Snooki, aka Nicole Polizzi of Jersey Shore fame, isn't exactly known for her eloquent way with words. So I suppose we shouldn't be all that surprised by her comparing breastfeeding to bovine ways.
In a recent interview with Good Morning America, she admitted that she's scared to breastfeed because it will hurt. She said she had a friend who did it and said it was painful, but she knows it's the right thing to do for her baby, so maybe she'll just pump breast milk. However, she also isn't too keen on that because, "It's kind of like you're a cow and you're just milking."
She's right; in some respects it is, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. Breastfeeding is a natural way to feed children, and mammals of every sort do it because it's an unbelievably amazing and perfect food for babies. So while no woman wants to be compared to a cow, it's really not such a slam. I vividly remember feeling like a cow when I pumped; she's just saying it out loud.
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Words aside, the fact is Snooki is scared to breastfeed, just like most women are -- whether they admit it or not. For all of the lovely sentimental stories we hear of what an incredible bonding experience it is with your baby, we've all known someone who has had a nightmare experience, or we've had one ourselves. There's so much pressure to do the right thing for your baby that it can be overwhelming and terrifying, yet few women will admit it.
Most of us won't say we're scared, and then perhaps we don't get the help and support we need to help us succeed. A recent report about the dismal breastfeeding success rates attests to this. So maybe by expressing her fears Snooki will somehow find what she needs to succeed with breastfeeding.
She really does seem to be determined to be the best mother she can be to her baby boy who she says she wants to name Lorenzo ("because then you can call him 'Enzo'"). She's even given up alcohol altogether, not even imbibing a little. She told GMA, again in her own Snooki style:
All my friends are like, "You can have a glass of wine." I'm like, "No." I refuse because I'm going to be that person that has a glass of wine and [the] baby comes out with three legs.
Were you/are you scared to breastfeed? Do you think Snooki comparing breastfeeding to being like a cow is offensive?
Image via MTV
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Comments 19
I don't think it is offensive at all, because she was referring to pumping. And yeah, I felt like a cow every time I hooked myself up to the pump, which is why I did it as little as possible and fed my little one straight from the tap, so to speak. Sitting down and nursing my daughter felt like the most natural thing in the world; listening to the whirring of a machine, uncomfortably having the milk drawn out of me by a machine was about the farthest possible thing from actually nursing.
And DH says I must be a Jersey, because our babies get so stinkin' chubby at first.
I don't find it offensive at all.
you've got to hand it to her, she's ALWAYS been honest. everyone can say what they want about her not being a "real" celebrity, but at least she isn't fake like the so-called "real celebrities." i don't think she was expecting the show to get as big as it did, and from the very first episode she hasn't changed one bit. she's still as honest and candid as she always was. and i think that's refreshing. i definitely don't think it was offensive at all. pumping milk out of your breasts would make anyone think of milking a cow. i thought it was funny what she said. and yeah, even though i do plan on breastfeeding, i am a little bit scared. luckily i'm not nearly as tender or sensitive as other women in that area, but i still don't want my nipples to bleed lol. and i'm afraid that the baby won't know how to do it right and i'll think he's all fed but he isn't and somehow i'll inadvertantly starve him. idk if that's even possible but i'm totally afraid of that. that i'll think he's getting enough milk but as it turns out he isn't and so i won't know until it's too late. i mean you can't exactly ask a newborn if he's full or if he's still hungry. but maybe i'm just being crazy.
Snooki, please don't be scared to nurse your baby. It can hurt, that's true, but with the right lactation consultant it doesn't have to!
I remember making a cow remark when I was hooked up to a hospital grade pump the day after I delivered my daughter. Those two big suction cups with the hoses and the "TTTT-SSSS" sound it made. I couldnt help but "moo" a couple times :-p
I wasn't scared to, but I was grossly undereducated about breastfeeding. I was an "invincible" 18 year old who thought everything would come naturally. Unsurprisingly, I was supplementing within a month, and completely switched to formula by 5 months. However, as it does for so many of the rest of us who have an unsatisfactory experience the first time, it cause me to do more research, and learn so much about it. I had a wonderful experience nursing my second and now it's something I'm very passionate about.
I felt like a cow when I pumped too... lol
I have a nursing cover in a cow print. i use to pump in the lobby of the womens bathroom at my last job. Women would walk in and be unsure what to do. So I'd smile say "moo" they would crack up and it easied the tension a ton.