Breastfeeding is the norm of nature. It is not an “ideal” and it is not the average. Most persons associate the “ideal” with something that is not easily attainable. And what’s “ideal” for someone may not be the “ideal” for someone else. Regarding average, what’s average may not be desirable. For example, in a school the students, on average, may be overweight.
Breastfeeding is the norm. As a priest friend said, “The closer we approach the norm, the happier we will be.”
In addition, this priest added, “One can look at a structure and its function to determine what is the structure’s normal activity.” Certainly the structure of the breast is geared for producing milk so a mother can feed her baby. As this priest said, “It is like following a recipe; follow it and you get good results!”
In our Catholic faith mothers can learn the “recipe” by studying the basic structure and function of the breasts and follow it by breastfeeding their babies. This is truly God’s own plan for feeding our babies.
Natural child spacing by breastfeeding is also nature’s norm. You can see this benefit promoted by La Leche League International and the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action in their joint statement in celebration of World Health Day 2010 on the theme of “1000 Cities, 1000 Lives.”
Sheila Kippley
Breastfeeding and Catholic Motherhood