Statue with a breastfeeding woman, the paediatricians’ letter: “It is a message of life, it cannot be a taboo”

The children of the artist Vera Omodeo have donated a statue of her to the Municipality of Milan, to be exhibited in Piazza Eleonora Duse. Then, the disappointment at the decision of the commission in charge, which rejected the placement of the work in the chosen place because it “represents respectable values, but not universally shareable”. Negotiations then began to find another exhibition site, perhaps a private structure such as a hospital or a religious institute. 53 paediatricians, including Gian Vincenzo Zuccotti, are in favor of the work. The director of the Paediatrics department of the Buzzi hospital in Milan, vice-rector of Health at the State University of Milan, tellsAdnkronos that he and his colleagues sent a letter to the municipality, which is still deciding where to place Omodeo’s sculpture. The statute We come from breast milk it is the bearer of “a message of life and good practices”. Breastfeeding “must be defended and encouraged, without absolutely wanting to discriminate against anyone”.

That statue represents “a message of life and good practices”

“Family pediatrician colleagues submitted that letter to me, refined into a version that I thought was a good thing to share.” The meaning of the message, Zuccotti stated, is «to take the opportunity to talk about motherhood again in a historical moment like this, with the birth rate in Italy reaching the levels we know. It is a way to raise awareness, to give a central role to motherhood, to women and also to breastfeeding. As stated in the letter, we do not want to stigmatize those who are unable to breastfeed at all, because there are some women who unfortunately, for very specific reasons, cannot do so and should certainly not be made to feel inadequate.” The pediatrician reiterated in several passages of the interview with the news agency that the image of a woman breastfeeding bare-breasted “remains a message of life and good practices”.

The importance of breast milk

«There is a lot of talk about obesity, overweight, chronic degenerative diseases, but we must remember that the trajectories of our lives are greatly influenced by what happens from birth. Starting off on the right foot could direct our lives in a better way”, concluded the specialist. The same position emerges from some excerpts of the open letter. Which begins like this: «Motherhood cannot be a taboo, it is the most natural thing there is». Then, in the text, the Municipality led by Giuseppe Sala is asked to review the choice: «The proposal to exhibit the statue of Vera Omodeo in Milan, in the context of a public place, open to all citizens, as was initially proposed, is a valid idea, shareable and of great civil significance especially in this historical moment”.

The text of the letter

Paediatricians remind us that breastfeeding is “the first source of protection for the newborn that the mother naturally implements”. It is important not only for «the supply of nutritional principles for survival», but also for «the transfer of species-specific epigenetic characteristics, the transmission of fundamental sensory and cognitive stimuli that are the basis of the growth and development of the puppy man. With this – the signatories point out – we do not want to diminish the value of nutrition through foods other than breast milk, which in some situations of physical or psychological health cannot be used – which – creates an absolutely unjustified sense of guilt in many new mothers. These situations do not in any way compromise the sense of motherhood and the mutual relationship of symbiotic love between mother and newborn.”

With the due premise of respect towards women who cannot give their own milk to their children, paediatricians once again reiterate that «the act of breastfeeding your child and making it visible to the outside can today have a greater and imaginative compared to the scientific and psychological values ​​we have mentioned. Today this image, to which we are no longer accustomed, can make us reflect on the overall value of motherhood, in a world in which there are fewer and fewer children and sensitivity on this issue is increasingly dulled.” Therefore, «as Milanese pediatricians, who have always been sensitive to the issues of motherhood, the physical and mental health of the child and his family, we believe that bringing this humanitarian issue to the attention of city institutions and all Milanese people is not only important, but dutiful”.

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