to think that hardly any mothers in America breastfeed?

[Monsterspam]

Watching "A Baby Story" and other such tosh trashy telly, I don't think I've seen more than one woman breastfeed. Is it the "norm" in the USA to bottle feed? Or is this misinterpreted by the media?

'Anyone who was back in work in under 6 weeks was thoroughly admired.'

I find this extremely sad (although it fits with my experience), but no more sad than I find magazines touting women who get back to their 'pre-pregnancy' shape/weight in six weeks as the ultimate accomplishment.

'...society whose sitcoms and films push sex whenever and with whoever...'

I find media in the UK to be FAR more sexualized. It's violence that the US has no problems with. Sexuality on tv is pretty unacceptable. MTV is a cable-access channel and is frequently attacked by family groups. Parents I know who consider themselves good, moral families don't allow it. HBO (makers of Sex & The City) is a premium cable access channel, so even less widely available, which is how they are able to get away with producing such adult content.

To give you an idea, the BBFC used to deny classification to films that had headbutting in them unless the scene was edited. The MPAA initially denied classification to the film "Boys Don't Cry" because it featured a tame sex scene between two girls. The Saw franchise, of course, is no problem .

The US version of 'Coupling' failed miserably because viewers were turned off by the loose sexuality of the characters.

Maxim magazine - and FHM and other equivalents in the US - are not allowed to show women's nipples. Page 3 would HORRIFY the US public.

It is, I think, a dangerous and myopic approach to media censorship and culture, but sex in the media there is nowhere close to as acceptable as it is in the UK.

I think a bit of perspective regarding just how large and therefore diverse the U.S is would be helpful in this conversation. For example, geographically it is about half the size of Russia; about three-tenths the size of Africa; about half the size of South America (or slightly larger than Brazil); slightly larger than China; more than twice the size of the European Union. So someone who has lived in the US as an expat might get the idea that their particular experience reflects on the US culture in general but it just can't and doesn't work that way. And there are pockets within areas such as where I am that go against the general thinking. I live in the South but my particular city is actually fairly cosmopolitan in nature. My son goes to an IB school and we have a thriving arts community. In my social group the mother who does not bf is definitely the exception as is the mom who takes less than 6 weeks off for maternity leave. Many mothers who work still have the flex time to attend whatever school activities during the day that they would like and I commonly see Moms and Dads having lunch with their kids at school. In our family dh is a SAHD but we still both take an active part in the day to day needs of the boys. Health care may be more expensive but I was also able to walk into our pediatrician's office this summer and announce that I was very anxious over ds2's frequent bouts of fever and wanted a full workup to rule out anything worse than ideopathic toddler fever. It was done right away and I have been able to sleep much easier ever since.

'Course we breastfeed our babies here! Most people I know nursed for at least 6 months. I only know one person who said "I think it's weird, I'm not going to," and everyone thought that was extremely odd.

I went back to work when DS was 4 months and I used to go nurse him during my lunch break (daycare was only a block away) and I brought expressed milk the rest of the time.

I was living in the states earlier this year, and saw a poster at a conference which said that BF rates drop drastically after 6 weeks in the USA - the authors of the poster couldn't work out why, but did say that it may have something to do with maternity leave length (you think?! )

I'm glad to have been able to have my baby here in the UK, but have only breastfed him for 4 weeks (tomorrow) so far - hoping to make it to 6+ months though - because I'm able to take 6 months of leave. back in the USA, I wouldn't have been allowed more than 6 weeks off, and it would have been unpaid.

I am in the UK I didnt breastfeed my first child, tried with my second but gave up quickly as he was 5 weeks early they sent us home after 24 hours and we had to practically squeeze formula into his mouth becuase he wouldnt suck - I had no idea how to breastfeed a baby who wouldnt suck on anything. I should have complained and insisted they take him back in but at the time you just try to get on dont you?

My third baby - I chickened out at first (!) but then after 3 days regretted it and tried she took straight to it and we breastfed although did use a bottle or two as well for a few months.

If I have another I will be breastfeeding exclusivly from the start as it was wonderful, I never had any problems or pain. I have a wonderful midwife to thank for this!

