Does personality type affect breastfeeding experience? Anyone got any info? Lets do a mumsnet bit of research!

[mears]

I have had a google briefly but can't find anything at the moment.

I have had a lot of discussion about personality type recently and just completed an online test

It got me to wondering whether personality type has a bearing on the experience duration of breastfeeding.

My test result was ESFJ and I had a great experience.

My sister is ISTJ and had a completely opposite experience to me.

I thought it might be interesting to see what personality types and experiences were in the vastness of mumsnet.

The test doesn't take long if you are up for it

There may be an association between BF and personality type but it's not necessarilly a causal association. It's just too simplistic and confounded by dozens of other things. Bad science

ENFP

the advocate

tricky start with dd1 then fed till 3+ inc through pg and tandem

dd2 was a breeze from the start, still bf at nearly 3

cthea -- Myers-Briggs itself is "respectable"; any free online test will only be a cut-down version.

I think if MB personality type has any relevance at all to breastfeeding experiences (which I doubt, to be honest) it'll be only in terms of which problems/issues have been significant to that person. For example (and entirely invented off the top of my head as an illustration) Is might have trouble with the unremitting nature of bfing/lack of 'me' time, Es might find it isolating, Ss might worry about how much the baby is getting and/or Js might be put off by a lack of routine. That sort of thing.

But I'm unconvinced overall.

You are right cthea.

I think there is an issue about having knowledge about what may be needed to be done to exclusively breastfeed but not having the personality type to be able to do it.

My sister feels that exclusive breastfeeding is not an achievable option for the vast majority of women. Once she got over the initial painful nipple problems she could not content herself to sit and feed. She wanted to get on with other things and for her, mixed feeding was a better option.

I had no problems with frequent prolonged feeding sessions but my sister just felt that was not something she wanted to do. Hence my thoughts about personality and coping with different situations.

If you are a structured, analytical problem solving person, are you less likely to cope with the demands or irregular erratic feeding times?

mears, which test have we to take, there seem to be a few...

personality type

okay-doke.

actually, how long does it take, do you remember?

less than 10 minutes

Just wanted to post cos I noticed that there is no one with the same personality type as me , ENTJ but tested (twice) with real MB test years ago. Maybe this online test is limited in results?

Also really happy with BF on erratic demand.

ENFP. i think the other acronym is TWAT. was shit at bfing.

reads harpsi's type. whoops.

i too am an advocate, harps.

reads harpsi's type. whoops.

i too am an advocate, harps.

I also got different from everyone else who has posted so far - am ISTP (the Craftsman) - still bf'ing at 8 1/2mo and aiming to continue to at least a year or until DS bites me nips off!

Just as a point of interest, it's yet another profile I have done where I seem to fit in more with males than females (ISTP is 11.5% of males and only 6.5% of females). Proves that one mate was right when he said I was a "good bloke to go drinking with"

i am ESFP on that test, tho i didnt like lots of the questions, found it really hard to choose lots of them.

i did another online myersbriggs test, linked to on here, the other day... and im sure i got a different result. i thought the other test was easier to answer too.

ESFP, the Entertainer!
Am an extended bfer and never had any trouble!

INFP - The "Dreamer"

The description is quite accurate for me I think. I'm still nursing at 25 months and 16 weeks pregnant.

Not read the rest of the responses so have no idea what it all means.

oh right, the bf...
yeah i always expected to. wasnt a question for me. had a hard time getting started with it the first time, but settled into it. a piece of piss the second time, then more probs at first with the third, tho sorted quickly.
only fed for between 5-8m each, longer with each baby.

INFP too - Problems with milk coming in with all three of them, but once it got going I had no problems and loved it. DSs had outside factors that caused me to wean them earlier than I would have liked (between 7 mth and a year iirc), and DD self weaned at 2.

(Off topic, I like any test that puts me in a catagory with Fox Mulder )

I am ISFJ - the defender.

BF DS1 was a struggle for the first couple of months but fed him for 13mths in total and then fed DS2 pretty easily for 16mths.

I can't say I loved it - didn't hate it certainly but didn't love it. I did it because I felt it was the right thing to do and because I thought that the DC were more important for this short time than me.

Apparently my primary desire is to be of service and to consider the practical needs of others.

Actually it was a bit spookily accurate.

I'm INTP - engineer

Had 4 very different BF experiences

More worrying is all these tests always make me male! ( population 4%male to 1%female this time)

Just call me Malcolm

3 of my children have done the test now and it is spookily accurate.

Am going to start another thread in Chat for other experiences (not related to breastfeeding!!)

I'm ENPF - the Advocat

assumed i would breastfeed, was determined to breastfeed, but had a horrible time and failed to bfeed both dd's.

sorry advocate, rather than nasty 70's drink!