Hats Off to Nursing Mothers

by Angela Wright

As a longtime working woman it was quite an experience taking five whole months off after the birth of my son. People kept commenting on what a calm new mother I was. I couldn't understand why they were so impressed.

I'm a Talent Agent and I'm used to looking after fifty actors who depend on me for everything from tax advice to psychological counseling - caring for an adorable seven pounder was a piece of cake!

Breastfeeding went very well from the beginning. Toronto is pretty enlightened when it comes to nursing mothers, but once in a while I'd run into someone from "the old school." I went to the neighborhood hairdresser and had my hair done when the Peanut was three months old.

I was sitting in the reception area with my new "do" and the baby got hungry. I was feeding the Peanut when a man swooped over and draped a big, black rubber cape over the baby and I. At first I thought he was prepping me for a haircut, not seeing I was finished, then I realized he wanted to "protect" his other patrons (99.9 % women) from the sight of a nursing baby.

Imagine my darling pet eating lunch under a black, rubber cape. Talk about material that doesn't breathe! I smiled sweetly and waved the man away.

I must say I found nursing in front of adolescent boys a tad bit unnerving. But who am I kidding? I think of myself as "Bay Watch" but I suspect they were thinking "Maude".

I nursed my boy until he was fourteen months old. The only problem with breastfeeding a fourteen month old in public is the desert boots. I'm not sure anyone wearing desert boots should be breastfed - publicly or otherwise.

I stopped nursing about a month ago, and I miss it! For one thing I got incredibly slender. I've never had a weight "problem" but between nursing and working fulltime I could have given Calista a run for the money! I'm inching back to my normal weight which is probably just as well, but it was kind of fun while it lasted! I am enjoying a second glass of wine now that I'm not responsible for the sobriety of my baby.

Anyway, hats off to nursing mothers everywhere - keep those baby IQ's going up and those calming hormones pumping!

Angela Wright is a Talent Agent in Toronto. Breastfeeding.com thanks her for allowing her story to be posted here.