Just 55pc of mothers breastfeed newborns

metaoblivia

Quality wrote: »

Sorry, I dont mean to come across as insensitive, I know exactly what cracked and blistered nipples can feel like, believe me..

But my point is that it is a teething problem.

I would not like every woman to think that she is automatically going to crack or blister every time she feeds her baby. It is very short term,

Some women do not even experience these set backs.

Oh I agree. Not every woman is going to experience problems when breast feeding, and I don't see why a woman who doesn't find it uncomfortable would choose to forgo it. My mother did breast feed her other children and never had a problem AND it made her breasts even better than they were before.

However, I don't think that a mother should feel obligated to continue breast feeding if she starts running into problems that are causing discomfort and pain. Progress has provided an alternative and a mother shouldn't be made to feel like less of a mother if she chooses that alternative.

Quality

Quackles wrote: »

I know this is after hours, and I shouldn't take things seriously, but the judgmental nature of this thread bothers the hell out of me. I tried to breastfeed my kids, not one of you will ever know how difficult it was to make the decision to quit. The guilt I felt was terrible, and reading this kind of tosh brings it all back. I hope the wrong people don't read through this, it's post natal depression in thread form.

Oh God, I feel worse now..

My point is for those of you that have tried and havent succeded, fair play for at least trying. BF is not an easy thing.

But please do not try to put off other people who may be considering doing it with horror stories, When Breastfeeding works out there are amazing benefits and it is very enjoyable.

When it doesnt it can be very depressing as quackles said.

I would not like a young person to be reading this thread and be put off breastfeeding for life because of fear of saggy tits or cracked nipples or other horror stories..

But I also dont think a woman should be made feel guilty about bottle feeding baby either.. It is each persons personal choice and sometimes breast feeding just doesnt work out.. It doesnt make you any worse or better a parent by the way you choose to feed baby.

nlgbbbblth

Quality wrote: »

Yeah that offends me, I breast feed, It doesnt make me ugly!!:eek:


Its not all hippys you know..

I never said it did!

From having La Leche meetings in my house and attending conferences etc I know that.

based on what I saw in my workplace the ones saying that 'breast was crap' and 'I couldn't be bothered' were the dollybirds.

Dudess

Quality wrote: »

The way people are going on about the pain is a bit ridiculous.. Its like breaking in a pair of new shoes, it might hurt for the first few goes but then when they are broken in things are comfortable..

Its not excruciating... Its pain with a purpose...

But I'm sure, Qual, women who experience discomfort and pain don't just give up after one or two attempts. In my case, it would take a LOT for me to forego whatever is best for baby... And I'm hardly unique in that sense.

That said, I see where you're coming from about the scaremongering. My own mother didn't have such problems at all.

OT and perhaps a bit inappropriate, but meh: isn't it bizarre how their sensitivity causes the exact opposite to pain in... ahem... other contexts...?

Sir Gallagher

Dudess wrote: »

But I'm sure, Qual, women who experience discomfort and pain don't just give up after one or two attempts. In my case, it would take a LOT for me to forego whatever is best for baby... And I'm hardly unique in that sense.

That said, I see where you're coming from about the scaremongering. My own mother didn't have such problems at all.

OT and perhaps a bit inappropriate, but meh: isn't it bizarre how their sensitivity causes the exact opposite to pain in... ahem... other contexts...?

I want all the women in the thread to expand on this point.

Joey the lips

This was a difficult one for us. It was not easy for my wife because our child was not taking the brest at night. We are ready to give up and then we thought of an idea.

My wife expressed herself instead of brest feeding. This was great. However it only lasted 3 months and then my wife felt like she was a machine so to speak.

SMA won again.

Quality

Joey the lips wrote: »

This was a difficult one for us. It was not easy for my wife because our child was not taking the brest at night. We are ready to give up and then we thought of an idea.

My wife expressed herself instead of brest feeding. This was great. However it only lasted 3 months and then my wife felt like she was a machine so to speak.

SMA won again.

Expressing is torcher... Dont know how she lasted that long tbh... She deserves a medal..:)

MizzLolly

Dudess wrote: »

OT and perhaps a bit inappropriate, but meh: isn't it bizarre how their sensitivity causes the exact opposite to pain in... ahem... other contexts...?

I would like to comment on this but my sister uses boards

*waves*

stovelid

Also (speaking from personal experience) if the birth goes very badly and somebody is in really bad shape afterwards, a difficult battle with BF can be the last straw. It can really push somebody over the edge in terms of mental well-being.

