When does extended breastfeeding become weird....

Lotus-eater

bylromarha wrote: »

Not true.

My boobs leaked during sex 90% of the time whether OH touched them or not. Was not pleasant for either of us. I had wet breast pads every day for 2 years when I fed my 2 and had 3 replacement sets of lilypadz as they stopped working on me after a month of use.

Leakage doesn't stop for everyone after the first few months as you claim.

At least it's not just my OH then. Apology skintchick?

FatVonD

DevilsAdvocate1 wrote: »

I don't think that guilt comes from pressure put on women to breastfeed. It comes from not having the choice of how to feed. Many women want to breastfeed but end up stopping long before they were ready to stop and its these women who feel guilty. Yet often, when you hear the mum explain her story, it is obvious to those who have breastfed that the problems the mum encountered could have been sorted out if she had been given skilled breastfeeding support. Instead, the mum is told that she must switch to formula, usually her breasts are blamed (as in "you don't have enough milk" or "your milk is of poor quality") and then she is told to not feel guilty - !!!!!!?

It would be better all round if that mum was given skilled help so that the problems are overcome. Then she can make a true choice as to when to stop. When people are comfortable with their decisions they are not going to feel defensive or guilty.

A couple of my close friends decided not to try breastfeeding at all and gave bottles from day 1. They never sound defensive or say that they feel guilty. All the mums I know who feel guilty stopped breastfeeding before they wanted to do it.

Great post.

People are always banging on about people 'banging on' about breast being best but personally I've never seen anyone walking around in a T-shirt that says 'breast is best', I've similarly never asked a bottle-feeding mother when they are going to stop bottle feeding and start lactating but if I had a pound for every person that asked me when I was going to stop BF I could have bought my own bloomin' cow!

The only place I've ever seen the message that 'breast is best' is in the GPs/Hospital etc and that's because it is and they would be failing in their duty of care not to say so. Should the medical profession also stop telling us that smoking causes lung cancer in case it makes the people that smoke feel bad??

lizzywig

I was having this conversation with my mum the other day. She b'fed me until I was 8 months, apparently I just stopped and refused it one day. My sister on the other was until she was 2 1/4, my mum only stopped because she thought enough is enough, but that was her preference.

I'm mix feeding at the mo (b'feeding all the time apart from one night time bottle of formula) and DH thinks I should stop at 6 months, move her to forumla along with food. I haven't even begun to think about what I plan to doing yet!

missbishi

RichGold wrote: »

When you said "extended breast feeding" I wondered if you were in the kitchen and he was in the lounge.

I think that's only possible if you're Katie Price, lol!

missbishi

Reading through this thread has reminded me of Little Britain.....

Seriously though, BF, and how long to do it for is a matter of choice. YOUR choice. It's not for everyone and nobody should be made to feel guilty for not doing so. However, if it gets to the stage where LO is in his mid-thirties and asking for "bitty", it's probably gone on too long!

Person_one

FatVonD wrote: »

Great post.

People are always banging on about people 'banging on' about breast being best but personally I've never seen anyone walking around in a T-shirt that says 'breast is best', I've similarly never asked a bottle-feeding mother when they are going to stop bottle feeding and start lactating but if I had a pound for every person that asked me when I was going to stop BF I could have bought my own bloomin' cow!

The only place I've ever seen the message that 'breast is best' is in the GPs/Hospital etc and that's because it is and they would be failing in their duty of care not to say so. Should the medical profession also stop telling us that smoking causes lung cancer in case it makes the people that smoke feel bad??

Good post.

Breast milk is categorically, undeniably the best thing to feed new babies. Formula is there so that the babies of mums who can't breastfeed don't starve!

I'd be happy to see formula milk be prescription only (and free) for when breastfeeding truly fails, and more support to try and stop that happening in the first place.

Shepherd1

Person_one wrote: »

Good post.

Breast milk is categorically, undeniably the best thing to feed new babies. Formula is there so that the babies of mums who can't breastfeed don't starve!

I'd be happy to see formula milk be prescription only (and free) for when breastfeeding truly fails, and more support to try and stop that happening in the first place.

So much for a womans right to choose

Person_one

Shepherd1 wrote: »

So much for a womans right to choose

We don't have the right to choose in lots of areas relating to health, you can't put yourself on antibiotics for example, or decide to tube feed yourself rather than eat, a doctor prescribes those. I just think there needs to be a fundamental shift in the way we see formula, it should be a medical product available when needed for free rather than a consumer product made for profit.

lostinrates

Re natural, I once left a foal feeding on the mare without weaning it, was was immensely beneficial to the foal, but while natural it wasn't a natural norm, in the wild the mare would almost certainly have got pregnant and self weaned the foal shortly before the birth of the next foal. Lots of studies into this sort of thin exist in animal behaviour, but doubtless any into human behaviour are so heavily influenced by our society structures.

Personally, I'm amazed if anyone would utter objection at a small child (toddler or under) breast feeding where ever ey happen to be, i think its very beautiful to see and sometimes worry i've upset feeding mums by smiling at them, in acknowledgement of how beautiful it is , i'm female btw, and find the idea of donating milk etc wonderful. I think I would personally fell odd about a school age child breast feeding and in a public or social place, but I would not voice that as it would be none of my business.

Fwiw, my mother only managed to feed me for a couple of weeks, though had Brest fed successfully with her first child.

poet123

Person_one wrote: »

We don't have the right to choose in lots of areas relating to health, you can't put yourself on antibiotics for example, or decide to tube feed yourself rather than eat, a doctor prescribes those. I just think there needs to be a fundamental shift in the way we see formula, it should be a medical product available when needed for free rather than a consumer product made for profit.

It is not a solution for a medical problem though, so why should it be categorised as a medical product? The other areas you detail are on prescription because they are products for illnessess which are not self diagnosed.