Women take breast-feeding seriously. So seriously they failed to see I was poking fun at myself, not breast-feeding, in the introduction of my column.
My use of the word "gross" was a writing tactic. I was my own foil to draw readers' attention to what otherwise could have been a very staid column about a case in Massachusetts.
My depiction of my reaction to breast-feeding was supposed to be juvenile, hence the word "gross." As in a 13-year-old's reaction, "Oh that is SO gross!" Not Hannibal Lecter gross. (Maybe as a wordsmith, I see a clear distinction. After all, kids think a zit is gross.)
That said, I am uncomfortable in the presence of a woman breast-feeding her child. If you want to hit me on that, hit me on that. But I'm being honest. I believe it is a natural, but private act. Many things we do are natural, but we'd just as soon others not be privvy to them.
I'm sure I've probably been in the presence of women breast-feeding, and I didn't know because they were modest and covered themselves. But when I'm aware, I'm uncomfortable.
The benefits of breast-feeding are countless, which I note in the third paragraph of the column. Additionally, the two women I interviewed unknowingly spoke for me. I understood and knew everything they said was true.
The point of the column, which seemed to escape most, was that the doctor is not the ideal advocate for the cause. Of course, she needed extra time to pump. But she also seems to be someone who wants special treatment after special treatment after special treatment. (There are some details that didn't make it into the column that suggests she is all about "me," making her life decisions, and then expecting others to accomodate her choices.)
It is my belief that the overwhelming majority of breast-feeding mothers are not self-centered. They simply want sanitary and comfortable accomodations. They deserve that.
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