Why is breastfeeding frowned upon?

[Texashiker]

It amazes me that people in general have such bad attitudes towards breastfeeding.

In the 1940s when women had to go to work in the factories, and through the 1960s bottle feeding gained a lot of popularity. But it seems to me that breastfeeding should be common sense, why hate on a mother that is trying to give her child the best start she can? We should be able to undue 20 - 30 years of social programming with some simple education. So what is the problem?

Parenting.com - Study Shows Breastfeeding Moms Viewed as Less Competent

When I was married to my first wife, and we had our first child, I wanted my wife to breastfeed. She was a stay at home mom, so there should not have been an issue. But my mother-in-law had the opinion that breastfeeding was "nasty" and talked my wife out of even trying.

Were you breastfed as a child - yes, no.
What are your opinions on breastfeeding.

 

[waggy]

Why is breastfeeding frowned upon?

because people are stupid? if you are one against it then nothing is going to change a persons mind. breastfeeding is not dirty, perverted, sexy or anything besides a baby eating.

 

[Broheim]

I don't care if a woman breastfeeds or not, but I normally don't want to look at it, usually the mom looks like crap and has weird ass nipples : /

 

[IceBergSLiM]

Govt./Media propaganda? They want weak feeble minded bottle fed citizens.

 

[Skyclad1uhm1]

Because in the USA people are extremely fundamentalistic about the whole concept of 'nipples'. Only the Taliban freaks out more over the female body.

Not many countries freak out more over nipples on TV than over violence.

 

[rasczak]

because women don't like seeing each others boobs. a real travesty if you ask me.

 

[vi edit]

I think it's a perception that it's something poor people do because they can't afford formula. Plus there's a vanity and convenience thing...some women don't want to do it because they don't want their tits to get saggy or their nipples to look like silver dollars. And with more women working the ability to dedicate multiple hours a day to pumping while they are trying to work 8 hours a day + take care of a family is a chore.

 

[Vette73]

You have to be pretty dumb to be against it for most. Yea there are the cases of those that smoke/drink/take certain meds/illness and they should not breast feed. But for most it’s the best thing for the child and even helps the mother.

After my son was born the hospital has a lactation nurse/expert that helps women do it. My wife has some hormonal issues and made very little milk. Even the helper was almost strangling my wife’s tits to try and get some milk out. She seemed to be getting mad. J
Even with that my wife still tried and used a pump since my son was not able to draw from my wife.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

I've never personally met someone who was against it... Maybe against doing it in public? The people I've known to use formula it was a convenience or medical necessity thing.

 

[TurtleCrusher]

I'm for it. Seriously.

 

[ShawnD1]

I've never personally met someone who was against it... Maybe against doing it in public? The people I've known to use formula it was a convenience or medical necessity thing.

This. OP mother in law is a retard and probably has no friends.

 

[blackdogdeek]

i don't know anyone against it either around here (nyc area). afaik, mothers here are encouraged to breastfeed and are looked down upon if they feed with formula. my wife tried for a long time to breastfeed our first daughter but after about a month it didn't work out and we formula fed her. for our second daughter, my wife's milk finally came in after a long time and she was able to breastfeed her for a long time. interestingly, the older one has a peanut allergy but rarely gets sick. she also is open to trying many more foods than her younger sister. the younger one has no known allergies (except maybe to discipline ;-)) but gets sick much more often and is a ridiculously picky eater.

i was breastfed as a child. i would encourage new mothers to breastfeed if possible. it can be daunting especially because you never know if/when the milk will come in and when you're a first time parent there is a lot of pressure so i understand when parents choose to formula feed instead.

the only thing i would ask for breastfeeding mothers is please cover up with a breastfeeding blanket when nursing.

 

[Codewiz]

The only people I find retarded are the ones breastfeeding their 3 year olds and older.

 

[Texashiker]

This. OP mother in law is a retard and probably has no friends.

The ex-mother-in-law had some serious hangups about sex, and life in general.

Our second child was also bottle fed (also to my objections), and threw up everything. At 4 - 6 weeks old, he weighed less then he did when he was born. After several trips to the doctor, and trying every formula on the market, hew as finally able to keep goats milk down.

Mother-in-law died in a car wreck.

Our 3rd and 4th children were breastfeed.

My wife came to me a several years ago and told me she regretted listening to her mother about breastfeeding and bottle feeding. She took part of the blame for our second sons projection vomiting, and poor health through the first 4 - 6 months of his life.

Comparing the overall health of our 2 bottle fed kids and our 2 breastfed kids, the breastfed are healthier, and have less social issues in their teenage years.

