Whoopi Goldberg Says Breastfeeding a Baby with Teeth is Gross, Which Will Surely Change Everybody’s Nursing Plans
(Via FallonTonight.Tumblr.com)
Whoopi Goldberg has a pretty impressive list of accomplishments. I mean, Sister Act was a treasure, and she’s won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony! But having achieved the legendary EGOT does not mean she should be going around telling people when to stop breastfeeding, and especially not saying dumb stuff about how gross it is to breastfeed a baby with teeth.
According to Yahoo Parenting, Goldberg’s latest comments about the weirdness of breastfeeding came at the end of a segment on The View about co-nursing, or women who breastfeed other people’s babies. While in the process of talking about how weird that was, they got on the subject of extended breastfeeding–or breastfeeding a baby older than 12 months–and Goldberg was not a fan.
”If they’re old enough to have teeth, they shouldn’t be breast-feeding. Good God,” Goldberg said.
That’s pretty ridiculous. I know I always assumed I’d revisit the nursing situation once my baby had teeth, but babies get teeth at different times. Some babies start popping teeth at just a few months old. It’s silly to draw a line in the sand like that.
Sure, a lot of people think that’s when breastfeeding stops, because it’s pretty horrifying to visualize a person’s nipples getting chewed up by tiny sharp baby teeth, but really, teeth in and of themselves don’t really get in the way of breastfeeding. A baby that is latched nicely won’t be using her teeth at all, and even a baby without teeth can bite the shit out of you if she is feeling playful or cantankerous. That cute, toothless grin is not harmless. It’s like a tiny little vice made out of bone.
Some people stop breastfeeding relatively early, while others keep going for years. That’s up to them and their babies, not TV stars. In fact, getting medical advice from celebrities is just generally not a great life plan. If you need a second opinion, check with a doctor, or a friend, or a lactation consultant. Not Whoopi Goldberg.
