Is Gisele Right? Should Bottle-Feeding Be Banned?
Surpermodel mom Gisele Bundchen is creating buzz over controversial things she said in the UK edition of Harper's Bazaar about breastfeeding. The Brazilian mom-of-one thinks that breastfeeding should be required by law for the first six months. Disagree? You're not alone...
Here's more of what she said:
"Some people here [in the U.S.] think they don't have to breastfeed, and I think, 'Are you going to give chemical food to your child when they are so little?'" (But sometimes it's not that easy: Our mom blogger weighs in on the breastfeeding versus formula debate.) She added, "I think there should be a worldwide law, in my opinion, that mothers should breastfeed their babies for six months." This is what other moms have to say about when it's right to stop breastfeeding.
Gisele is an outspoken advocate of natural childbirth who used meditation during her homebirth (related: follow these tips to ensure a healthy pregnancy), so her commitment to breastfeeding is no surprise. We wouldn't even be surprised if she wasn't grossed out by breast milk cheese.
But the flack she's receiving about this interview (The Daily Mail headline reads, "Smug mother Gisele Bundchen says there 'should be a law' forcing women to breastfeed for six months") may be due to the fact that she added this part about her body: "I think breastfeeding really helped [me keep my figure]." I can see how women would think that her focus was not on what was best for her baby, but perhaps what would get her back into runway shape the fastest. (Here's what you can do to lose your baby weight.)
What do you think? Was Gisele out of line? Where do you stand on the breastfeeding debate?
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