Breastfeeding.... views to make you fume!!!

[emilia]

I came accross this this morning. It's an old news piece, but have a read at the views.... enough to make me froth at the mouth!!!

www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,15410-1203550,00.html

Emilia xx

 

[Manda]

i was gonna post comments but couldn't do it how frigging stupid!

grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr i'll just let my baby starve cos of other people and their problems NOT!

 

[emilia]

The guy that wrote saying "urinating in public was illegal and so should bf'ing" made me cross!!! I would have asked him to point me to the nearest public bf'ing unit - plenty toilets about and besides, we don't see woman squating behind or next to bus shelters - mostly blokes moaning about feeding in public, but what a lot of hypocrites ....arse!!

Emilia xx

 

[Dee1985]

bloody stupid, a woman breast feeding her baby is the most beautiful natural thing to see, if some one feels threatend by seeing it then thay have some serious issues

 

[Rosieroo]

I'm not going to read it otherwise I'll get too angry!!

This was in the Independent, what a bitter woman!

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health ... 360047.ece

 

[beanie]

I had already seen that article Kina, what a unbalanced view. Heaven forbid that a mum should spend any time feeding her baby, and that crap about how breast fed babies are half starved, well Seren is doing remarkably well for a half starved child. Methinks she has issues with not being able to do breastfeeding and therefore hates anyone else who has managed to do it. Its really sad that the media allow this sort of article to be published as it would put others off. I think it is irresponsible journalism. With these two articles is it any wonder that Britain has one of the lowest breast feeding rates, in my area only 8% of mums are bfing at 4 months. In the media lately there has been the news about the police asking the woman to be moved, the Independant article and the extreme breastfeeding programe all making breastfeeding mothers sound weird. How about an article on the positives of feeding and some success stories?? Right rant over, it just really gets to me.

 

[minikins]

Simple response, these people are thick and uneducated, innit?

 

[emilia]

Sky news interviewed a woman this morning on "breastfeeding". My DH called me from Cape Town to watch it at 6.30am your time. Mainly spoke about bf'ing and babies weight. Was quite interesting - try and get a wee glimpse of it if you have Sky. No doubt they repeat things during course of the day.

Anyway, that's how I came accross the article - worth a read though Rosieroo - a lot of mixed views - some blokes even pro bf'ing.

If I was banned from feeding in public, I would be permanently housebound!! Did you know.... formula is banned in South African state hospitals? The government is pushing bf big time. My best friend chose to bottlefeed as she had breastreduction... nurses would have none of it and fed baby formula from a cup - a bit OTT!!!

Anyway - I'm plugged in as we speak.... nice and cool outside - still in bed!!
Emilia xx

 

[beanie]

There was another article in the Independent about bf'd babies weight charts. Breast fed babies gain weight differently to formula fed babies but the weight charts are based on formula fed babies. This has led to a lot of breast feeding moms being told that their babies aren't gaining enough weight, and can result in formula supplementing or early weaning, which is not needed. So there are calls for the correct weight charts to be used for each baby.

 

[emilia]

You're right Beanie... what I caught of it - that sounds like it.

 

[Freya]

I hope I don't offend anyone but just wanted to give my point.
I think breastfeeding is the most natural thing in the world to do and you should be able to doit anywhere - if people have a problem it is there problem!!!.
However the article in the independent I can kind of relate to. I tried to b/feed my daughter when she was born - I had 1 1/2 shots of pethadine and she cried from 7.00in the evening until 4.ooam because she was hungry the m/w in hospital too her away and gave her a bottle and she slept for 6 hours! After that they wanted me to continue to try b/feeding and I would say tried to bully me into it. I was embarrassed that I couldn't satisfy my daughter from the previous night a bit teary and did not want to. The m/w were terrible when I said this and left me to it (they gave me no milton to sterilise teats or anything!!!) My sister/cousin who are both nurses sorted things out for me!!! I felt like a failure and very depressed. This time I am bottle feeding from the off because i do not want to go through the same thing again.
By the way I never lost one drop of milk afterwards and never felt my milk come in or became engourged at day 3 - I don't believe I produce milk which also happened to my mum!!
So I think if you can breast feed and do so successfully Good for you but if you can't you dont need to made to feel worse by people continually telling you that breast is best and how you are failing your child. I also think people should not be guilted into breast feeding there is enough pressure on a new mum as it is and they should be supported whatever decision they make!!!
Sorry to ramble on but I actually feel quiet strongly about this!!

 

[Rosieroo]

Freya - fair enough you had a bad experience and it sounds like you are one of the very rare people whose milk doesn't come in, so I am sorry that you couldn't breastfeed your first. It's a shame that you wont attempt to feed your 2nd child but that's your choice.

