just how far have we come??

[purplemonkeydishwasher]

[[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1015176.stm a study from 2000] talking about the lack of positive BFing in the media.

In 8 years has anything changed? Not for the better, IMO.

here

.

I was watching Loose Women a few weeks ago and they had someone on there who was still feeding at 15 months (was it Nell McAndrew?). Anyway, she was talinmg about the benefits and how useful it was when she was on the plane and could feed her DD while taking off and so on and being really positive about it all - all great.

The only comment any of the daft Loose Women could come up with was something like "Oh, I bet there were ots of men wanting to sit behind you so they could say they'd seen your boobs..."

All of them women, alot of them Mums and even they are sexualising breastfeeding. So, in answer to your question, purplemonkey, not very far at all.

I think so much of it comes down to education and support. If MWs and HVs and doctors and paeds often don;t give correct or encouraging advice, how on earth can anyone know and understand it is normal?

DH mentioned someone he knows talking about BF, she is mid twenties, saying it was disgusting ! he was just gobsmacked. But then, there is a lack of knoweldge generally around childbirth , pregnancy and breastfeeding... i remember a conversation with someone who was so aghast that a MW put her fingers inside your vagina to assess dilation.. she jsut could not process that information.

women do not tend to know about their own bodies, and are not often encouraged to learn and examine and get to know themselves....

lack of media images , in a positive light, reinforce that