Why is breastfeeding frowned upon?

[KGB]

I'm 'pro' breast feeding as long as the Oreos hold out.

 

[Nik]

Just as soon as all the fat disgusting men stop going topless in their yards, at the beach, at the pool, or anywhere they want. It's for public decency after all...

I'd agree with that!

Don't be ridiculous. If a man can show his nipples and not be indecent, so can a woman. And if she can't, it is exactly because society has a psychologically constructed reason for it. Boobs are not for sex. Boobs are for feeding babies.

Dont' get me wrong, I'm all for topless women in public. However, that's not how shit works in reality. We can fantasize about topless women in public until we're blue in the face (or the balls?) but it won't change the fact that the majority of the country still doesn't want tits shown in public. No matter how much more advanced your social ideology is than the archaic laws of religion-crazies, it's still frowned upon by the society you live in.

I'm not saying be a mindless drone and I'm not advocating any DOWN WITH THE GUB'MENT nonsense. I'm just saying: people don't like to see it. You need to feed your baby? Fine. Here's an empty bottle you can fill with milk to use while you're in public. It's not that fucking hard.

 

[rivan]

There's a lot of factors at play that can make for some very difficult situations. In our situation, our daughter was a premi and too weak to latch initially. By the time she was strong enough she simply preferred the bottle because of the ease.

<snip>

I'm right there with you, but I think your situation wasn't 'normal'. Preemies are tough on a number of fronts - I was 10 weeks premature myself and had lots to deal with as a kid (it's a big deal now but it was a much bigger deal in the early 70s).

My wife pumped a lot after going back to work, going so far as to FedEx milk home a couple times when she had to travel. She got zero grief over it, but works for a makeup company heavily staffed by women.

My stance remains, that lost productivity in the workplace should not be a factor a mother (or her employer) should consider when deciding whether to breast feed.

You had other major factors; working or not, pumping that long each day would have taken it's toll on your wife, and could have impacted your child in other ways.

Family > work.

It's just not an easy situation for some women and everyone seems to have an opinion that makes them feel like they are horrible mothers.

For us, it started in the hospital, with the ladies and propaganda from Le Leche League. Now, I'm all for breast feeding kiddos, but those women bordered on militant, lol.

 

[ShawnD1]

Yep, we need to also stop people from taking a sh*t at work and it is about time we stop those smokers.

Either you pay me to shit in the toilet or I'm going to shit under the desk while I'm working. Which one do you want?

Dont' get me wrong, I'm all for topless women in public. However, that's not how shit works in reality. We can fantasize about topless women in public until we're blue in the face (or the balls?) but it won't change the fact that the majority of the country still doesn't want tits shown in public. No matter how much more advanced your social ideology is than the archaic laws of religion-crazies, it's still frowned upon by the society you live in.

Seriously, only the craziest of the crazy people don't want to see topless people. Straight men will not complaint when someone like Gianna Michaels is topless, and straight women will not complain when someone like Brad Pitt is topless.

 

[nanette1985]

But there's not much money to be made in breast milk. A constant supply of infant formula is where the money's at, so it gets far more advertising revenue.

Don't be silly. Have you SEEN all the products you need for breastfeeding? Pumps, accessories, pillows, bras, clothes, coverups, breast creams, supplements, pads - the list goes on and on! You can spend more money on breastfeeding than you do on formula.

breastfeeding supplies - http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&amp;key...l_3ludd7mwmv_e

just leaf through a parenting or a mommy magazine and look at the ads

 

[Nik]

Nobody wants to see all the fat hairy guts our society has. There's about a billion ways boobs can be shaped naturally and most of them are ugly. Unless you live in a college town, I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that even a boobman like me would be pretty disinterested after a while being that 99&#37; of our population are fuglies.

 

[vi edit]

For us, it started in the hospital, with the ladies and propaganda from Le Leche League. Now, I'm all for breast feeding kiddos, but those women bordered on militant, lol.

Hospitals are such a trainwreck for new parents. On one hand you have these gift bags full of infant formula shoved at you and down your kids throat. You don't think about brands before you have a kid...you just show up, and the hospital dumps this stuff on you. And then you have the "Boob Nazi's" (the Le Leche's you describe) coming in and doing as you said...The poor Mom has people coming in and out of the room every 20 minutes grabbing her boobs and trying to get something out of them.

Good times! Yeah...not so much.

 

[HumblePie]

Nobody wants to see all the fat hairy guts our society has. There's about a billion ways boobs can be shaped naturally and most of them are ugly. Unless you live in a college town, I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that even a boobman like me would be pretty disinterested after a while being that 99% of our population are fuglies.

Umm unless there is one missing, or there are major scars, or those weird looking ripple effects from the silicone, or hanging way down ala National Geographic pics of some primitive tribe women I haven't seen a boob I didn't like. Big, medium, or small. Round, spread, close, torpedo, bottom heavy, top heavy, or whatever they all look good to me.

