over half the people who voted believed that women should not be allowed to breastfeed in public. This study confirms previous studies that indicate that Americans do not want to see breasts in public places. Thus the stigma associated with breastfeeding in public can guide parents to seek an alternative to breastfeeding, even though it may not be as healthy for the child. There used to be only two options for feeding infants: breastfeeding or formula. With the introduction of formula as a scientifically proven way of nourishing infants, many people chose to feed their child formula over breast milk. Formula was popular for the convenience it offered by opening care opportunities to others. When examining the invention of formula from a bio cultural perspective, one might also see the invention of formula as a way in which western culture adapted to negative cultural perceptions of breastfeeding in public. In response to negativism against breastfeeding, the La Leche League began a breastfeeding advocacy movement that aimed to educate the public about the short and long term benefits of breastfeeding for both mother and child. With the introduction of the breast pump came a “third option,” that offered the benefits of mobility associated with formula feeding and the health benefits of breastfeeding. This allowed care relationships to extend across further distances without compromising the health benefits of breast milk.