Breast not best?

[Fryk]

I remember my mom getting tut-tuts from people in our church for bottle feeding my youngest sister. I remember how pissed off it got my parents, too. See, my sister had a TON of food allergies, and would have a reaction just based on the food she ate to produce the milk.

[AdminAssistant]

BK, Bottlefeeding a child is not analogous to smoking or drinking while pregnant. And many mothers are not able to feed their child off breast alone; a number of examples have been provided here. I mean, hell, I guess my sister should have quit her job (the job that was providing the insurance to have the baby) and just sat around the house with my nephew attached to her tit, right? That is not feasible in today's society.

[Lace Neil Singer]

BK, Bottlefeeding a child is not analogous to smoking or drinking while pregnant. And many mothers are not able to feed their child off breast alone; a number of examples have been provided here. I mean, hell, I guess my sister should have quit her job (the job that was providing the insurance to have the baby) and just sat around the house with my nephew attached to her tit, right? That is not feasible in today's society.

Agreed. It may come as a surprise to a lot of pro breastfeeders, but there are some women who are UNABLE to produce milk, or who just can't breastfeed for some reason. Why the hell should these women be lined up against those who drink or smoke in pregnancy, or those who wilfully abuse their children, and be criticised and made to feel as tho they're committing a terrible crime?

BK, I suggest you read the following links to get a better perspective.

http://hubpages.com/hub/Some--of-us-cant-breastfeed
http://www.momlogic.com/2009/05/suic...astfeeding.php

Also, in some cases, breast feeding could actually damage a child's health.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0904072857.htm
http://www.childbirthsolutions.com/a...tyle/index.php

[McDreidel09]

Honestly, whose business is it that a woman breast feeds or formula feeds her child? The child is getting fed and both methods are nutritional.

Both my sister and I were formula fed and we are pretty healthy. When I have kids, I am going to make the choice to breast feed my children, unless I am one of those women who can't produce enough milk. I will be okay with pumping so my husband can have that bonding time with the baby too.

Don't worry. I'm not going to be one of those women who bare their boobs to the world while breast feeding. I will feed my baby, but discreetly.

ETA: I read those links about what harms could befall a child through breast feeding. It's all up to the mothers. If they are taking care of themselves and not smoking or drinking or having a huge caffeine intake, then breast feeding won't harm the child (provided the child is not intolerant to the milk).

[Lachrymose]

Breastfeeding grosses me right out..The thought of something sucking food out of my body is just too disgusting to contemplate.

Really? On a scale of one to ten of gross things about dealing with kids I think that'd be a one.

[Lace Neil Singer]

Honestly, whose business is it that a woman breast feeds or formula feeds her child? The child is getting fed and both methods are nutritional.

That is exactly my point. I understand that breast feeding is good for a child, and it's also great that it's no longer considered yucky or nasty; but I just don't see why health visitors should be allowed to have an agenda whereas any mother who dares to bottle feed her child ends up being made to feel like a social leper.

Really? On a scale of one to ten of gross things about dealing with kids I think that'd be a one.

Bright green runny baby poopy would be ten. Ugh.

[LewisLegion]

As a parent I'm going to make several decisions that affect the life of someone else that they have no say over whatsoever. Yeah, they can't choose whether or not they want to be breastfed. They also didn't choose to be born, can't choose which diapers I put on them, what color clothes they're going to wear, etc. When they're older, they can't choose what I make them for dinner, when they get put to bed, what I let them watch on TV.

We've come a long way from feeding babies with 'flour and water'. Just because it wasn't a good idea to feed them THAT doesn't mean that modern formulas aren't perfectly safe and nutritional now. Millions of children are breastfed and fine. Millions are bottle fed and fine. Someone can whine and rant and wave literature at me all they want. If I ever give birth I'm not breastfeeding. Period.

[Lace Neil Singer]

Especially when said "literature" comes from a biased source; yeah, sure a pro breastfeeding site is going to be completely neutral when discussing the subject!

[Amanita]

A lot of the things associated with babies gross me out. Baby poo, being suckled on, a lot of things. I'm wierd that way. Heck, even the idea of giving birth grosses me out, which is one of the reasons why I am childfree.

I've gotten royally shat on for defending non-breastfeeders, when I say that it's not for every woman. Some women can't produce enough milk, don't like doing it, or need to take medications which could be passed through the milk and hurt the kid. Why is that so evil to some people?

And even adopting is no excuse for not breastfeeding in some people's eyes. I've heard of women who adopt taking hormones to make themselves lactate, or being pressured to do so which to me is just WTF territory. I remember reading an article about guys taking hormones to produce milk, and no, it wasn't sci-fi. Some hippy parenting website.

[Lace Neil Singer]

I once read an attack on another forum where this woman was stating that she had no intention at all of breastfeeding... cuz she'd had a double masectomy. I kid you not, people were actually being ignorant enough to bitch at her despite this. Just how does one breastfeed with no breasts?

[McDreidel09]

I once read an attack on another forum where this woman was stating that she had no intention at all of breastfeeding... cuz she'd had a double masectomy. I kid you not, people were actually being ignorant enough to bitch at her despite this. Just how does one breastfeed with no breasts?

Breast implants?

But seriously, many pro breast feeders seriously piss me off. It's none of their business as to how someone else is raising their own children. Some formula feeders can be the same way too, however. When I expressed the desire to breast feed, I got this crap:

"Why would you even do that? That is so gross! You're going to be a bad mother! Your husband should be the only one to be near your boobs! You're going to scar that child for life because s/he has to see your boobs!"

Yeah sure. I'm not pro breast feeding. I'm not pro formula. I'm pro having fed children.

[AdminAssistant]

I once read an attack on another forum where this woman was stating that she had no intention at all of breastfeeding... cuz she'd had a double masectomy. I kid you not, people were actually being ignorant enough to bitch at her despite this. Just how does one breastfeed with no breasts?

WOW. Having a mastectomy is traumatic enough without people doing that crap.

[Lace Neil Singer]

Said idiots were ganged up on, roundly cyber beaten and eventually chased off by myself and several others. I couldn't agree more; this woman has survived cancer and against all the odds had a baby; and some dim bulb's response is to bitch at her for not breastfeeding? It's people like that who give the entire group a bad name.

[jackfaire]

"Why would you even do that? That is so gross! You're going to be a bad mother! Your husband should be the only one to be near your boobs! You're going to scar that child for life because s/he has to see your boobs!"

These are the same people that forget that anything prior to the 20th century existed.

[McDreidel09]

These are the same people that forget that anything prior to the 20th century existed.

I think the best response to my choice was my friend Tattoo.

He offered to pierce my nipples, since he is certified to do piercings. I told him no because I was going to breast feed my children. His response?

"How cool would it be if it came out of THREE holes!"

I love that guy.