Why Are Breastfeeding And Bottle Feeding Such Touchy Subjects?
December 19, 2009 by admin
Filed under Breast Feeding Supplies
Just curious, but why do people act as if they want to rip each other’s heads off when breastfeeding and/or bottle feeding is mentioned in the same sentence?
Enlighten me if you can, because I don’t understand why people get so fiercely defensive if someone says something about “weaning at a certain age” or “bottles”.
Everyone wants what’s best for their baby. We all KNOW breast is best, that’s not the debate.
Some women get upset knowing that some moms really didn’t try to breastfeed, so in their minds, they really didn’t do what’s best for their baby.
I think some formula feeders feel guilty for using formula and wished they had stuck to breastfeeding.
I think some breastfeeders, like myself, COULD FREAKIN CARE LESS WHAT OTHER PEOPLE DO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think some formula feeders, like I did with my son, DON”T CARE WHAT THEIR BABY DRINKS AS LONG AS BABY AND MOMMY ARE HAPPY!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think some moms chose not to breastfeed for various reasons, and again, IT’S NONE OF MY BUSINESS.
I think some moms breastfeed and love it, but IT’S NOT MY BUSINESS.
If we all get on here and push our ideas and believes on here, we might as well:
tell everyone how to vote
tell everyone how to spend/save their money
tell everyone how to raise their children
tell everyone how to run their household/marriage/partnership
If someone is on the fence about breastfeeding and needs some info, I’m happy to give it. If someone says they can’t breastfeed because it seems gross, I have to respect their decision (keep in mind that those people have obviously had something happen to them in their lifetime to make them feel this way and there is no amount of knowledge or guilt you can give them to make them stop feeling that way). If someone says they aren’t happy breastfeeding or baby isn’t happy, it’s their RIGHT TO MAKE THEMSELVES OR BABY HAPPY.
I don’t judge anyone, it’s not my place.
Because formula feeding is not as healthy for babies as breastfeeding so naturally a mother gets very defensive about formula feeding. I know, I used to formula feed when I had twins and I was very defensive about it… even to the point of being untruthful and claiming that I couldn’t breastfeed when in actuality it was that my twins wouldn’t latch on at all.
If I had worked harder at it we could have done it but I gave up.
I’m breastfeeding now, though! I have a baby who is almost 4 months old and nurses great.
Well, only two women I know (well) didn’t breastfeed. My sister really wanted to and tried to both times, but had immense pain and insufficient support or knowledge to get through it (this is her words, not mine, and she is no wimp–she had both her babies naturally). She really tried hard to get through it, in tears, for several weeks before being convinced to give it up. My stepsister never cared at all for the idea of breastfeeding and never tried. You just can’t group all women into one bunch. These two women both formula fed for very different reasons, but both have been made to feel insufficient or like bad moms because of their choices. I think at this point it’s safe to say that everyone knows that breast is best, but no one wants it thrown in their faces when the choice has already been made. I am all for supporting moms struggling with it (which I was for the first couple of months) and encouraging expectant moms to really give it their best effort and to educate themselves beforehand to increase the odds of success, but no one wants to be put down for their choices as a parent.
*I shouldn’t say everyone knows this, but I believe most people do.
Welcome to MOTHERHOOD. The competition begins.
I am right or better because I do A instead of B.
You are wrong or bad because you do not.
We all like to think that we are right and know what is best. -WRONG
When you have your 1st child, it is definitely a learning experience and you do not need anyone comparing and criticizing what you are or are not doing.
Breast vs. bottle has been going on since they invented formula in the late 1800s. 1st it was that something must be wrong with you, if you bottle feed your child, then it was why do you want to tie yourself down by breastfeeding and now-a-days it’s anyones choice.
I personally do both. Breastfeed when I am at home and have my daughter bottle-fed when I am at work. She is a happy, healthy 2 1/2 month old. If the baby is happy, everyone is happy. No one wants to live in a house with an unhappy baby. Do what works for you.
People have their own different point of views on either subject which they strongly believe in. When it comes to those questions, It’s entertaining to me, I back away from putting my 2 cents in because I know what I am doing is my choice and really don’t care on what others have to say about it.
This is Y!A! A small percentage of people act nuts about all sorts of topics.
(Some breastfeeding advocates tell moms who formula feed that they are bad mothers. And some formula feeding mothers get defensive if anyone suggests that formula might not be ‘just as good’ or that there are risks to using formula.)
Jen’s answers is spot on. I agree completely!
To add to it; many people take their opinion on the subject very personally..and add to that the few that feel the need to condone formula feeding mommies and there you have one fierce argument on your hands.
Because it’s a very personal subject with a lot of misinformation and cultural attitudes about health, sexuality, and the value of women and their bodies attached. It’s a veritable perfect storm of controversy.
Think of how much waste formula feeding creates, from the manufacturing, to the cans, to the washing of the bottles.
BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE JUDGE MENTAL ABOUT PEOPLE WHO FORMULA FEED WHEN THEY DONT EVEN KNOW IF THERE ARE MEDICAL REASONS BEHIND CERTAIN PEOPLE NOT BEING ABLE TO BREASTFEED
People are bored.
It’s because moms that breastfeed feel they are superior to moms that formula feed. That’s the problem.
Breastmilk is what moms have been giving their babies since the beginning of human time. As natural selection would have it, if a baby can not be fed by the mom in this way, the baby would not thrive and it would die. But since technology has come a long way, natural selection doesn’t necessarily run its course, so now a baby who in the past might have died in the case that the mother couldn’t breastfeed for whatever reason, can thrive! And that’s a wonderful thing.
I attempted breastfeeding, I gave it a great effort and consulted lactation experts and such, but for some reason, my body was not cooperating. In the eyes of a breastfeeding mom, I failed! I guess in their eyes, my baby deserved death instead of having a chance to thrive and live in formula.
My husband was given formula as a baby, his father would not allow the mom to breastfeed out of jealousy issues, but now my husband is pretty resistant to sickness, and is extremely intelligent. There’s nothing wrong with formula. It’s a chance to help those who in nature would have not had a chance, to live.
Breastfeeding mothers just want to be acknowledged for their hard work, their sleepless days and nights, and the constant suckling action going on. They want to be acknowledged for not ’stooping’ to using bottles. They just want to feel superior.
There’s nothing wrong with bottles. Nothing wrong with formula. I do believe that breastfeeding mothers don’t wish for the babies who can’t be breastfed to survive. It’s very sad. I feel every baby deserves a chance, even babies who have mothers that couldn’t breastfeed for some reason.
My baby is formula fed. She’s awesome, wonderful, friendly, alert and thriving. Her weight gain is perfect and she’s the most curious little girl I know. I gave breastfeeding a shot. It didn’t work out. It doesn’t mean my little girl doesn’t deserve a chance at life. So therefore, formula and bottles came to the rescue.
Breastfeeding mothers just like to spit on others atop of their grand pedestal. In fact, some mothers have pictures of their breast and a baby attached to it. I find that..um….*shudders*
Well, I’ll not go into that.