Ride-sharing has gifted me some life-changing advice from the most fascinating people.
One afternoon with a Lebanese driver led to a conversation about kids, family and American culture. While driving, he looked through the rear-view mirror and noticed I was breastfeeding. He told me how much he loved seeing that.
As an ex-surgeon (he was now driving Lyft because of an unfortunate accident), he emphasized the richness of colostrum (baby’s first food). He argued it gives the babies so many immunities.
I asked about vaccines.
He kept telling me he was a doctor and vaccines are for people who need them, but breastmilk is the best.
He noticed upper-class women rejected breastfeeding because they didn’t want to show their breast. He argued he’s seen many breasts in his day and shrugged it off as a natural everyday occurrence.
He laughed while retelling one vivid memory of a large woman nursing a baby on one side and having a standing child nurse on the other.
He laughed a lot about that story.
To me, he normalized ...
breastfeeding in public,
breastfeeding in front of men,
breastfeeding older children (children tall enough to reach the breast while standing),
and tandem nursing
In my experience, it’s usually people from non-American cultures who deeply appreciate breastfeeding women.
If you feel ashamed or embarrassed about breastfeeding, please don’t. There are so many people and cultures around the world rooting for you — and I am too!
Until next time.
Love The Journey,
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