Breastfeeding: Only Middle Class Now?

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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?

I think having confidence and determination plays a role. I was a young Mum but very determined to feed naturally. My mother was a great influence though as when she breast fed my sister in the early 70s the nurses put her in a seperate room so as not to upset the other mothers!! She was considered to be odd for feeding my sister, but she
persevered.
That was the Lourdes in Drogheda (Ireland) which I believe is now a Centre of Excellence for supporting breastfeeding.

roisin that was a bit unfair to cafe. She just gave reasons why she personally chose ff, and those reasons can apply to women of all classes.

WHO recommends up to 2 years.

Appreciate that Jessie, thank you, I thought I was going mad as Ive repeated that point twice now but it's not going in!

I do think some on here are of the opinion that if you don't BF you must be automatically WC (let's face it, honest translation for what they actually mean is a bit thick/chavvy) my reasons are to state how I felt as someone who is not WC. I might be a bit thick and chavvy though, who knows 😂I do hope not 😂.

Fair enough.
She did come across as 'protesting too much' though.
I feel sad that she sited one of the reasons for not b. feeding was so as to not embarrass her family. That is not good.

Im definitely working class, no where near middle class, and I have 3 kids, breast fed them all and am currently still feeding my almost 4 year old

Your first response to my post Roisin is exactly the reason why people may feel they have to 'protest too much'.

My sis and I are definitely not mc. We both bf our dc. Still feeding my just turned 2 dd!

Isn't BF an older child similar to allowing them a dummy or a bottle to long, a comfort but an unnecessary comfort.
I am all for breast feeding, I really don't see why a D.C. over 1 would need it.

Health reasons excluded.

Nutrition? Do you stop giving milk to your one year old? So why would you stop giving them the type of milk they’re used to and which is free?
The world health organisation don’t agree with you either.
As for comfort, I hope you removes your toddler’s teddies or blankies at one, no need for that sort of nonsense.

Emerald In the west, children over 1 do not need breast milk. Yes it is for comfort.

And no Emerald, you’re not “all for breastfeeding” at all

Tunnockswafer Many parents still give over 1 year olds milk, which is fine. But they don't specifically need milk after this time.

Claire do children over 1 need milk? Do you include milk as part of a toddler’s diet?

Well they need calcium, and milk is a very easy way to provide that - would a petit filou be better?

No children over 1 do not need any milk. Yes in the west milk is still part of most toddlers diets. But this is not the case everywhere in the world.

Tunnockswafer Don't take the piss. You don't need dairy products for calcium. And yes in some countries that have very large vegan populations, giving milk to toddlers is rare.
This does not mean there is anything wrong with giving milk to toddlers. Just that they do not need it.

I breast fed my second child, I was informed by my health visitor he can get many nutrients from his diet, including calcium from 12 months.
I am for breast feeding, breast is best for a baby, but not necessary for a toddler year old with a sensible diet.

I don't care if you breastfeed a toddler. If it makes you both happy great.
But you do not need to give children any milk or any dairy after 1 years old.

DD gets so much comfort from breastfeeding. I don’t give a monkeys what anyone else chooses to do re feeding their kid, I just do what feels right for me and DD.

I'm Cas middle class as they come, everyone in my family is very pro breastfeeding but I really struggled to breastfeed my first child, he was allergic to diary and to my milk, I tried hard but failed and felt embarrassed. My second child I successfully breastfed for years, she finally stopped at 6 years old, that was equally embarrassing, round about three she stopped in public but carried on in private, she still talks about it and how lovely it was. I also found it very therapeutic and relaxing. I would like to be a breastfeeding counselor because I know all aspects of it and don't like to judge people.

Can children survive without BF, or indeed dummies or bottles, after 1 year? Yes. Are there any good reasons to take it away (i.e. potential negative impacts on the baby)? No. Are there positive benefits to continuing to BF? Yes.

There are no negative emotional effects from children continuing to take comfort from bottles and dummies after 1 year. However, there are potential negative effects on health (bottles are good at harbouring bacteria; it can promote tooth decay; heavy dummy usage can distort teeth and inhibit speech) to dummies and bottles which don't apply to breastfeeding.

There are also positive immune benefits to breastfeeding beyond one for a child, and positive health benefits for the mother (her risk of breast and ovarian cancers continues to drop the longer she feeds).

You don't have to BF beyond one, but if the mother and baby enjoy doing it, there are several good reasons to continue and no strong ones to stop.

Gosh. Still breastfeeding after she started school? That is pretty unusual.

I am all for breast feeding, I really don't see why a D.C. over 1 would need it

Are we restricting our children only to what they clinically 'need' now? WTF?

There are hundreds of things I do with my kids or feed my kids that they enjoy but don't functionally 'need'. Why are you even making this point, I actually don't understand it.