By Aurelia Dyantyi
Janet Jackson's recent (in)famous breast-popping antic may have enraged some and clogged the Internet.
But if our Department of Health's nutrition directorate has its way, more boobs will be popping out in this country - only this time to feed babies.
Proposed regulations aim to push for exclusive breastfeeding (feeding solely on mother's milk without using additional formula feeds), for the first six months, followed by sustained breastfeeding for up to two years or more, depending on the infants' requirements.
The department's move to ban advertising and promotion of formula, bottles and teats in favour of breastfeeding - if successful - will promote safe baby nutrition.
It is common knowledge that breast milk is superior for a baby's development, except in cases where the mother is HIV-positive, because the virus can be transmitted to the child through breast milk.
While nursing has always been a norm among black women, especially those who could not afford formula feeding, even the black working mum had to make do with artificial feeding due to time constraints.
But with more information being drummed into mums about the benefits of breast milk, even sophisticated mothers are opting for it, says gynaecologist Dr Thandi Mtsi.
Obstetricians, paediatricians, childbirth instructors, nurses, and midwives offer information about the advantages of nursing.
"We see more and more women who are interested in breastfeeding. I'd say more than 80% of modern mum's are aware of the benefits of breast milk and nurse their babies.
"I can confidently say breastfeeding has become the in-thing and is back in fashion. This is one trend I hope will last. Even working mothers express their milk and freeze it so that the baby can have a supply during the day," says Mtsi.
In a society that continues to view women's breasts as sexual and not functional, the worst fears of a nursing mum is feeding her child in public. There continue to be unfortunate incidents where mothers are pulled aside while nursing their babies or are even met with hostility.
Often, in public places such as restaurants and malls, nursing mothers are asked to go to a more private place to breastfeed. Recently talk radio 702 debated an incident where a mother was forced to leave a restaurant after patrons complained about her feeding, even though she had covered her breast.
This negative attitude is not confined to South Africa, it is a thorny issue even in developed countries that have also been preaching breastfeeding.
American women got their freedom only in 1999 when former US president Bill Clinton signed into law the Right to Breastfeed Act, which granted them the right to breastfeed on federal property without harassment.
While locally there is no etiquette when it comes to public breastfeeding, it is just a matter of difference in cultures.
"Among black women there is no breastfeeding etiquette - you just pull out your boob and feed your child wherever you are, because it is in the interest of the child. But due to Westernised values, there are instances where women are pulled aside and warned not to feed their children in public because it offends some people.
"I accept that we have cultural differences, but I am against those restaurant owners who go so far as escorting a mother to the bathroom to nurse there. That is not only unhygienic, but also uncalled for," laments Mtsi.
Thabitha Kekana, a midwife and owner of a maternity clinic in Katlehong, also preaches breastfeeding. She credits the increased interest from mothers to various campaigns, including the annual National Breastfeeding Week which educates mothers about the importance of lactation. She says young and older mothers alike choose to breastfeed and arrange their lives to fit it in.
"We really go all out to spread the word on breast milk. There is no boiling of water, measuring and mixing - milk from breasts is ready-made.
A baby can be fed anytime. "Even if you are in a taxi you can just feed your child without worrying about the temperature of the milk. The most important thing is that it is good for the baby's development and its health," says Kekana.
However, she points out that some mothers prioritise beauty over their child's health and refuse to breastfeed, fearing that their breasts will not remain as perky as they were before childbirth.
"Some young mums are not motivated enough to breastfeed because they do not want to lose the shape of their breasts. The fashion and beauty conscious say they will not nurse for fear that their breasts will sag."
It would appear as though enthusiasm to breastfeed has not caught on among the rich either. Mothers in the Northern suburbs hardly breastfeed for more than three months, says sister Lorraine Mey of Morningside Clinic. She says mothers in her region have money and can afford the best baby formulas, and also because of cultural pressures they would rather not breastfeed.
"Breastfeeding is still not greatly accepted because of the stigma attached to it. We come from an era where white boobs were covered with stars and it is difficult to convince people who continue to view breasts as a sexual object to breastfeed. Black mums are much better at breastfeeding than white mums.
"Public feeding is very difficult because there are no facilities for mum's to do so.
"Major shopping centres, like Sandton and Eastgate, do not have feeding areas where mums can sit down and feed their babies away from scrutiny. Even in this hospital there are none. That discourages mothers; even those who would like to breastfeed have all these issues to consider and they feel that formula feeding has no hassles."
Mey concludes that for breastfeeding to be more acceptable across races, mindsets need to be changed, and that will take a long time in a society that still frowns at the mere sight of a breast.