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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

Is breastfeeding seen as a middle class thing?

380 replies

Thandeka · 12/07/2010 15:07

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?

OP posts:
MumNWLondon · 13/07/2010 14:09

Price of bras depends on size, I am a very standard 36D and have managed to buy relatively inexpensive feeding bras.

Also the bras have to be bought upfront unlike formula which is bought as you go along.

slushy · 13/07/2010 14:12

camaleon I didn't think you were saying middle class mums are better I just wanted to make sure you didn't think I thought middle class mums were better .

' Maybe people in deprived areas don't care about the benefits as much.' This point I think is utter crap though as I said I live in a working class area and no one tell mothers the benefits of bf. So our formula rates are high. That does not implly anything negative on those mum's because before people realised the benefits all areas of society had a low bf rate.

I think it is sad that working class mother are believed to either not care or be to stupid to be given the facts about bf and make a honest decision. Which here it is not discussed at all it is assumed you will ff.

Morloth · 13/07/2010 14:12

I haven't found nursing bras to cost any more than my normals. They do seem to stretch out of shape faster though, I assume because they are being tugged around so much and also because I only have the 2 so they spend time in the dryer.

slushy · 13/07/2010 14:14

I have had to go and buy all new bra's recently as I was measured incorrectly told I was a 34f it turns out I am 32gg so I have to buy all new bra's at £35 a shot. I have looked for the cheaper ones but they just don't do my size .

Morloth · 13/07/2010 14:17

It sucks. The Royce ones are the best I have come across slushy both nursing and not. You can get them from Bravissimo, they do cost a ridiculous amount though.

Is a norkage tax.

mrsruffallo · 13/07/2010 14:21

Middle class seems to be MN shorthand for all that is good in the world esp in regards to parenting
I am working class, one of four daughters. We all breastfed. I breastfed my two until they were two.
We are all fairly well educated too. And brought up by respectable, caring, law abiding (!) parents. Husbands work. I am the only sahm because that's what I wanted to do.
I had a friend, also wc. who struggled so much with breastfeeding that she was in tears for months, searching everywhere for support and advice.
I know a middle class mum who found it hard to breastfeed her first so didn't bother to try with the others.

It is a shame that breastfeeding is seen as something that only middle class mums do.

ArthurPewty · 13/07/2010 14:22

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

slushy · 13/07/2010 14:24

Morloth at norkage tax.

I like the Royce ones too, I will probably go to Bravissimo they have a good variety sigh, but yes my normal bra's cost about the same price so I don't think it has anything to do with nursing bra's just large noorks

taffetacatski · 13/07/2010 14:24

MC people judge each other more. They have competitions to see how long they can breastfeed for. And they shout about it more.

LolaKnickers · 13/07/2010 14:26

taffeta is right. MC mothering is far more competitive in every field, not just feeding.

camaleon · 13/07/2010 14:28

'Middle class seems to be MN shorthand for all that is good in the world esp in regards to parenting'

Better said than me... I feel the fact that successful parents have more chances to see success in their kids (as a perpetuating vicious effect of lack of fairness in society) is very easily confused with good parenting.

ArthurPewty · 13/07/2010 14:29

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

mrsruffallo · 13/07/2010 14:30

Yes, I agree with taffeta. It's always the mc mums that ask me what my husband does for a living.
Saying that, we can't label everyone. I have also met great friends who are mc and very non competitive

shandycat · 13/07/2010 14:41

Of course it's a a middle class preoccupation , which is why all the research on the superiority of breast feeding is dubious. What it mostly reflects are the higher income/ education/ opportunity levels of the middle classes. Of course their babies do better. Why wouldn't they? I'd like to see some research on how well mc formula babies from wealthy, educated homes do. That would be far more revealing. I am all for breast-feeding by the way, but I get irritated by the holier than thou attitude of some who preach it.

Kingbonny · 13/07/2010 14:47

Does it come down to education and class or time and money?

You have to choose your priorities, if you are nice and comfortable and financially secure you can make BF'ing your main priority and you will probably succeed.

Perhaps people in 'deprived areas' don't appear to care about the benefits as much because they have other massive worries to focus on too. I only say this because I massively failed to BF DC2, I totally forgotten or underestimate the focus, time and attention that I would need to give to be able to succeed.

For the first 2 weeks after DC2 was born DH was job hunting and out to interviews because he had lost his job and I was busy sorting out the HB claim. It was shit and my stress levels were through the roof. Along with the time issue I had also overlooked the fact that you need to eat properly when you are BF'ing, tricky when you are living on the JSA! These and other issues led to my failure.

