If breastfeeding seems to you to be “women’s work,” you may want to think again. Although it’s true that “mother’s milk” is produced in the woman’s body, author and public health advocate James Akre encourages us to think of breastfeeding as the responsibility of the entire society. From a conceptual perspective, breastfeeding is a useful indicator of how society nurtures—or fails to nurture—its young. Do health professionals play a positive role? Does the community support nursing mothers? Do employers offer good maternity leave to get breastfeeding on track? Do neighbors encourage breastfeeding mothers to meet their babies’ needs in public, or shame them to keep it behind closed doors? How do fathers support their partners in breastfeeding? Why should it matter to dads if their babies are breastfed, and what can they do to help? Join Marie and James for a discussion of breastfeeding, and what it reveals about our communities, families—and the role everyone can share in advocating for breastfeeding.
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