All I can say is…wow
From Lisa Belkin’s Motherlode. Hannah Rosin’s new article on breastfeeding:
Rosin spends pages parsing the medical literature (with online links to all the original studies) and then goes on to examine the downside to breast-feeding; not for all women, but for many. Using an analogy that is already generating sparks in the blogosphere, she wonders if “it was not the vacuum that was keeping me and my 21st-century sisters down, but another sucking sound.”
The debate about breast-feeding takes place without any reference to its actual context in women’s lives. Breast-feeding exclusively is not like taking a prenatal vitamin. It is a serious time commitment that pretty much guarantees that you will not work in any meaningful way. Let’s say a baby feeds seven times a day and then a couple more times at night. That’s nine times for about a half hour each, which adds up to more than half of a working day, every day, for at least six months. This is why, when people say that breast-feeding is “free,” I want to hit them with a two-by-four. It’s only free if a woman’s time is worth nothing.
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About Me
Morra Aarons-Mele utilizes social media strategies to help employers, employees and communities connect. She also consults with leading organizations on how women can use the internet for professional and personal development. In her spare time, Morra enjoys blogging about women and politics. Read her full bio >>
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