Brittany McGee

Breasts. Boobs. Lady lumps.

Whatever you call them, there’s no denying their power. Since the dawn of time breasts have been immortalized in artwork, manipulated people into doing things they might not normally do, and most importantly, in my opinion, provided nutrition and comfort to tiny human beings.

Yes, breastfeeding. Women have been doing that for as long as they’ve been giving birth. So why is it that in the States, there’s such a stigma AGAINST it?

In my last 8 months in Peru, I’ve seen other women’s boobs more than I’ve seen my own. And no, it’s not because I’ve binge-watched Game of Thrones. It’s because mothers here have no problem breastfeeding anywhere or at any time. And the best part? No one gives a damn.

During the first few weeks of training, I remember squeezing onto a crowded combi and finding myself standing near a young mom holding her baby. At first, I didn’t think anything of her, until I glanced again and noticed that she was breastfeeding. The combi was full of people – men, women, old, young – and no one seemed to be paying any attention to this mom. No one was giving her dirty looks, no one was sexualizing what she was doing. She didn’t have to hide the fact that she was breastfeeding.

Over the next few months, I would continue to be amazed at where I saw women breastfeeding: in grocery stores, in parks, in mototaxis, in graveyards, in church (during mass), in school, at the lunch table (while eating food), at meetings, at parties. The list goes on, and on. Not one of those women tried hiding the fact that they were breastfeeding either, so no babies under blankets.

I’ve also seen some pretty unexpected things—people making eye contact with the baby and talking to her while she’s latched on, other women playing with the breast that is providing milk while the baby is latched on. Another volunteer even judged a breastfeeding competition in her site.

While I am not currently and never have been a mother, I can only speak from what I’ve learned in my biology classes—and that’s that breastfeeding is fantastic for the baby for so many reasons. A mother who chooses to and is able to breastfeed shouldn’t have to hide what she’s genetically wired to do.

And in Peru, she doesn’t have to. In Peru, breastfeeding is a beautiful, celebrated, natural thing to do.

Kudos Peru. We could stand to learn a few things from you.