The last thing needed in that situation was some zealot lecturing about nature's way.

Joey the lips

Quality wrote: »

Expressing is torcher... Dont know how she lasted that long tbh... She deserves a medal..:)

Was not a problem she said "gorging" caused her more pain. If that makes sense!

Quackles

Quality wrote: »

Oh God, I feel worse now..

My point is for those of you that have tried and havent succeded, fair play for at least trying. BF is not an easy thing.

But please do not try to put off other people who may be considering doing it with horror stories, When Breastfeeding works out there are amazing benefits and it is very enjoyable.

When it doesnt it can be very depressing as quackles said.

I would not like a young person to be reading this thread and be put off breastfeeding for life because of fear of saggy tits or cracked nipples or other horror stories..

But I also dont think a woman should be made feel guilty about bottle feeding baby either.. It is each persons personal choice and sometimes breast feeding just doesnt work out.. It doesnt make you any worse or better a parent by the way you choose to feed baby.

I never have and never would try to convince someone else how to feed their own child. To each their own, I say. In fact, I'd probably try it again if I had another child, glutton for punishment that I am, I failed twice but I believe every baby is different. It's the little muppets posting who've never had a baby, aren't even physically equipped to do so, crowing about how I didn't do the best for my baby.. They make me sick. Yes, I chose to have the children, and bottle feeding them is not the easy, selfish child abuse they'd have you believe. Both my children are thriving.

Dudess

I wouldn't give a fig about the sagging tits tbh - pregnancy and age are gonna do that anyway...

Quackles

foxy06 wrote: »

I'm due no.3 and this will be my second attempt at breastfeeding. The first time was one of the most traumatic times of my life. I tried for a week and the child was starving, nipples were bleeding and there was blood in his nappy from my boobs when trying to feed him. Every single nurse that walked in the ward had a different method of getting him to feed. All were pro breast but none were pro getting mother to not have a nervous breakdown! In the end I just could take it no more.

Sounds a lot like my own story - you're a brave girl for trying again, fair play to you. I hope you get a little breastfeeding expert this time and your dedication pays off. Would you think about attending a la leche league meeting or two in advance? That's what I'd do next time around.. Nurses mean well, but I didn't find them much use.

pickarooney

Pretty much nobody has even touched on the point raised in the original post, which is that (according to the survey) Irish women don't even try to breastfeed. Not for a month, not for a week, not even once. None of the factors being tossed about ad nauseam even enter into play here - pain, convenience, tiredness, availability... the fact (assuming for the hell of it the statistic is a fact) is that only half of women even make the most basic effort to breastfeed, i.e. they have decided beforehand not to breastfeed. And why? Quite possibly because they've been scared off by second-hand, anecdotal evidence of mass butchery and torture.

Curiously enough, although nobody has even looked at the question, the off-topic, righteous proselytising has given a fairly good insight into why so many women don't try.

(Cue the hard of reading scrabbling to protest about something I haven't said)

hairyfairy00

I was absolutely devastated when i could no longer breastfeed my daughter, i managed for only 6 weeks but i just couldn't produce enough. It was all the more heartbreaking because my daughter was premature and weighed only 3lb 13oz when born and i know how vital BFing can be for preemies.
I pumped every 3 hours and even at 6weeks she only took 60mls /2oz every feed i still wasn't able to produce a sufficient amount.
Reading through some of the posts made me feel sh**ty again but i know i did the best i could for my daughter and thats all i care about.

The_Minister

Sir Gallagher wrote: »

The ol bottles of Sma never done me any harm.

Your Sma

jimmyendless

My partner and I have two girls under three (both breastfed) and she is finishing writing a book about pregnancy, childbirth and and the first few years, so I am heavily exposed to our situation (obviously) and through her book (maybe 5-10 surveys were sent out, input from loads of mothers) I have heard about many different issues.

What I don't get is why breastfeeding is being portrayed as so hard in this thread?? I understand that there is a period where the nipples have to be conditioned to breastfeeding and this involves soreness and sensitivity to say the least but these horror stories don't make sense unless there is some kind of physical abnormality/problem with the feeding. They are designed to feed infants so it should work. Repeatedly using an improper latch or something like that might cause all this blood and skin loss talk but this seems like a rare occurrence to me from what I have been exposed to at least.

