Page 28 | ^^Extraordinary breastfeeding - tonight on C4 ^^

bundy · 02/02/2006 15:39

bourneville

"um bundy, i would have thought the bigger problem was putting the children's needs before the parents? - in the case of the twins anyway. And the 8 year old was clearly a spoilt brat which presumably means she was over-pampered too. "

in the case of the twins, I think their behaviour was the result of the mother imposing her own feelings on them...she said herself that her mum had died when she was only in her early 30's and i think she felt real need for them to be physically close to her, and the degree that she took this to resulted in her being virtually unable to leave the house or be separated from them day or night. i breastfeed my 2.5 yr old daughter morning/evening, although this is tapering off naturally at the moment, and our relationship is changing gradually as she is weaning herself. I find this a much more satisfactory way of doing things than the "cold turkey" approach.

nanneh · 02/02/2006 15:39

nul - I see your point about ex-DH. Of course he has a biological daughter whom he loves.

But we are talking about a situation where there is no biological connection between the mother and child.

nanneh · 02/02/2006 15:42

nul - I think most men do like boobs, but for playing with not for feeding with

nanneh · 02/02/2006 15:44

bundy - I didn't like the cold turkey thing either. I agree I think she was so worried about her mother's tragic early death that it made an impact on how and when she fed her twins.

Bugsy2 · 02/02/2006 15:45

the husband of the woman who was bfing her 7 yr old, did actually bf. She said at one point "that he liked his share too, but that it could overstimulate supply as all of a sudden you were feeding this big thing too". She definitely said something very close to those words, because I remember thinking "OMG, they aren't being jokey about this".
However, for me they were definitely the "extraordinary" end of what was otherwise a good programme.

nulnulcat · 02/02/2006 15:48

nanneh i see your point but i think in the case of that little girl it was more important for her to feel secure and loved which she obviously did when snuggled up asleep than to have breast milk forced on her at an age where reading this thread many children are self weaning anyway

i think bourneville will agree with me on this one we both have partners who are not our childs biological fathers but they have bonded with them

and then there are mothers that dont bond with there kids full stop dont understand it but it happens

nulnulcat · 02/02/2006 15:50

nanneh the poor kids would starve as the men would be too busy playing with there own boobs!!

Blu · 02/02/2006 15:50

TikTok - i'm with Aloha in thinking that it will have a negative effect on tose already slightly anxious or undecided about bf.

In canvassing public opinion, they managed to give profile to the peple like 'peado-fiddlier' man and everyone else who was negative about public feeding. Didn't show ONE interview with a member of the public who said 'why on earth not, it's completely natural, I don't even notice if someone is feeding in publlic, or else I think 'aaah, how lovely'....

Alos, all the close-ups of bf seemed to nvolve acres of breast and nipple on display. Especially the twins'mother who hoisted her boobs out over the top of her top before the kids latched on. So, yes, nervous would-be bf-ers would think this is the only way to do it.

I thought that the voiceover, telling us that WHO recommend 2 years and the average world average is 4 stood out as a kind of dutiful public health warning.

The best bit was the fantastic 3ittle Angels, being normal, enthusiastic - pit C4 didn't simply do a cocumentary about a bright young sensible woman and her imortant campaign amonst the neanderthals of Blackburn.

Except of course, if they were REAL neanderhtals, bf would have been the best and only option!!

nulnulcat · 02/02/2006 15:52

conspiracy theory time has anyone thought the weird family might not be real but a load of actors and channel 4 knew that the following day a whole load of mums would spend hours talking about it instead of getting on with housework and stuff i really should be doing

nulnulcat · 02/02/2006 15:53

far more interesting conversation than the ironing anyway

nulnulcat · 02/02/2006 15:55

erm im originally from blackburn and not an neanderthal i fed my dd for 6 months and like to think im civilised and intelligent as are many of my blackburn friends who also breast feed

tiktok · 02/02/2006 16:03

Well....maybe I am wrong about it putting people off. Only way to find out is to invite views from people who were undecided about bf before seeing the programme and who now think they won't do it.

You need to bear in mind there are a zillion influences on people's infant feeding choices.

nulnulcat · 02/02/2006 16:08

dont know how many young mums breastfeed but im vain and one of the reasons i chose to breastfeed was the whole weight loss thing piled it on when pregnant lost most of it within two weeks and could eat what i want for 6 months without worrying when bottle feeding friends were all on there diets!! i like my food to much to lose weight that way tell the young mums they can get their skinny jeans little skirts and tops back on quicker and perhaps more might give it ago

nulnulcat · 02/02/2006 16:09

im not one of those young mums unfortunatly

nanneh · 02/02/2006 16:11

I very much doubt the programme will do anything to convert the undecided. Judging from just the responses on this thread, I think it will turn off the undecided big time.

If they had shown more of the Little Angels and rather less of the angst-ridden, totally NOT average, bresatfeeding families, it amy have helped the undecided to go for BF.

