Despite all the effort that is made to normalize public breastfeeding and try to end all those myths about prolonged breastfeeding, it is still common to hear phrases such as ” that child is too old to breastfeed .” Let’s face it, most of them are absurd and unnecessary phrases.
If you don’t believe me, for a sample we have the image of a rhinoceros mother breastfeeding her calf, which was filled with humorous comments that teach us how absurd some of the phrases that nursing mothers are , especially those who they practice prolonged breastfeeding.
It all started when the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden shared on its Facebook page a photograph of Seyia, a mother rhinoceros, in which she appears breastfeeding her calf Kendi , who, as we can see in the photograph, is already quite old.
The image received comments with different approaches, on the one hand, they commented tender things such as: ” He is already a big baby, but he still needs the affection and nutrition of mom “, while there were others who decided to take it from the humorous side and make reference to comments some nursing mothers receive , such as, “Shouldn’t he cover himself while feeding?”
But the real wave of comments, full of humor and also some with a touch of sarcasm, happened when “The Milk Meg”, a blogger mother and lactation consultant, shared the image on her Facebook page, as a way to show that Breastfeeding and love for our children is something that all mothers have in common .
“Kendi still breastfeeds from time to time when Seyia lets her.”
Oh yeah, isn’t that something we all do?
Of course, being a site that thousands of mothers follow, the comments were immediate and took the opportunity to show how ridiculous some phrases that nursing mothers receive can be. These are some of the funniest we found:
She obviously does it to seduce the husbands of the other rhinos.
All decent rhinos use a zebra blanket for cover. Where do you think we are, Savannah? Heavens! Management should send her to another zoo immediately!
There is no nutritional value in rhino milk after six months. Didn’t the notice reach you? She only does it for herself
That rhino is old enough to use a glass.
You will continue to nurse that rhino until college.
Wow. A rhino boobs should only be seen on beaches or in lingerie advertising. Have a little dignity! I mean, I support breastfeeding, but …
Does she really need to post this on Facebook? I fully support breastfeeding but do it in private. You don’t need to be on social media. It’s just getting attention.
Although the comments have made us laugh because they sound absurd, the truth is that phrases like these are those that thousands of mothers have to face every day . We are questioned about breastfeeding in public by those who mistakenly see it as something obscene or sexual, as well as criticizing the decision to continue breastfeeding when children are already walking (remember that the WHO recommends it for at least two years).
The best thing we can do for a breastfeeding mother (and also for bottle-fed mothers) is simply to support them, respect their decisions, avoid these kinds of silly comments about breastfeeding, and not judge them , as they all deserve the same respect.
Via | Scary mommy
In Babies and more | The fun “Bingo for nursing mothers” that you cannot miss at your next family gathering
