Bf rates uk vs us

[Silkyanduna]

Just found out my American sil is expecting and she said they only get 6 weeks maternity and that’s pretty standard for the US. This made me think how much I would have struggled to breastfeed past this point if I had had to go back to work. With the uk in comparison having pretty good maternity leave AIBU to question why the Uk breastfeeding % is lower than in the US ?

beanbag7 I agree although there will be a small number of people who do take little maternity I think most people have 6 months and get a lot of people in the uk going back at 9 months when smp ends

Most of the studies ate either done in developing countries where there are definitely benefits to bf, or if done in uk etc do not take account of socio-economic factors. The poorer you are in the uk, the more statistically you are likely to be unhealthy, have diabetes, die younger etc. The studies show correlation not causation. It would equally show that children whose parents drive a Mercedes are healthier than those who have to get a bus, and yet no one honestly thinks that a Mercedes causes better health!

The nearest we've got to proper studies are things like the sibling studies, which indicate that bf causes a reduction in tummy bugs and ear infections for the duration of bf. That's it. Possibly a very small difference in iq, but if so, its tiny. No protection against obesity, diabetes, a allergies (in fact possibly the other way).

It's possible that there are advantages we are unaware of still, and fresh milk is usually nicer than uht in general so I can see some merit, but I don't think its worth all the pressure we put on mums in the uk.
I happily ff my child and have zero regrets.

If you watch an American television programme or a film with a new born in you will almost always see some reference to breastfeeding. Fewer sexualised breasts in papers and films. I think that makes a difference when it comes to feeling confident with continuing breastfeeding. Remember that most people here do try.

The US has a much higher Mommy Martyr culture, the social guilt and guilt of putting a newborn in daycare is what I think leads to the pumping obsession.

The US has a much higher Mommy Martyr culture

What’s this supposed to mean?

It means that the pressure to be a perfect Mom anf sacrifice Everything for your kids or risk being deemed a shit Mom, is much higher in the US than the UK.

I'm glad I had my daughter in the UK so I could have real maternity leave. My family back home were shocked that I got 9 months paid mat leave.

No protection against obesity, diabetes, a allergies (in fact possibly the other way).

Eh? What do you mean by 'the other way' hugtheduggee? That breast milk contributes to obesity/diabetes/allergies? If so where have you read this?

Eh? The NHS most definitely lists prevention of adult obesity and cardiovascular disease as benefits of breastfeeding. It also lists things like leukaemia. Not to mention the protective health benefits to the mother.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/benefits-breastfeeding/

Lack of support. I think we pay lip service to BF in the UK. When your pregnant everyone goes on about it. But when the baby arrives, any difficulties (including totally normal, expected ones) and every health professional is pushing formula on you. You really have to fight to get breastfeeding support in those early days. And some health boards have more available than others.

I also think breastfeeding rates are higher in the UK, but pumping rates higher in the US.

I agree with totallywired, it's very all or nothing here in the UK. It can put people off who might otherwise mixed feed.

And those fucking postnatal wards! Gawd, they're awful. I gave DD1 formula because I wanted to get out of there. Was getting NO sleep and the 'care' was atrocious after an instrumental delivery. I then BFd her.

I think the maternity leaves are too long here, tbh and leads to a lot of discrimination in work because get real, who wants to hire someone who's going to announce she's pregnant a few months later, leave for a year and then possibly come back from that leave pregnant again, rinse and repeat 2 or 3 times, then come back and want PT or flexi-time?

The answer to discrimination isn't to acquiesce to sexism and to reduce maternity leave and reduce part time/flexitime work. That will just result in women leaving work altogether rather than be forced to return full time when they don't want to.

I think BF support operates on a post code lottery.
My local NHS were BRILLIANT.
I have friends further afield who had zero help in comparison.
Plus the US I think pump more than direct bf?
I dont know anyone irl who solely pumped. I'm in an fb group of about 100 mums and that had 1 mum who solely pumped. And about 25-30 mums BFed, about maybe 5 of those would pump aswell as breastfeed. I did BF only (pumping was a faff for me)
In the US, pumping is very normal especially at workplaces.

No protection against obesity, diabetes, a allergies (in fact possibly the other way).

Erm, wtf?

We really aren't going to get anywhere with the topic of breastfeeding when people insist on being so defensive against the health benefits of it.

I'm friends with midwives so know a LOT of people having babies over the years. I don't know if one, ONE that didn't EBF for at least 6 months. Most breastfed to over two years.

I'm friends with midwives so know a LOT of people having babies over the years. I don't know if one, ONE that didn't EBF for at least 6 months. Most breastfed to over two years.

That is very much a reflection of the area you live in, and almost certainly its socioeconomic profile. Where I live is very mixed socially and depending on whether you go to a free/cheap group or an expensive baby activity (ie, if you select by how much money people have) bottles can be either ubiquitous or rarely sighted.

I think BF support operates on a post code lottery.
My local NHS were BRILLIANT.

Same here.
Also had a 32 weeker and the NICU staff were brilliant at getting breastfeeding established with DS.

I knew this would turn into a breast is beat debate. I’ve had three kids and I think saying breast is best is absolute rubbish. Most of the studies have no controls and the better health outcomes for BF babies is more likely to be the result of the area having dirty water, poverty and low socioecyareas in general.
My BF baby was the sickliest unhappiest baby out of the three.

I’m in California so we get 22 weeks (24 if you have a c-section) although only 16 (18 for c-section) is paid. But there is a huge focus on pumping when back at work, it’s protected by law and you have to have a suitable private clean place to pump, store the milk and as many breaks as you need. So that makes it a lot easier. I pumped once a day until my daughter turned one (I could fill three bottles in 15 minutes, which I know is not normal, I was an over producer) and breast fed her until she was 2.5, but just before work and bedtime for the last 6months. That was pretty standard amongst my friendship group, my pediatrician told me to aim for two years to get the maximum benefit. I’m pregnant now and about to go off on leave, and plan to pump once I’m back at work. My friends in the UK who haven’t taken a whole years leave, haven’t been able to pump when they have gone back to work - I think maybe that’s part of it?

Also haven’t heard much debate about ‘breast is best’ here - however I have heard lots about how expensive formula is. With paying for child care, I was glad to save the cost of paying for milk too. My friends who formula fed spent $$$ on importing European milk, so I always felt it was cost effective to breast feed.

I am in the US. I had access to a lactation consultant throughout the four days I was in hospital and the first 6 weeks afterwards so I was able to go in and get help as I found it so painful to breastfeed. I ended up breastfeeding till almost 3.....every mum I met breastfed but I was told by a Latino friend that in her population formula is more common as there is an attitude that the husband has a right to get his wife's boobs back......I was quite shocked by that disclosure. They are very prudish here though-people put covers over so they do not flash any boob so you would think that would lower the rates somewhat.

www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/bfm.2014.0090

I think a lot of what was described in the above link could apply to groups in the UK