Lactivism
Encyclopedia
Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding is the feeding of an infant or young child with breast milk directly from female human breasts rather than from a baby bottle or other container. Babies have a sucking reflex that enables them to suck and swallow milk. It is recommended that mothers breastfeed for six months or...
. Supporters, referred to as "lactivists", seek to promote the health benefits of breastfeeding over formula-feeding
Infant formula
Infant formula is a manufactured food designed and marketed for feeding to babies and infants under 12 months of age, usually prepared for bottle-feeding or cup-feeding from powder or liquid . The U.S...
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-in
Sit-in
A sit-in or sit-down is a form of protest that involves occupying seats or sitting down on the floor of an establishment.-Process:In a sit-in, protesters remain until they are evicted, usually by force, or arrested, or until their requests have been met...
"), 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 Symbol
International Breastfeeding Symbol
The 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 acting as support for mothers that wish to breastfeed. Lactivists provide information and share resources on successful breastfeeding.