Since all mothers want the best for their children I can only presume that mothers won't quit unless there is no other alternative. Support is out there though and if you are having trouble there is a good chance woman have been there before and can give practical advice. When breastfeeding works it can be far more convenient and fulfilling that bottles, at least that is what my partner tells me anyway, she would be posting here too but between forgetting her username and being surprised by the mis-information here she doesn't want to take it on. She is tandem feeding a 3 month old and a 20 month old so her opinion would be valid but she agrees with what I have said so far.

I don't know what to do about mastitis though she would have to answer that one.

Ideally there should be 99% breastfeeding and the 1% that can't feed should be regarded as the unlucky few that physically can't support the feeding instead of the 55% of mothers BFing and the others being misinformed or having bad starts, not getting the help and support they need and stopping.

Quality wrote: »

Oh God, I feel worse now..

My point is for those of you that have tried and haven't succeeded, fair play for at least trying. BF is not an easy thing.

But please do not try to put off other people who may be considering doing it with horror stories, When Breastfeeding works out there are amazing benefits and it is very enjoyable.

When it doesn't it can be very depressing as quackles said.

I would not like a young person to be reading this thread and be put off breastfeeding for life because of fear of saggy tits or cracked nipples or other horror stories..

But I also dont think a woman should be made feel guilty about bottle feeding baby either.. It is each persons personal choice and sometimes breast feeding just doesnt work out.. It doesnt make you any worse or better a parent by the way you choose to feed baby.

This post sums it up well.

laura l

Quality wrote: »

Expressing is torcher... Dont know how she lasted that long tbh... She deserves a medal..:)

i found expressing ok, had an electric pump. it was the lack of sleep and fatigue that got to me in the end, had not had a straight night's sleep since 6 mths pregnant. my baba has a "voracious appetite" according to the PHN. he's a big feeder, took 20 mins each side, break for a couple of hours at most, then back on for another 40 mins in total. DH used to call him pirahna boy when i was BFing him. i weaned him onto formula feeding and he is still thriving according to my GP and PHN.
my DH does not miss the droning sound of a breast pump going last thing at night or at 5 am in the morning after a feed...and to think he used to complain about me turning on the hairdryer in the morning first thing!

Lia_lia

I never knew what that sma stuff was until I started going to school friend's houses when I was a kid who had siblings that were bottle fed. Myself and my brothers and sister were all breastfed. I was jealous though that we didn't have the tins with cute little animals on them

Quackles

Lia_lia wrote: »

I never knew what that sma stuff was until I started going to school friend's houses when I was a kid who had siblings that were bottle fed. Myself and my brothers and sister were all breastfed. I was jealous though that we didn't have the tins with cute little animals on them

They made great tin can stilts if you put a string through them, but breast is still best

Dragan

Oh The Humanity wrote: »

Yes, but I still stand by everything I say.

People don't have to breastfeed if they don't want to and they shouldn't be subjected to these smug, worthy types shaking their heads sadly tut tutting at them.

Its their own business. No one has a right to judge them!

People don't have to have kids either, but when they do they should just shut the **** up and get on with it, no?

Breastfeed or don't....do what you can and what you feel is best for your baby.

Personally, i shouldn't be subjected to these freaking threads on AH. Don't we have a ladies loungue for this sort of thing?

It' already been pointed out that male opinions in this thread are invalid...so just move it over there?

pickarooney

Dragan wrote: »

Personally, i shouldn't be subjected to these freaking threads on AH. Don't we have a ladies loungue for this sort of thing?

Damn, I was going to type exactly the same thing (just couldn't decide between Ladies Lounge and Parenting) but didn't want to be caught in public with my tongue in my cheek.

meditraitor

The only advantage of breast feeding is we dont have to share the nightfeeds, I hate nightfeeds..... :mad:

walshb

krudler wrote: »

Maybe mothers feel they cant do it in public, I was in a park once and could overhear two ould ones moaning that a mother was breastfeeding her baby, not making a big deal of it just subtely feeding her baby, you wont have taken a second look, and these biddies were calling it "a disgrace" ffs its the most natural thing in the world, its what boobs are for!

Hey, havin' a penis is also the most natural thing in the world, but who really wants to be whipping it out in public?

eviltwin

I'm a mum of one with no 2 due in 6 weeks

I didnt bf no 1 for no other reason than I didnt want to. I was going back to college soon after her birth and knew it would be difficult to combine the two so she was raised on formula.

I have a bit more time now due to the fact I've been made redundant but I'm not going to be some hero forcing myself to do it if its not working out for me. I plan to combine feed with breast milk and formula so dad can do his bit...I know he is dying to share in the feeding as is the rest of the family. I have some formula on standby just in case and if its not for me then onto the bottles he goes.

