To think breastfeeding has made no difference to my dd and is massively overrated in terms of benefits?

[Placeanditspatrons]

I've nearly driven myself to a breakdown feeding my dd. She is 16 months now and I'm still feeding. She has been ill more times and worse than my formula fed from four months son. She does not recover any faster and she catches anything I get and gets it worse, despite supppsedly the antibodies passing to her and either preventing or reducing the severity of the illness.

I know it's anecdotal and the studies say overall bf babies are healthier but how much healthier? I mean I we talking one less cold? One less ear injection? Statistically? Many of my friends have said similar. Again anecdotal but I can't help wondering - after the colostrum which is more important I guess - does it really make any noticeable difference?

My mum who breastfed me until 2 and who's volunteered as a breastfeeding support worker since I was a baby.
Gave me the best advice.....
Forget the reasons why it's better and beastfeed only because you want to and do so for as long as you want to!

Have to say I've had no pressure from anyone though. In fact the midwife when she was born, looked shocked when I said I wanted to breastfeed.

And I don't think I've ever seen a poster put guilt and pressure onto a new breast feeder. I've never seen a comment or attempt to dissuade a breast feeding poster unless asked. Formula feeders are the ones who wish to be left in peace,they are the ones judged and scrutinised often when they haven't even asked for comment.I don't think any ffer gives a stuff what other mothers do breast or formula .Doesn't seem to go both ways though. Many breast feeders on here think their choice gives them Carte Blanche to lecture to others without umbridge in a way that is completely at odds with all other parenting choices.

"There's hurt and upset on both sides"

Is there?
"Fucking hate the breastfeeding police"
"Breastapo"

To name the first two I spotted. Could you show me where pro bf people have said anything remotely similar?

"Many breast feeders on here think their choice gives them Carte Blanche to lecture to others without umbridge in a way that is completely at odds with all other parenting choices."

Name names and/or link.

OP I feel the same. My DD is 21 months and is still BF and has always been BF. She's got eczema, allergies and gets every bug going. I wish the BF benefits had been explained to her immune system.

Oh go and search Bertrand,they crop up all the time. You know it,I know it and every poster on here knows it. I'm certainly not going to waste my time cutting and pasting.

@GlamClam I feel like this. I darent say that DD was and still is BF as people automatically think you're against FF and think poorly of those who do FF.

@GreenGinger2 I've been around nearly 2 years and I maybe twice I've seen a twatty breastfeeder? I've seen far more FF mothers bashing BF mothers with comments like breastapo (fucking vile word and wrong on many levels) and the breastfeeding police.

You've had your eyes closed.

"Oh go and search Bertrand,they crop up all the time. You know it,I know it and every poster on here knows it. I'm certainly not going to waste my time cutting and pasting."

Fair enough. I suspect that must mean there aren't that many. And there are plenty of pretty unpleasant comments about bf and bfeeders on this very thread.

"You've had your eyes closed."

Happy to be educated.

You don't need to be. Mini et al usually crop up on all these threads.

It's massively overrated and the who health benefits are statistically swayed by the health benefits off bf rather than FF in the third world.

^ this. In a country which has free access to clean, sanitised water and can easily clean and sterilise bottles and formula etc, no I do not believe there is any health benefits of bf over ff. clearly in the slums of India and the remote villages of Africa it is a completely different story and the WHO guidelines are really for them. The give the same guidelines for every country yet ours is very different in terms of health then those in the third world.
Look amongst your adult friends, can you honestly tell which were ff and which were bf as babies?

Give m some names so I can advance search.

Alongside starting threads on breast feeding rates and how sad the figures are. The smileys are a particular joy. You don't see many ffers starting such threads or putting in faces at the thought of all those poor breast fed babies let down by their mothers. Then you get the stat twisting and guilt mongering......

Names, please.

Now I know you're being disingenuous,you know full well who I'm thinking off in particular and where she posts others join in. A here,a stat twist there. It's very clever.

@GreenGinger2 I'd like usernames to check up too.

I totally agree OP.

Whilst there are positive benefits - some are 'bigger' than others - so if at all possible it IS best to breast feed. I do have a huge issue with the way it is pushed beyond other issues.

Mental wellbeing, sleep, nutrition and bonding is HUGE and yet I was pushed to breast feed at the expense of this - my baby wasn't getting enough, therefore not sleeping, therefore me not sleeping - and it took a medical test and a lovely nurse who said - look that baby needs more nutrition than you are able to breastfeed at present so just go on to formula. I did and mixed breast feeding/formula and it was the best decision I ever made.

I've seen one completely obsessed pro bf, formula is evil poster, but not for a while. Mini something. I kept reporting them so hopefully they've been hit by the banhammer.

I breastfed and they annoyed me so I can imagine it would be far more annoying reading them if you hadn't.

@FlaviaAlbia I'm guessing your eyes must be closed too according to @GreenGinger2

So you've never read Minifingerz posts then.Ok of course.

Thing is her posts on this subject have been deleted in the past,ditto others similar so you won't find some of the real corkers.

Sad smileys a plenty and stat twisting too though. They're sly and won't count in your eyes re judging but the impact is still there.

@GreenGinger2 do you realise how patronising you sound?

Oh, her. I couldn't remember her name. One poster. Right. And her stuff got deleted.

What are your thoughts on the posters on this thread who've said unpleasant things about bf? Happy to c&p if you missed them.

I think the perceived animosity between BFing and FFing mothers derives from the fact that in this country many women feel bullied in BFing by HCPs - when, on the evidence, FF is a perfectly valid and safe choice to make, if a woman wants to make it. That can lead women who FF to feel very defensive and (some) women who BF to feel smug.