Curlcoat,
Indygrrl knows what she’s talking about. You don’t. So again STFU. This board is dedicated to fighting ignorance not spreading it. Breast feeding saves you money. Since you clearly can’t grasp that fact shut up.
Birth control, breast pumps, counseling for abuse? Are we going to do pedicures & manicures as well?
Like anything else baby-related, I guess, I think this is one of those things people, women and men, just don’t pay any attention to until it’s an immediate concern. Like anything baby related, I guess, I don’t think it’s much of a concern until it affects them directly, and then it’s ‘Have you taken a look at the parental leave in this country? It’s a travesty? [I’m pregnant]’ and ‘Did you know there’s nowhere to breastfeed at the office? That’s crazy! I can’t believe it took me so long to notice [or maybe it was that my baby just turned six months old and I didn’t know women actually needed that sort of thing until two days ago].’ Not judging, I think it’s natural, but it’s been my experience, largely, with 30-something friends.
So when they do look for the information, it’s nice that it’s out there.
We said the same thing. Apparently you don’t know what you are talking about.
Cite? I mean, if you are really interested in fighting ignorance rather than just being a bitch…
She wrote a nuanced and thoughtful post. You did not. Again shut up. You do not know what the fuck you’re talking about. She does. Anyone reading this thread understands that.
The reason breast feeding saves you money is because breast feeding has serious health benefits for both mother and baby. Encouraging women to nurse or pump milk means a decrease in problems like potential obesity for the child. It also means a reduction in risk of breast and ovarian cancers for the mother.
Here’s the study again so you can read it and STFU:
I’m going to bed now. My three and a half month old finally fell asleep. I just pumped out two ounces of breast milk for her and I am tired.
This is a whoosh, isn’t it? It has to be.
Ah, more proof of my theory that becoming a mother makes huge inconsiderate bitches of women…
You mean asking for a cite? No, I really know next to nothing about it since it wasn’t done by my mother when I was growing up, I didn’t have children and I know very few mothers. I hear in passing that breastfeeding is supposed to make all babies healthier and all that, yet I know scores if not hundreds of people who didn’t grow up being breastfed and yet didn’t have to go to the hospital. If mother of the year up there wasn’t having a screaming fit because I dared to question her decisions, she might use the opportunity to provide real cites, instead of one link to AOL.
Whatever. Someday I’ll learn that I can’t say anything about children, even in IMHO, without people losing their shit. God knows I’ll never be able to form a positive image of parenthood in here…
Really, can you not figure out even one way in which breastfeeding would save the mother money?
I just re-read the revelvant posts.
OK, I thought you were being wantonly ignorant.
One of the many, many reasons women choose to breastfeed is that it saves them money. Clearly, that’s of no interest to you. My bad.
Um, I believe that LavenderBlue’s claim was that breastfeeding mothers save others money because their babies are less sickly. If she merely meant that it saves her (and other mothers) money, then it’s not only not of interest to me, it also wouldn’t fit the context. But then, I’ve been wrong before…
If she wants her insurance company to be required to provide her with a pump - for free? at reduced cost? - so she can save on formula, that would fit the “it’s all about me” attitude that many mothers adopt these days. But I do think she meant taxpayer and insurance company savings.
As I said, I was mistaken in my first post. I wouldn’t dream of claiming to know what another poster might or might not mean.
I’d argue the point about mothers thinking it’s “all about” them but you’ve made your antipathy clear and I see no reason to waste the keystrokes.
I misread that - I see now that we agree I wasn’t discussing breastfeeding for personal savings.
I said “some” mothers, and yes I have antipathy towards that sort of mother.
ETA: Sorry, I see I actually said “many” mothers.
Out of interest, do you know how often a newborn baby needs to be fed? Were you aware that it is often unpredictable when the child will need another feed, particularly if they are going through a growth spurt? These things make it very difficult to plan to always be back at home at the right time, particularly if you have several things you need to do during the day.
The alternative (and I know you would not like this) is that a hungry baby cries. Feeding a baby at the first signs of hunger should be thought a very considerate thing for a mother to do - not only for her child, but for the people around her.
