The Case Against Breastfeeding

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Hi All. I am new to allnurses. Well, actually I discovered the site months ago but this is my first posting. I am pre-nursing student that is interested in becoming a labor & delivery nurse (eventually a midwife). Anyhow, came across this article about breastfeeding and I am interested in how nurses feel about this issue and this article.

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200904/case-against-breastfeeding

Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.
:fnypst:Clever . . .too bad he is probably gone.

My husband is a " cute tush" man and of course those guys are on a par, IQ wise, with "leg men". ;)

My dh is an 'everything' man. And, of course, I think he's very smart. He was BFed for about 2yrs, so that might have something to do w/ it too....:coollook:

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Specializes in OB, NICU, Nursing Education (academic).
What any survey that reflects men's appreciation of "merchandise" they call women, presents much to fault them. That is an argument that supports divorcing a wonderful wife for someone younger, as age doesn't enhance "merchandise".

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I hope your tongue is only in your own cheek in this post, and not teachingob. In their vulnerable states, pregnant women and their mates and marriages need no depreciation from you. Your attitude, if you're serious, degrades your sex, not women.

IQ is no measure of a person, as better research has proven.

whoa.....how in the WORLD did you interpret that as depreciation????

I hope I'm misinterpreting your response, because, frankly, it makes NO SENSE. I think any man who calls breasts "merchandise" is the one with the depreciation problem. And yes, I'm serious, I think men who are so enamored of boobs that they don't want their wives to breastfeed are infantile (at best). But no, I wouldn't share my thoughts :banghead:

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Specializes in LTC, Medical, Rehab, Psych.

"Pregnancy takes a toll on the breasts as the majority of breast growth occurs during pregnancy. The "merchandise" will reflect the process regardless of whether or not someone breastfeeds."

Sorry, but this sounds like a parenting book. I didn't bf my first, hence, breasts looked fine. I'm going on 29 months with my second and let me tell ya........ it's national geographic. All of my long-term bf friends will heartily agree: it's the breastfeeding not the pregnancy!

And for the record, I'm a bf nazi and I can't stand breastfeeding!!!!! There's just nothing fun about it. But choice? Sure, whatever! If you want to support big pharm with your formula purchase!

Has anybody mentioned antibodies? With the million vaccines given to very small children, we should talk shop. Antibody production in human milk INCREASES as the child gets older. This makes sense from an evolutionary perspective since mobile kids explore their world and come into contact with more and more bugs. Why isn't this ever talked about when the vaccine argument is brought out? In fact, I've had MDs and NPs try to tell me that this isn't true!!! Not only lost my respect but I had to offer my resources. If you work with moms and kids, it's your job to know this stuff.

If you don't want to bf, don't do it. But don't even begin to tell me there's no difference or I'll write you off. Go ahead and choose whatever you'd like to do but if you feel it's your choice then why do you need to justify it? This seems to come up all the time. Do I hear a little guilt talking? Just say you don't want to and move on. People like me will just turn to the next mom with an ear. There are way too many people in the world so there's no use in worrying about it.

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Specializes in LTC.

I agree that it's important to look critically at studies showing difference between bottle and breast fed babies and that women are not posioning their babies or doing something awful by formula feeding.

However, I was very offended by her statement "Breast-feeding exclusively is not like taking a prenatal vitamin. It is a serious time commitment that pretty much guarantees that you will not work in any meaningful way." I went back to work when my dtr was 6 wks old and pumped at work and BF exclusively until she was 7 months old. How dare she say that my work is not meaningful! That really rubbed me the wrong way. Have I made some sacrifices to in order to BF my dtr? Of course I have, but had I chose to formula feed, I would have had to made some sacrifices in order to afford formula. Caring for a baby is a lot of work, no matter how you choose to feed. I think BFing is wonderful and feel so fortunate that I have been able to BF my dtr without any major difficulties (she is still BFing now at 13 months). However, I realize that it isn't the right choice for every mom

I am not an OB nurse, but I did my senior preceptorship on a postpartum unit when I was in nursing school so I have worked with this issue in a nursing capacity. Even though I would have loved for all my pts to BF their babies, I saw my job to be educating them on the pros and cons of both BFing and bottle feeding and helping them to succeed with whatever feeding method they chose.

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It struck me a a lazy mom who wanted others to do the same as her so she could feel better about it. You don't like breastfeeding fine, don't tell everyone else it's not that great because that isn't remotely true and you are just adding to the pressure on other mom's when you say it is.

I actually read a great comment somewhere about how instead of getting into the debate we nee3d to look at how to make it easier for mom's to breastfeed by being supportive not demanding. For every pro versus con of breast feeding thread there's another with people saying how horrible it is to see people breastfeed in public. How backwards and ridiculous. Why not focus on making it easier for everyone to make their own choices? There's a lot of pressure to breastfeed but very little support. Everyone likes the idea but no one wants to help.