I guess if we had prioritised our problems DH finding a job and keeping a roof over our heads would had to have come in above BF'ing.

Even complete strangers asking of you are BF'ing, I hate it. It doesn't seem to matter how many times you say that you were all set to BF, people don't seem to hear, they just assume that you think FF is best and then go on to tell you how wonderful they find BF'ing.

Misspaella · 13/07/2010 14:49

Is BF MC?

Funnily enough where my mother is from it is NOT. She is from South America and last weekend I was BF DS2 in front of her (he is 12 months) and she sort of gave me a look and saying "goodness are you still bf him". I retorted to her that she must be used to seeing this as she is from Peru. She got a bit defensive and said how a lot of Peruvian woman are "very modern and have nannies and don't BF for long"....

I think it is sad if BF is a class thing wherever you are in the world.

Ryoko not sure you'd be happy with me but I BF during the school assembly last week and today whilst getting a pedi. Shame on me.

MrsArchchancellorRidcully · 13/07/2010 14:52

gingercat12 I take exceptin to:
"I think it is to do with having to go back to work as well. If you are middle class, you can probably afford to stay at home and spend your time at breastfeeding classes. If you are not quite middle class, you probably have to look for a job / find a job / clean the house, etc.
"

My job and education means if pushed I would be labelled MC (don't like the term though).
I managed to take 10 months off on maternity leave cos I saved bloody hard whilst pg. However gone back FT cos I need to pay the bills. I resent you suggesting that all MC sit at home with their feet up and all WC can't possibly be on mat leave as apparently they have to look for jobs and clean the house.
Most of my friends are WC and they all had mat leave and went back to their jobs after - no one had to look for a job.
Gosh, wish I'd known as MC I wasn't supposed to clean my house - would have saved alot of time if I'd realised MC familes have cleaning elves

camaleon · 13/07/2010 14:55

Obviously we speak only about UK here Misspaella... In many, many countries and in the past here too BF is a very WC thing.

Lizzzombie · 13/07/2010 14:56

We have a Breast Feeding area in our shop at work and I can honestly say we have an entire cross section of Mums that use it.

I am very surprised at the OP's childrens centre (sure start?) not running a BF support group. As mine does, and apparently we are in a really run down part of town. (always nice to be told that!)

tiktok · 13/07/2010 14:58

shandycat - the good epidemiological research on infant feeding controls for the socio-economic background of the babies involved, precisely because of the very close correlation between infant feeding methods and social class. You have to be sure you are measuring feeding effects, not socio-economic or genetic effects.

Here's one big, well-known study, for instance:

pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/short/119/4/e837

The risks of being ff pertain, whatever the class background of the babies involved.

There are plenty more like this, on IQ as well as physical health.

No need for you to raise the concern that studies are 'dubious' - the researchers have got there before you and know very well the pitfalls.

MrsArchchancellorRidcully · 13/07/2010 14:59

And Ryoko I've seen women bf in loads of places and in very unexpected places too, UK and abroad and not once have I ever seen men leering.
Probably 99% of men wouldn't even notice or if they did they would feel too awkward to stare. The tiny % who did leer would get very strange looks from most people.
Funnily enough, most people in the world generally tend to be decent folk.

And I didn't bf DD cos I couldn't (milk never came in) and I don't think FF has done her any harm but I'm still 100% in favour of bf anywhere - the ones who don't like it are the weirdos, IMO.

Ryoko · 13/07/2010 15:16

You may think it's fine because people don't say anything to you about it, they will not say anything to you about it they will just complain after to someone else.

That women at Ealing Broadway she could have gone to the park for example.

I agree about the MC's I'm not sure if it's competitiveness or just plan nosiness.

tiktok · 13/07/2010 15:19

But Ryoko - why should she go to the park?

And please at least try to explain why breastfeeding in Starbucks is the same as changing your baby's nappy on the table in Starbucks....you're mystifying us, here

Morloth · 13/07/2010 15:24

Good, they shouldn't say anything to me, isn't my problem.

slushy · 13/07/2010 15:24

ryoko
'I also think it's disrespectful to others to discard there feelings and do it in front of them regardless, there are far too many selfish people in the world who don't give a damn about the sensibilities of others, if I walked into the ladies and there was a women sitting there BF-ing I wouldn't give it a second though'

Well formula feeding upsets me so when you go and feed your baby in the toilets I may consider doing so after all it is disrespectful to discard someones feelings .

[disclaimer ff does not upset me but I will not go into the toilets to feed my baby]