Bravo Gisele

[Jojo]

:rolleyes: a law?! Seriously? Yeah, everyone should give it a shot but come on!

http://marquee.blogs.cnn.com/2010/08/04/gisele-bundchen-im-not-here-to-judge/


Gisele Bundchen: I'm not here to judge (http://marquee.blogs.cnn.com/2010/08/04/gisele-bundchen-im-not-here-to-judge/)
Judging by Marquee reader reaction (http://marquee.blogs.cnn.com/2010/08/03/gisele-bundchen-breastfeeding-should-be-a-law/), it seems supermodel Gisele Bundchen might have made a boob of herself when she told Harper's Bazaar U.K. that breast-feeding should be mandatory for all new moms.

"There should be a worldwide law, in my opinion, that mothers should breastfeed their babies for six months," she said. "Are you going to give chemical food to your child, when they are so little?"
Well, yes, according to an overwhelming number of Marquee readers.



"Classic ignorant statement by someone who is only known because of how she looks in her bra and panties," commented BFD. "Some mothers can't breast feed, either because of medical reasons or because their baby isn't one they gave birth too."


Another commenter, Cheryl, added that "Breastfeeding is a VERY personal decision...I didn't breastfeed because I actually don't feel comfortable with it. SO THERE GISELLE! What a freak."
Commenter E, who is the father of an adopted son, said that "It's love that matters, not where the milk comes from. So, stop doing public appearances and magazine shoots, and raise your baby."


And perhaps Angela summed it up for everyone by commenting, "Do your own research but please don't get your information from some model that just popped out a kid and now she thinks she's an expert. She's quite self-righteous, judgmental and apparently she's so intelligent that she knows what's best for all children and mothers."
After realizing the impact of her words, the 30-year-old Brazilian bombshell cleared the air on her blog (http://blog.giselebundchen.com.br/en/sentido/a-importancia-da-amamentacao/), explaining that she was simply sharing her thoughts and not imposing her views on anyone else.


"My intention in making a comment about the importance of breastfeeding has nothing to do with the law. It comes from my passion and beliefs about children," wrote the mom of 8-month-old Benjamin Rein.


"It's unfortunate that in an interview sometimes things can seem so black and white. I am sure if I would just be sitting talking about my experiences with other mothers, we would just be sharing opinions. I understand that everyone has their own experience and opinions and I am not here to judge," Bundchen clarified.


She went on, "I believe that bringing a life into this world is the single most important thing a person can undertake and it can also be the most challenging. I think as mothers we are all just trying our best."

[bettercowpatty]

Wow. A law, huh. Breastfeeding is great, but seriously...

[Elaine]

I read somewhere that if you read the entire interview she's not coming across like that at all but, in the name of ratings, someone clipped that one part and sensationalized it.

I agree that it's a stupid thing to say (seriously, a law forcing people to breast feed? :rolleyes:) but I haven't seen or read the entire article so I don't know what context it was originally stated in, kwim?

[Jojo]

I saw it on the news this morning and DH was in the bathroom and I heard him scream "she wants to make what the law?!"

:lol:

I didn't read her blog either but the news was blowing up with this story. Now I'm also thinking that maybe since she isn't American and maybe doesn't speak English very well some of it was translated weird??

[NathanielsMomma]

I agree with Elaine, I'd like to read the whole interview, but I didn't breast feed for personal reason's but how could they "make" someone breastfeed?

[Jojo]

Here is what her blog said :

My intention in making a comment about the importance of breastfeeding has nothing to do with the law. It comes from my passion and beliefs about children. Becoming a new mom has brought a lot of questions, I feel like I am in a constant search for answers on what might be the best for my child. It’s unfortunate that in an interview sometimes things can seem so black and white. I am sure if I would just be sitting talking about my experiences with other mothers, we would just be sharing opinions. I understand that everyone has their own experience and opinions and I am not here to judge. I believe that bringing a life into this world is the single most important thing a person can undertake and it can also be the most challenging. I think as mothers we are all just trying our best.

wait...I guess that's not what they're referring to.

[Jojo]

I think she also said that she only gained 30lbs in her pregnancy because she ate healthy and didn't act like a human garbage disposal.

I like that reference. Guess I was a human garbage disposal :lol: Ahhh...gotta love the life of a celebrity.

And that her waterbirth was pain free.

