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Cherie | This Witch doesn't burn
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Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 68,770
Favourites (more):
Strictly 2020: Bill Bailey BB19: Sian
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Cherie | This Witch doesn't burn
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 68,770
Favourites (more):
Strictly 2020: Bill Bailey BB19: Sian
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Toy Soldier
It's stupid and totally pointless - the reason most women don't breastfeed is because it's a "lost art" - their mothers didn't breastfeed, they don't see a lot of breastfeeding, most in society don't breastfeed, and breastfeeding support is therefore almost non-existant. It used to be much easier for women to breastfeed because they had mothers, aunts, sisters, and friends who all breastfed and who could give them advice on how to get it properly established.
Offering a financial incentive isn't going to change any of that - even people who do decide to do it "for the bribe" (which is ridiculous in the first place) will still probably struggle with it, because the support isn't there. 84% attempt breastfeeding at birth. 24% are breastfeeding at 6 weeks, 17% at 3 months, and 12% at 4 months. That says it all really.
I also reinforces the "6 months" myth. Most people seem to think that 6 months is when you're "supposed" to stop?? The medical advice is to breast feed for **AT LEAST** 6 months, with the ideal being up to two years.
Anyway... the statistics show that more than 80% of new mothers do want to try breastfeeding. They don't need a bribe. The reason that the actual percentage of breastfeeding mothers is woefully low is because most fail to get breastfeeding established - partly due to myths and misconceptions (e.g. that it shouldn't hurt at first, or that there's a certain number of oz. of milk that you need to be sure baby is getting), partly due to poor feeding technique because they had no help.
So, that money would be MUCH, MUCH better spent on employing skilled, full-time breast feeding support staff for hospitals and on support groups in the community. Oh, and on tackling the consumer grip that the formula companies have and their inclination to hinder and discourage breastfeeding.
My partner breastfed our first for 14 months and is still breastfeeding our second at nearly 16 months - if she hadn't had the support of a good online community, this might never have happened. The advice and suggestions from midwives / the NHS was straight up incorrect - for example, establishing breastfeeding can be painful for a few days or even weeks. The NHS line is basically "if it hurts, you're doing it wrong". My partner experienced some pain and, luckily, was on a forum with many experienced breastfeeders who told her that it was totally normal and would stop soon. If she hadn't had that - and had gone with the NHS advice of "painful = wrong", she might well have stopped believing there was a problem.
Another example; a friend of ours recently tried breastfeeding her 2nd baby (first was formula fed) but gave up after 3 weeks believing it was impossible / wasn't working for them... except, the baby refused a bottle. It just wouldn't take one at all, and they were getting worried... so, she tried breastfeeding again and stuck to it, and within a week the baby was feeding like a pro. If he had happily taken to a bottle, she would have gone on believing that it "would never work".
The statistics are that 97%+ of mothers CAN successfully breastfeed. We wouldn't have made it this far as a species if that wasn't the case. All other mammals breastfeed. Humans are not somehow "defective". And yet breastfeeding rates beyond 6 months are at under 5%... it's appalling.
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what is appalling about it? most women have returned to work 6 months after childbirth so breastfeeding after 6 months would be totally impractical.
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'put a bit of lippy on and run a brush through your hair, we are alcoholics, not savages'
Quote:
Originally Posted by Beso
Livelier than Izaaz, and hes got 2 feet.
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Last edited by Cherry Christmas; 12-11-2013 at 01:39 PM.
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12-11-2013, 01:38 PM
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