The Spirituality of Breastfeeding

Many women report that breastfeeding helped them grow spiritually. Breastfeeding is part of a reproductive process that even the most earth-bound skeptics concede to be miraculous. To deny the sanctity of one part of that process is to greatly diminish the power and potential of all the other parts.

Similarly, many breastfeeding women report that breastfeeeding produced a kind of cosmic commonality that may sound corny to talk about, but which was really quite intense. Not only do these women experience a strong sense of connectedness with the other breastfeeding women, but also with women from past and future generations all over the world, with all mothers in general, and with "mother" earth. This is a view of life in a community, a communal sense of family and connectedness.

In the 21st century, whether at home or at work, busy mothers typically come to appreciate breastfeeding as a gift not just to their babies, but to themselves as well. And, it's a gift that provides opportunities to pause and reflect on their values, priorities, and goals, both professional and personal. Such reflection is an invitation to mother deeply. This adds purpose and perspective to anything else a woman may choose to pursue while helping her pace her time, effort and energy accordingly.

We should celebrate the profoundly spiritual nature of mothering at the breast. Specific religious beliefs do not matter. When we celebrate the spiritual nature of breastfeeding in an inclusive and respectful manner, we do not compromise the diversity of religious practices among us in any way.