Model Gisele Bundchen Thinks Breastfeeding “Should Be a Worldwide Law”
by Jasmin Malik Chua, 08/03/10
For new mom Gisele Bundchen, breast isn’t just best, it should be mandated by international law. “Some people here think they don’t have to breastfeed,” the Brazilian supermodel tells the September issue of British Harper’s Bazaar. And I think ‘Are you going to give chemical food to your child when they are so little?’” Bundchen, who credits breastfeeding for helping her maintain her famous figure, thinks that mothers should be required to nurse their babies for at least six months. “I think there should be a worldwide law, in my opinion,” she adds.
Bundchen’s comments are bound to stir up controversy. Not all mothers are physically able to breastfeed their babies, for one, or have the financial wherewithal to stay at home. (Hear one mom’s story of how she fed her baby through exclusive pumping.) And as natural as breastfeeding is, it’s also a learned behavior for both mother and child, as well as one that is fraught with issues.
We do agree with Bundchen on one thing, however: Breastfeeding needs to be encouraged and supported on a broader scale, especially when it comes to the public perception of nursing in public. The discomfort of breastfeeding in open view is many a new mother’s downfall, for both supermodels and lesser mortals alike.
[Via US Weekly]
Great intent, but such blanket statements don’t take into account the realities of various medical conditions. While most women can produce milk, not all can. As a general rule 6 moths is good, as an absolute law it is polemical.
Yeah, that’s right. They should have thrown me in jail for giving up after the second attempt at breastfeeding with inverted nipples. My body was in shock after a traumatic birth so I had bleeding, scabbed, cracked nipples. But I should have persisted anyway and kept feeding my baby blood and watch him spit up brown liquid, otherwise I would get arrested.