I think that just the same as here it depends who you have influencing you whether you breastfeed. I suspect that the people on these programmes are not a true representation of US society as a whole.

I know Stewie Griffith's Mum (the tv character, not the MNer! ) does.

That's my only example.

that's an excellent point jabberwocky and fits with what had been mentioned about an East/West divide, which is VERY real. That's not even diving into the North/South divide, the ante-bellum South, and the pockets around Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, and Austin

I qualified my statements by saying that I had grown up in mormon communities, and the mormon church subscribes to a variation of the 'quiverfull' ideology. (ok, pedantic; they believe humans must 'multiply and replenish the earth' and are therefore not opposed to birth control but do believe that it is desirable to have as many kids as humanly possible - different scripture, same result)

Cultures are VERY different around the different regions of the US.

That said, I think what Americans are generally up against overseas is the 'image' of the US that is exported in media. Here in the UK 'Friends' and 'Sex & The City' are played on the same station and classed as sitcoms where in the US, Friends was on one of the big three network stations, equivalent of freeview, as well as licensed on other smaller stations, but SATC was on HBO which is only available as an extra, subscription service to cable subscribers (it is now available on network television but has been HEAVILY edited). The difference reflects what the US population feels about the content of those shows, but that difference is lost when the show is exported and someone could easily get a distorted impression.

It goes the other way too. The British shows I saw in the US were Mr Bean, Monty Python, Red Dwarf, Are You Being Served, etc - basically nothing from the last 20 years (maybe too sexual for export? ). This gives a distorted view of British people to the American public. You have to go out of your way to add BBC America to your cable subscription.

LOL, Stewie Griffith's actual mom also beats her husband and steals for fun - hardly representative

SATC was shown in reruns on a Chicago local (freeview) station (WGN) that broadcasts all over the US. However, the general point about TV mores still stands. The BBC fare shown in the US is truly tame, all scones and clotted creamish. People I knew who visited Britain (and Ireland too) came back a bit shellshocked. It wasn't a bit like their expectations.

One good thing about bfing in the US now is that women have a legal right to bf anywhere and no-one can force them to retire to the loo or go to the carpark. Doesn't stop the rude older set from staring and getting all hot under the collar, I'm sure. (Had a run-in myself while bfing a squirmy baby in the shoe section of a JCPenneys once ). I found a lot of older women in the US very outspoken either for or against bfing.

...

JCPenneys? Well, there's your problem right there

TBH I expected London to be more Dickensonian... too many novels and not enough TV I suppose . I was shocked to find out it didn't snow anymore.

Breastfed over here as well.

PSML - my targeted google ad is for a breastfeeding cover to 'breastfeed discreetly'

It doesn't snow in London? Ever?

It did last year. It hasn't for years though, not properly, it's too warm.

Sorry I mean last winter, it could have been early this year, can't remember...

I may be completely wrong but I seem to remember reading somewhere that one of those programmes was sponsored by a formula company

All the American mothers I know have breastfed their children - they all live outside of America.

I think that U.S maternity leave has an awful lot to do with it as does entitlement to health insurance / employee benefits.

My mate from Florida works in the aerospace industry and BF all three of her sons for six weeks.

She says nobody saw anything but the back of their heads until she went back to work. Two years between each DC too, good on her.

Well, I'm glad that to hear that more women breastfeed, the maternity leave is shocking though. I can't imagine having to leave your baby that soon.

Well, I'm glad that to hear that more women breastfeed, the maternity leave is shocking though. I can't imagine having to leave your baby that soon.

(I feel so strongly I emailed him twice )

lol, he may be interested, but the reality is that women are now entitled to 12 weeks. It's not great and most women can't take it because it's unpaid (sick leave).

I would love for him to build some provisions for maternity leave/rights/etc into his new health plan (ie, the prescription plan for pregnant women and new mothers in the UK is a fantastic idea and I doubt the far-right could scream TOO loudly about a prescription discount for pregnant women... oh, right, nm)

But then, I ever-so-slightly despair at the conversation surrounding healthcare in the US rght now

I have friends in the US and in the UK (I am American, live in the UK). I think the rates seems pretty much the same. My two sisters who both live in the US breastfed far more successfully than I did.