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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

breast is best

643 replies

Haitch27 · 14/02/2010 00:56

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?

OP posts:
StealthPolarBear · 14/02/2010 18:10

"we can tell the age at which every individual was weaned from the breast"
wow!!

theboobmeister · 14/02/2010 18:12
Mumcentreplus · 14/02/2010 18:12

'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.'

erm...so you are just upset men dont have to have babies then?

l39 · 14/02/2010 18:12

I'm actually gobsmacked by the statistic that only 3% of babies are still breastfeeding at 5 months.

There are under 100 children in my girls' school in year 4. I know for a fact that 3 of them were breastfed at 5 months; my twins and my nephew. So statistically it is possible, even probable, that not a single other child in their year was. This is really shocking!

May explain why I keep putting my foot in it with other mothers. People with similar age babies to DD5 (4 months) keep telling me they've stopped breastfeeding (they volunteer the information! I do not ask) and then I say something like 'Oh, I'm sorry to hear that' assuming something went wrong and they look at me as if I'm odd. Statistically I suppose they're right, but I just can't believe it!

darkandstormy · 14/02/2010 18:13

wtf has a man go to do with it he is the father therefore he has half the responsibility towards care of the child,hello

jellybeans · 14/02/2010 18:18

YABU 'breast is best' campaign should be promoted.

l39 · 14/02/2010 18:18

With great power comes great responsibility, darkandstormy. I would not give up the capacity to gestate and breastfeed if you paid me, nor would many other women.

SnotBaby · 14/02/2010 18:19

Milly R, that has absolutely blown me away. I did tut a bit about your "there was no caveman era" comment as it sounded as though you were trying to undermine other posters using unrelated facts. I take my tut well and truly back.

Now there's a new angle for a breastfeeding poster!

PuzzleRocks · 14/02/2010 18:20

I just asked DH what he would do if our biologies were reversed. He would breastfeed.
You seem to suggest that all men would put themselves first. Not so.

Breastfeeding can be difficult to establish. But as BabiesEverywhere has said, once you get the hang of it, it can be a joy. I love it.

PuzzleRocks · 14/02/2010 18:21

Me neither I39.

Mumcentreplus · 14/02/2010 18:21

but that doesn't make sense dark...you didn't breast feed your child because men have half the responsibility towards childcare????..maybe I'm reading this wrong ..so you wanted your OH to have something to do??...

darkandstormy · 14/02/2010 18:23

139- perhaps some would feel the opposite. It is up to the individual of course.Me personally I actually find the whole notion of bfeeding to be repulsive.

ImSoNotTelling · 14/02/2010 18:24

l39 i suspect the statistic greatly depends on what part of the country you are from, and within that what part of the community you are in.

My postnatal group was a good example - in that particular subsection of society, the trend was completely reversed. So it may well be that many others at your school did BF, but that there is a group of schools 50 miles away where no-one does IYSWIM.

aoyama where do you live? Sounds fab

ShowOfHands · 14/02/2010 18:26

Oh I adored being pg, I adore bfing. Pesky men can't have it. It's mine. It's a wonderful gift.

darkandstormy · 14/02/2010 18:27

of course tis my opinion.

Mumcentreplus · 14/02/2010 18:27

why do you feel that way dark?

darkandstormy · 14/02/2010 18:31

me and my dh did literally every other feed since dc have been born.I would not have wanted any different would not have been able to do this if dc had been bf.

ImSoNotTelling · 14/02/2010 18:34

I don't particularly enjoy Bf TBH. It's just something I do. However I am well aware that FF is even more of a PITA and a faff, and as I am quite lazy, i take the easy option

I would like to feel some amazing fabulous connection and terribyl wonderful and all that, but all I actually feel is that it's an efficient way to get calories into a baby, and it's the right thing to do.

There is such a wide range of experience on all this stuff, I think it's good to hear all views. And try not to get terribly worked up about it all

darkandstormy · 14/02/2010 18:34

mumcentre just want to keep my 34bs that way, and did not want to be up all night every night,getting baps out in public places etc far more easier steriliser and sma imo

ImSoNotTelling · 14/02/2010 18:36

For example i have a friend who is BFing her 2nd child, who tried and failed with her first. When I saw her recently she said it felt a bit "animalistic" and is obvoisly a bit squeamish about the whole thing. While I think it's silly to feel like that about something as natural as taking a piss, I also understand that that is how she feels, and that given that she's doing a bloody good job, so good for her.

sungirltan · 14/02/2010 18:37

darkandstormy (where to start!) i found your cavewoman comment earlier quite offensive. but interestingly enough (unsubstantiated so don't bite me everyone) i think its probably the more educated/enlightened middle class womenwho choose bf over ff these days.

secondly - we do not have the technology. yes we can cook up a milk substitute but its is in no way an adequate replacement for bm.

thirdly i find your bf is repulisive comment offensive - but each to their own i suppose.

otherwise - i won't lie, bf was hard in the beginning and tiring up until about 2.5 months but now its so easy (4.5 months) i barely give it a thought. yeh i went through a bit of discomfort for a short period but knowing all the benefits of bf, esp reducing risk of cot death and child obesity was/is so so so worth it.

Mumcentreplus · 14/02/2010 18:37

with my second DD my DH did all the night feeds and I exclusively breast fed ..its called a breast pump

LadyintheRadiator · 14/02/2010 18:39

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MillyMollyMoo · 14/02/2010 18:40

Breast feeding doesn't affect bra size, pregnancy does the damage. A fact often banded around by the uneducated.
Oh and it cost me £6k to have my boobs restored to their former glory having birthed and fed 3 babies from them and still I will feed my 4th baby because the gift will last him a lifetime and is priceless.

Babieseverywhere · 14/02/2010 18:42

I am happy with the pregnancy and the breastfeeding being all mine but I would share the labours with DH in a heartbeat.

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