News article on breast feeding

[Angelhairscruff]

www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/breastfeed-longer-to-save-nhs-cash-study-says/ar-BBgmlWb?ocid=mailsignout

The lady quoted in this article says that the thought of breast feeding her child for 18 months is daunting (18 months as advised) as she would be back at,work by then and would have to express milk at work, and store in the office fridge, and even if she was a sahm, the thought of having to breast feed the baby every 2-4 hours is too much. Honestly, if this article was meant to encourage women to breast feed for longer, it has mightily failed. How misinformed to think that a baby would need that much milk at 18 months. It's a shame actually as this would just put women off breast feeding longer, by giving them the impression that feeding after weening is still a constant 3 hourly mission.

Not sure what my point is really in posting this, it just annoyed me, that's all I guess!

Not her fault as presumably as a new mum she doesn't realise what it is like feeding an 18 month old, but I agree, what a stupid quote to put, unqualified, in an article.

I had similar reactions from my friends who couldn't believe I was bf past a year - based on their experiences of bf for 3 weeks. Well bf a 12 month old is NOTHING like bf a 3 week old!! Again, the assumptions that I was feeding all the time, unable to leave baby, uncomfortable and engorged, that I couldn't go out or drink, lots of my friends also thought you had to avoid the pregnancy forbidden foods - soft cheese etc - while bf, not to mention alcohol and caffeine… the perception that basically you have to be a saint to bf. People also said I'd have to eat more (I never ate more while bf, more water in the early days was all) and that you can't exercise while bf, or have sex!!!

Well I avoided nothing and certainly by a year I was having nights away from baby (I worked night shifts for one) - by 18 months I was having weekends away. After 9 months I wore entirely normal clothes and bras in my pre-preg size. I went back to work at 10 months and never expressed. Sex and exercise I can't see how they relate to bf at all??

I think bf later in our society is so rare that I can't blame people for these assumptions, but it's very irritating to read in an article I agree.

Absolutely. I breast fed my two for a year but no one would have known for the last few months as I just did an early morning and bedtime feed, and later still, just one feed. My life was completely normal and breast feeding didn't impact at all. It's a shame that the article didn't quote some people with experiences like ours so that new mums could understand what feeding would be like if they continued. Now I'm all for a woman's choice but I know several people who gave up in the first few days because they thought it would always be that hard, seems there is a lack of support out there.

You ladies give me faith. I am a week into feeding and want to keep going for as long as possible. I know mums around me who have fed up for 18 months with a night feed and morning feeds but with all this stuff in the press it can really put you off. x

Ah, Cat, if you are a week in, then you've probably got through the hardest bit! Mine were a nightmare at first, neither would latch and I expressed solely for a week with each, feeding with a tiny cup. Ater a week they both started to latch properly and I fed successfully for a year. Don't get me wrong, mastitis is a pain and leaky boobs are a pain but in my experience, it was so much easier once established, than sterilising bottles, and certainly than faffing with bottles in the middle of the night. Having said that, with second baby I did feed some expressed,milk in a bottle after a few weeks so that my partner could help with the feeding, but all in all, my advice is persevere, it gets easier and easier.

Ps, didn't want to sound negative on those points, I had mastitis but antibiotics quickly sorted it out, and I had leaky boobs, but breast pads are the answer. Good luck Cat, and congratulations on your baby.

It's something that happens a lot. I found even pro-bf 'media' stuff to be pretty daunting to start with and I do think it impacts on BFing. Don't flame me: this is my personal experience and feelings. My reaction. I am currently BFing my baby quite happily and have found my fears were unfounded!!

There seem to be two elements to this: (1) in helping people overcome issues like TT, it can seem like everyone has them and (2) because people who blog/write are quite political and passionate, things they do naturally get tied into BFing so they think it's 'normalising' but actually it can make it seem a big deal.

