breast is best

[Haitch27]

Is anyone else who is pregnant sick to the back bloody teeth of the 'breast is best' campaign being shoved down your throat everywhere you turn and being badgered by health carers to attend breastfeeding 'workshops'?? Maybe its just where I live but it seems to be everywhere yet the one thing no one says is "are you planning to breastfeed"? Assumption that all Mums will!!
Curious to know as I said if it is just my area or is it everywhere?

And if it is about choice, then a woman should be allowed to choose to bf. But it's not that simple, because she makes that choice and then is "supported" by health visitors and midwives that give incorrect information, undermine the woman and suggest that her choice isn't right for her for tenuous reasons.

I'd support your argument that a woman should be able to choose either way if a woman who chose to bfeed was able to do so without becoming bogged down in a mire of crap involving untrue statements and undermining of her decision. Lots of women choose to start bfing, many fail to continue and that's the problem. All that is happening, is people are trying to tackle that.

MillyR,

It is poor debating etiquette, to read someones post and then pick an small inaccuracy which doesn't even affect the point being made.

For everyone else, in my last post where I wrote 'caveman era', please read,
'early homo sapiens in the Upper Palaeolithic'

SoH as with all these discussions we all live in different areas and different NHS trusts spend their money and concentrate their efforts in different ways.

This argument is nto helped by the fact that we can all only speak from our own experiences, in our own areas.

So in my area (a north london borough) I can say that, IME, the BF is overdone during pg to the point where it is quite offputting as it's so "preachy", but that there is little proactive support once you actually have the baby. So in my area, I would say calm it with the lectures, 2 or 3 will do, and put some decent support on the wards.

It is not a small inaccuracy; both your terminology and your point are factually incorrect. If you are referring to early homo sapiens of the Upper palaeolithic, then they most certainly did make choices. While all women started off by breastfeeding, the age at which babies were weaned varied vastly between different palaeolithic groups, even those living in similar environments. So the age at which children are weaned from the breast was a cultural choice, just as it is now, with differing health outcomes, just as there are now.

We know this because we can tell the age at which every individual was weaned from the breast, no matter how long ago they died, and we can also see their individual diet and health status.

Showofhands, totally agree with you...

"Lots of women choose to start bfing, many fail to continue and that's the problem. All that is happening, is people are trying to tackle that."

More support is needed for the 90% of mothers who stop breastfeeding before they are ready at 6 weeks post birth point. Sadly these mothers are more under the umbrella for the HCP, why are they not getting the support they so badly need ?

Well less posters and more support for those who want to breast feed might be a far better use of money but the NHS is full of dickheads who haven't been near any ward in the 10 years they've worked in the hospital trust and are still marketing as if they worked at Tesco's (which where more than a few came from originally). I am counting the days until the cuts start and pray that these idiots are first inline so the midwives can do what they do best and support new mums in their choices.

MillyR, "While all women started off by breastfeeding"

Yes, this is the point I made. For babies to survive at that time, they would of all breastfeed. They had no choice of whether to do so or not. They breastfed because it was biological and culturally normal and there was no alternatives.

Milly r -is that your party piece?

I'm interested in how they can tell when each individual was weaned from the breast - that's truly amazing.

I'msonotelling, it is from stable isotope analysis (nitrogen and oxygen) from teeth for weaning age. Carbon and nitrogen isotopes from bone and teeth are signatures of diet.

MillyR,

I am very interested in how "we can tell the age at which every individual was weaned from the breast"

Do you have references for this information ?I would be very interested in any/all papers you have on this subject.

milly r what is your background are you a anthropologist or biologist or what. this is good stuff.

Baieseverywhere, it would be a lot quicker if you just googled it, as there are hundreds of papers on it.

Any chance of a simpler explanation of
"stable isotope analysis (nitrogen and oxygen) from teeth for weaning age"

Will google as well, always up for learning new things.

Darkandstormy, I don't want to state my exact job as it could make me identifiable. I would never use any argument that couldn't be quickly and easily looked at by anyone with an internet connection, so feel no need to argue based on credentials!

Babies everywhere, there is a simple explanation on wikipedia.

milly r

milly I am as we speak halfway through a }}bottle of valentines chardonnay excuse me

Wow, from here

"Where deciduous teeth are present, it is also possible to determine the age at which a child was weaned. Breast milk production draws upon the body water of the mother, which has higher levels of 18O due to the preferential loss of 16O through sweat, urine, and expired water vapour."

That is really interesting.

You should all come and live with me. I was asked at one antenatal appointment if I had decided how I was going to feed. In hospital there was one FT midwife who only dealt with bf and 4 FT people who had been BF volunteer type people but who are now paid. Nobody rammed anything down my throat except cake. There is a really good bf councellor who answers her phone at all hours and you can borrow a hospital grade breastpump for free. I don't know anyone who has been critisised for their feeding choice and your child can go to any primary school you choose.

My feeling actually base as it is, is this.Would any man have something in his internal body cavity ,crushing everthing to
buggery for 9 months. Then rip his below area to bits sometimes beyond recognition.Not to mention hormonal issues ups downs head up arse days. If given a choice would same man have something dangling off nipple for 12mths.No. We have the technology for those want to use it.

darkandstormy, No dangling from nipples required, LOL

TBH once you get breastfeeding established IMO there is a lot of pleasure, to be gained from nursing babies/toddlers. Takes a while to get use to doing it at the start, like learning any new skill but worthwhile. I really hope I am able to breastfed my next baby.

dangling off nipple for 12mths
forcing him to sit on the sofa in front of the tv whilst being waited on hand foot and finger for 3 months, then getting out of every household chore imaginable for the rest of the 9 months of that year by shouting 'I'm feeding the baby!'.
because that's how a man would do it

Message withdrawn