? About not breastfeeding

Specialties Ob/Gyn

Published

Hello,

I am not looking for a big debate or anything. I just want to know if nurses, in general, look down on moms who choose not to breastfeed. Not because of a medical reason, just because mom chooses not too.

My friend had a negative experience and feels so guilty for not breast feeding now. In my opinion, I think she is more guilty about not even trying , but she keeps mentioning a comment one of the nurses made.

Just a general question

Thanks!

Does anyone know of any research bieng done on why moms would not want to breast feed? personally I have seen alot of people pressured by thier partners that breasts are for sexual purposes only. I have also seen dads get jealous that mom is "bonding faster" than he is. I wonder how you could fix public miseducation (negative attitudes) about such a positive and healthy practice.

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hahahahahahahahahaha:roll

that made me laugh so hard i almost peed my pants.

I have a nursing school buddy that would fit that profile, so maybe I should recommend that she become a lactation consultant.:specs:

seriously, I think breastfeeding is great if you can do it. New mom's need all the education they can get to do it properly and successfully, but if it doesn't work out then it doesnt work out.

And if you come across a patient that doesn't even want to try.....oh well! It is their baby and they will be making decisions for it for the next 18+ years so don't get all huffy puffy or call them lazy or bad mothers.....passing judgement is not in our job description, offering assistance, education, compassion, and acceptance IS.

I read alot of your posts and agree once again with another!! You are right on!

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"Many times the mother is already malnurished and the baby has taken alot from them physically. Breastfeeding tends to rob them further of nutrients, even with supplements"

In a research collection I have read, Breastfeeding and Human Lactation,

It states that women have to be severley malnourished (think Sub Saharan Africa) for them not to pass on proper nutrition to thier babies. Your body just uses your vitamin stores.

I don't want to make moms do something they aren't comfortable with. At the same time I would like too kno why moms in general aren't comfortable with it and what we as asociety can do to fix it.

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Your patient advocacy skills are lacking and new moms will pick up on that quickly, as one or two have already noted here. It's not your baby, it's not your life, and it's not your breasts being attacked!

Since when is a baby needing to eat food designed for it an attack on a woman's breasts? sheesh:uhoh3:

Maybe you need to go back and read your original post...it did come off as very abrasive and judgmental IMHO.

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Here's my $0.02 on this issue.

When I was a student, my OB clinical instructor said that hospitals that serve upper middle-class clients tend to encourage breastfeeding and have up to 90 percent of new moms breastfeeding upon discharge. Also, the vast majority of these upper middle-class women deliver lady partslly if possible.

My OB clinical instructor also said that hospitals in lower socioeconomic areas with high numbers of Medicaid recipients tend to have almost zero moms who breastfeed at discharge. Also, 70 percent of the women deliver by cesarean.

I think educational level often influences whether a mother will breastfeed and how she will deliver.

Ok, well I have a bachelors degree and needed a c/s and was not able to breastfeed. Explain that one. Where did you get your statistics on this, because I have never heard this one?

I made an educated choice on having the c/s since the baby's placenta was a grade 3, his heart rate was in the 90s, and his amniotic fluid was very low, and I had CPD, also he was 2 weeks late. Another educated choice about breastfeeding...I had to give up that or give up my life...I was having severe ppd and I was contemplating suicide. I luckily got help, but something had to give and it was the breastfeeding.

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Specializes in OB, M/S, HH, Medical Imaging RN.

My daughter was educated on the pros of breastfeeding and chose not to breastfeed. I feel the decision is solely hers. Her pediatrician told her that he was not concerned that the baby would be on formula. He said later when he's in class no one will be able to tell which children were breastfed and which weren't or who was cir'd and who wasn't. I did breastfed her and her brother and loved it.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Pediatrics, Geriatrics.
In a research collection I have read, Breastfeeding and Human Lactation,

It states that women have to be severley malnourished (think Sub Saharan Africa) for them not to pass on proper nutrition to thier babies. Your body just uses your vitamin stores.

I don't want to make moms do something they aren't comfortable with. At the same time I would like too kno why moms in general aren't comfortable with it and what we as asociety can do to fix it.

Research is great, but first hand experience is better sometimes. I have seen women during my public health rotation, that come in with their teeth almost falling out because the fetus is robbing them of all their calcium. They are frail, almost skeleton like, and the programs implemented just give them the basic necessities to get by. Yes, they are passing proper nutrition to their babies because it is being taken away from the mother. Certain women, like the ones I have mentioned, have little left to give from their vitamin stores. This is an extreme case and not really the ones we are discussing, but I felt the need to point this out none the less.

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From the side of the person choosing not to breastfeed...

I had some postpartum depression issues and attributed my problems to that and the stress of my husband being deployed.

It was really starting to affect my mental state, so I decided to give up on the breastfeeding.

Just wanted to add another point of view.

It sounds as if I wrote this LOL! Same thing over here. I honestly did try everything I could. Heck, I even did a huge bf project in nursing school, went to a lactation class, etc.

For those of you who were fortunate to not have Postpartum Depression (not just the blues...I mean Depression!) you cannot imagine what it's like. If I did not have it, but only had bf issues, I probably could have tried longer than 2 weeks to bf. When you are battling this demon of depression, you do not have the patience, will, or even care to continue doing something that is not working.

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Research is great, but first hand experience is better sometimes. I have seen women during my public health rotation, that come in with their teeth almost falling out because the fetus is robbing them of all their calcium. They are frail, almost skeleton like, and the programs implemented just give them the basic necessities to get by. Yes, they are passing proper nutrition to their babies because it is being taken away from the mother. Certain women, like the ones I have mentioned, have little left to give from their vitamin stores. This is an extreme case and not really the ones we are discussing, but I felt the need to point this out none the less.

This actually sounds like the moms on meth in my community. Their rotten teeth are the first clue and the skeletal look is the second.

Not saying this is what you are seeing . ..but it sure sounds like what we see.

Is anyone really that malnourished in America if they are not on drugs? I'm wondering what kind of conditions these women are suffering from?

steph

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I am not trying to be abrasive.I don't want moms to be uncomfortable. I am not talking about situations where it is counterproductive to breastfeed; emotional distress, physiological issues, etc. I just want to know why as a society we don't breast feed when we know it is the best. I know a lot of bottle feeders get defensive about this issue, many people try to guilt them and they guilt themselves unnnecessarily. I am not trying to cast blame around on mothers who don't breastfeed. I just think alot of mothers do not get a full education about why and how to breastfeed thier babies. I am trying to advocate for a helpless infant who benefits from mom holding and touching them while they feed. (Many moms, GOOD moms, prop thier baby up with a bottle and do something else) It is good for mom and baby to have this sit-down time. I realize that there are many reasons why some mothers can't breastfeed; that is what formula is for! I don't believe that it should be a an either/or choice. If you need it you should have it, if you don't let your bundle of joy have the benefits that they deserve from mommys wonderful breastmilk. Decreased allergies, fewer ear and respitory infections, decreased rate of childhood CANCER, and decreased rate of diabetes. I am not trying to be abrasive, I just want our future generations to have the best future imaginable. (also according to research: breastfed babies have a higher IQ, even after the population is adjusted for socioeconomic factors)

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I wish all moms could have at-home visits postpartum. It might really help with early detection of PPD.It really is a serious issue. New mommies need more support from family and society

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I wish all moms could have at-home visits postpartum. It might really help with early detection of PPD.It really is a serious issue. New mommies need more support from family and society

We send moms home too soon and don't follow up very well. Makes me sad.

steph

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