To ask for your thoughts on extended breastfeeding?

[awmamma]

Catching up on Teen Mom UK and watching the bit about Charlie telling Shannon it was weird to still be breastfeeding her 2.5 year old.

Is it really that weird?

Well this is going well

True, but it kind of makes me a bit suspicious that it might not be entirely right

Ok - well let’s turn this around the other way.
There are companies that make a fortune out of women not breastfeeding. They have also been known to engage in shady practice in the past in order to deliberately undermine women’s ability to establish breastfeeding. Therefore, it makes me question certain anti breastfeeding myths that are perpetuated such as ‘babies who aren’t breastfed sleep better’ or ‘breastfeeding makes women’s boobs sag’ as myths that are created by these companies. Which is another reason why I don’t believe them.

Look, I don't understand this need to have a bun fight with people who have a different opinion. I love a good discussion, as long as it's kept nice. I've been polite to you and everyone else on here. So there was no need for you to say such nasty things as "I hope you haven't procreated" that's just wrong, and uncalled for. I said I don't believe boobs sagginess is caused by pregnancy alone and not long term breastfeeding. That's not a crime. I've answered people's queries as to how I've come to that opinion. I shouldn't really be hung drawn and quartered and told I shouldn't procreate. How absurd.

What I am trying to say is that you don’t believe the research being cited as you think it was created with a bias toward breastfeeding.

I’m saying I don’t believe that breastfeeding causes breasts to be saggy as I believe the statement was originally created by a formula company who have a vested interest in women not being able to breastfeed.

I wasnt aware that the comment breastfeeding makes boobs sag was made by a company? I thought it was just something women were aware of throughout history?

But yes ethel...you are probably right...there is probably a bit of both....formula companies and breastfeeding bodies exagerating their research to make their cause look better.

I wasnt aware that the comment breastfeeding makes boobs sag was made by a company? I thought it was just something women were aware of throughout history?

Yeah, a bit like the 'rule' that an engagement ring must cost three month's of a man's salary.

I tend not to think of it as how women feed their babies is none of my business.

Plus you know, you formed your opinion on seeing one woman’s breast before an after.

Sorry, but no, I didn't. I've formed my opinion on life and listening to many women, who have said the same thing.

I realise some people on here rely on research before forming their opinions. I don't.

There is so much stupid in that single sentence I don’t even know where to begin

tabby So you value opinion over research, because the research might be wrong?

I honestly don't think there is anything to be gained by discussion with someone who sees having more information as detrimental...because the more information you have the more likely it is to be wrong...

I wasnt aware that the comment breastfeeding makes boobs sag was made by a company? I thought it was just something women were aware of throughout history?

That is how it starts, yes. When formula was first invented (and I’m so very glad it was, for the record as it is a life saver in certain circumstances) it was hailed as being superior as it was scientifically created. Before strict advertising laws, they could have gotten away with saying anything about their product to get people to buy it. But then slogans get seen and believed by women who have no reason to believe otherwise. They follow that advice, they give that advice out to their friends and daughters who also pass it on and before you know it, these things become ‘fact’ and are just ‘known’ by people. That culture is hard to change and only happens over time, by trying to change people’s opinions on breastfeeding. Although I respect your right to not agree with it, of course.

I mean why, tabby, did you get comments from more than one woman? Surely after you have asked one person if their breasts were saggy because they BFed, then asking any more women is only going to make things less accurate by adding more information?

"There is so much stupid in that single sentence I don’t even know where to begin"

Really, why? Do you believe every report and every bit of research put in front if you? Where is the research from? Which research do you believe against the other where there is conflicting research.

I haven't said the more information you have the more likely it is to be wrong. In life, we are presented with lots of information and research and reports. Most people don't believe in it blindly. They take on lots of information and then decide which they think is right and what they want to do. We'd be silly to do otherwise, no?

Thank you ethelfrefa. Very nicely put.

you are probably right...there is probably a bit of both....formula companies and breastfeeding bodies exagerating their research to make their cause look better

Could be. But please remember that infant formula is a multi billion dollar industry worldwide. They have much to gain.

The same amount of money isn’t available to advocates of breastfeeding because there just isn’t much money to be made from it. Pumps and bottles, maybe. And definitely some lansinoh but it just isn’t a consumers market in the same way. Nobody is going to profit much from a woman being able to breastfeed.

tabby you've pointedly ignored every single one of my posts, so I'm not sure why I'm bothering...

but...

there is no such thing as 'conflicting research'. All research reports information. All research has a methodology behind it that may or may not have impacted the information collected.

When multiple different research efforts are made you put them together, not against each other, and see what they say as a whole.

You conducted research by asking women if their BF has made their boobs sag. There are two problems with your research method.

1. You assumed that asking someone what made their boobs sag was a good way of finding out what ACTUALLY made their boobs sag, as opposed to what they THINK made their boobs sag. People don't actually know much if anything about how their bodies work. That's why 'patient reporting' is the WORST method possible and should only be used when nothing else can be done.

1. You didn't ask very many people - a good study starts at more like 500 participants.

So when I add your research to the sum of the other research, some of which measures actual changes rather than and their actual causes, rather than patient reported changes and the patient reported causes, with their thousands of participants, I find that your research is useless beyond all belief in comparison to that done by others.

There is no conflict.

M3lon. I haven't conducted any research. Not sure why you think I have. I was talking about life in general and conversations I've had along the way. You are taking my comments waaaay too literally. As for commenting on me ignoring your posts.. you've only literally just posted them. I do have other things to do, so apologise for not responding instantly. I have responded to quite a few comments back to me this morning and need to draw the line somewhere. Of course there is such a thing as conflicting research. This is where two lots of research conflict against each other. An example of this would be the MMR issue. Some research stated it caused autism. Some said it didn't. That means it conflicts. When you get that situation, people tend to make their own mind up. That's what I have done. Its not a crime to have an opinion. Please don't pick on every little thing people say.

I also happen to believe that, people are usually much more receptive to new ideas that might change their way of thinking if they aren’t being insulted at the same time.

We all grow and learn. I have changed my mind over many previously held beliefs in my lifetime.

tabby no - there is no such thing as conflicting research. Research done by different methods in different places with different participants is ALLOWED to come to different conclusions.

The autism situation was a paper done on around 10 participants without proper controls (this is a different type of research called case study research) it came to a particular conclusion. Other research done on thousands and thousands of participants with proper controls found a different result BECAUSE it had been done differently.

The additional participants and the improved controls mean that the second (and all subsequent) research was of a higher quality and so takes precedence. There is no conflict.

You did do research by listening to people tell you their boobs were saggy. It was shit research, but you have let it take precedence over all the higher quality research done by others....for reasons that entirely escape me, but obviously make perfect sense to you.

What a way to derail the thread! Way to go! Somehow this happens often on breastfeeding threads...

"They take on lots of information and then decide which they think is right and what they want to do" doesn't really sound like you've done that though, @TabbyMumz? Have you never been presented with a new piece of information and gone, "oh wow, I didn't know that before. I've changed my mind now"? Because I really don't know how you could read the perfectly logical explanations of how biology works and said to yourself, "yeah, but it's my OPINION. I'm entitled to it you know".