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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

What would you say if someone said to you don't breastfeed your not an african????

27 replies

Imnotok · 03/09/2008 08:04

Apart from kick them in the head
This is a 16 year old who said this she also said it was totally disgusting .

OP posts:
SheSellsSeashellsByTheSeashore · 03/09/2008 08:06

she will learn. 16 y o olds can be very ignorant and even vile at times. she will mature and learn if not give her a kick in the head when she is 18 tis so illegal then.

SmugColditz · 03/09/2008 08:07

In what context? In that "you are not a member of Africa if you don't manage to breastfeed, you are an outcast" or "errr gross, errr breastfeeding like in Africa, Errrr I'm not breastfeeding, I'm not an African errrr"

Either way I'd give her a talk on biology and racial tolerance (and I would give her a VERY good talking to about making assumptions based on where someone is born!)

Then I would let it slide. 16 is not an adult and it's not realistic to expect adult behavior. Breastfeeding disgusted me when I was 16, it doesn't now!

Original poster
Imnotok · 03/09/2008 08:08

Well thats why I didn't rant at her too much .still annoyed with her though

OP posts:
Anna8888 · 03/09/2008 08:09

Here in France a lot of media portrayal of women who breastfeed is of African women.

White bourgeois journalists simultaneously urging all women to breastfeed and then only showing African women breastfeeding sends very odd messages IMO.

mou · 03/09/2008 08:10

its the most natural thing in the world if it suits you and your body.

cross for you but can't do links!

i breastfed my DS and DD for a year each and loved it, in fact used to feed them sometimes cos it made me feel serene. some people can't get past the fact the breasts are also a big focus sexually...my BIL wouldn't stay in the room and i was really discreet.

BloodySmartarseToTheRescue · 03/09/2008 08:11

id show pity at her ignorance and question her aggression. suggest she had an idea what she was talking about before she opened her mouth. and tell her i was disturbed by her connection of disgusting and africa, could she please explain, coz it sounds awfully like a deeply offensive and racist sort of opinion, which would selling herself short really if she thought about it...

yep, id go for patronising.

Original poster
Imnotok · 03/09/2008 08:12

I just think it is her age and immaturity tbh .I was just sad to hear her talking that way but I am not going to read too much into it.

OP posts:
Original poster
Imnotok · 03/09/2008 08:12

I just think it is her age and immaturity tbh .I was just sad to hear her talking that way but I am not going to read too much into it.

OP posts:
Original poster
Imnotok · 03/09/2008 08:12

I just think it is her age and immaturity tbh .I was just sad to hear her talking that way but I am not going to read too much into it.

OP posts:
Legoleia · 03/09/2008 08:15

I would say "Ah, but I am African".

(Am a blue-eyed blonde)

That'd baffler her.

Original poster
Imnotok · 03/09/2008 08:15

ooops not ognoring any more comments going on school run .

OP posts:
Original poster
Imnotok · 03/09/2008 08:15

ooops not ognoring any more comments going on school run .

OP posts:
Original poster
Imnotok · 03/09/2008 08:15

ooops not ognoring any more comments going on school run .

OP posts:
FrannyandZooey · 03/09/2008 08:24

if she was 16 I would laugh and say "oh dear, you know breastfeeding is really wonderful for babies and for mothers, of course I am going to do it. Did you not know about how good it is for babies?" etc

onwardandupward · 03/09/2008 13:40

I think I'd just look really surprised and say

"but... what did you think breasts were for?"

Becky77 · 03/09/2008 14:11

What a silly girl! But it does remind me of our midwife, an older Irish woman, who was always going on about the women in Africa... "You don't need to use a breast bump, you don't see women in Africa with them... You don't see African women carting around nursing cushions"... And on and on!

Piffle · 03/09/2008 14:15

I'd have said something darky and rude and below belt like can tell you were never breastfed and trot out something along lines of build/intelligence
Wrong but I'm dreadfully reactionary and know how you wound 16yr old girls with words

chipmonkey · 03/09/2008 14:49

Do you know this girl, imnotok? Or is she a strnger you just met?

cupsoftea · 03/09/2008 14:51

lol - what a stupid comment - would ignore her

MadameOvary · 03/09/2008 14:53

"Dont speak, you have no social skills"
Childish but satisfying

Elasticwoman · 04/09/2008 08:35

Yes another example of why some breastfeeding awareness should be taught in all schools along with SRE.

Babababy · 04/09/2008 10:21

who is/was this girl?
Very funny comment.

ilovemydog · 04/09/2008 10:27

lol becky 77 - my midwife had a similar line; that a Somalian woman (her patient) managed to cope just fine without much of anything. Message I think was that there is always someone worse off

chipmonkey · 04/09/2008 12:44

Becky, I'm Irish and a lot of the Irish MW's seem to use this line!

You could probably make up a lot of phrases like that though

"Don't eat that hamburger, you're not American"
"Don't wear nice clothes, you're not French"
"Don't buy those shoes, you're not Italian"
"Don't have a barbecue, you're not Australian"

How very restrictive life would be!

Becky77 · 04/09/2008 14:11

She was quite a character... I can laugh now but at the time I was traumatised... A friend had showed me how to do the crosscradle hold and this MW came in and starts "what's that you're doing? Just use the other arm... drop your shoulder... drop your shoulder... WHY ARENT YOU DROPPING YOUR SHOULDER?"... I hope she's retired (or we've moved) by the next time!

Our little one is a red head as well and the same MW said "ahhh pure genes" so perhaps her African comment was more sinister than at first thought!

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