"Away We Go" and breastfeeding

Last week, Karl and I watched the movie Away We Go in which a couple learn they are having a baby. The start a trek around the country (and Canada) in search of the right place to live and raise their family. At one point, they to, I believe, Madison (Wisconsin, presumably), to meet an old friend of the father. Maggie Gyllenhaal plays the extreme attachment parenting mother. Although her character was comical (her seemingly literal fear of strollers), I felt her character was more a caricature than a real attachment parenter. Sure she breastfed, and wore her baby in a sling, and used a family bed, she went overboard. For example, she didn't want to use a stroller because she would be "pushing her child" away from her. That's not it people. It's about doing what comes naturally and keeping baby close in a sling, like the natural world does. Furthermore, although I have my babies sleep with me, I protect them from adult activities I just thought it was a little overboard.

Upon further thought, I am not a good attachment parenter. I use slings for convenience, and I use strollers for convenience. I breastfeed because it's not only healthier but a heck of a lot easier than messing with bottles. And it's free.

I find myself frustrated because I am so...contrary. When someone says they can't breastfeed (especially when they say they can't make enough milk) it irritates me. Noone has enough milk the first week. If you go back to work, of course your milk supply drops if you aren't pumping. You will still have milk as long as you nurse on a fairly regular schedule (unless you get pregnant-mine dried out when I was pregnant with Taryn, but Caleb still nursed anyway). If you run low or the baby hits a growth spurt, it will nurse more often and in 3 or 4 days, you will have more milk. Simple. If we lost our milk so easily, humanity wouldn't have made it this far.
At the same time, it irritates me to no end, when people put people who don't breastfeed down. Yes. I admit, I don't get it. I could say a whole lot on this. But in the end, it isn't up to me what someone else feeds their child. And you know what? Chances are their baby will be just fine.
As breastfeeders, we know we tend to be better educated. We know breastfed babies tend to have higher IQ's. We know how nice it is to snuggle our babies, and know they are alive because of us. But you know what? I will wager a bet that those non-breastfeeders love their babies just as much. Imagine that.