I think it should be up to every woman to make her own decision free from guilt or stats about how unhealthy formula is. My entire family, husbands family and my daughter didnt touch a drop of breast milk and we are all okay.

Breast is best no doubt about it but so is feeding your child home cooked food and no one has a go at the parents taking their kids into Micky d's. Lets just trust mothers to do what is right for them and let them get on with it. Its no one elses business anyway.

gingerhousewife

Ok I have read the whole thread, and tried to make a mental note as I went along of the specific things I wanted to say. Forgive me if I get muddled!

Firstly, I am due my 3rd baby in January and will be breastfeeding him/her. I also breastfed my first 2, one for 7 months and one for 4 months. It was very hard on my first at the start, I cried so much from tiredness that I wondered if all the tears would cause dehydration! But once I, and my baby, got the hang of it, and my milk supply became established, it was fantastic.

What is more convenient than waking up to feed your baby, barely having to open your eyes, and drifting back off to sleep while he happily suckles?

On my 2nd baby it was the same thing, very tired at the start, but is this not the case for every new mother?

Anyway, as has been stated, this thread is not questioning why women give up breastfeeding, but why nearly half of new mothers in Ireland don't even want to try. I personally think it has to do with breastfeeding not being the norm in Ireland. It will take a long time before attitudes in this country change. Most of our mothers did not breastfeed us, and gave birth to us in an age when breastfeeding was looked down on, and it was assumed that people who breastfed couldn't afford formula.
Maybe, when close to 50% of the next generation will have been breastfed, our children will see it as a more normal thing to do.

I think it is every woman's choice how she feeds her baby, and none of my business. Formula is not poison, and I have plenty of friends who never breastfed their children, and who are fantastic mothers.

However, it is also my choice to breastfeed, and I am giving my children the best possible start in life, yet I am often judged for this choice. Some people turn up their noses at the very mention of it, or shift uncomfortably in their seats.

I have never witnessed a bottle-feeding mother getting dirty looks for feeding her hungry baby in a café, and I have never seen her look around nervously for fear anyone is staring at her. This is how it feels to be a breastfeeding mother.

On my 2nd baby, I was queuing in a shoe shop for shoes for my eldest for back-to-school when my baby started crying. I knew I had a bit more time to wait and that my baby was hungry, but initially I tried to roll the pram backwards and forwards to see if he would settle. Then I noticed a woman bottle-feeding her baby and thought "if its a good enough place for her to feed her baby, its good enough for me" so I breastfed my hungry baby there and then.

I guess the point I'm trying (badly) to make is that I certainly don't judge anyone who bottlefeeds their baby, but I wish my choice could be afforded the same respect.

As an aside, don't be misled by my username, I work full-time in a demanding career, but I do take maternity leave (doesn't everyone?) which allows me to breastfeed my newborn.

pickarooney

eviltwin wrote: »

Breast is best no doubt about it but so is feeding your child home cooked food and no one has a go at the parents taking their kids into Micky d's.

Open a thread on that and watch the sparks fly.

eviltwin

pickarooney wrote: »

Open a thread on that and watch the sparks fly.

I couldnt be arsed really because in all honesty I dont care lol

I really do believe each to his or her own when it comes to raising kids. I think once the child isnt in any danger we should leave well enough alone otherwise where does it end

You'll have parents arguing about what time they send their kids to bed or the toys they play with or the amount of tv they watch

Its hard enough being a parent today its thankless work in a lot of cases so lets just live and let live

Oh The Humanity

Dragan wrote: »

People don't have to have kids either, but when they do they should just shut the **** up and get on with it, no?

Breastfeed or don't....do what you can and what you feel is best for your baby.

Personally, i shouldn't be subjected to these freaking threads on AH. Don't we have a ladies loungue for this sort of thing?

It' already been pointed out that male opinions in this thread are invalid...so just move it over there?

What are you askin me for, I didn't start the thread....

Dudess

walshb wrote: »

Hey, havin' a penis is also the most natural thing in the world, but who really wants to be whipping it out in public?

What?! Are you actually serious?

I ask for two reasons:

1. That gem is trotted out every single time by several people (it's either "Taking a dump is the most natural thing in the world but that doesn't mean it's ok to do it in public" or the penis one)

2. Whipping your manhood out in public is not necessary, whereas feeding a baby is

What's this stuff about her "whipping them out" anyway? Who here has ever seen a woman breastfeeding in public without them somewhat covered?