What would a bf culture look like?

[MoonFaceMama]

We live in an ff culture. How would you imagine the alternative to look?

I'll start with an obvious one.

It would be the norm for babies to be bf in public. There would be no snearing/leering because everyone would know that feeding babies are what boobs are for.

You know, I think we live in a society of choice, which is just fabulous.
I never even considered that it wasn't the norm for me to bf in public, adn I've never had a single untoward look or comment. Maybe I've been lucky

It'd be lovely. :)

But seriously. No one would've lost faith in their bodies. HCPs would really understand bf issues, and gently support. Not just suggest ff as a one size fits all solution.

I haven't either booboo. But i know of those that have. We shouldn't have to consider ourselves lucky or otherwise.

Boobbuffet that is a biggy for me. The loosing faith in our bodies. We are told in no uncertain terms that breast is best. Yet unsupported in achieving this.

I think a bf culture would involve much greater, holistic, post partum support. It might involve child care for older children during marathon evening cluster feeds. Because it would not be assumed that you have two to three hours between bottles to feed, bath and put to bed.

"Congratulations on your new baby" cards would not have bottles on because it would be acknowledged that this is tacit promotion of ff.

I can't find the link on google or mumsnet - but did anyone see the link to the blog of the Canadian lady that moved to Kazakhstan when her DS was 4 months old and all about the bf culture there....
Now that is the ultimate in bf culture...

will keep hunting...

phew, found it here

It was Mongolia not Kaz.... doh

a better link with a pic... here

I'll stop talking to myself now...

Pompotty - I love that article, thanks for looking for it .

OP - I have fed many many times in public - in cafes, tube, bus, park, shopping centres, outside school, etc and no one has ever leered at me. Most of my friend BF. Both my mum and DH's mum BF, both my SILs current BFing now as well.

I enjoyed that article.

glad you like it

And for the record I also have feed in many places..... cafes, restaurant, pubs, DH colleague/friends houses, parks, boats, business class of KLM, buses, eurostar... and never had any negative comments/words either.

ooo, i have lived in a more positive bf culture. it took 6 weeks before i saw anyone ff a baby. bf 2year olds in the park on a daily basis. acceptance of tandem feeding as normal.

it was great!

We would all see a breastfeeding specialist within hours of birth, rather than waiting for problems to start but it would most likely be just a courtesy visit as our mothers, sisters and mum friends would all be experts themselves having bfed their babies.

Bfing in public would not generate media interest because if it's normal it's not newsworthy.

A change to all the baby feeding signs, in fact there would be no baby feeding signs because it would be normal wherever.

No more searching for a card without a bottle and it would be easy to find books for younger children that showed breast feeding as the norm.

But the best would be a world where it is accepted to feed by breast or bottle - a three year old or a newborn without anyone thinking they can make an unwelcome comment (she will be bfing after she's married at this rate etc)

Dreams

agree with boobooglass.
I am working on making other mums more comfortable by bf dd (9 months) wherever.

weasle - where was this?

Someone would say when I was out shopping that baby should drink up because it would make it strong enough to be a champion (to paraphrase the article). I've never had any nasty comments feeding outside, but I've never had any nice ones either.

Pompotty I love that link. Thank you. It brought a tear to mt eye!

Weasle I am really curious as to where you used to live?

BooBoo I want to come back to this issue of choice now that I have had chance to think about it

I know some people choose to ff from the begining. But I also know that lots of women choose to bf and are let down by hcps/general society.

I think if every woman who wanted to bf was supported to do so there would be many more of us doing it, and therefore we would be a step closer to a bf culture, as we could all support each other with knowledge and practically in a way that does not happen at the moment.

ANd I think that when I hear women on hear say they chose to ff from birth I wonder why? Often there seem to be deeper issues reflecting even greater social ills (funbags and the objectification of women) so that decision is no longer about bf/ff. I know there are different issues around those who have experienced abuse.

When a woman ff's because she has issues around "exposing" her breasts in public, that is not a choice.
When a woman ff's because she needs to go back to work, that is not a choice.
When a woman ff's because she has been wrongly told that she "didn't have enough milk/couldn't fill dc up" that is not a choice.
When a woman ff's because she is unsupported in childcare and other duties while bfing, that is not a choice.
WHen a woman ff's because others pressured to be allowed to "help", that is not a choice.

Sorry, i just think the choice thing can be a bit of a cop out some thimes. I'm not saying there should not be a choice. But it is a nice fail safe when support is crap isn't it?

It doesn't matter that we have not been harrased for bf. "Debates" like that on GMTV a couple of months back paint a picture of the majority having an issue with bf in public. Who would choose to stay at home for 6 months or more?

Sorry if abrupt have to dash

oh yes, where you see a lactation consultant after giving birth, not a busy mw or hca with half a days training.

where other mums thought i was joking when i said in the UK mums usually give up bf at 6 months as they think that is the target, "but you have to give formula still, how strange!" because they all feed til a year

where the local hospital has a 6 day a week lactation consultant clinic, you could stay all day so they can observe feeds or even be admitted if there is need.

and, all this with NO statutary maternity pay.

And this place is Australia!

MFM - what an interesting way of looking at it - I agree those scenarios do mean that choice is removed. Seeing a LC very soon after birth sounds great and Australia's consultant clinic you can stay in for as long as you want sounds amazing.... we have quite a way to go then...

wow! The support for bf in australia does sound great. But no smp?
does that not effect bf rates?

PomPotty what an amazing and beautiful article, I have posted it on my FB to share with my friends :)

Babies would be carried everywhere in slings, including parents taking their babies to work if it was practical and they wanted to.

For other women, working patterns would be more flexible and there would be a lot more jobsharing opportunities.

Childcare for those who wanted it to allow them to work would be smaller, perhaps workplace based, and allow mothers to pop in for breastfeeding breaks.

Milk banks would be widely in use. Formula would be unbranded and sold at cost.

Growth charts would be banned, and HVs and midwives would have a minimum level of knowledge about breastfeeding.

All cots would be convertible into sidecar style cots to enable safe co sleeping. In fact, beds could be sold with a pull out shelf surrounded by fold-down mesh sides which would fit a standard size cot mattress flush next to the adult mattress. These would be available in hospitals as well as for general sale.

I think that BF is more normal than people think