Breast vs. bottle (am I brave or insane?)

[emkana]

article in Times today

What interests me, both in this article and in previous threads on the Mumsnet, is how there is a feeling that the "breastfeeding lobby" or "mafia" as I believe it has been called is regarded as so powerful and influential and as having such a large impact on new mothers everywhere to make their lives an utter misery. I just can't see it! I see formula etc. on sale everywhere, articles on how to bottlefeed in every baby magazine, which always always say that you shouldn't feel guilty for bottlefeeding, I see bottlefeeding on TV, I see bottlefeeding celebrities, bottlefeeding mothers at toddler groups...
Breastfeeding? I vaguely remember a poster on the maternity ward, but it wasn't particularly in your face. I might have been given a leaflet on breastfeeding by the midwife. That's it.

I just don't get it, I really don't.
I don't mean to upset anyone, by the way. I'm just genuinely interested in your experiences. Honestly.

lockets? or frogspawn?

I'll be Harvey Kietel thank you very much

but not from "Bad Leiutenant" though, please

no dont worry , from mean streets......

Coooool

what no one to be the GORGEOUS Ray Liotta then?

nice one marsy.... u make me laugh so much!

why thank you (I think)

yes it was a compliment!

I miss seeing the gorgeous Ray on the screen. I bought Corinna Corinna cos he was in it

anyone for horse head?

horses head pub?

shit, I said I wouldnt post anymore. Just couldnt resist responding to the old mafia omment. Most unpleasant, QoQ. You are right, comments like that do make this site unpleasant but at least it was only one poster who had to resort to such daft insults.

I thought the thread went really, really well, considering the controversial topic.

Oh well, unfortunately it looks like it always goes wrong at some stage.

So, GdG, some of us on here threaten and bully others into breastfeeding, do we? Right.

It's a real shame as instead of being able discuss levels and effects of support for women who want to bf, it ends up with a poster deciding it is an attacl on those who struggled to bf or chose not to.
Personally, I couldnt care less if someone makes an informed decision about not bf. I do care when women struggle to bf and either get no support and/or are given incorrect information.
There are countries where the majority of women do bf. Assuming they are not being forced to, it is worthwhile to wonder why figures are so much higher.

Or is that too much of a mass murderer/torturer idea?

Couldn't agree with you more, hercules.

But that's probably just because we're both mafiosi...

Just going to pick on one tiny little point that really gets my goat (not going to get into the whole breast v bottle, too early in the morning).

Women who react badly to people going on and on about how breastfeeding is so supreme (not all bf'ers do that by any means but some do and the odd MN'er does too) are NOT necessarily plagued by some raging guilt about their own choice. Some of them are more than happy with their choice but angry and upset that the odd person could be so narrow minded that they can't consider individual circumstances, they can only push the same old message over and over.

If someone's managed to breastfeed then great, fabulous. But I'm sorry, it doesn't make them a sudden hero and it doesn't make them better than anyone else, or mean that their kids are suddenly superhuman. I don't think anyone on this thread's behaved like that but I have seen that attitude on MN and in RL before so I know it exists.

It just narks me that people assume I must feel guilty about bottlefeeding to be angry about this - I don't. With the sht support I got and the sht start dd got at hospital she could easily have suffered serious health problems if I'd carried on trying to breastfeed whereas with bottlefeeding she's a very happy, healthy 2 year old - so I'm over the moon with my choice thankyou-very-much.

have only skimmed most of the thread but feel a bit sad with it tbh. there should be better support for womejn who want to bf but are having problems. when u give brith your midwife should show u how tio breatfeed by just shoving the baby on your boob as you dont learn anything about posotioning etc. gotta go baby needs feeding wil add more later.

But no one is saying that. Saying there is a lack of support for women who want to bf is not the same as attacking women who didnt bf.

herc, I said that no-one on this thread had behaved like that but people have on MN before, which is why some posters are wary and feel like they'll get attacked on any breast v bottle thread.

And someone on here did say that women who get upset by some discussions must be feeling guilty - I was just saying thats not true.