how can we nomalise breastfeeding??

[shreksmissus]

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Thing is that for all the Mums that I know (and all of us tried BFing and most of us kept it up) it was a big effort and it did have to be a concious decision because it was actually quite difficult at first. I definitely needed the classes.

The things that helped me were -

being able to find BFing-friendly places where it was smiled upon and I didn't feel awkward, so that I could practise feeding in public,

and also the complete faff of making up bottles and sterilising, especially now that you shouldn't make up bottles in advance. I really think that the convenience of being able to stick them on as soon as they're hungry and no mucking about (and no washing up after) really isn't emphasised enough. The whole "breast is best" thing is all very well, but less work was the thing that really hit home to me as an exhausted Mum to a newborn.

I think its been mentioned but I think the only way it will be "normalised" is if it is the norm.
Where I live (small country town) I have never seen anyone BF in public.
Not one.

Now another idea nd dont jump on me because theres no malicious, snotty or other intent behind it but if I am correct, do people still get vouchers or something similar for formula?
If so maybe re thinking the way they are given could be another way.

does anyone know how other societies see breastfeeding? whether its something considered normal in other countries

and also is there a breastfeeding feeding day/awareness day that would good.

I think it would boost bf rates if a way were found to make milk donation as convenient for the donor as blood donation. That way milk from the milk banks could be offered in hospital to every baby for whom bf is not an option. Those mothers who didn't want the donated breastmilk could buy their own formula - but it would send out a message that bf is normal, ebm is second best, and if you want formula you buy it yourself. The fact that formula has been so readily available in hospitals and offered the moment a woman has any problem with bf, has imo been a big factor in the decline of bf over the last few decades.

i agree with sfxmum,bf is not going to be seen as normal untill breasts stop being seen as sexual.

i think for that to happen theres going to have to be huge changes in the media's portrayal of women.page 3 needs to go,and lads' mags need to be on the top shelf with pornos.

i bf ds1 for only 5 weeks because i could never get him to latch properly and would have to sit there with my huge boob exposed,so i often ended up feeding him in public toilets.if it was normal for women to be sitting in cafes/on park benches comfortably feeding a baby and not having to worry about keeping covered,i think things would have been different for me,and ds1,and my other 4 children who were all ff from birth.

nbg-the milk token system was changed about a year ago.insted of getting vouchers you could exchange for either cows milk or formula(which you had to get from clinics),you can put them towards formula,cows milk,and fruit+veg.you get 2 £3 vouchers a week for the first year of babies life,then 1 £3 voucher a week till they are 4.

Divastrop, I spent many years bf-ing in public and never felt embarrassed about it.

I wonder why some of us feel so much more embarrassed than others.

What about something big? how about an event? For example, once a year in London, or any other big city/s breastfeeding mothers could congregate and have a mass breastfeed, somewhere like Trafalgar Square, and you'd have to pay to take part and all the money could go towards breastfeeding support/charity?
This would force people to accept breastfeeding in public and make breastfeeding mothers feel less of a minority.
Just an idea

Yes and also makes out bf to be a knit-your-own-lentils activity for the politically stroppy.

my local sure start held a mass breast-feed,but they did it in private

Elasitcwoman-maybe you have pert,socially acceptable boobs?

Divastrop; I think breasts are sexual; sort of dual function aparatus. I mean, no other primate (and very few mammals) has swollen breasts unless they are lactating, so there must be some reason why women have breasts all the time when there doesn't seem to be any functional benefit; my money's on them being sexual. I agree that it does seem to vary from one society to another how sexual and whether their primary function is being compromised by them being over-sexualised.

I'd think they should put it on the PSHE curriculum in schools. That would get the facts straight early on and make it a much smoother ride for young mums - they teach teenagers how to manage their money, how to use contraception and how to wire a plug so I think the unvarnished facts about infant feeding would be a really good topic, before any discussion becomes an emotionally charged one about a personal choices during pregnancy and early parenthood.

Hmm so sure start did it but in private well thats half way there I suppose. Think it would be really good though, must be some way to arrange it!

crimplene-i do agree that they are sexual,but like you said the problem is in thier primary function being overlooked by society.

you see,i didnt feel able to bf in public because my boobs are big and saggy.saggy boobs are disgusting and should be hidden away according to the media/society.

breastfeeding awareness week

VS - thats cool, don't know if i missed anything but I didn't see if they had any kind of public event?

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When I had DD is hospital, the young woman in my room, who already had two other kids, wasn't allowed to leave for a couple of days because her baby's blood sugar level was too low. He wouldn't feed properly from a bottle and was effectively starving. She had fantastic boobs and I once asked if she had considered breastfeeding her baby, and she said no way, and her partner who was there at the time said he wouldn't let her do anything like that to her boobs. All the while I was geeting on with happily feeding my hungry and greedy baby girl as often as I liked and felt really sorry for her, her stupid fat idiot of a partner, and her starving little son. Even when they had to get the registrar to expalain to them that their baby was actually getting ill from not feeding enough, she didn't think seem to understand perhaps trying her boobs might have started his recovery and got her out of hospital sooner. I really felt that BF was seen by them at least as something wierd, and I just hope they saw from me that it wasn't. I didn't preach though. Thankfully, as soon as I left hospital I found more peope supportive of BF than negative.

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Explaining the pleasure of breastfeeding to 14 year olds is like trying to explain the pleasure of the opposite sex to 7 year olds. They don't get it and will shout EWWWWWWWWW GROSS!

It needs to be already HAPPENING when they grow up. Children need to see it happening. I grew up with bottles as default, and my default positin was to bottle feed. Other friends hadn't even considered a bottle, their family had always breastfed.

Actions speak louder than words. You can tell people, intelligent people, untill you are blue in the face about how great it is, but if they have 'EWWWWW GROSS' in the back of their minds, they need to SEE it is not gross.

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a few years back, long before I had children I was talking to a work colleague who had 2 dd's,
I asked her how she found breastfeeding, mostly because I thought it was the norm, and she looked at me with pity - why on earth would I want to be stuck to the babies? I need my freedom.

I didn't get it and still don't

No, but then, sfxmum, you not getting it doesn't make it an invalid reason. There are plenty of people who need time away from their babies. I was a better mother for it. YOu are lucky not be be one of them, because it's actually quite hard to arrange.

RE nulling the EW factor - it needs to be rammed home at infant level. Before these kids are given the idea that breasts are sexual. And female toplessness in public has to stop being 'obscene', which it currently is.

Breastfeeding is a learned skill and it is so helpful to see other women feeding to help you get it right and to make you feel comfortable. We need to see bf on TV and films as the default way to feed a baby. Also better training for hospital staff, I vote for La Leche League trained people in all maternity units so that anyone who wants to bf gets the best possible advice.

who doesn't need time away from the babies? I think it was the almost absolute horror tone, as in I have given birth what else do you expect from me not sure how to explain it really, there were other things she said which I found puzzling

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