From reading up many pro BF threads and articles online I strongly felt (before I started):

1. It was rocket science and 100% of midwives would not understand BFing (I was lucky and had excellent midwives). Bad latch WOULD happen, correct latch could only be achieved with lactation consultant help ... everyone out there was DOING IT WRONG.
2. Everyone around me would be negative and it was a battle.
3. If you tried to BF without being a total attachment parent (co-sleeping, wearing 24-7, saying no to the odd expressed bottle, SAHM etc') you would either fail or were letting the side down. It seemed quite middle class and expert parent (e.g. even the name of a popular blog 'alpha parent') - no room for a bungling first timer who shops at Asda not Waitrose and guilty secret thinks tacky outfits from the Disney store are cute.
4. No body issues allowed! If you're going to breastfeed in public you must fight the good fight and be proud or you're NOT NORMALISING IT. Well I was cagey about which bits of my body I showed before pregnancy! I wanted to cover my belly for my own reasons without feeling I was letting the side down.

Thankfully I found the reality far more manageable.
In fact the only negative comment I've ever had was from someone who thought they were being pro-breastfeeding telling me off for using a scarf to stop my DD being distracted as she kept pulling off the breast in noisy cafes - also I don't really want to go into my life story crash diet stage school body image shit I just want to feed my baby.

Anyway, this has gone right off topic.

I wish there were some (boring perhaps) articles or blogs which made breastfeeding normal as I see normal to be: part of everyday life - no change in culture, clothing, class, behaviour etc' needed and just do it how you want to either as a campaigner or someone with 2 little feet sticking out from under their jumper in Starbucks. :)

Oh and I now use a strapless top under my clothes to breastfeed while hiding my belly. Super hack!!
Thankfully my huge wardrobe of low cut tops are just super for BFing. Oh sorry, I forgot ... also I was riddled with guilt as you're not meant to feel sexy about your boobs ever if you're pro BF. Well, I think of them like legs and lips: functional sometimes, sexy sometimes - the problem is when men forget the functional part is the more important of the two.

Anyway, fertility is sexy. Making big strong babies is the point of sex in nature. Ergo my boobs are sexy but not in a tacky page 3 way.

Excellent post squiz!

...don't get me started on posts in 'Murica which say pearl-clutching motherly things like "breasts are for feeding not sex" and "once you have a baby, your place is with the baby 24/7" i.e. daddy and extended family helping makes you BAD and SLUTTY.

See to me that's NOT pro breastfeeding. Nor is it attachment parenting in its true/healthy form.
That's yet more control of women: No kids? You're a sexy little thing to look at. Got kids? Get in that kitchen and shut your mouth.

The sad thing is it's women caught in a hell of a lot of internalised sexism that say this ... and it's starting to appear in the UK too. If other people are telling you what to do with your body, whether sleaze-bags with page 3 or 'wholesome'/religious men, it's a problem.
I mean let's face it, that's the root of why Farage hates obvious breastfeeding: no one asked 'the man' - it's something a woman can do, men cannot, and she's choosing to do it without asking the menz first.

Oooh conspiracy theory LOL...

I bf ds 1 for 18m and went back to work ft at 11m. Stupid article.

Haha, squiz, great points.

I also bf without any problems, which makes me fortunate, but not a rare and endangered species! Lots of women do.

I don't get the bf-martyr thing AT ALL. Hats off to women who have zero support and bf anyway, but for me, support is what I need to bf! I have a hands on DP and a helpful mum who take the baby between feeds so I can run off and do fun stuff. If I was on my own I'm sure I could never have managed the early days of cluster feeding etc. It takes a village! So many of the "problems" people experience with bf are not actually problems at all if you have good support. Eg. frequent feeding or lots of night waking. It's just not that big a deal if you get a break in the day and lots of help…

I also am amazed at the negativity towards public bf in the press as I have never ever had so much as a raised eyebrow in public myself.

I read this article and was vexed too. Just really lazy journalism. Even more misinformed than the comments underneath which is something I've honestly never seen before.