[lilbunnygirl]

She's not the first person to say something like this & in Braxil, where she is from, there's actually a campaign to try to make it mandatory to TRY BFing before you go with formula, or to make formula prescription only or something like that.

Honestly, I like & respect her so much more now that I see hat kind of a parent she is. She is really seriously trying to make the best choices she can for her child, unlike many celebrity moms, and if she says thoughtless things in that process (as I'm sure we all would if the media were recording all of our thoughts on mothering) I have to at least give her credit for being passionate about her child's well being.

[AmsterDamsel]

From what I read she was prompted to say it due to a celebrity mom (I think from some reality show) who stopped breastfeeding because of the paparazzi following her.

[Bootysaurus]

I hate that crap. Stay out of my breasts, kthanks.

[lilbunnygirl]

From what I read she was prompted to say it due to a celebrity mom (I think from some reality show) who stopped breastfeeding because of the paparazzi following her.

Denise VanOuten, she's a UK teevee presenter: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/7889139/Denise-Van-Outen-breastfeeding-is-too-public.html

[Jojo]

Well that's that ladies right to not breastfeed. What does she care?

[lilbunnygirl]

Well that's that ladies right to not breastfeed. What does she care?

Much has been made in the press of DVO's choice to quit BFing because it was inconvenient to her celebrity lifestyle. BFing advocates felt it sent a bad message to the public, I guess Gisele agreed with them.

[Elaine]

Well, it can be incredibly inconvenient. It's inconvenient to my lifestyle at times so I imagine it's inconvenient for many people.

[lilbunnygirl]

Well, it can be incredibly inconvenient. It's inconvenient to my lifestyle at times so I imagine it's inconvenient for many people.

Of course, it's terribly inconvenient. I think the point was that inconvenience is not a great reason to quit when the benefits so outweigh one's personal convenience.

[Bootysaurus]

Could you imagine a law though? :hehe:

:rolleyes: Would I get a ticket for bottle feeding my 2 month old? Lame!

When laws like that start happening, we are really in trouble.

[Elaine]

Well, it can be incredibly inconvenient. It's inconvenient to my lifestyle at times so I imagine it's inconvenient for many people.

Of course, it's terribly inconvenient. I think the point was that inconvenience is not a great reason to quit when the benefits so outweigh one's personal convenience.
I guess it depends how inconvenient it is and what someones threshold is. I don't judge anyone for the decisions they make with their children (shy of complete child abuse) simply because it's something I don't agree with.

[AmsterDamsel]

Before it could ever even be considered as a law there would have to be a lot of changes made to the accessibility of support and education for women regarding breastfeeding!

[Bootysaurus]

Before it could ever even be considered as a law there would have to be a lot of changes made to the accessibility of support and education for women regarding breastfeeding!

Even then, it couldn't be a law. If women can chose to abort a baby, they sure as hell be able to chose if they'll breastfeed a baby.

[AmsterDamsel]

Before it could ever even be considered as a law there would have to be a lot of changes made to the accessibility of support and education for women regarding breastfeeding!

Even then, it couldn't be a law. If women can chose to abort a baby, they sure as hell be able to chose if they'll breastfeed a baby.

I agree it shouldn't be a law, but I do believe that it should be promoted and encouraged more. And by encouraged I don't mean flaming moms who use formula, I mean that breastfeeding courses and support should be a standard part of prenatal care.

[Farah]

Making it a law is becoming way too Big Brother. I feel that when a mother chooses how to feed her baby is she doing what she thinks best for her and her child.

Breastfeeding is inconvenient. I don't pump at all so that means I don't get away from my child for more than 2 hours.

When we start thinking about what convenience is for us it doesn't mean it's convenient for another. The mental health and well being of the mother far outweighs any breastfeeding benefit to the child. If I was a celebrity and being away from my child on shoots, films, or other appearances and I had people following me non-stop hoping to get a shot of my nipple then I may have stopped breastfeeding so that the pressure would be off of me and my child.

Consider a working moms situation. It is much more important for that mother to be able to provide for her child than to breastfeed. I'm sorry, but if I had to make a choice to BF my child OR make money so I can pay for shelter, food, diapers, and other necessities for that child I'd choose the money. No question.

Don't judge lest ye be judged.

[AmsterDamsel]

Breastfeeding is inconvenient. I don't pump at all so that means I don't get away from my child for more than 2 hours.