As for the hangups about breastfeeding, a lot of people see it as being a sexual act because it involves a breast. Moms that breastfeed must be sick to preform a sexual act on their kids. And I have been told that kind of stuff before.

 

[skyking]

It is due to the sexual repression in this country. Since the breasts are viewed as sexual objects first and therefore are somehow dirty or forbidden fruit, baring them for the actual purpose is somehow dirty.
It is some seriously messed up crap.
My mom was the head nurse in a maternity department for 25 years, and an expert in teaching breastfeeding techniques. She helped literally thousands of women with problems. She taught how to breastfeed cleft palate babies, who many people believed you could not breast feed.

 

[Lifted]

Does anyone have access to the actual research findings? For all we know, the results showed that 2% of men over 60 years old have issues with, or show bias against, a potential employee or current employee breastfeeding her child.

 

[HAL9000]

It isn't in the UK, i've never heard this before...?

 

[HumblePie]

Sexually repressed people? Why do men in this country constantly have their wiener's cut at birth? I'll give you a clue.

Women.

Women in the US like the cut look now which is why we are one of the few countries that does "routine" circumcisions as well. Women do not like looking at women's nipples or breasts either. Especially inflated "big" ones that are natural because women like to compare all the time. Yes there are some men as well who are of the same opinion, but the vast majority of the reason behind this is because of women. I am talking outside of the religious zealots, because they are a huge factor as well and encompass both men and women who think this way. I'm referring to other influences, and a larger body of it, beyond the religious zealots who are sexually ashamed of their bodies.

If you want to change attitudes, that is where you are going to have to start. Seeing as how much fatter, uglier, and more sexually ashamed women are becoming of their bodies lately, I don't see this changing any time soon.

 

[waggy]

The only people I find retarded are the ones breastfeeding their 3 year olds and older.

yeah thats a little odd. when the child is lifting up the mothers shirt its time to think about ending it.

 

[Scotteq]

Breastfeeding is the superior method to feed newborns: The child receives antibodies and proteins from the mother which are available from no other source.

Not necessarily something to be done in public. Though it's really only annoying if/when the mother doesn't bring a small blanket or towel to cover herself.

 

[JimW1949]

And with more women working the ability to dedicate multiple hours a day to pumping while they are trying to work 8 hours a day + take care of a family is a chore.

While I am certain there are many reasons why so many people frown on breastfeeding, I think the above reason is probably the MAIN reason.

We had a young woman at work who had a baby and she was breastfeeding. While at work she would have to go into the bathroom and use a breast pump several times each day. While she was using the breast pump she wasn't working, and the boss would get a bit irritated with the whole situation. The boss never told her she couldn't use a breast pump, but it did not make for a happy work environment.

Personally, I am not against breast feeding. In a lot of ways I think it is a good idea and many experts say that it is better for the child. So, my opinion is that for "stay at home moms" I think it is a wonderful idea, but for working mothers I think it would be best if they didn't breast feed.

 

[AstroManLuca]

Sexually repressed people? Why do men in this country constantly have their wiener's cut at birth? I'll give you a clue.

Women.

Women in the US like the cut look now which is why we are one of the few countries that does "routine" circumcisions as well. Women do not like looking at women's nipples or breasts either. Especially inflated "big" ones that are natural because women like to compare all the time. Yes there are some men as well who are of the same opinion, but the vast majority of the reason behind this is because of women. I am talking outside of the religious zealots, because they are a huge factor as well and encompass both men and women who think this way. I'm referring to other influences, and a larger body of it, beyond the religious zealots who are sexually ashamed of their bodies.

If you want to change attitudes, that is where you are going to have to start. Seeing as how much fatter, uglier, and more sexually ashamed women are becoming of their bodies lately, I don't see this changing any time soon.

I agree. Women complain about how "society" puts high expectations on them, but men are much more accepting of different body types than women. Men don't all expect women to be rail thin. Most like them to have more shape to them. Ask a man what the ideal woman looks like and more likely than not he'll want a woman with big boobs and big hips. Ask a woman and she'll just want to be thin.

We guys just have to do our part to get rid of these stereotypes and expectations.

 

[foghorn67]

Never even heard of that being frowned upon. Maybe public display being an issue, but not in general.

 

[Anubis]

yea the only issues Ive head about it is people whipping a tit out in public and not covering up with a blanket

 

[HAL9000]

yea the only issues Ive head about it is people whipping a tit out in public and not covering up with a blanket

This. I've never heard about this who thread problem before, unless it's about getting tits out in public.