And the vast majority of people I know who breastfed were pretty self-conscious about exposing themselves in public (seriously, you think as soon as we become mums we all want to whip our boobs out for the general public to ogle at? Seriously?) and are very careful to use hooter-hiders, wraps and other devices to keep the disturbance to a minimum.
I checked my own technique out in the mirror from a few angles to make sure you couldn’t see anything - really you’d get more glimpse of a boob from a woman wearing a low cut top than most nursing women.
Heh. Breastfeeding is absolutely not one of my pet subjects. Pointing and laughing at stupid is a hobby of mine, though.
Hungry babies need to be fed. Breasts actually exist to fulfill that purpose. No really, have a moment to take it in if you need to, but rest assured, that’s what they’re for, whether you find it “upsetting” or not. Nursing in public is not rude, any more than eating is. Humanity in general is under no obligation to accommodate your peculiarly backward and prudish preferences.
Formula is already taxpayer subsidized. The more people nurse, the fewer people buy formula, ergo saving the taxpayer money.
Cultural shifts have nothing to do with parenting decisions? You’re adorable. You got jostled around quite a bit in the back of the station wagon, didn’t you? Hit your head a few times?
Really? You aren’t aware that we have high rates of heart disease and cancer in the western world? So, no, those people may not show up at the hospital and say, “I think I may have developed this because I wasn’t breastfed,” but that doesn’t mean it didn’t play a part.
But if you are seriously in doubt about the health benefits (for mom and baby), here is a great site:
http://www.womenshealth.gov/breastfeeding/why-breastfeeding-is-important/
Immunity
Fewer infections
Protection from SIDS
Higher Intelligence
Less obesity
Less diabetes
Less necrotizing entercolitis
And for mama as well:
It’s tempting to think that the benefits of breastfeeding are being overstated, but the truth is the benefits are probably even more than what we commonly hear. This wiki page is a great source, and even a cursory glance through it should be enough to convince you that the benefits are there.
The composition of breast milk, and the way it changes to give your baby exactly what he/she needs at their age/size, and how it’s immune function changes specifically for your baby is particularly fascinating, IMO:
Yeah I know the firewall on my pda doesn’t permit it.
Pretty sure they were dying in the 50’s and 60’s too. I bet someone’ died last week during childbirth.
“In the United States, the maternal death rate was 11 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in 2005.[11] This rose to 13.3 per 100,000 in 2006” Maternal death - Wikipedia
Well, they really encourage breastfeeding (“breast is best” is plastered all over the place in maternity wards) but I know plenty of kids that were bottle fed formula from birth who don’t seem to have any problems.
But we are not talking about what you need. Formula gives you what you “need” and if you can’t afford formula, the federal government will pay for your formula. But we aren’t talking about ogvernment assistance here, we are talking about regulations that mandate certain benefits from INSURANCE companies. For example, there once was a time when the mother routinely stayed in the hospital for a week or more after delivery both to let her recuperate and to take the time to teach her basic mothering skills. As time went on,. insurance companies kept reducing the coverage to the point where you were expected to elave the hospital within hours of delivery unless there was some medical reason you couldn’t recuperate at home. The government stepped in and forced insurance companies to pay for at least an overnight stay (two nights for a ceasarean).
I don’t know if its the hardest job on earth but its a lot harder than most jobs I have had.
You seem to be sugegsting that a mother can put her kid to bed for a nap and then leave the kid alone so she can go shopping.
For a lot of women, goign right back to work is necessary, they may not have paid maternal elave. And a lot of babies suck teat for a year.
Sure some women become total fucking bitches when they become mothers but most women don’t. I had a friend who insisted that the whole world revolve around her daughter but she grew out of it when her daughter started going to school. Other women start off as bitches and become really pleasant people when they have kids.
To be fair, there are some women who start off as bitches and become much easier to deal with after they have kids. I had a partner who was such a bitch that noone wanted to work with ehr despite her impeccable work product. Then she had a kid and her intensity level dropped a metric fuckload. I think having a kid filled a void in her life that being a partner at a large law firm did not. It seemd to give her much broader perspective on things.
Well, my opinion is that breasts are for breastfeeding to the same extent that sex is for procreation. Breasts are multi-functional IMHO.