Breast IS best. I think breastfeeding should be promoted more, it shouldn't be something to be ashamed of doing in public/at all. And I think that support should be offered straight away. Women shouldn't have to try and seek it when they're already encountering split nipples. More money should be put into support/antenatal promotion of breastfeeding. And I agree that MWs/HVs should not support the use of formula unless a woman truly cannot breastfeed. I spent 9 and a half months avoiding certain foods, taking vitamins etc, why would I then shove a bottle of modified cows milk into my baby's mouth when she is first born?

 

[hels]

Ignorant, pure and simple.
Im furious too Emilia!
Thanks to people like that iam uncomfortable feeding in public. Im ashamed to admit that, but id rather take a bottle of formula out with me than face stares from the public.
How sad is that?

 

[Manda]

i normally take a bottle if i am going out, i have bf in public and refuse to sit in a toilet/feed room i wouldn't eat my food in a toilet.

As for breast is best it probably is but i was bottle fed and it didn't do me any harm, in fact most of my cousins were bottle fed and we're all ok. I have a friend who was gonna bottle feed but didn't completely dismiss breastfeeding when the baby was born the midwife gave her that much grief that she bottle fed just to get up the midwives nose, i think they should accept your decision without trying to change your mind, i told my hv i was thinking of changing to bottle feeding all the time and you should have seen the look she gave me and i've been doing it for 7 months that really peed me off

 

[Rosieroo]

My HVs try and sell you cut price formula and tell you to give formula top ups. They aren't very pro breastfeeding!

I was b/f for 2 weeks, my sisters were bottle fed. We were always in and out of the doctors surgery. One of my sisters suffered from persistent ear infections, the other has asthma and is always off school. My half brother was bottlefed as my stepmum could not feed due to medical reasons. He suffers from excema, asthma, epilepsy, food allergies and many other ailments.

 

[Dee1985]

formula is banned in South African state hospitals? The government is pushing bf big time.

that is bloody stupid, i have nothing against breast feeding but any one who thinks they are being a better parent by breast feeding is wrong!

 

[Dee1985]

shove a bottle of modified cows milk into my baby's mouth

is this how you see formula feeding?

how about i say

shove my tit into my babies mouth?

dont sound very nice!

i think feeding a baby is a beautiful moment a great time to bond, so breatfeeding and bottle feeding are both as special.

 

[beanie]

i have nothing against breast feeding but any one who thinks they are being a better parent by breast feeding is wrong!

And I would agree with that. It isn't that anyone is saying formula is bad, but it is true that breast milk is better as it is tailor made for the baby. The thing that gets me is the lack of support, the government are trying to get the message across that breat is best and we get that over and over agin but the practical support is not there, and many women give up because they have been given the wrong advice or not reciebved enough support. I too had an awful time in the hospital, Seren was topped up with formula as my milk took ages to come in. I had no confidence in my ability to feed my baby, and thought the reason she was constantly feediong was because my milk was pants. No-one told me that this is very normal behaviour, and it wasn't until I researched this that I knew my milk was fine, and I was eventually able to exclusively breastfeed. I personally think it is terrible that we as a country have one of the lowest breast feeding rates, no wonder feeding in public is so frowned upon because our society is not geared up for breasts other then as sexual playthings. I was speaking to someone from Norway the ther day and she said that women breastfeeding was widely accepted and they would be in cafes, breast pads on the table and just feeding. In fact it is unusual for someone to bottlefeed in public. There needs to be mopre support and people need to know more about the realities of breastfeeding.

 

[beanie]

shove a bottle of modified cows milk into my baby's mouth

is this how you see formula feeding?

how about i say

shove my tit into my babies mouth?

dont sound very nice!

i think feeding a baby is a beautiful moment a great time to bond, so breatfeeding and bottle feeding are both as special.

Dionne, formula milk is modified cows milk. And you chose to feed your baby this way which I fully respect, and it works for you and Dior who looks happy and content as Hharley is as well. I choose to breastfeed. I agree that moms can bond with their babies whichever way they feed, but Seren would disagree with you that "shoving my tit" into her mouth isn't very nice.

 

[Dee1985]

i have never looked at breast feeding in that way but i was shocked to see how some one spoke of bottle feeding.

its not some thing i want a big disagreement to start over, but i dont think bottle feeding should be spoken of in a bad way as it upsets the mum just as much as when a breat feeding mums are spoken bad about.

but Seren would disagree with you that "shoving my tit" into her mouth isn't very nice.

me saying that was ment the way i spoke of breastfeeding wasnt very nice, not that its not very nice for the baby!