Barefoot Angie Bee: I'm an atheist and I love Pope Francis

Monday, January 13, 2014

I'm an atheist and I love Pope Francis

I have heard it far and wide from my fellow non believers, that Pope Francis is amazing!
He is advocating spreading love and taking care of each other. That is what societies around the world, society on this world should be based on. Not money, or power, or personal gain, but taking care of our fellow humans. I can get behind a man who stands up for the down trodden and gives of himself to his fellow human being. Taking care of others is a sure fire way to find my own inner happiness.

I have logged 60 months or breastfeeding in my lifetime. One year of that I was breastfeeding both of my younger sons tandem style. During my nursing relationships with each of my four boy spawn, I nursed them everywhere we went. If you have babies or have been around them, you will have noticed that they get hungry everywhere and when they are hungry they cry and get fussy. They are communicating their desire to eat. We as care givers need to listen and honor what they are telling us.

Personally, I have never problems breastfeeding out in public but I have had a sense of self confidence and a solid support system so people probably didn't feel confident enough to come up to me and tell me to cover up. I had this projected barrier of self confidence that kept my little bubble tight and safe. I wasn't risqué but I fed my spawn when they were hungry no matter where I was and I learned quickly with my first that sitting on a public toilette to nurse was NOT OK, EVER, and I never did again.

So, to add to the long list of things I adore about Pope Francis, telling nursing mothers that its ok to breastfeed in church makes me want to high five and hug him. It absolutely should be no big deal, not even given a second thought, where women breastfeed their babies.

The Pope tied breastfeeding to the problem of global hunger in statements he made to an Italian newspaper in December.

"She was shy and didn’t want to breastfeed in public, while the Pope was passing," he continued. "I wish to say the same to humanity: Give people something to eat! That woman had milk to give to her child; we have enough food in the world to feed everyone."

The above article link mentioned that a blog post on "Five Places Mom's Need to Breastfeed Discreetly" listed churches as No. 5, following public pools, restaurants, airplanes, and sporting events.

Really? All of those listed are places that people eat and church is where people go to to worship the divine being that created eating in the first place. Nope, I don't buy it. I don't rant about much on this blog. Breastfeeding however is something I am passionate about.

Studying to be a doula and mentoring while I considered being a Le Leche League leader, of which I didn't do because I was still on my own journey of breastfeeding, taught me that many women do not breastfeed due to how our culture perceives breastfeeding mothers. It is a natural bodily function for both mother and baby and it is NOT SEXUAL any more than eating any other kind of food is.

I could go on and on but I will let my home slice Pope Francis tell you how it is. Its ok to breastfeed your baby and along those lines give all hungry people food to eat.

Eating is a human right. It should be criminal that we let people go hungry in this world.

I step down from my soapbox now. Rock on mamas, babies, and Pope Francis!