Breastfeeding: Only Middle Class Now?

[redbedheadd]

Was debating this with my DP - he is of the belief that breastfeeding is a mainly a middle class thing. I'm not sure if I agree, wanted other opinions.

We live in a very MC/posh area of London and I'd say 90% of mums at my Baby classes BF. This is his evidence.

We both grew up in working class environments - him in a council estate in London where no-one breastfed and me in a Northern town where is was normal to BF.

So.... thoughts?

Depends on race too. Women who are not white tend to breastfeed regardless of class, but among white women, middle class women are more likely to initiate breastfeeding and breastfeed for longer.

Most women of all classes will eventually use bottles though.

FWIW I had a very middle class upbringing and my family bottle fed, I mixed fed my kids.

Interestingly my partner is not white and he has definitely come what I would even describe as an "anti BF" background.

It has been that way. Stats show that older, educated mothers are more likely to breastfeed. Younger mothers who have no/little post-16 education are less likely to breastfeed.

And of course it's a repeating cycle - women who see others in their circle breastfeeding, or whose mother/sister breastfed are more likely to do it themselves. It's the norm in their world. Women who have grown up in a bottle feeding culture where breastfeeding is for other, older, weirder people are not going to make that choice.

This generation of wc breast feed, we were all raised in a wc area. Most friends choose to breastfeed.
Race is a huge factor, Ireland is very multi cultured in comparison to 20 years ago, it is much more natural to see breastfeeding in public places, along with midwives encouragement has changed attitudes to breast feeding.
I think religious beliefs taking a breast out was treated as sexual, inappropriate, it held lots of women back in Ireland.
Not now lady's get them out.

Like many health decisions, there is not me correlation to the educational level of the mother.

Note that I'm talking about the while populatin kevel - not talking about individuals.

Educational level is related to class., so I suppose it's fair enough to put it in those terms

That won't please the posters (on another recent thread about class ) who just think it should be ignored/abolished. ( I'm really not sure how one would abolish class, though)

There are trends when it comes to breastfeeding. People tend to do what is seen as the norm amongst their social group.

There also tend to be differences in how a FF or BF baby behaves which can be challenging if you aren't feeding in the "normal way" for example BF babies feed more frequently but if FF friends or relatives keep telling mum that she must not be producing enough milk as her baby feeds all the time she may doubt herself and switch to FF.

Most poorer or younger mums I know breast fed for round 6 months. It's very normal now (or again-my ex mil told me a story about her new beau visiting her in the tiny house she lived in with 7 siblings and him being horrified at seeing her mum breastfeeding her baby brother!)
The only women I know who bf for over about a year were teachery/socialworkery types though.

I would never have considered it would be a class thing. I'm in no way middle class but only desired to bf my baby (baby unable so instead I exclusively breast pump for him). I thought people just make that decision based on their personal circumstances and practicality.

I'm v middle class, white, same as most of my nct group and colleagues, where the default is to bf. So I'm always shocked at how low the bf rate actually is in this country. Obviously not everyone who wants to ends up doing it and there is a lack of proper actual support when it's needed, in my experience, despite the increased promotion and 'lactation support' ppl supposedly about. Misinformation, bullshit, and midwives with more important things to do prevail.

If it’s a middle class thing that doesn’t make it wrong. And tell the women living in poverty all around the world who bf as a matter of course that it’s somehow middle class! Is your dh saying this as an interesting debate, or to try to put you off bfing?

@SnuggyBuggy

Yes I found this. My DP was very confused by how often I was BF as he has only see FF who feed every four hours or so. He kept saying at the beginning I was over feeding. I ignored him and listened to my mum and sister who have BF 4 babies - but I can see why if I didn't have that support from them I might be put off.

@Tunnockswafer No No he isn't trying to put me off, he is really proud of me now I think. But he was trying to say that I think of BF as the norm, but actually in this country FF is the norm... and he was saying that he didn't know anyone growing up who BF... that only "posh people" do.

More an age thing IMO. (I could be wrong!) Whenever I see a B/F mother, she is always 25+. I have never seen a mother aged 16 to 21/22ish breastfeeding her baby. It's always a bottle.

Not sure it's anything to do with class.

Everytime I claw my way up to middle class I drop back down to working class. First it was gravy on chips, now formula feeding.

Be right back, off to cancel the Waitrose order.

Yes good point I hadn't factored in age. I'm 29 (28 when pregnant) and I was the youngest mum in every NCT I went to!! Typically women have babies a lot older where I live so I never see under 25 mums.

I love gravy on chips 😂 perhaps I'm not as posh as my DP makes out hahaha

Many 'working class' don't have the choice as they have to go back to work sooner than a family that have more money. BF is hard 5o sustain when working.

To be fair class and age of having a baby are somewhat linked.

I'm working class and breastfeed, I'm in the farming community and there's loads of variation. Most people I know breastfeed but only for a couple of months. I feed mine until 1yo but apart from one of my husbands cousins everyone else has stopped at 6m or earlier. My "townie" friends ff

There are trends in bf, and it correlates with educational level so could use that as a rough proxy for class. although to be fair in 2010 81% of UK women initiated breastfeeding (down to 24% by 6 weeks) so it might be necessary to classify what exactly your DP means by 'breastfeeding', as obviously the 81% who started couldn't all be middle class.

Do you feel that your DP is not supportive of you breastfeeding? If so it might be very useful for him to read some info on responsive feeding (www.unicef.org.uk/babyfriendly/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/12/Responsive-Feeding-Infosheet-Unicef-UK-Baby-Friendly-Initiative.pdf) and the fourth trimester to understand newborn feeding patterns and be aware what baby is taking from your breast per feed is unlikely to be as much as a bottle of formula - you can't really overfeed from the breast. Also breastfeeding serves numerous needs beyond nutrition for a newborn, and understanding early breastfeeding as a sort of external extension of pregnancy is a useful metaphor for some.

I mustn't be normal then I breastfed at 16 and breastfeeding at 24 😂 grew up with everybody breastfeeding so that's properly why.

How about those that tried and tried and it just didn't work? Breastfeeding isn't for everyone and not for a lack of trying either. Looking back it is actually quite sad that when I fed my newborn a bottle I was very quick to add it was expressed milk. Surely no one should care but I felt the pressure non the less - and yes I am sure it was more about my insecurities and feelings of failure.

Thanks @Namestheyareachangin - thanks for the info and link.. I actually made him read that early on!! He is very supportive now, it's just been a big learning for him. And lots of me explaining that you don't only eat 3 meals a day do you? What about snacks, glasses of water, coffee etc - that's what our baby is doing!

But the age and education "thing" is all strongly bound up in class too. Middle class mothers are generally older and better educated and therefore more likely to breastfeed. Someone who leaves school as soon as they can with few qualifications and gets pregnant in their late teens is more likely to default to bottle feeding.

It's not that your social class defines whether you breastfeed, it's about education and life choices being bound up with social class and breastfeeding is just part of that.

Agree that ethnic background is a huge aspect of it too - mums from other parts of the world have grown up with breastfeeding being the default breastfeed longer than white mothers. They have cultural support - a whole circle of mums, aunts, sisters, friends who have all breastfed their babies.

www.manchester.ac.uk/discover/news/ethnicity-and-past-pregnancies-determine-breastfeeding-rates/