Breastfeeding as Normal

The new mantra currently being promoted is that breastfeeding is normal. Normal to who? Normal in what context? What is normal behavior in an artificial world? What is abnormal behavior in an artificial world? We are told that there is nothing magical about breastfeeding, its just the normal way of feeding a baby. Breastfeeding is normal mammalian behavior. We are mammals. But are we living in a normal world? Do we have babies normally? How normal is birth in a hospital. Artificial light, artificial temperatures (air conditioning or central heat), plastic tubes to clear the throat, plastic bins to sleep in, drugs in our veins, injections for protection: human normalcy. The sounds of normal: TV, radio, cell phones, ipods, computers, humming machines, flickering lights. Clocks ticking away precious time...ticking, ticking, ticking. Normal time? Mama time? Baby time? Mama alone with baby and the clock keeps ticking away time. Whose time? Normal time? Lets get out. Take a drive in the car, strapped in the box, facing backwards...see how normal time travels. Hear the sounds of normal driving, radio static, beeping, beeping, creeping into baby's brain.

Carried in plastic, wrapped in plastic, soothed by plastic.....thank god...the plastic deity on the dashboard of human consciousness........

Breastfeeding....human connection...time standing still, magical, mystical moments of prolactin high. Normal? The world of normal is disconnect, noise, and the sickening sweet smell of plastic. Breastfeeding is none of those things. Normal in our biotech world of gene technology is a product in a plastic tube, patented and sold to you for many hours of labor. Magic is the human touch, the rising prolactin of love, the soulful gaze your baby gives you during the mystical moments of breastfeeding. Bah humbug to normalcy.

Copyright 2008 Valerie W. McClain