Any other women grossed out by breastfeeding?

[Nonameslefttochose]

As in subject, I’m wondering if any other women are absolutely grossed out by breastfeeding? I’m very maternal, I love children (mine and everyone else’s!) I value children and family as the most important “things” in life. Yet the idea of breastfeeding makes me cringe. A baby sucking on a breast like some kind of animal :) despite of this I did try with my first son and lasted 4 days. My second baby is due next week and I’m going to try again even for the first few days as of course I know it’s so beneficial etc. I’m just wondering if anyone else out there have similar feelings with regards to BF?

OP I find it hard to understand your point of view when you are happy to be pregnant twice, you know "like an animal". Having a separate being growing inside you and parasitically living off your body for 9 months is fine, but then feeding it from that same body after the birth is "gross"?!

Why do people on these threads always say things like "I wouldn't judge a woman who breastfeeds"...Well obviously not, why on earth would you? You might as well say i don't judge people who breathe.

Lots of immaturity on this thread, including those being 'squeamish' about formula feeding

I thought breastfeed was amazing. Painful and uncomfortable and sometimes embarrassing (though was just me) but yes, connecting and animal like in a good way

Heebie jeebies about breastfeeding? But ok with a fake silicone breast/nipple (bottle/dummy) and filling it with formula "fortified" with palm oil etc and constituted from powdered milk from another species.

Yeah.

Strange.

I honestly think it's crazy how people are so disengaged from their own bodies and biology.

I love breastfeeding (I'm doing it right now) hope you all manage to keep your dinner down.

I think if a thread was put up about how disgusting or unnatural formula feeding was it would be taken down and flamed by people not being supportive, yet somehow it is fine to be unpleasant about breastfeeding, isn’t it?

I don’t think that’s fair. I don’t care what other people do. Other people breastfeeding doesn’t give me the heebie jeebies. I just didn’t want to do it myself.

Nobody has to breastfeed that doesn't want to (or can't). It's actually quite common for victims of sexual assault to be traumatised by the idea of birth/breastfeeding, and that's ok.

I remember my mum breastfeeding my youngest sister. So I didn’t have any yuk feelings. All I thought is “if my mum was able to do it I am going to as well”. Then I became bloody minded about it and when ever anyone tried to put me off (because they didn’t like it) I became more determined.

I wonder if people who feel disgust or similar, did you ever see someone feed when you were young? I feel like breastfeeding rates are so low we just don’t see women feeding. We don’t see women walking down the street feeding. We occasionally see a women in a cafe or a restaurant. Things aren’t going to change until it’s just more visible.

They way it feels physically changes as the baby gets older. My experience with each child was different and I couldn’t do the same things with both kids.

Even if you breastfeed for a few days there are still benefits. The la leche book has a really nice way to phrase it. They go through benefits when you just feed colostrum, just days, just months, just years. I wish I could summarise it. They also suggest that you are laying the ground work for subsequent pregnancies/babies. It’s a positive way to look at what you did last time and what you will next time.

I felt like this before I had children. I even, much to my shame, made comments about it being animalistic to my sister when she was breastfeeding. Formula seemed so much more convenient, advanced and civilised.....
However, I accepted the arguments in favour of colostrum so when I was pregnant with my first I said that I'd breastfeed until my milk came in, and then if it was going swimmingly I might continue for a bit, 3 months being the absolute maximum. And under absolutely no circumstances would I ever breastfeed in public and I definitely wouldn't be one of "those" mothers who bf for ages, you know, over 6 months 🙄
Then I had my baby and everything changed in an instant. It suddenly became incredibly important to me to bf, even though it most certainly didn't go swimmingly at first and by my 3 month deadline I was still in severe pain, though my baby was thriving. Far from being the superior option I now found the idea of feeding the processed breastmilk of another species to my child quite bizarre, repulsive even, and was determined not to do so. I ended up feeding all my babies for years til they self weaned and I gave up worrying about feeding in public after about 3 weeks. My sister still loves to remind me of my pre pregnancy comments even though our children are all grown up now. I don't know what changed my mind so instantly....hormones I suppose?

@Magicalwoodlands

I think if a thread was put up about how disgusting or unnatural formula feeding was it would be taken down and flamed by people not being supportive, yet somehow it is fine to be unpleasant about breastfeeding, isn’t it?

