What it?s like to hear ?breast is best? when you literally don?t have breasts
?Have you tried breastfeeding yet"? the nurse asked me as I sat with my newborn baby a few hours after giving birth, clutching a bottle of ready-to-feed formula.
?I?m not breastfeeding?I can?t. It should say that on my chart,? I replied.
?Really" Are you sure you can?t"?
?I?m sure. Can you tell me how much to give my son of this bottle" I need to feed him.?
The nurse let out a sigh of disapproval and proceeded to rush through instructions on how my husband and I should feed our son, as if she was handling contraband. I could have provided her with much more of an explanation to alleviate her concerns, but in my post-labour stupor, I didn?t really care to delve into my life story.
It had been four years since I’d undergone a double mastectomy after being diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 28. And after going through that whole ordeal, I couldn?t imagine there’d ever be another time in my life when breasts would play such a prominent role in the discourse surrounding me. Enter motherhood.
From the moment I learned I was pregnant, I couldn?t escape the abundance of pro-breastfeeding messaging. It was in the numerous pamphlets I was given at one of my first prenatal appointments, convincing me my baby would become some sort of nutrient-deficient mutant with poor math skills if fed formula. It was on the formula companies? websites?pop-up warnings from the government made it seem as though purchasing a can of formula was akin to feeding my...
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27-04-2024 08:05 - (
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