But there's also the convenience of not having to worry about forgetting to buy formula. You also don't have to worry about warming bottles, cleaning bottles, etc (unless you're pumping of course).


Consider a working moms situation. It is much more important for that mother to be able to provide for her child than to breastfeed. I'm sorry, but if I had to make a choice to BF my child OR make money so I can pay for shelter, food, diapers, and other necessities for that child I'd choose the money. No question.

I agree with everything you've said here, but I also think that some working mothers would choose to continue breastfeeding if they had more support. Especially if money is a concern since breast milk is much cheaper than formula!


Actually what you've said makes me think of an even bigger issue that affects working moms, the lack of a decent amount of maternity leave. If women had a longer (paid) maternity leave than I'm sure that would help many of them continue breastfeeding! I look at countries like Bulgaria (http://www.bulgariagazette.com/bulgaria-has-the-longest-maternity-leave-in-the-eu/)where you can take up to a year at 90% of your pay and wonder why can't it be like that everywhere?

[bettercowpatty]

Making it a law is becoming way too Big Brother. I feel that when a mother chooses how to feed her baby is she doing what she thinks best for her and her child.

Breastfeeding is inconvenient. I don't pump at all so that means I don't get away from my child for more than 2 hours.

When we start thinking about what convenience is for us it doesn't mean it's convenient for another. The mental health and well being of the mother far outweighs any breastfeeding benefit to the child. If I was a celebrity and being away from my child on shoots, films, or other appearances and I had people following me non-stop hoping to get a shot of my nipple then I may have stopped breastfeeding so that the pressure would be off of me and my child.

Consider a working moms situation. It is much more important for that mother to be able to provide for her child than to breastfeed. I'm sorry, but if I had to make a choice to BF my child OR make money so I can pay for shelter, food, diapers, and other necessities for that child I'd choose the money. No question.

Don't judge lest ye be judged.

Amen. I am fortunate to be able to shut my office door and pump away. But I'm not sure what will happen when I'm in an 8 hr depositon or a court hearing. If it got too nuts, I may have to give up nursing or at least cut back. Since I am working to provide for my kids (and to preserve my sanity!), I would not feel guilty if breastfeeding didn't work out. We all do the best we can with the hand we have been dealt.

[Elaine]

I agree with everything you've said here, but I also think that some working mothers would choose to continue breastfeeding if they had more support. Especially if money is a concern since breast milk is much cheaper than formula!


Actually what you've said makes me think of an even bigger issue that affects working moms, the lack of a decent amount of maternity leave. If women had a longer (paid) maternity leave than I'm sure that would help many of them continue breastfeeding! I look at countries like Bulgaria (http://www.bulgariagazette.com/bulgaria-has-the-longest-maternity-leave-in-the-eu/)where you can take up to a year at 90% of your pay and wonder why can't it be like that everywhere?
Convenient because your baby's food is always on tap, inconvenient because you're tied to your baby unless they'll take a bottle. Some people are ok with that, some aren't. I'm not and fortunately Thomas takes a bottle (and I respond incredibly well to a pump which many women don't) so I do get a break every now and then.

Canada offers a year total parental leave at EI rates (55% of your wage for the previous year). It's split into two 'sections': The first is maternity leave and I believe that lasts 15 weeks. The second part is parental leave that lasts 35 weeks. Either parent can take the parental leave or a portion of it. Many companies will top you up so you're receiving 80 to 100% of your salary while you're off. When I was on mat leave the organization I worked for paid me 25% of my salary for 6 months so with that added to the 55% I was receiving for EI I was getting 85% of my salary for 6 months. The remainder of my leave was at 55%. That was when we realized that we could make it work without my salary and I decided to stay home instead of going back to work.

If I had to go back to work and wasn't able to fit in a pumping schedule I don't know what I'd do. For example I know many teachers that worked their tails off to continue pumping even though it was darn near impossible because of their work days. I can't say that I'd be able to do it. The stress of it might send me over the edge and I'd rather my kid(s) have a happy, less stressed mother than someone who was constantly worried.

[Bootysaurus]

Your maternity leave sounds AWESOME! :love:

I had 6 weeks paid and 12 weeks unpaid. SUCKED ARSE!

Thank god I had 4 weeks of vacation added to that...but still UNPAID!

America hates women and families I guess.