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The Forum > Article Comments > Breast intentions > Comments

Breast intentions : Comments

By Elizabeth Willmott Harrop, published 31/5/2010

Breaking the silence of mothers' grief in the breast versus bottle debate.

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The guilt trip forced on mothers about breast feeding versus bottle feeding is cruel and unnecessary. Bottle fed babies thrive just as well as breast fed babies and have the added advantage of being fed by their father on occasions as well as their mother. It is time that the notion that bottle feeding babies is akin to child abuse should be replaced by a more rational and supportive attitude, especially for those who can't successfully breast-feed and there are a significant number of women in this situation.
Posted by pemmy, Monday, 31 May 2010 2:01:48 PM
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Lower socioeconomic status of mother = shorter duration of breastfeeding = bigger profits for the artificial baby milk industry.

Worse, the number of Australian mothers opting to breastfeed continues to fall.

This is not a Third World country and mothers deserve far better recognition and treatment in the workplace and in the community.
Posted by Cornflower, Monday, 31 May 2010 2:31:38 PM
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My wife called the 'breast is best' fanatics 'the boob nazis'.

The simple fact was, for all her earnest desire to breast feed, she simply could not supply enough for our firstborn son, who was constantly crying because he was constantly hungry. My wife persisted for months, despite the pain and trauma she was going through, because she was incessantly hounded with the admonition that that was what she had to do, and that it would all come all right soon.

In the end, it took a grandparent to put their foot down and say, 'put that baby on a bottle for God's sake, he's hungry!' Our son never looked back.
Posted by Clownfish, Monday, 31 May 2010 10:28:10 PM
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I think half the problem for bottle-feeding mums is the baby police, who make them feel inadequate. I've known women desperate to breast feed who just couldn't, and felt dreadful about it. In our family, one grandchild in a family of three just wouldn't settle to breastfeeding, but did well on a bottle. Some mothers and/or babies just don't seem cut out for breastfeeding, and we are lucky that good quality formula is available for them. Don't forget that for centuries babies were handed over to a wet nurse, so there is a long history of some mothers not feeding their children.
Posted by Candide, Tuesday, 1 June 2010 12:42:28 AM
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Norway

" Mothers breast-feed when and where they want: buses, parks, cafes, stores. With rare exceptions, none leave the hospital without breast-feeding or dare ask for infant formula as a substitute. For trouble at home, the phone book obligingly lists a company called Breast-Feeding Help.

Working mothers also get a break: two hours off a day to breast-feed their child at home or in the office. Breast-feeding at the desk is not off limits."

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/21/world/norway-leads-industrial-nations-back-to-breast-feeding.html?sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all
Posted by Cornflower, Tuesday, 1 June 2010 1:52:12 AM
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I note that you do not comment on the several important benefits of breast feeding vs formula, including its positive impact on immune system development. You can read a review here:

Breastfeeding, the Immune Response, and Long-term Health
Kelly M. Jackson, PhD; Andrea M. Nazar, DO
www.jaoa.org/cgi/content/full/106/4/203

You state that "Part of the problem is that motherhood is accused of becoming a patriarchy with male values overlaid upon it. For example the reverence of science over instinct, of experts over the mother's voice..." Get over yourself, scientific experts offer advice based on fact and do not force mothers to comply. Also note that both of these "scientific experts" are female. Spare us the feminist crap.
Posted by Stezza, Tuesday, 1 June 2010 7:36:02 AM
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