Breastfeeding at Sci High

In a bold and empowered move, my friend, Marci, and I visited NOLA's Sci High to give a presentation about breastfeeding to the students there. We imagined some opposition, some indifference, some "ooohhh grosses" - but still hoped for at least a little interest.

What we got was a class of 12 females (2 of which are mothers) and 3 males - all of whom had opinions and questions about offering your breast to a baby as food. We spent the entire 90 minutes in an engaged discussion about why formula companies and doctors want mothers to bottle feed formula to their babies, how each mammal produces milk that is uniquely suited for her infant, why Louisiana has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in the country, and why blacks are less likely to breastfeed than whites.

Prior to our arrival, these students and their teacher were not well-informed - these discussions came out of the questions and concerns that they had. Does it hurt? Will your breasts sag? What if you don't want people to see you do it in public?

By the time we left, many students were certain that a mom, if informed on the topic, would choose to breastfeed her baby. Most were even angry that moms aren't given all the information they need to make the best choice. They are right. Moms should understand their choices - dads should, too.
Some videos we shared:

Breastfeeding Commercial

Salma Hayek

Tyra Banks