To feel irritated by this Facebook post?

[MagicKingdomDizzy]

I know, people can post what they want and I can just scroll past. But this has really annoyed me today.

I think it's safe to say people are very aware of the benefits of breast feeding, but sometimes it just isn't possible to do.

In my case, my daughter was born with a cleft lip and palate and I physically couldn't feed her. Then I read crap like this and it just reminds me of my failure to do something I really wanted to.

So, I guess my AIBU is does this kind of virtue signalling rubbish posted on Facebook actually have any benefit, or is it just there to make the poster feel good and people like me feel bad?

I think people get a lot of stick for breastfeeding into toddlerhood to be honest and when you see something that says it’s beneficial etc it can make you feel better about it. My daughter is almost 2 and I’m proud I’m still breastfeeding her. It works for us most of the time. I only fed my son for 4 months - it didn’t work for us. I don’t feel awful that she is getting more Mummy milk than him, it’s just the way it went for us.

Most breast vs bottle stuff comes from a place of insecurity on both sides in my experience

Facebook is the work of the devil so yabvu to give a fuck what anyone posts on there

heydugee

“Higher intellectual and cognitive aptitude compared to formula fed peers”

That’s goes beyond normalising breastfeeding or being proud of breastfeeding. It’s “my child is better than yours”.

Yes it's bollocks. Remember seeing it when I was in the thick of pnd brought on by a failure to establish breastfeeding. Ignore and be happy that you're doing what works for you and baby.

There's no need to have facebook.

I am eternally glad I never succumbed to it.

DS1 is the fussiest eater, sucks how thumb, has not very good teeth and is at the bottom of his class for everything.

DS2 has lovely hair, doesn't suck his thumb and is probably above average in the class.

Both breastfed until just over 2.

I am sure the teachers can't tell who was breastfed in the classroom.

Yes my choice was to feed until they were older but fed is best.

Her DD also has an array of breastfeeding themed t shirts including a 'boobed to sleep and loving it'

DEFINITELY a t-shirt for the breastfed teenager poster.

Actually, fuck the teenager. I want that t-shirt.

@velocitygirl7 same here!

To whom should we complain?

DS has amazing hair, DD doesn’t. DS has never had smooth skin. I call genetic lottery.

Those saying that breast milk is “objectively” better, well we just don’t know. Women who breastfeed tend (I said tend) to belong to higher socio-economic levels and be more highly educated. They’re not a random sample of the populace, which means that their offspring are not going to be either.

Fed is indeed best. We’re all grownups and we all do the best we can.

What a load of bullshit. DD was breastfed, she is shortsighted, wore glasses from the age of 2, had glue ear for several years and still sucks her thumb at 11yo. She's also very fussy about food and had fairly short, thin hair that refused to grow for years!

This says more about your friends lack of confidence in her parenting choices than your forced method of feeding. She's sought out something to make her feel good. Ignore, ignore, ignore - it's all crock.

I can barely remember how i fed my kids. They are all alive and pretty healthy.

Ahh I was born with a cleft lip too, my mum couldn’t feed me. I survived. :) and were very close.

I’m breastfeeding a toddler by accident. I have no idea how we got here, can I claim virtue even if it’s by accident?! 😂

Unless you've had the experience of not being able to breastfeed when you really wanted to it's very difficult to understand how it feels. I couldnt BF DD due to horrific birth experience, BF DS for 16 months. For the record not everyone can express. Most I managed was 40mls! So before the people who found it easy and were leaking milk all over the place start implying we should have all just tried harder, remember if it wasn't for the availability of formula my DD and lots of other people's children would have died. The BF one in my house is the one with allergies by the way

I think it's just designed to boost those who breastfeed toddlers as lots of people don't approve of it. If you bottlefeed you are in the majority anyway so need to feel that you are being criticised. There's plenty of people who criticise breastfeeding mums as well.

Total bollocksy nonsense that some eejit came up with. Just scroll on and ignore😄

Well yes, that does on the face of it seem like a bit of superiority. Most women I knew who breastfed were just proud when they posted these types of things and seemingly justifying extended feeding - I know I was made to feel like an alien for feeding both of mine until 2.

I don't know, I just don't think we should be villifying anyone for posting about the benefits of breastfeeding. It mostly comes from a place of insecurity of whether you are being a good mother. We should all support one another - all of us are desperately trying our best.

I can't read the tiny writing on the picture but I think I get the drift.

My son (nearly 10) was largely bottle fed and I could easily label a photo of him now or then saying bright, clever, happy, energetic, healthy weight, shiny hair etc. So I agree it's a load of crap. Unfortunately there will be plenty of babies with health problems whether they are breast or bottle fed.

It's sometimes recommended to supplement mums/babies for breastfed babies such as vit d supplements or for vegan/restricted diet B vits so it's not like breastfeeding is automatically perfect nutrition. Every mum should just do what works for them and their baby and everyone else should butt out!

I don’t think there are any proven benefits to breastfeeding a toddler though.

I think it's just designed to boost those who breastfeed toddlers as lots of people don't approve of it. If you bottlefeed you are in the majority anyway so need to feel that you are being criticised

This. Also really hate the expression “fed is best”. Fed is just necessary. Breast is best, but equally formula is fine and I can see how this post does read as smug.

What a total pile of steaming horse shite!!

Sorry; smug and nonsense! Complete nonsense. But I think ultimately just trying to encourage feeding to toddlerhood.

A lot of negativity is spouted at a woman bfing for more than a few months - you're doing it for yourself etc. As if.
And fed is best means absolutely nothing.

PineappleLumps

to you.

My daughter has just had her 3rd surgery and is an amazing little girl ♥

I’d unfriend anyone who posted that. I have lots of friends who bf but none who would post that (thankfully!).

This is so ridiculous, I can't believe what I'm seeing! It's like some bullshit a cult would publish to get people to join! This would really annoy me if I saw it on FB too, OP.
I guess I don't get, or like, the sort of competitive parenting that seems to be an unspoken niggling thing at the moment. Mums who crow about being proud of feeding their kids. I don't get it. It's what mums are supposed to do! They feed their kids, I'm not sure why the method is relevant or why one would feel proud of it to be honest. This sort of nonsense just make a the poster look ridiculous rather than make any sort of statement about other methods of feeding so I wouldn't take any of it to heart.