 

[ShawnD1]

Don't be silly. Have you SEEN all the products you need for breastfeeding? Pumps, accessories, pillows, bras, clothes, coverups, breast creams, supplements, pads - the list goes on and on! You can spend more money on breastfeeding than you do on formula.

Yeah but that is all a scam. It's suggested by the same people who think car oil needs to be changed more than once every 3 years.

Nobody wants to see all the fat hairy guts our society has. There's about a billion ways boobs can be shaped naturally and most of them are ugly. Unless you live in a college town, I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that even a boobman like me would be pretty disinterested after a while being that 99% of our population are fuglies.

Seeing people half naked all the time would make it less offensive when you see someone half naked. I was offended as hell when I first saw a Toyota Echo but now they don't bother me so much because I see them every day.

 

[Jeff7]

Don't be silly. Have you SEEN all the products you need for breastfeeding? Pumps, accessories, pillows, bras, clothes, coverups, breast creams, supplements, pads - the list goes on and on! You can spend more money on breastfeeding than you do on formula.

breastfeeding supplies - http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&amp;key...l_3ludd7mwmv_e

just leaf through a parenting or a mommy magazine and look at the ads

Wouldn't most of that need to be bought only once though? Infant formula is something the baby would eat day after day.

But yeah, I guess some of that equipment could end up being pretty pricey.


Seems it would be more efficient to society in general if provisions were in place to make use of an existing way of delivering the milk directly to the baby...:hmm:

 

[ShawnD1]

The poor Mom has people coming in and out of the room every 20 minutes grabbing her boobs and trying to get something out of them.

Are you sure this was a hospital?

 

[surfsatwerk]

Nobody wants to see all the fat hairy guts our society has. There's about a billion ways boobs can be shaped naturally and most of them are ugly. Unless you live in a college town, I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that even a boobman like me would be pretty disinterested after a while being that 99% of our population are fuglies.

A disgustingly fat person is gross regardless of how much tarp they wrap themselves up in.

 

[rivan]

Hospitals are such a trainwreck for new parents. On one hand you have these gift bags full of infant formula shoved at you and down your kids throat. You don't think about brands before you have a kid...you just show up, and the hospital dumps this stuff on you. And then you have the "Boob Nazi's" (the Le Leche's you describe) coming in and doing as you said...The poor Mom has people coming in and out of the room every 20 minutes grabbing her boobs and trying to get something out of them.

Good times! Yeah...not so much.

It really is information overload for new parents, but we sure did help ourselves to the freebie/sample diapers, formula, creams, balms, salves, etc. Used what we liked, tossed what we didn't.

Don't get me started about all the non-freebie stuff we were assaulted with, some of it before the hospital. We really agonized over spending on the money on saving the cord blood.

 

[summit]

a lot of immunity is passed through breast milk.

 

[Imp]

I've always thought it was because of da tittays. No one likey see da tittays in publac.

Personally, I don't mind, i just don't want to see it. Kind of like personal displays of affection and people making out in public.

 

[ShawnD1]

It really is information overload for new parents, but we sure did help ourselves to the freebie/sample diapers, formula, creams, balms, salves, etc. Used what we liked, tossed what we didn't.

Don't get me started about all the non-freebie stuff we were assaulted with, some of it before the hospital. We really agonized over spending on the money on saving the cord blood.

What's ironic is that they'll probably be better parents if they are told nothing.

Look how much damage is done by retards saying retarded things. Dr Spock saying you should never punish children; just let them run around and smash shit with no consequences. Dr Kellog and his bullshit about how you should never jerk off, rush into a marriage with an idiot because you are desperate for sex, then have a miserable life when you finally blow your load and realize you married a retard. How many parents do that bullshit where they force feed children? Why on earth would anyone think that's a good idea? They're not hungry, so obviously we should force them to eat! Maybe we should also stop their feet from growing, some random person said that was a good idea too.

 

[Texashiker]

Hospitals are such a trainwreck for new parents. On one hand you have these gift bags full of infant formula shoved at you and down your kids throat.

I think this is part of the problem - hospitals give out formula, tv commercials telling people that formula is just as good as breastmilk, WIC programs hand out vouchers for formula, doctors do not talk to new parents about breastfeeding, hospital nurseries stick a bottle in the babies mouth as soon as its born, peer pressure from other mothers that bottle feed,,,,,,,,.

People have it drilling into their heads that formula is just as good as breast milk, so why would anyone want to breastfeed?

It seems to me that the people that can think for themselves, ignore the tv commercials, ignore the peer pressure, do well at breast feeding.

There are studies that show:

The lower the mothers education, the less likely they are to breastfeed. This might explain why blacks and other minorities have such low levels of breastfeeding, as compared to whites.

The higher the mothers level of education, they more likely they are to breastfeed.

