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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

Most people don't breast feed do they?

145 replies

ElBombero · 09/10/2013 23:26

Or do they?

As a mum do a DS who is EBF I am just utterly amazed at the reaction to me feeding him. It's like I'm mental.

Lost count of the times I've been told / asked
Is he getting enough? He's using you for comfort? Maybe a bottle of formula at night to help him settle, or and latest from MIL after DS put on 11oz in one week...

". Do you think BM is enough for him? He's growing so much..."
Errr yeah he's growing so well cos of the BZm

OP posts:
pookamoo · 09/10/2013 23:31

Round here loads do.

Have you looked for a local support group? They are not just for people who are struggling. :)

pokesandprodsforthelasttime · 09/10/2013 23:32

Most people do, at least at first. I think a lot of people give up in the first few weeks, and most don't make it to 6 months.

And it depends where you live, I live in an area where breastfeeding rates are low.

sonlypuppyfat · 09/10/2013 23:34

People are obsessed with breastfeeding on here it really gets people going, but its the same with everything you do someone will think you are wrong! BTW I have three DCs and none of them have ever had a bottle and I fed them all til they were three, none ever screamed for a feed I was always on "tap"

ExBrightonBell · 09/10/2013 23:37

It depends where you live, as some areas have very high bf rates and other areas are bfeeding deserts. Also a generation of parents from the 50s to the 70s approx had formula pushed as the norm, hence there being a large number of older women who know little about breastfeeding.

In the south-east where I live bfeeding seems the norm. I have family members in the north who are considered unusual by HV etc as they bfeed (it's more complex than a north/south split, this is just an example!).

MissAntithetic · 10/10/2013 00:02

Except my two sil I am the only person I know who has, and continues to bf at 14 months.

It's like I'm a wierdo. Someone I know said "I never had you down as a hippy!'

ThePuffyShirt · 10/10/2013 00:10

My own experience is that most women do breastfeed.

I know only 2 or 3 that didn't.

Llareggub · 10/10/2013 00:13

Aside from my ex MIL, I don't know of anyone that didn't breastfeed. Most of my NCT group went way over 12 months. I've been breast feeding for 7 years!

Sunnysummer · 10/10/2013 00:16

In my area it's the mothers who choose to start with formula who get a lot of odd looks - one of my friends couldn't feed due to necessary medication and felt like a pariah Hmm

That said, it's amazing how many women then felt like they weren't making enough milk (or were told so by their well meaning family) and 'had to top up' from early on - I was lucky that I have a good friend who is a lactation consultant and was able to help, but I wish there was more education in antenatal and in hospital on early cluster feeding!

BrianTheMole · 10/10/2013 00:16

Most people I knew did. I never got those kind of comments from anyone.

NoComet · 10/10/2013 00:33

I FF DD1, she hated BFing and never got the hang of it.

DD2 BF forever and never touched a bottle.

DM BF me and FF my DSIS due to having to take medicatin following complications with the birth.

Of my friends most BF, some like me for many years and all tried to. However, I do know a lot of MC, NCT class attending mums. So not a representative sample Wink

NoComet · 10/10/2013 00:34

Medication (stupid iPhone)

namechangedjustforthis · 10/10/2013 00:47

I work with newborns, I have worked with hundreds of them over the last few years and only 8 in total were breast fed! I fed all mines myself and have been shocked when I have a breast fed one in, I really thought it would be more than it is xx

whogrewoutoftheterribletwos · 10/10/2013 01:02

DD is now 4 1/2 months. Am still ebf but feel like I'm getting some funny looks when out and about. As if it's OK when they're really tiny, but not once they grow a bit

NoComet · 10/10/2013 01:16

Last time I BF DD in public she was 18 months old. Never got any odd looks, but then I wouldn't care if I did.

I think people sense not to bother.

TombOfMummyBeerest · 10/10/2013 01:46

It seems to be 50/50 for me.

Some say "You're still nursing, at 14 months? Good God."

Others say "That's it? She's only 14 months."

mrsmartin1984 · 10/10/2013 01:58

It does seem that most FF and the stats would I agree with me. Although it does depend largely on your social group and area.

That's why I go to booby group (or baps and babies as my OH calls it). It's nice to see others who understand. There are some sharp differences between FF and BF mothers. Firstly they always go on about how much their child has had and bloody HVs are the same. And I have no idea how much my DD has drank, never given a bottle. When they ask I just say "enough".

I shocked some parents mentioning off hand that my DD hadn't had a poo for 5 days. They all jumped on me, "go to the doctors", "no go to a&e", "give her some water". In booby club if I mentioned that everyone would go "well that's nothing my LO hasn't shat for x days/weeks"

Sunnysummer · 10/10/2013 02:24

The [[https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/breastfeeding-statistics-q4-2012-to-2013 official figures for 2013] are that 74% of women start with breastfeeding but only 47% are still bfing by the 6-8 week checkup.

This is really dependent on area though - in Kensington it's still 87% by 6-8 weeks, in more deprived areas it can be as low as 20%.

Sunnysummer · 10/10/2013 02:25

Oops! Link [https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/breastfeeding-statistics-q4-2012-to-2013 here]

Sunnysummer · 10/10/2013 02:26

Or not. Not sure why I can't do it today, blame the small sleepless one! Confused

JollyScaryGiant · 10/10/2013 02:30

fixed

:)

unfortunatedischarge · 10/10/2013 02:34

Yeah, I think its that most people start and stop by 6 weeks... The sad thing is they've done it through the really shit bit and choose to stop or are told to stop just before it would start getting easy.

JollyScaryGiant · 10/10/2013 02:41

I live in an affluent area that is regularly compared to the SE in terms of property prices, standard of life, etc.

In my experience of my peers, not that many people BF. We had a meet up of our antenatal group at 12 weeks. Three hadn't BF at all. They were all on baby 2 and had tried it last time. 5 had already switched to formula. 2 (other than me) were still feeding, but both of those quit prior to 6 months.

Only 3 mums with children of a similar age to DS were still BF at 6mo. Each time I was introduced to these mums by others by them saying "Ooo, such and such is still BF too!"

Apart from the LLL meeting I went to, I don't know anyone who fed as long as I fed DS (20mos).

It's bizarre for an area which comes out so high on quality of life indicators.

MrsCaptainJackSparrow · 10/10/2013 03:01

I'm still going at 7 months although almost gave up after a few weeks after having thrush but I persevered as ds is a premmie and wanted to do all I could for him.

The girls I know that had babies around the same time gave up after about 3 months saying it was easier to ff.

I find it easier to bf! Getting up in the middle of the night and making up bottles seems a lot more hassle than laying next to ds and him latching on!

vichill · 10/10/2013 03:06

I live in a okayish part of an overall crap area and it is quite rare.I would say most women know the spiel on why its best but don't get much support from partners and mothers. Typical working class area and sadly I think alot of men think boobs are there for them. ive heard mums of new mums associate bf with a kind of poverty and backwardness of a bygone age. Think they think its not "necessary" anymore and this is passed on to the next generation.

AveryJessup · 10/10/2013 03:08

It felt like everyone was breast feeding when I ended up formula feeding DS after about 6 weeks of problems. Every single person I met seemed to have mastered EBF from birth with no issues so I felt like a complete failure!

It probably depends on where you live, maybe you live in an area with low bf but a lot of what we see is perception.

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