It's crazy isn't it! And if it's a pro bfing post then all the offended bottle feeding mums come out in force to basically say they shouldnt have their noses rubbed in it (which isn't even the purpose of the post generally!). Breastfeeding gets so much stick and disrespect (generally from women 🙄)

@Magicalwoodlands

I think if a thread was put up about how disgusting or unnatural formula feeding was it would be taken down and flamed by people not being supportive, yet somehow it is fine to be unpleasant about breastfeeding, isn’t it?

Agree with this

I find your post sad OP.

I don’t understand how sex, being pregnant with all its body changes, and delivery - section or natural doesn’t gross you out, neither does changing nappies etc but singularly breastfeeding does. And you’ve no problem feeding your baby cow’s breast-milk, from a cow in a mucky dirty, shitty field, modified in a factory with a load of extra ingredients added? That make the no sense to me at all.

@MrsTerryPratchett has it right. Vive la revolucion!

My friend expressed from the start would that be an option for you?

So you’re grossed out by birth so you’re having elective sections.

You’re grossed out by bf so will be ff.

Ok then.

I wonder if people who feel disgust or similar, did you ever see someone feed when you were young? I feel like breastfeeding rates are so low we just don’t see women feeding. We don’t see women walking down the street feeding. We occasionally see a women in a cafe or a restaurant. Things aren’t going to change until it’s just more visible.

I think this is a massive part of the problem in the UK and it just creates an endless cycle of low breastfeeding rates.

My grandmother breastfed, my mum breastfed, all of my aunties on both sides breastfed (including one Aunt who breastfed twins when I was 4/5 years old), all of my female cousins breastfed (the oldest had their kids when I was an early teen). Therefore I never considered whether or not I was going to try to breastfed, I just was.

It must be really tough if you come from a family who are pro-formula and you want to breastfeed. I really feel for some of the posters on here who have to battle against family members just to be able to feed their baby naturally.

@PoshWatchShitShoes

I loved breastfeeding my DC. It's just so clever how women can produce the perfect, safe, right temperature food for our babies and for free, too. I actually thought it was quite magical. Hard work and a massive amount of dedication to be together with my babies for every single feed, but wonderful. We should celebrate it more 👏

It's a very long time ago for me now (coming up to 27 years since I last breastfed) but that's how I felt about it too. I remember in my teens in the 1970s seeing some sort of schools programme about breastfeeding/cows/mammals (can't now remember) and being repulsed. I mentioned it to a friend who reacted much more sensibly with a reminder that it was natural and good for the baby, and that had an effect. Over the succeeding years I read a bit about women's bodies and the incredible things they can do, and became convinced that if I could I should have a shot at breastfeeding. So glad I did. A student midwife helped me to establish it with my daughter after an emergency CS. It was a hard few days but paid dividends later on. No sterilising, no remembering to buy formula, she only needed me. And the same for my son two years later. 15 months or so in both cases. No idea whether it made any difference to their health or development but I loved it.

OP, it just wasn’t for me so when I had DC it was formula all the way. I don’t particularly care if a woman BF their child in front of me but the thought of doing that myself made me feel sick.

It wasn’t for me and I had never been maternal so I didn’t over think it. Hipp Organic formula and the perfect prep machine got my DC through the first year of their life and keep me sane.

Do what you can do and don’t over think.

La leche cover your ideas vaguely here. They call it aversion.

www.laleche.org.uk/dont-enjoy-breastfeeding/

Couldn't agree more @Magicalwoodlands

The only other person who has expressed the same opinion in front of me is my 75 year old step mother. But I guess there are millions of people like you OP as breastfeeding rates are so incredibly low generally.

TBH, 16 years later the idea of it is weird, but probably because the feeding baby is now a tall teen. But with a small baby it just felt natural. And it was more convenient.

OP got major issues.

Not gross things about it:

It’s designed for your baby, if they get ill your milk adapts to help then
It’s free
You can leave the house with your baby and a couple if nappies and stay out as long as you like
It helps your uterus contract after birth
It burns loads of calories
It helps strengthen the baby’s jaw, helps them learn to speak and eat solids
You pass immunity for a few things into them
No faff when they’re hungry, milk is always ready on tap
Better for the planet, no food miles
Helps your baby get to sleep
Fastest way to comfort them
Lowers your risk of several cancers
Lowers risk of PND
Lowers risk of SIDS

I’m not repulsed by other people breastfeeding but I had absolutely no intention ever to breast feed my dd and the day my milk came in I felt completely and utterly repulsed with myself.
I think pregnancy is just absolutely amazing and I loved being pregnant and think our bodies are amazing but breastfeeding was never even an option for myself.