Original poster

harpsichordcarrier · 02/02/2006 16:16

I think part of the problem is that it is self selecting - only the more extreme cases are prepared to allow their private family lives to be open to judgment and scrutiny. I would rather stick pins in my eyes than allow myself to be filmed for this kind of programme.
but then I am not a looooon

OP posts:

nulnulcat · 02/02/2006 16:18

but if they had done that would so many people have watched it and been talking about it today? its been on most of the radio shows here today. im lucky in this area they are very pro breast feeding and i got lots of support in hospital and at home both from midwives and health visitors the woman in the bed opposite was having real problems with establishing feeding and she got loads of help they didnt just give her a bottle in fact when she asked for it she didnt get it i remember some midwife trying over and over again to shove my nipple in my babies mouth it got quite painful for me but she wasnt going to give up until she heard sucking! hv at home was also very supportive and stopped me giving up on many occasions

at least if breast feeding is being talked about even if it is in a negative way it might get people thinking and who knows

nulnulcat · 02/02/2006 16:21

really think the message needs to be put across that you dont have to breast feed for years even if you only do it for a week you have given your baby the best start in life forgive me if im wrong but isnt that colostrum or whatever the most important bit? as long as baby gets that its up to you whether you feed for 5 days 5 months or even 5 years if thats what you want to do

Busyalexsmummy · 02/02/2006 16:21

Well, it was better than i expected!
The twins-I felt so sorry for them when they went cold turkey, sobbing their little hearts out-what a thing for a two yr old to understand-that theyve had something for that long, then are being denied it, prob would have been much kinder to cut down gradually-saying that i understand why she did it quickly as her health and relationship were starting to suffer for it.
As for her doing it to reduce the risk of cancer-why not? as her mother died so young from it, why not?? if you were in that situation, would you not do everything in your means to reduce the risk??

the forgein lady(deloras?)-didnt look as odd as i thought it would b/f a 4 yr old, she was quite eccentric and i agree that giving the little girl breastmilk would benefit the poor little mite, but think that expressing would prob be the kinder option as she was clearly not wanting to breastfeed. Although saying that, it wasnt "forced" upon her, she was offereing it to her, but not forcing the issue when the little girl wasnt up for it.

the little angels- how fab, wish there were more groups like this around, what a great idea!
As for poeple reactions in the street-so what.......would they object to seeing someone bottlefeed their baby?? i think not
and the chav-hahahahahahahaha what a p*k! how narror minded can you get??? and did you hear it when the little angels were having a "mass breastfeed" in the shopping centre and he called over "this ones bottlefed, stong as an ox she is, nothing wrong with her" LOL

Hmm, and as for the cumbrian women, well, it was very odd. I agree with much of what she was saying and her reasons behind it, but the way the girls were talking(especially at the end of the prog) was slightly bizzare, breastfeeding themselves? eh?

Oh and as for breastfeeding men-deliberatly b/fing, hmmm, weird. but I think many men do enjoy lactating women(not in a b/fing sense, in a erotic sense, beleive it or not there is a difference) my dp is one for sure and hes probably had more than his fair share of b/m during foreplay/lovemaking. just thought id say that as i dont mind admitting it and i know there are more out there who do/like it, but wont admit it!

bourneville · 02/02/2006 16:21

Yes nulnulcat i do agree there are different ways of bonding with a baby/child other than feeding.
But (I know i'm contradicting what i said a while back) I think on reflection, the Spanish woman's main reason was to give the child breast milk because she believed it best - hence opting in the end for a breast bottle, just giving her as much as she could even though the child didn't accept her breast.

Original poster

harpsichordcarrier · 02/02/2006 16:24

I personally think the two older girls were just playing up and showing off for the cameras
like children do
although the "painting pictures to express their feelings about bf" was a bit vom worthy

OP posts:

nulnulcat · 02/02/2006 16:25

ok then spanish woman wanted to give her breast milk but at 18 months it should have been from a beaker not a bottle!

Mimixx · 02/02/2006 16:27

I've been bfeeding my little boy for 3 months and hoped to feed him for about 6 months, but after watching this program I think I'll try to BF him for a year so I guess the show has 'converted' me in some way. I thought that the Little Angels mum spoke a lot of sense, but the rest of the people on the program were too 'extreme' for me but hey, this is Channel 4 and they are sensationalist, there's just no way around it.

Bugsy2 · 02/02/2006 16:38

nulnulcat, my cousin adopted a baby from Russia and they were told to reintroduce bottle feeding, even though the baby was 14 months old. Apparently it is very important for the baby to develop "attachment" to the main carers and one of the ways of doing this is by bottle feeding - as it is very intimate one on one contact. This could possibly be another reason the Spanish lady was hoping to breast-feed.

nanneh · 02/02/2006 16:39

Mimixx - good for you - glad it had a positive effect on you !

Not all women who BF past 6 months are loons - although I AM but that is not because I breastfeed a toddler