Lactivism (portmanteau of "
lactationLactation describes the secretion of milk from the mammary glands, the process of providing that milk to the young, and the period of time that a mother lactates to feed her young. The process occurs in all female mammals, and in humans it is commonly referred to as breastfeeding or nursing...
" and "
activismActivism, in a general sense, can be described as intentional action to bring about social change, political change, economic justice, or environmental wellbeing...
") is a term used to describe the advocacy of
breastfeedingBreastfeeding is the feeding of an infant or young child with breast milk directly from human breasts rather than from a baby bottle or other container. Babies have a sucking reflex that enables them to suck and swallow milk...
. Supporters, referred to as "
lactivists", seek to promote the health benefits of breastfeeding over
formula-feedingInfant formula is an artificial substitute for human breast milk, intended for infant consumption. The first preparations for the feeding of infants were produced commercially in 1867 by Justus von Liebig. Today, most infant formulas are based on either cow milk or soy milk...
and to ensure
that nursing mothers are not discriminated against.
One form that lactivism can take is the staging of a "nurse-in" (a play on "
sit-inA sit-in or sit-down is a form of direct action that involves one or more persons nonviolently occupying an area for a protest, often to promote political, social, or economic change.-Process:...
"), which involves women gathering in public to breastfeed their children, usually to protest incidents in which a nursing mother was asked to cover up or leave a location because she was breastfeeding.
Often during nurse-ins, breastfeeding mothers will sometimes wear clothing with the
International Breastfeeding SymbolThe International Breastfeeding Symbol was created by Matt Daigle, a graphic artist and father. He created the symbol in response to a contest hosted by Mothering magazine. The winner was chosen in November 2006 out of a total of more than 500 entries...
on it, to show their solidarity.
Another form of lactivism is simply acting as support for mothers that wish to breastfeed.
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Lactivism (portmanteau of "
lactationLactation describes the secretion of milk from the mammary glands, the process of providing that milk to the young, and the period of time that a mother lactates to feed her young. The process occurs in all female mammals, and in humans it is commonly referred to as breastfeeding or nursing...
" and "
activismActivism, in a general sense, can be described as intentional action to bring about social change, political change, economic justice, or environmental wellbeing...
") is a term used to describe the advocacy of
breastfeedingBreastfeeding is the feeding of an infant or young child with breast milk directly from human breasts rather than from a baby bottle or other container. Babies have a sucking reflex that enables them to suck and swallow milk...
. Supporters, referred to as "
lactivists", seek to promote the health benefits of breastfeeding over
formula-feedingInfant formula is an artificial substitute for human breast milk, intended for infant consumption. The first preparations for the feeding of infants were produced commercially in 1867 by Justus von Liebig. Today, most infant formulas are based on either cow milk or soy milk...
and to ensure
that nursing mothers are not discriminated against.
One form that lactivism can take is the staging of a "nurse-in" (a play on "
sit-inA sit-in or sit-down is a form of direct action that involves one or more persons nonviolently occupying an area for a protest, often to promote political, social, or economic change.-Process:...
"), which involves women gathering in public to breastfeed their children, usually to protest incidents in which a nursing mother was asked to cover up or leave a location because she was breastfeeding.
Often during nurse-ins, breastfeeding mothers will sometimes wear clothing with the
International Breastfeeding SymbolThe International Breastfeeding Symbol was created by Matt Daigle, a graphic artist and father. He created the symbol in response to a contest hosted by Mothering magazine. The winner was chosen in November 2006 out of a total of more than 500 entries...
on it, to show their solidarity.
Another form of lactivism is simply acting as support for mothers that wish to breastfeed. Some mothers may not have the information necessary to succeed, and some have been provided incomplete or misleading information by the medical establishment, friends, family members, and others that have no experience with breastfeeding. This support often also includes help for mothers who initially had a hospital lactation consultant that opted for formula at the first sign of difficulties with feeding.
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