To ask why some women don't attempt breastfeeding?

[Lottle]

Just being nosy. Perhaps too nosy....

Just wondered why some mums don't give breastfeeding a try. I totally get why people may not do it for long, just curious as to why some don't try at all.

One friend happened to mention (I didn't ask) "it wasn't for me" but I wasn't sure what that meant but of course I didn't probe, so probing you lot instead. Don't know if it's too cheeky to ask though!

Some people just don't like the idea of
it which is absolutely fair enough....

I did breastfeed but found it annoying how much fuss is made over the benefits of breastfeeding. I can't work out which children were breastfed vs bottle fed children at my daughters nursery....

If veganism continues to become more commonplace, the formula companies will be in trouble
But there will always be high demand for formula regardless because of all the reasons previously listed in the thread. Although Veganism is becoming more popular, I highly highly doubt it will convince people to give up the formula because there are so many reasons that women don’t want to BF

@MrsR2018 Because "breast is best", is about what's best for the baby. However there are two people that are part of that equation, and breast isn't always best for mum, for a whole variety of reasons that have been explained up thread. And sometimes, the needs of the mother in this one area, have to take precedence over the needs of the baby, so that the care the baby receives as a whole can be the best possible - even if that doesn't fit in with the jolly little mantra.

Silly question but if veganism becomes more popular is breast milk suitable as it comes from a mammal?

@Beansandcoffee
It’s vegan because it’s consensually given to the baby by the mother and it’s also made to sustain the baby so it’s not exploitation

Because sometimes the benefits to the mother outweigh the benefits of breastfeeding Vs formula.

I can appreciate it's hard to understand if you enjoy/want to breastfeed but not everyone shares the same opinions.

I hate the term ‘fed is best’. Feeding your baby is a minimum!

Would that this were true. Unfortunately, readmission rates for newborns are increasing in England, and one of the leading reasons for this is feeding difficulties.

bmcpediatr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12887-018-1360-z

For obvious reasons, this is more common in exclusively breastfed babies. That is, they're being readmitted because being fed sufficiently to stay well evidently isn't a minimum.

Then on the flipside to that, poverty is leading some ff families to engage in unsafe practices like feeding milk that's been out too long because they have to stretch it. For obvious political reasons this isn't being collated, we can't have anyone seeing that austerity means poor babies get fed less safely, but it's happening.

I look forward to the day when fed, meaning safely and sufficiently, is a minimum. We are nowhere near there yet.

EBF never appealed to me at all for a variety of reasons. I couldn’t cope with the idea of my body not belonging to me any more after 9 months of pregnancy, I wanted to be able to take breaks (both little ones for a nap/ swim and for nights out and later on, weekends away too) without worry, wanted to avoid having a bottle refuser, also am a control freak and wanted to do routine.

Not convinced by the ‘breast is best’ mantra once other factors (living in a cpu try with clean water and access to sterilisers, family diet, education level etc) taken into account.

Able to afford to use some ready made formula so less ‘faffing with powder’

I did intend to mix feed at least at the beginning, did 6 weeks of that with my first, my second refused to latch however and I hit a point with the pump three weeks in and called it a day.

Very happy with my choices, my DS are happy and healthy

Because my breasts and what I do with them is none of your business.

@brains221
Our bodies, our choices. Soz.

brains221 yawnnnnn.

Is it high up there on your horse?

I'm going to raise my head above the parapet here. Medical.issues aside, breast is best. There isnt really any debate about that. If you choose not to then fine. Yes I think it's a bit selfish

‘That’s why you have breasts’

Seriously?

Do women also have to have penetrative sex because they have a vagina?

@HorridHenrysNits I’m not surprised by that link. We were readmitted a few times so I was on about 5 different 4-bed bays in the Transitional Care wars and every single woman there was like me readmitted for feeding difficulties while trying to ebf; most with babies who’d been born full term and perfectly healthy and would otherwise have needed no extra support and been happily at home. The NHS could save a fortune by dialling back on the breast is best stuff a bit so we weren’t so terrified of formula!

@brains221 ah you crack me up with your judgmental shit 😆

Some women do not have breasts though brains or lack of, ever heard of masectomy?
You have no right to judge luvvie so go fall off your high horse

Oh Brains

Another name changer coward on the block

Because judgey people like you are sadly everywhere and put an incredible amount of pressure on women. Perhaps some can't cope with that pressure, they're damned if they do (judged for feeding in public) and damned if they don't.

FWIW I tried with both my girls and it didn't work out either time. I got so stressed about it I exclusively pumped for 6 months and it affected my relationship with my baby (I sat pumping for hours a day when that should have been cuddle time).

Seriously why is this even entering your mind? As long as a baby is happy, healthy and loved it really doesn't matter one iota how someone chooses to feed them in the early stage of the baby's life.

brains

How other women choose to raise their children is nothing to do with you. To call them selfish and ignorant just shows you up for being incredibly closed minded and judgemental.

I chose not to bf. It was partly medical but ultimately it was a choice made by me. My DS has not suffered any detrimental effects and I feel that decision was actually a positive thing for our family unit.

I'm not ignorant or selfish but I am capable of making informed choices and decisions. I also don't judge other women for the choices they make.

Its interesting mama because the idea of supplementing being a slippery slope is a rather a Western, Anglo thing. There are lots of groups who don't have high rates of exclusive breastfeeding because of prelacteal supplementation and/or mixed feeding, but still breastfeed more than UK women. Latina in the US and Somalis for example.

I wonder why on these type of threads you get so many name changers. Literally just to post on one thread.

Perhaps they are dishing out BF advice under their real name.

How worrying

Also, why are we feeding the trolls/tit fetishising misogynists? Just smile and nod and leave them to quietly touch themselves in the corner. They only want attention.

i couldnt be arsed that's the truth

I think that's a really personal one tbh