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Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Can't Handle the Truth on Breastfeeding?

Yesterday, I posted a new study showing how breastfeeding saves lives. I enjoyed reading the stats in this article. I read a wonderful blog post on yet another Babycenter forum. This post focused not on the stats behind breastfeeding or the debate between breast and formula. This post focused on the cultural shift that needs to occur that would make it so much easier for women to be successful at breastfeeding.

I highly recommend that you check out the full post here: When It Comes to Breastfeeding, We Can't Handle the Truth by the Feminist Breeder Blog.

If you have breastfed, what would have made it easier for you? What support would you have appreciated? If you haven't breastfed, why (you'll hear no judgments from me)? What support would have been helpful? I know that without support, there is no way we would have made it 16 months!

Labels: Breastfeeding

5 Comments:

Unknown said...: UGH. I have mixed emotions on this. We SO need to have more education and support for moms postpartum, including on breastfeeding. If the lactation consultant would have made housecalls (I was too sick emotionally and physically in the couple of weeks postpartum to get back to the hospital) I might have been able to get L to latch on correctly and not have had to pump and bottlefeed until it literally drove me crazy and I had to quit so I could take meds and get my sanity back. On the other hand, since I couldn't breastfeed, I wish that more people would accept bottlefeeding whether it be breastmilk or formula. I STILL have guilt 2.5 years later about not being successful at breastfeeding. My stepmother, sister and other relatives and friends have none...but since my cohort seems to be BFing heavy I am the odd man out or black sheep. It stinks.; April 7, 2010 at 6:57 PM
Audra Michelle said...: Amber - I totally know the guilt. When we were supplementing, I wept with each bottle of formula. I felt like a failure since I couldn't feed my child. When I would be out, I'd get ridiculed or get nasty glares from other moms no matter HOW I fed - bottle, breast, formula, breastmilk - it didn't matter. We all need support no matter WHAT we choose!; April 7, 2010 at 7:59 PM
natdragon said...: I think if I had not had an emergency c-section, and Mckenna and I had not been working the epidural out of our systems for two weeks, things would have been different. I think that if I had not seen five different lactation consultants in five days in the hospital, that would have helped. And if I hadn't chosen "the best" lactation consultant in SoCal, who turned out to be an emotional terrorist, that would have helped. All of it led to my daughter losing a pound and a half in a week, me totally crazy and needing medication, and eventually therapy. Amber's right, there needs to be support for whatever the mother ends up doing. An emotionally distraught mom needs love and support from everyone in her life no matter what works for their family.; April 8, 2010 at 1:15 AM
Deborah said...: I feel that with the research I did on breastfeeding (the how-to's and why's) BEFORE my son was born, I was able to visualize myself doing it. This combined with the lactation consultant's help/support, I was able to successfully nurse for 1 year with my first. Another major factor is that I had support from my husband. He encouraged me, sympathized with me when it got tough (like at the beginning when I was sore), and brought me the baby at feeding time so I could rest. Once my second son was born, I felt like a pro and jumped right back into breastfeeding. I understand the uncomfortable feeling of getting stares --- I'm either BF in public (with a blanket over my shoulder) or give my son pumped breast milk in a sippy cup. People wonder what's actually IN the cup? Milk or formula? And they wonder what on earth I have my son under and blanket for. Store associates constantly ask me if I'd feel more comfortable in a dressing room to feed my son. Would it make me for comfortable or YOU more comfortable???? If it was more comfortable for me - then I wouldn't be out shopping in the first place. I'd be in my own house where I am most comfortable feeding my son. But, I shouldn't have to stay behind closed doors because my son is hungry --- so I shop! :); April 8, 2010 at 11:10 AM
Amanda said...: It's funny...I'm not surrounded by many breastfeeding mamas, but I felt totally supported and even today (14 months after giving birth) I still feel like it's okay that I breastfeed. My friends are probably shocked, but I'm not judged at all. I found most of my support from online friends and blogs. :); April 8, 2010 at 9:30 PM

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Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Can't Handle the Truth on Breastfeeding?

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