why dont younger mums breas feed

[codswallop]

on the whole?
18 year ikd nighbour has just had a baby !) musch to her parents horror.. and isnt even trying to b feeed.
why is this?

[Titania]

i think bottlefeeding is seen as being the easier option.

I was 18 when I had my first and breast fed him for a couple of months. I tried with my other 2 as well, and managed for a while.

[codswallop]

hmm were you the exception?

[Lonelymum]

I can't understand this one either. Surely breast feeding is easier - no sterilising, no bottle washing, no milk to buy. I realise it means the mum has to do it all herself until she can express (boy do I know that!) but I can't see any other reason not try breast feeding - it is great for losing weight which is usually a young mothers'concern - oops! I am going to get slated for this! Don't care! After 4 children,(all breast fed) I still fit my wedding dress perfectly.

[fairydust]

personally don't think it matters these days wether you breast feed or not - just think it's down to personal preferance.

personally never even considered BF and don't regreat it one bit

[Titania]

i dont know coddy....just wanted to breast feed mine.....shame a lot of people dont even consider it

[moomina]

coddy, thought you didn't care about things like this?

[Lonelymum]

Yes of course it is down to personal preference and that is fine by me. I just don't understand what mothers (young or old) have against it until they have tried it.

[mykidsmum]

I breast fed twins at 21, I think reserach suggests that in younger mums alot is to do with body image and not being comfortable enough to breastfeed.

[codswallop]

I went through hell to bf 2/3
nort sure why really -t here was a whodl thread on "I know breastfeeding is the best but..."
Just wondered why young mums dont even do it for a week
after borttle feedinfg ds 2 I really wanted to do it sucessfully fro ds3.

there is no dounbt that the milk is superior IMO; whyther it drives you mad int eh process is another thing

[Lonelymum]

I am not up to date with this. Is current opinion that breast feeding will ruin the lookshapewhat-you-will of breats?

[codswallop]

and thoguth I woudl lose a whole nipple! ( " too much info Cod " they cry)

[Lonelymum]

Oops meant look / shape / what-you-will

[codswallop]

no idea LM

[fairydust]

I always knew that when i had a baby i would bottle feed and felt comfortable with that choice breast feeding for me was never an option

[mykidsmum]

What I meant about body image is that they don't feel comfortable enough with such a private part of their body to use it in this way. It is a shame though.

[codswallop]

but why not even try it( am sounding personal fd! just am interested )

[moomina]

There's apparently often a lack of support for younger mums re: breastfeeding. If they find it hard at the start it's not always so easy for them to get the support they need to continue.

From the British Journal of Midwifery this month, an article about teenage mothers and their experience of pregnancy birth and postnatal care:

"On the ward it was terrible. I wanted to breastfeed but I couldn't get the positioning right and they said 'Oh well you can't do it then' They said that young mums usually can't anyway so I should give him a bottle."

Dunno if that's the case with your neighbour though coddy. But some obviously do try and don't get the help they need - teenage pregnancy stigma etc

[fairydust]

the thought of breast feeding makes me feel sick - silly i know but my boobs are my most sensitive part of my body so the thought of a baby feeding off them gives me the shivers.

Another reason which is totally selfish is that my sil's both bf - both babies feed every hour once they were put on bottle went 5 / 6 hours and i like my sleep.

god it sounds so selfish when written down but it's just my persoannl preferance

[libb]

You're right. It doesn't really matter but it is an interesting question. In the small town where I live there are a fair few young mums and they don't bf - my neighbour and I are the only two I know of out of at least 7. We guess we would beconsidered older as we in our early thirties (humph . . .)

Do you think it is because we have more patience to get through that lairy phase? I felt like jacking it in several times but stuck with it despite bawling my eyes out at least twice a day. Besides I don't have that yearning to go down the local pub or club whilst someone else feeds DS in the evening. What with me being close to retirement and all that

[libb]

That post sounded less flippant when I wrote it - honest. It would be interesting to see how this thread pans out because it is something I have noticed and have often pondered.

[codswallop]

think you may have apoint then libb
wonder if you had another one fd if you woudl try?
I told my M/w on the arrival of ds3, that NO WAY i was going to bf ( think it was all linked up with my pnd post ds1) and she made me let him have a go onyl minutes after delivery, for a photo where i am grimacing madly!

[blossomhill]

The way you feed your baby is your own personal choice. I did breast feed my son at 23 which is considered young. However decided not to breastfeed my dd when I was 24.
Why get so uptight about other peoples choice of feeding?????? It just doesn't make sense to me and I find the whole thread a bit too generalising and opinionated - in my opinion.

[suzywong]

I wish wet nursing was still a career option, I'd BF the young mum's babies

[Lonelymum]

Fairydust - I am not trying to convert anyone, but I found when I was breastfeeding my babies, that my breasts didn't seem to be the same sexual organs they are at other times. Drove dh mad as I didn't let him go near them, but that is another story...
I can understand that teenagers might feel uncomfortable with their bodies and might lack the assertiveness to insist on help in the hospital when they first tried bf. I found it hard to get help and I was 31!

[moomina]

Who's getting uptight, bh? Don't you think it's an interesting question? Of course it's personal choice (most of the time), but that doesn't mean there aren't reasons behind it.