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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

Why can't we just all breatsfeed?

600 replies

pupuce · 15/11/2004 21:57

Seeing the recent debates on breastfeeding, I didn't want to take part in the discussion as I didn't feel I could add to the debate but I was reading this and thought.... why is it that so many women who ended up bottlefeeding have stories of "not enough milk", "baby not thriving", etc.... so we have a BF rate in this country of barely 1 in 2 babies breastfed after 1 week (that's not impressive if you do know that breast is best)... why is it that the Swedes have 98%....
I am sure it's a combination of factors.... but it does mean that too many people in this country have a "wrong reason" for not BF.... surely many women have not enough information about milk production to feel that they truly didn't have enough milk....

OK - am I starting world war 3 ??? hope not

OP posts:
moondog · 16/11/2004 23:06

acer, what ARE you on about?
This is a new one on me, pro breastfeeding mother, therefore she thinks more about herself than her kids.
That takes the biscuit as the most wildly irrational I'm-cornered-now-and-am-going-to-lash-out-madly-like-an-injured-squirrel comment that I have ever ever heard! pml!!!!!

Original poster
pupuce · 16/11/2004 23:06

CD : it is cheaper to prepare proper, healthy food than it is to buy crappy nuggets and microwave chips

IS IT ???? well you surprise me here... this is the argument constantly repeated on tele and radio about why poorer families can't eat a healthy diet... it costs too much!

I agree with ALoha.... this thread was not at all criticising people until a few (much later on) decided to take the whole thing into a personal criticism... it wasn't !

It seems (and should know this by now!!!) that either you are too lazy to breastfeed, a crap mother for not wanting to try, a selfish cow for breastfeeding past 6 months, a selfish career woman who dumps her kids all day in daycare, a chicken for giving up breatsfeeding because it hurts a bit, a lier for saying you don't haven enough milk, an organisational freak for using Gina Ford, too posh to push, a wimp for having an epidural, too self-conscious for BF in public, a snob for putting your kids in private education, ... I mean please complete the list !!!!

Can we stop trashing or feeling trashed..... I am going to bed.....

OP posts:
cardigan · 16/11/2004 23:07

Good going moondog. I do attachment parenting Question is did you bf on a plane? perhaps the plus & minus would cancel each other out!!

Acer - it's not sad to check out reliable scientific sources. I've written a few myself. Go for it. It's all on the web.

acer · 16/11/2004 23:08

aloha, I was just sticking up for myselfGin

CountessDracula · 16/11/2004 23:08

well you started it....
"OK - am I starting world war 3 ??? hope not "

Think you knew the answer

acer · 16/11/2004 23:08

no thanks cardigan!

CountessDracula · 16/11/2004 23:09

Acer I could use some gin too

MummyToSteven · 16/11/2004 23:09

much cheaper to cook with pulses and rice/couscous and a few spices and some cheap fresh veg, (carrot/onion etc) and a few spices than to have processed foods. not that many non-veggies would necessarily see that as a meal!

JoolsToo · 16/11/2004 23:09

moondog - as a bottlefeeder - I am not in the least bit upset by breastfeeding mothers - all power to their elbow (or boob) - its their choice.

I think you'll find all the upset has come from some pro-bf's making inflammatory comments about how bottle feeding mums are somehow damaging their kids health - not very useful I think you'll agree.

acer · 16/11/2004 23:09

Yes please countessdracula

soapbox · 16/11/2004 23:10

Pupuce - of course it is cheaper to make freshly prepared foods - how do you think the big food manufacturers make their billions and billions?

The mark up for processed foods are about 10 times that of raw foods - so whatever stops people feeding their children freshly prepared meals - it certainly isn't cost!

But suspect this is really another thread altogether

colditzmum · 16/11/2004 23:10

This thread is horrible. It has turned into a slanging match. Yes, we are all allowed to say whatever we like, and yes, we are all allowed to defend our lifestyle choices, but guys? There is such a thing as tact. I thought this was supposed to be a support group.

CountessDracula · 16/11/2004 23:11

Yes, it is much cheaper if you put in a little imagination and effort and try a bit. Make a stew, doesn't need expensive meat etc etc.

Custardo has recently switched from eating a less than healthy diet - maybe she can tell us which is cheaper?

Gobbledigook · 16/11/2004 23:11

Bored.

Time for ds's bottle

acer · 16/11/2004 23:12

sorry never meant to offend anyone. It's just as I said my ds2 has terrible asthma that I have done everything possible to control, and breastfed for 4 mths with him, maybe not long enough....

CountessDracula · 16/11/2004 23:13

Am off to bed

I just wanted to make the point that not everyone can bf.

If you can't accept that then shame on you

acer · 16/11/2004 23:14

am off to bed too, night cd and everyone.

PuffTheMagicDragon · 16/11/2004 23:16

EXACTLY the same thing happened on the other thread. It took just one poster to basically wreck what had been interesting and informative debate with people talking about their experiences in an open way.

cardigan · 16/11/2004 23:18

Just to add on the processed food issue. I never buy processed as I don't want to waste my cash. Same with formula - breastmilk is free

acer · 16/11/2004 23:19

oh dear, really must go to be now!!!!!!!

moondog · 16/11/2004 23:20

mummytummy it has been said many many times that if you are unable to b/feed then there is no issue. I do not think that any breastfeeder in the world would disagree with that. For many people that is a very upsetting thing, and of course then is no issue at all with them bottlefeeding.

However, the issue of being 'unable' is a very interesting one, worthy of a whole new thread.

Many many women perceive themselves as being unable to breastfeed or are told that they are unable to breastfeed due to erroneous advice/support, something that the breastfeeding counsellors around here would no doubt agree with.

However those that don't even have a go and yet convince themselves that formula is just as good as breastmilk are quite simply flying in the face of a mass of scientific evidence and are wrong.
Perfectly within their rights to make this choice of course!

PuffTheMagicDragon · 16/11/2004 23:23

cardigan - your flippant comment about not wasting cash on formula milk is a REALLY CRUEL jibe at people like CD who simply couldn't breastfeed.

unicorn · 16/11/2004 23:27

forgive me for not reading the whole of this thread -
all I could possibly add is -

The reason we are at each other's throats re this issue is perhaps because we are constantly being informed of how we should be bringing up our kids- be it breastv bottle feeeding/sahm v working mums..etc etc.

I think we are told so much these days we struggle to ever bring our children up as we see fit.

At the end of the day they are our children... so it is totally up to us how we bring them up.

Of course educate everyone.. but surely freedom of choice has a role to?

moondog · 16/11/2004 23:29

Yes Cardigan, fed on many many planes in fact (another massive advantage on the sit-where-you-want airlines. Very few people will come and sit next to you!)
But.... have also had a fag and a drink or two in various airports, so oh dear, back at about minus 1 million Brownie points.

Pupuce, very funny post 11.06!!
Why do people get wound up about discussions?! Why do you take it all so personally?!
(You should see the 'do's' that go on in this part of the world!!!!)

cardigan · 16/11/2004 23:30

Puff - don't think so? - Hope not CD? I also have digestive probs with meds. CD, as I understand, didn't have a choice due to her meds so this is clearly a case of money not being wasted. As I said previously in this case formula is life saving.