 

[CrazyAznDriver]

I think this is part of the problem - hospitals give out formula, tv commercials telling people that formula is just as good as breastmilk, WIC programs hand out vouchers for formula, doctors do not talk to new parents about breastfeeding, hospital nurseries stick a bottle in the babies mouth as soon as its born, peer pressure from other mothers that bottle feed,,,,,,,,.

People have it drilling into their heads that formula is just as good as breast milk, so why would anyone want to breastfeed?

It seems to me that the people that can think for themselves, ignore the tv commercials, ignore the peer pressure, do well at breast feeding.

There are studies that show:

The lower the mothers education, the less likely they are to breastfeed. This might explain why blacks and other minorities have such low levels of breastfeeding, as compared to whites.

The higher the mothers level of education, they more likely they are to breastfeed.

Wife is a MD and didn't breastfeed our 2 children :hmm:

 

[gophins72]

The higher the mothers level of education, they more likely they are to breastfeed.

Socioeconomic Status and Breastfeeding Initiation Among California Mothers
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1497787/

 

[rivan]

What's ironic is that they'll probably be better parents if they are told nothing.

I'll agree with that to a point, but we learned a LOT of useful things in the hospital.

As with most things, it matters who you're talking about, and how well-equipped they are to filter what they're being told.

I think my wife and I have a pretty good handle on parenting OUR kids, but from just those two, I know that no 2 kids are created equal, and from that, there's no one-size fits all parenting style that will work for every kid.

There's only one thing I offer up as advice for new parents, because it's about sleep: the one thing that almost all new parents have only in very short supply. It's a well-written exploration of sleep for children, and while it offers it's opinions on the matter, it also gives many other points of view from parents their methods worked for, and parents they DIDN'T work for, and talks about alternatives to their own suggestions.

http://www.amazon.com/Healthy-Sleep-...1333296&amp;sr=8-1

 

[gophins72]

Wife is a MD and didn't breastfeed our 2 children :hmm:

isn't your wife a surgeon? ie. no time to even breastfeed

 

[CrazyAznDriver]

isn't your wife a surgeon? ie. no time to even breastfeed

yeah that is why she didn't lol... she got 2 weeks off for the last one :thumbsdown:

 

[Redfraggle]

Nik, you are ignorant of the realities of breastfeeding, and that's why you think just pumping a bottle of milk for a baby isn't a big deal. So, let me help out a bit, your view is not really that uncommon. Babies who breastfeed have to work harder to get milk. Bottles are easy to suck from. Pumping takes a lot of time for most women, and the milk starts losing nutrient content as soon as it's pumped. So, if you start just giving a bottle, the baby may start refusing the breast, because it's harder to get milk from. Pumping does not stimulate milk production in the same way that a nursing baby does, and supply drops and is much harder to maintain. Pumping is REALLY uncomfortable for many. Also, nursing is a supply/demand system. There is interaction between nipple and baby that signals what is needed in the milk (more/less fat, variants in nutrients, etc) that does not happen with pumping. Since bottle feeding is easier and faster for baby to fill up, they can get confused about learning when they feel satiated and become more likely to overeat in infancy and the rest of their lives. Additionally, sometimes babies just need to comfort nurse. Going out in public can be very overwhelming for an infant, so they just want a quick snuggle and some comfort nursing and then are happy again (nobody wants to hear a screaming baby while shopping).

Also, a lot of breastfed babies will simply absolutely refuse a bottle. Mine wouldn't have anything to do with a bottle for a very long time.

So, actually, it is a big deal to just fill up that theoretical bottle you think is such a perfect solution.

Princess Ida -- no formula is equal or superior to breastmilk, plain and simple. I agree it is all about what is best for the baby, and sometimes breastmilk is not it. However, the bioavailability of nutrients, the particular kind of sugars, the inclusion of antibodies and hormones is not matched in any formula.

Somebody mentioned something about not all surgeons being created equal. This is true. However, a big nasty scar is the exception, not the rule these days. There are lasting effects and increased risks from having a c-section though, that have no outward appearance.

 

[Texashiker]

There are lasting effects and increased risks from having a c-section though, that have no outward appearance.

Most people do not realize that a c-section is major surgery.

My daughter-in-law had a c-section, developed a staph infection, and had to wear a pump for around 4 weeks. The pump kept the puss sucked out of the incision site. It was a pretty bad situation, she was in and out of the hospital for maybe 6 weeks after delivery.

There is also a chance that a woman will not be able to get pregnant after their c-section, due to scar tissue in the uterus.

 

[CrazyAznDriver]

Most people do not realize that a c-section is major surgery.

My daughter-in-law had a c-section, developed a staph infection, and had to wear a pump for around 4 weeks. The pump kept the puss sucked out of the incision site. It was a pretty bad situation, she was in and out of the hospital for maybe 6 weeks after delivery.

There is also a chance that a woman will not be able to get pregnant after their c-section, due to scar tissue in the uterus.

don't forget uterine rupture!