{"id":10767,"date":"2021-10-22T17:55:22","date_gmt":"2021-10-22T12:25:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.odoc.life\/?p=10767"},"modified":"2022-05-23T10:51:02","modified_gmt":"2022-05-23T05:21:02","slug":"stop-saying-breastfeeding-is-easy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/3.7.237.78\/si\/blog\/stop-saying-breastfeeding-is-easy\/","title":{"rendered":"We Need To Stop Saying Breastfeeding Is “Easy”"},"content":{"rendered":"
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We Need To Stop Saying Breastfeeding Is “Easy”<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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And focus on supporting mothers instead<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNicole Parakrama | BSc Hons Molecular Cell Biology, UCL (UK) | 14th August 2021 |\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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<\/i><\/span>Shares<\/small><\/div>
<\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span>\n<\/i><\/a><\/span>\n<\/i><\/a><\/span>\n<\/i><\/a><\/span>\n<\/i><\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/span> Post Views:<\/span> 5,532<\/span>\r\n\t\t\t<\/div> <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJust recently, we all tuned in to watch the Olympic Games held in Tokyo. We admired the beautiful performances of the athletes, and we acknowledged and celebrated all the sacrifices, hard work and preparation that led up to that day.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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What if we viewed breastfeeding the same way?<\/strong><\/p>

What if instead of glorifying only the \u2018highlights reel\u2019 of breastfeeding, we all agree that breastfeeding needs education, preparation and hard work to get through the first few weeks. What if we supported and empowered mothers on this journey filled with sacrifices and challenges and collectively took responsibility for it? What if we celebrated them loudly and genuinely when they achieved their goals?<\/p>

The recently concluded \u2018World Breastfeeding Week\u2019 was triggering for a lot of mothers. For many women, any mention of breastfeeding brings back feelings of pain, anxiety and a lack of support. It serves as a reminder of the guilt and shame that they felt for stopping breastfeeding, the feeling that their bodies weren\u2019t doing what they were meant to do.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Changing the Messaging<\/strong><\/p>

A Sri Lankan mum recently told me:<\/p>

\u201cBreastfeeding is hard\u2026 everyone tells you how painful labour is and how difficult pregnancy is, but no one tells you how hard breastfeeding is! All you see are images of moms with babies on their breasts and they make it look like it’s the easiest thing!\u201d<\/em><\/p>

Amy Brown, Professor of Child Public Health, Swansea University says: \u201cWhen we gloss over the realities of breastfeeding, women feel unprepared for what it\u2019s really like. If we tell women to expect easy, and they hit a hurdle, they may think they\u2019re doing something wrong. . Women then end up depressed, blaming themselves, thinking they didn\u2019t try hard enough because after all, isn\u2019t breastfeeding easy?\u201d<\/p>

Without swinging towards ONLY the positive or the negative, perhaps the good, the bad and the ugly all need to be portrayed together. We need to find a balance.<\/p>

So what are the benefits of breastfeeding?<\/strong><\/p>