Being breastfed is a baby’s birthright

Hadley Freeman argues that breastfeeding is “the maternal ideal” (Weekend, 4 May). But breastfeeding is why women have breasts. British women find it difficult because they rarely see mothers breastfeeding. It’s a visual art, passed on often wordlessly from one generation to the next. Freeman’s article mentions women and mothers 13 times, but babies only five times. Breastfeeding is a two-person activity. Babies cannot speak for themselves, so we have to. Their mothers’ breastmilk is their birthright. It’s not a question of “judging” mothers who find it difficult but of ensuring that health services have enough resources to support them. With better support, more mothers can breastfeed, more girls and women can see them, and more babies can enjoy being breastfed.
Naomi Stadlen
London

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