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John20, They're BREASTS. Calling them MERCHANDISE means you objectify her and dont really consider her as a person. Is she DAMAGED GOODS if she gets stretch marks? Loses a breast due to cancer?

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As a male nurse with a wife who wants children, I am against breastfeeding because it wrecks the merchandise that I have come to know and love over the years. My case is 100% selfish, yet I still make it to her everytime it comes up.

And I suppose you plan to leave your wife should she ever get breast cancer? Is your wife a woman, or is she a collection of body parts to be used for your amusement?

:flmngmd:

My mother is a 26-year BCS and I have never personally known anyone who did that. I did once hear about a woman whose boyfriend moved out, but there were other issues, among them being that she was not sorry to see him go because he was abusive.

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Specializes in Holistic and Aesthetic Medicine.

Rather than minding seeing women breastfeed in public, I think it's a good thing. I get warm fuzzies (not turned on) by seeing moms care for their babies in that way. In countries where breastfeeding in public is not big deal, women get societal support for making the best decision for their babies. Fewer people feel like it's "creepy." So, be reasonably modest, but if you are in the mall and your baby is hungry, feed that child!

I do think that there are times when breast is not best for a particular situation. The problem with saying it should always be breast or that women shouldn't be told breast is best ever is that neither are true for every situation. We are supposed to be providing individualized care. Guess what, it's not about us, what we did with our kids, etc... It's about providing honest, unbiased (preferably research based) information, giving support for doing whatever is best for a specific baby and a specific mom and then letting that family decide for themselves what they will do and helping them do it.

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And I suppose you plan to leave your wife should she ever get breast cancer? Is your wife a woman, or is she a collection of body parts to be used for your amusement?

:flmngmd:

My mother is a 26-year BCS and I have never personally known anyone who did that. I did once hear about a woman whose boyfriend moved out, but there were other issues, among them being that she was not sorry to see him go because he was abusive.

I missed my deadline, so I had to quote myself.

Do you also plan to find a doctor who will do a c-section no matter what so she doesn't get stretched out?

:down:

What if you have to have a testicle removed, or become impotent, and she goes elsewhere because of it?

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.

I had a great experience breastfeeding my 2 kids- in every way I can think of. There are a few reasons for that unique to my situation. First, I was able to be a SAHM so there was no pumping, time constraints and logistical difficulties. Second, I just personally found it much more convenient than dealing with formula and bottles and third, I lived at the time in a city that was called "the alfalfa sprout capital of the universe" (no joke) we nursed our kids everywhere and never got a negative response. A baby blanket over your shoulder, most people probably didn't even notice.

Not everybody has these things, though. Pressuring someone to breastfeed (after you've educated them) who doesn't want to is a waste of time. Even if you succeeded temporarily by using an intellectual argument- nursing a baby is one of the most holistic processes where the mind-body connection is quite evident.

Sometimes I think advocacy for breastfeeding actually goes too far. In the same city as above I knew a woman- lactation expert- she had 5 or 6 kids and was diagnosed with breast cancer sometime near the birth of her youngest but delayed treatment for almost 2 years so that "at least the baby could breastfeed for 17 months". Yes, she passed away and left all of the kids without a mother. Yes, some of her friends defended her actions. I will never be able to wrap my mind around that one. :cry:

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Specializes in General.

My wife and me got 4 children. The 1st was totally given formula as never been satisfied with breast. The rest were breast fed. Two of them graduated from college. So far I havent got any conclusion regarding the grow and development. A tiny bonding problem is seen at the non breast fed. But, not significant. I ever thought about the preservation of the *merchandise* but it wasnt my absolute call but my wife share the equal right to decide, then I left it to her what to do and learn most of the adv and disadv.

I totally agree that to breast feed or not to, is not an issue to take side of. Giving other parents a sense of guilty by that issue is not nice, at all.

Let them decide which one is the most suitable according their condition, we just help them to understand each choice has its benefits. And of course, assure them that both options are proven as the right way to raise the kids.

Leave the *merchandise* on its nature caused by feeding or not... ^_^

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Give me a break! Yeah...formula feeders get the short stick:banghead:. .....If you ask me, breast feeders still get the short stick, and this woman has nothing else to whine about.

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I think this is the author exact point. Women who breastfeed do get the short end of the stick, in fact, they get totally shafted - so maybe we should stop shoving it down everyones throats.. especially if the benefits have not been medically proven.

If we ever have children, my husband is adamant that I breast feed... I'll stop there.

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