Principles of CNML
Principles of the Catholic Nursing Mothers League, Inc.
God
the Creator has a plan for all men, women and children and this plan applies to
every area of our lives. The Catholic Church's authoritative teaching
helps us to know this plan. God's plan includes conception,
childbirth and the nurturing of babies.
Breastfeeding
is the natural continuation of the childbearing cycle which begins with
conception, pregnancy and childbirth. As such, it forms an important part
of God's plan for mothers and babies.
Breast milk is the best
nourishment for babies, and the act of
breastfeeding provides the best nurturing environment for both mothers and
babies.
Breastfeeding
is a special way in which a mother makes a sincere gift of herself to her baby.
Breastfeeding is also a special way in which mothers are called to
serve life in one of its most vulnerable stages. In the
breastfeeding Madonna, Catholic mothers have a special exemplar.
Ecological
breastfeeding - the form of mothering which tends to delay the return of
fertility after the birth of
a baby - benefits the nursing child and enhances the
mother's health and well-being. Its natural child
spacing effect is a moral and healthy form
of natural birth regulation and should be supported and encouraged by families,
society and the Church.
Children
deserve to be raised to appreciate the equality and complementarity of men and
women in the context of lifelong marriage. Fathers offer essential
spiritual and emotional support to their breastfeeding wives, and
they provide for and protect the nursing couple. These early acts of
service lay the groundwork for fathers' unique and irreplaceable role in
their children's lives.
Women
have a right to be truthfully informed about the benefits
of breastfeeding for themselves as well as for their babies.
Families, parishes, communities, governments and society have a responsibility
to protect and strengthen cultural support for breastfeeding practices.
Children
need their mothers' presence, especially in the first three years of
life. With or without breastfeeding, motherhood is an important and
valuable way in which women live in accordance with their nature
as persons created in God's image.
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