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Despicable Me
I know the breast versus bottle debate gets heated once in a while, and some mothers probably secretly agree, but to actually say this in the media? Worse still, it wasn't a loud-mouth know-it-all male, as when Tom Cruise laid into post partum depressed mothers who took meds to help them. No - this one is supposed to be one of us!
Supermodel and new mother Gisele Bundchen is at it again. When pregnant with her now 7-month-old baby, she railed against other pregnant women who apparently treated their bodies like garbage disposals. Now she's going off about breast-feeding, advising that it helps get your figure back. Okay. I could have let that go because many women find it to be true. But no - she had to start preaching; after all, she's an international star, a certified genius, and since December, a highly experienced mother and child expert.
'Some people here (in the US) think they don't have to breastfeed, and I think ‘Are you going to give chemical food to your child when they are so little?'
Hate to break it to you Gizz sweetie, but here in the US we actually don't have to breastfeed, despite many of us being visited by the lactation police as soon as the umbilical cord is cut. If you really want to persuade more women to try the breast, haranguing them like this isn't going to work. It tends to get their collective back up.
But let's play along for a moment? Just suppose such a law came into effect; what would the punishments be? Would there be a sliding scale for women who breastfed for, say three months? Perhaps half the jail time? Since Giselle's aim is presumably for the babies' health, incarcerating mothers serves no purpose unless she has an army of wet nurses in mind. Volunteers from the local La Leche League perhaps?
And what about women like me? Despite great efforts and much guilt, I wasn't able to breastfeed any of my three kids. When your bra size doesn't change throughout a pregnancy, and it takes you twenty minutes to get less than one ounce of milk with an electric pump the size of a Smart Car, ‘it's a red flag' as my doctor said. How would Giselle's criminal justice system deal with me? There would have to be a plea along the lines of diminished responsibility to get me off the hook.
The ‘diminished mammary' defence surely?
Hmmm...better keep my eye on this story and buy me a little TradeMark!
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Comments (18)
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Fri Aug 27, 2010 - 1:18 pm
Before I even got through your first paragraph, my first thought was "what about the mums who maybe, just maybe, CAN'T breastfeed for various reasons?" Sometimes the celebs spout off brainless and not-so-smart thoughts. In this case, I think there's a reason she was a model. (Oooooh, did I just say that??!)Reply -
Report Thu Aug 5, 2010 - 8:56 pmShe made me cringe at her ignorance and tactless rhetoric. I posted my response over at my blog but suffice to say, surely a loved and secure baby is off to the best start (and so many, too many of them aren't)Reply -
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Thu Aug 5, 2010 - 7:16 pm
I had another thought of encouragement for those who have struggled or are struggling. A wise woman pointed out that it's the baby who actually breastfeeds and it's v difficult to teach a baby the skill if they don't pick it up straight away. I remember the frustration of trying to get my 2 year old to follow instructions in her trampolining class. We soon abandoned that effort. Thankfully, she was pretty good at breastfeeding.Reply -
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Thu Aug 5, 2010 - 3:32 pm
Another 'celebrity (?)' who should engage her brain before opening her mouth, like Kate Moss with her 'there's nothing tastes as good as being skinny'. Idiots with too much money. Bitter and twisted... me?Reply -
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Thu Aug 5, 2010 - 5:54 am
I loved breastfeeding. But it's not for everyone and I don't see any correlations between formula fed babies and criminal behavior. Each one of us has to do what fits us best.Reply -
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Wed Aug 4, 2010 - 8:17 pm
I think almost all mothers would like to breastfeed their babies if possible. It's much easier for a start, once you get over the hitting the roof agony of latching on. These mums therefore generally have a very good (and sad) reason for not being able to, and implying they just need encouragement is not going to help (see below comments!) Perhaps what she meant to say was, 'I love breastfeeding and I wish everyone was able to breastfeed as well.' But being a supermodel rather than a diplomat, it didn't quite come out right.Reply
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1 reply, Last reply by Toni on Wed Aug 4, 2010 at 10:26 pm
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Wed Aug 4, 2010 - 9:26 pm
Yeah I had this theory when the kids were little, no matter how nutritionally wunderbar breastfeeding was, if breastfeeding disturbed the fragile hormonal balance and exacerbated my post natal depression to such a degree that I had thoughts of wanting to throw them out the window every time they latched on, it probably wasn't a breast is best situation for us. Stupid woman!Reply -
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Wed Aug 4, 2010 - 7:25 pm
your article just makes me think that giselle must a silly little person who doesn't think before she opens her mouth...Reply
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Report Wed Aug 4, 2010 - 5:45 pmShe's a super-model. I don't care what she thinks.Reply
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Wed Aug 4, 2010 - 5:26 pm
Don't know anything about breast feeding or super models but surely everyone's different and you can only do your best?Reply -
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Wed Aug 4, 2010 - 5:04 pm
Okay, in theory this is a great idea! But here's one of the problems I have. There are many women who won't give a damn what they are putting in their bodies while breasting(like cigarettes and alcohol) - so then, really, what's truly best for the baby? I do believe that EVERY woman should at least make an EFFORT to breastfeed.Reply -
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Wed Aug 4, 2010 - 4:37 pm
In her rant re women putting on weight unnecessarily in pregnancy, Giselle apparently gushed over her own ability to continue practising kung fu until 37 weeks. I'd suggest, if she carries on suggesting such ridiculous laws, she may well need her much loved fighting skills in the near future...Reply -
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Wed Aug 4, 2010 - 3:11 pm
Supermodel police? What will they think of next. First baby, A-cup to start, stress, then back to work (with pump in hand) only made it 5 months, my defence...'lactationaly challenged'.Reply -
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Wed Aug 4, 2010 - 2:52 pm
I agree. I breastfed my youngest son for 18 months because it just worked for us but, like sbashelor, I was very ill in childbirth - placenta praevia, "elective" caesarean, artery cut, lost 4 pints of blood etc so, my body went from being pregnant to being cut open and near death (acc the surgeon later) and had no way of knowing it should be initiating breast feeding. I tried, for 9 weeks, with those vile electric pumps but was told off by an old bag in Marks & Spencers (it would be!) for succumbing to a bottle. How dare she presume on my "choice". Rant over (ish!)Reply -
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Wed Aug 4, 2010 - 1:46 pm
If that is the case, what about the women who almost die during childbirth(like me?) There is no way that I could have breast fed my son.Reply
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Wed Aug 4, 2010 - 1:38 pm
Apparently she's now gone into damage control on her blog and says "I'm not here to judge". Hmmm, talking about a law doesn't sound judgemental at all. Perhaps this will teach her to keep her mouth shut and stick to modelling.Reply -
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Wed Aug 4, 2010 - 12:34 pm
I don't know much about breastfeeding but the public pulpit often makes people expert at things. Truth is she was probably the same before she was famous but now more people are in earshot of it.Reply
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