Say What?!

The news is riddled today, as it is everyday, with stories ranging from Train strikes, stranding thousands of commuters to Eskom stating that it will be under enormous pressure during the 2010 Football World Cup. I'm never really surprised by the news, I've read about all the violence that seems to seep into every society in every part of the world and as the rest of you, I have become desensitized. But just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, I came across a story that hits home for me, a story that from my own experience infuriates me and I can't help but blog about it. What else is there to do but vent in 300 to 500 words?

It's not a current story, in fact, it might have happened last week or the week before but as I was scouring the "Most Commented" on News24 and found a blog from a woman who was infuriated by a statement made by our Health Minister, Aaron Motsoaledi. He stated that Formula should be banned and that breastfeeding should be the only option.

Mothers from all over the world have been guilted into thinking they are failures, thanks to men (and women) like this. People who refuse to understand that sometimes formula is the only option. It could be for medical reasons however it could be just to make life a little easier for women who struggle to breastfeed. What's the difference? I am not for a second bashing breast feeding, but I happen to know for a fact that as a mother I tried to breastfeed and I struggled for a week to get my daughter to latch, I was milked like a cow by a machine in the breastfeeding room and the pain of an engorged breast is unbelievable.

When I go home at night, I am confronted with a great big hug and a smile that could light up a dark alley. I sit and read to my daughter, in her pink room, filled with stuffed teddies and toys and enjoy her screams of laughter at my animated faces. When she was on formula, she had a routine that suited both of us, she slept through at 3 months and weening her off the bottle and on to solids was a pleasure, now she has her nightly bottle before she goes to sleep. So you get my point of healthy and happy.

Every women is different, a woman who gave birth at the same time as I did, ironically her name was the same as mine, was breastfeeding as easily as brushing her teeth and to be honest I envied that and struggled to come to terms with the fact that I couldn't do that but people, like our health minister, make me realize that I have nothing to be ashamed of. What he stated, needs to be retracted and I choose to ignore it statements like that from this moment on.