Re: National Breastfeeding Week
 

True, from what I've read etc, in cultures where breastfeeding is the norm people don't have all these issues with not being able to breastfeed, baby not latching on, positioning etc. I also hate that baby dolls come with feeding bottles so children from a young age associate feeding babies with bottles and artificial means. When I was nursing my 3rd child his older brother was only 19 months, he used to try and nurse his dinosaurs :) he also tried pumping with the wide end of his trumpet :D

Re: National Breastfeeding Week
 

:lol: I know, my son used to shove a little soft toy he had up his jumper and say he was feeding it. The messages are all very subtle and add up.

Re: National Breastfeeding Week
 

Is it a competition?

Re: National Breastfeeding Week
 

Thankfully my youngest whose baby would not breastfeed didn't suffer any inadequacy when she gave up trying even though her sister and her kids were pros at it.


It's not a bad idea and I see that it is becoming quite commonplace these days to come across a mother discreetly nursing their child in public. My daughter did it while we were visiting the Bronx Zoo. No one looked askew at her and she was discreet and can I say "natural" while feeding her child.

Can't say that I like the thought of a mom just pulling out a breast and feeding her child without covering herself or turning away in some manner to shield herself. Not in a shameful way but an act of courtesy to others.

Re: National Breastfeeding Week
 

We went skiing with some friends who had a 4 week old baby, hubby and the friend and baby got in a ski lift with 3 nuns:huh:, and the friend whopped her boob out and started feeding the baby. Hubby said he thought the nuns were going to jump at 1600 feet:lol:

In all seriousness though, we actually have a room at work for breastfeeding mums, sometimes if they live close by, the nanny/grandparent will bring the baby in to work and Mum will feed, or she can use the room to express her milk.

Re: National Breastfeeding Week
 

I kissed the midwife when she told me a) I wasn't a failure b) that I should do breast and formula milk as I couldnt produce enough breast milk c) my daughter was healthy and happy

My brother in law spouted off to my mam one night about how awful it was that my daughter was on formula. I have never seen my mam give such a good lecture for such a long time.

Respect to those that can and did, respect to those that couldn't.

Re: National Breastfeeding Week
 

Not sure about that but I've read some horrible stories about women being thrown off buses in England. There was one story (in the Daily Mail of course) about a woman feeding her new baby in the changing room of a charity shop. The male shop worker came charging in and told her to stop and that her milk was making the place stink! He then got a bottle of Lysol and started squirting it around. I can't imagine how humiliated she must have been and very discouraged. The comments after the story were equally disturbing with mostly men saying it 'shouldn't be done in public' and 'it may be natural but so is going to the bathroom' type comments.
That being said years and years ago I went in support of a breastfeeding march with the local press being present. I was a bit mortified when one young hippy type took out her entire breast and started nursing her toddler. The image really didn't do the breastfeeding movement any favors I thought as it was great fodder for all the critics who say it should done behind closed doors etc. I always nursed mine in public if I had too but I made sure that not a inch of flesh was visible and I never got any funny looks.

Re: National Breastfeeding Week
 

http://cfcamerica.org/index.php?opti...blic&Itemid=96

According to this thousands of women in the US have been arrested for it.

Re: National Breastfeeding Week
 

Nice to see some support going on. In my mind, one of the biggest obstacles over here is the family leave/accommodation policies.

I tried and "failed" to feed my now-16-month-old. He got about half breast milk/half formula until I returned to work after 8 weeks (thank USA lack of maternity leave-that was AWESOME. Not.) and it really went down hill. the charming folks at the small company I worked for told me the only place I could pump was the disabled toilet...which was cold, and people would rattle the handle to try to get in, even when I put up a "do not disturb" sign. That was when I actually managed to pump and didn't have around 4 meetings a day. Needless to say, my milk eventually dried up all together. It was only 25 employees so none of the "reasonable effort" laws applied to them.

They were very put out when I had to take 3 days off work a month later because my son got RSV and bronchiolitis....conditions which more frequently occur in non-breast fed babies.

Re: National Breastfeeding Week
 

:frown:

I am frustrated on your behalf.

The company I worked for while I was pregnant with my son decided to eliminate my position when I was six months pregnant. While it was a nightmare at the time, I'm relieved I didn't have to worry about maternity leave once Little O arrived, because we spent so much time in the NICU and at doctors appointments once he came home. I reckon they would have either fired me or made me redundant anyway once my maternity leave was up. :)

But parental leave in this country is such a joke it needs a whole 'nother thread...

Re: National Breastfeeding Week
 

I agree...I'm amazed that my friends in England get a whole year of paid leave and then return to work with subsidized daycare.

Re: National Breastfeeding Week
 

As a Great Grandparent I have seen a lot of breasts, I agree they shouldn't be hidden, who said it's shameful:confused: