Reply to Electing not to breastfeed

Forum Index » Expectant and Postpartum Moms

Reply to "Electing not to breastfeed"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP, you hit on a particular pet peeve of mine, which is when people talking about breastfeeding but what they really mean is pumping. Would i breastfeed under your circumstances? No. Pumping sucks. The experience of actually breastfeeding your child is different and I think that is worth it. I just wish people would stop giving BREASTFEEDING a bad name when what they're really talking about is pumping and bottle feeding.[/quote]
I think they necessarily go hand in hand.[b] Of course in an ideal world (or Europe) we would all have lots of time off work with a new baby, so we could spend the first year of our child's life feeding and caring for them however we see fit. [/b]But if I choose to dedicate myself to breastfeeding, I am resigning myself to pumping unless I quit my job. I couldn't maintain my supply when I'm out of the house 11 hours a day, 5 days a week, if I didn't pump. Therefore, I would not be able to breastfeed. For me, though, it's also the reality of never having the freedom or independence to leave the house without my baby. And I don't think that's unreasonable.

I think what you're talking about is part of a larger conversation than just, "Breastfeeding is good, pumping is bad."[/quote]

I am 100% pro paid parental leave for all.  But it's important to point out that in Europe those policies were designed to encourage women specifically to stay home and there is evidence it impacts women's workforce participation and compensation. Parental leave policies should be available to men and women, and there is NOTHING wrong with going back to work whenever you are ready. And like you say, not wanting to be chained to your baby 24/7 is 100% a valid reason to not breastfeed and/or supplement with formula.[/quote]

As a side note, there is a strong pro formula movement in Europe among feminists, as breastfeeding is seen as a form of slavery for women (and pumping is seen as degrading, treating women as cattle). A very different message than the pro breastfeeding feminist movement in the US.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics