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When I gave birth to my son, one thing I was sure of was that I’ll breastfeed him for as long as I can. Of course, the journey wasn’t easy right at the onset. The bruised nipples, unearthly wake-up hours, and back pains due to long hours of breastfeeding did tire me out. But those innumerable tender moments I got to spend with my baby were priceless. Gradually, things eased out a bit as I found the right position, my son found the perfect latch, and a proper sleep-feed scheduled kicked in. With this, I also found enough time to become active on my social media profile once again. Quite understandably, I started following most new mothers so I could form a support group of sorts for myself. During this time, I saw how these moms, including some celebrities, were actively posting their breastfeeding pictures in an effort to normalize breastfeeding in public places.
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Motivated, I too began posting my pictures. Here, I must admit that the first breastfeeding selfie with my son wasn’t easy. Forget about posting it online, I was extremely uncomfortable clicking it. It was probably because of the years of conditioning about how breastfeeding needs to be private. It was a huge step for me to post it online. In fact, even after posting, I had second thoughts about removing it. But then, I decided to stay put. I wanted to see the reactions of my friends and family. To my pleasant surprise, all of them barring a few old-fashioned ones approved the post. Comments such as ‘This is beautiful’ or ‘It made my day’ left me spellbound. With time, as I got confident, I also started posting pics of me breastfeeding in public places. So, there I was – breastfeeding in a corner at the metro station; at the pediatrician’s clinic while waiting for our turn; at the public park where I was with my family, etc. In the beginning, I was conscious of the amount of skin that I revealed in my breastfeeding pictures. But with time, I realized that there was only so much that I could cover and it was natural for a certain amount of skin reveal.
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The reactions to my photos pretty much remained positive. But then, there was also a steady stream of haters who often dissed them. Some outrightly called them vulgar and an assault on their senses while others asked me to maintain some modesty. And then, some did not shy away from shaming the entire community of mothers posting their breastfeeding moments by saying it was all an attention-seeking stunt! What was more horrifying was that such comments came even from mothers who supported the cause of breastfeeding. Although I owe no one an explanation, here is something I’d like to say to all the haters:
Firstly, none of the mothers I know has ever felt the need to seek attention for her breastfeeding photos. Mothers get enough attention from their family, friends, and peers. If anything, most of them felt awkward initially (just like me). The unanimous answer of all these mothers, when I asked them, was that they couldn’t wait to share that special moment with their baby with their loved ones. It’s something akin to a happy couple announcing their engagement after the guy had popped the question!
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Another important reason why mothers like me shared our breastfeeding photos was to get rid of the stigma attached to it. The comments of the haters are enough proof of it. Breastfeeding is nothing short of God’s gift for mothers. What else would you call the ability to be the sole source of food for your baby in their tiny years? But since a woman’s breasts are involved in it, it is looked upon in a vulgar manner. This is because certain sick and regressive minds cannot stop objectifying a woman’s breast.
The irony is that even those who objectify it would have probably fed on them as babies. It is THIS misguided way of thinking that new-age mommies are fighting to get rid of by sharing their breastfeeding pictures. So, to all those who criticize breastfeeding pictures of mothers – take a moment to focus on the happy faces of the mothers and their babies. You’ll hopefully see the beauty of the moment that most of us can see but your regressive minds cannot! And may that heal you!
