Is breastfeeding seen as a middle class thing?

[Thandeka]

Am genuinely curious. Just heard a local children's centre in a deprived area refused to have a breastfeeding support group in it because only the middle class mums would go.

eh?
And I have heard elsewhere that breastfeeding levels are much higher in the middle classes,
Could it linked with education levels?

I have a feeling in other countries people of all classes breastfeed so why not in this country?

Am not posting this to be controversial or anything and apologies if it has been done to death already- I couldn't find anything before but I just wondered if mumsnetters thought it was a middle class thing? and know any reasons why this is?

Did she have a flat screen TV though?

I tend to read whatever has been left on the cafe seat by the person before me.

Online I do Guardian/Sydney Morning Herald.

I don't read newspapers at all.

Actually about half an hour ago I had a cold caller asking if I was interested in taking a subscription to the Daily Telegraph.
I am assuming they must not check ACORN groups/generalisations of demographic to a specific area when cold calling, or else I am sure she would have offered me a different paper.

Some fascinating responses, thankyou for taking the time! (shame in areas it ended in usual bunfight though). Anyhow a key theme here seems to be about support rather than class specifically, so it does seem like offering a breastfeeding support group in a childrens centre in a very deprived area would be sensible, however I think I have read elsewhere that childrens centres have issues with not nec. Supporting the people they have the remit for as it's all the "middle class mummies" who access all the classes etc. Maybe I should email this thread to the centre manager!

I live in the US and here is is a very middle class thing. In fact, of all the women in my office who have babies, I don't know any who didn't express milk for at least 3 months after returning to work 6 - 12 weeks postpartum. Most continue breastfeeding for a year. I think most middle class women feel guilty about having to be at work and away from their baby, and at least providing breast milk helps with the guilt. Also being able to feed at night helps keep the mother/baby bond strong, which is hard to do when working with a tiny infant. That's certainly how I felt anyway.

I think it partly has to do with education, but only in the getting and knowing how to access support part.

Back where I grew up, which is very working class, (well you need to be working to be middle class, but you get the point), most of the people I know do attempt to breast feed, but there's is no knowledge and three weeks seems to be the limit.

Its hard as I think very few hcp know how to offer support without being condescending, which immediately gets everyone's back up. FWIW this is a town where in both schools the GCSE pass rate of 5A-C's is below 20%.

Thandeka - I think the key thing to avoid is ramming breastfeeding down people's throats. Support and trying to normalise it is fine and useful, but go the other way and it's counter-productive. Maybe present it in a different way to the classes that the MC mummies go to? What that different way is I don't know. All I do know is that attitudes change generally over time and not in response to being hit by a big stick.

Thandeka If you want I can send you a copy of our Children's Centre magazine which outlines its BIBS (breast is best support) group which is held in particularly low income area. Maybe the organisers could let you/or your centre manager know the details of the womens ages/classes to back up your request?

Or Here are their online details.

A couple of midwives told me that in their opinion it's a middle class thing.

I'm 35, I have a BSc in Computer Science, I'm what you could call middle class, financially secure, but I didn't BF either of my 2 preschoolers and no-one could have paid me to do it - couldn't imagine anything much worse. No flames please, its just I HATED the idea of BF, and my 2 girls are perfectly healthy.

MunchMummy - really? Nothing worse?

You must not have much of an imagination

Giving birth after a 6 day labour via emcs and then getting turfed out of hospital a day later, getting an infected scar was way, way worse than breastfeeding.

This is an interesting thread. In my area there are loads of support groups. When I was BF DS I used one of them a lot. However, the problem I found is that I knew more than some of the HVs giving me the advice (although there were a couple that were excellent).

If I had had to rely on HVs I probably would have ended up giving him the bottle but because I am financially secure I could afford to pay for someone to help me BF. The paid support I had was excellent (including the paediatrician who told me it was not my Bf'ing technique that was the problem but the fact DS had reflux).

I wonder if this is the difference between lower classes and middle classes to a certain extent.

Actually Aligrylls that is a very interesting point- not nec. the paid support but maybe the having the confidence/nouse/pushiness/whatever not to necessarily believe the breastfeeding advice the midwife/health visitor/paediatrician when they come out with some of their rubbish advice (not all HCP's I hasten to add but alot I came into contact with!- "Baby can get everything it needs from 10mins on the boob"- Paediatrician to a friend- "Don't feed baby for longer than 30mins"-(Midwife and HV). "Baby's tongue tie isn't serious, don't bother getting it snipped"- Midwife- (once it was snipped phenomenal difference in feeding.)

Am not saying WC don't have that confidence etc. but maybe WC that are from non-professional background would be less likely to disagree with a "professional" giving advice?

P.S Lizzzombie- thanks very much- I will put my people in touch with your people

I feel like I have met roughly equal nos of 'upper class' and 'wc' women who turned their nose up at the idea of BF-ing. In fact it's one of the areas where I have noted that two groups of people supposedly at the opp end of the social spectrum and ideas etc often find themselves marching under the same banner so to speak.

COuld it be that historically upper class women EMPLOYED WC women to look after their children for so long that they share similar views on many areas of childcare? Which would include FF, schedules among other things I guess.

Whereas - 'middle class' women had comparatively little help, were perhaps more used to doing things themselves, BUT ALSO had a certain level of income which enabled them to be around at home and with time to devote to things like breast feeding.

Not saying this is true in every case of course but I've wondered about it.

i'm 22, a single mum, i live in an estate and i'm currently on benefits.
my psychiarist told me not to bf becuase of meds. ds's dad said not to becuase it's too much work. my mum said put him on formula and put cereal in it.
but i bf.
not becuase of class or support but becuase its best for my son.

What a crock - its just that the middle class mummies are always banging on about it cos they think they are the only people in the world ever to BF. More likely they are just following the trend. The family forums are just full of MC mums going on and on and on about BF like its some new phenomenum.

I live in a working class area and most mums I know breast fed, there's a BF support group and BF friendly family centre so plenty support.

I think in years gone past it was the wc that all BF. As its been said I reckon it's more to do with your mother and your families attitude towards it.

I bf my ds for a year and my dd for 4 months. Why the difference? Because when I had ds I was a teenage mum and lucky enough to be able to stay at home (on benefits) - i didn't go to NCT or any groups it was just something i wanted to do. 22 years later I'm a working mum and stopped bf when I returned to work as my job (social worker) is just not compatible with expressing and I was physically exhausted. I deeply regret having to stop feeding her so early and wish I was still on maternity leave but I am the main wage earner in my family. So,I've moved up the social scale but was probably doing the 'middle class' thing as a teenage mum (staying at home, bf etc) and am doing the wc thing (ff, working) now! So, probably best not to stereotype.

It was the norm in my mums day ..she bf all 5 of us ..no fuss ,no support groups ..they just got on with it ..we lived in a tiny terrace no bathroom etc couldn't get any more working class ...

Good going 5moreminutesplease

I bf & can't see why having more cash would make you bf as bf costs nothing

5more Excellent.

I am not massively pro breast feeding or anything. Like I say I now mix feed. DS is 8 weeks and in another month or so I hope to introduce formula in the day too but I like that you stuck up for what you wanted to do.

I am torn between being glad for the support I have. I think I would have a real issue with my DH if I chose to not b.feed for anything other than medican reasons, and sometimes wishing all the pressure would just go away.

can't believe i spelt because wrong 3 times in one post..