The Breastfeeding Nazi - For Real?

[onthefly]

This is also a pet peeve of mine, I must admit. I don't get how you can complain about being judged and then throw NAZI at someone in the same breath? Anyway, interesting article.The percentages aren't the same - we have higher breastfeeding rates here - but bottle-feeders remain in the majority, nonetheless, so the point is still valid in the Aus context. As always, an interesting read, thank you miss Armadillo.

The Breastfeeding Nazi - For Real?
If there's one phrase that switches me off a conversation or article instantaneously, it's the utterance of the words "Breastfeeding/Tit Nazi".

And it's getting tiresome.

Really it's just plain offensive, as are variations like "Breastapo". Godwin's Law if you're not familiar with it is worth a read.

Mafia is no better:

An organised international body of criminals, operating originally in Sicily and now esp. in Italy and the US. Any similar group using extortion and other criminal methods.

Nope, not many breastfeeding mums tick those boxes either.

What also confuses me is where these "breastfeeding militants" are hiding? They must be super covert.

A flick through the press offerings include this, this and this and there have been more I haven't bookmarked.

So where exactly are all the articles that supposedly call formula "poison", written by these "judgy mummies"? How often do they feature in the press?

Sure we might get the odd piece from the perspective of a breastfeeding mother, but they only make the cut if they're respectful and understanding towards non breast feeders, ie when did you see an article referring to the formula feeding fascists or beady eyed bottle users?

And rightly so.

But this rule doesn't work both ways.

Just last year, Singer Lily Allen (one of the few I thought was really cool up until this point) tweeted:
"I'm not going to breastfeed."
Replies that followed included:
"Let's hope the breastfeeding Nazi aren't following!"
Before Lilly replied:
"I have every intention of breastfeeding, just fancied antagonising the milk mafia"
The tag line for this story read: "Lily Allen's wicked sense of humour caused a mini Twitter uproar yesterday"

Yeah....Wicked.....Sigh

How hilarious this is even vaguely socially acceptable.

Think that's bad enough? These comments are echoed by a DOCTOR, a registered Healthcare Practitioner.

...... click the link for more

FULL ARTICLE HERE - Analytical Armadillo - The Booby Whisperer: The Breastfeeding Nazi - For Real?

[PumpkinZulu]

Just shared this to my FB wall. Found myself nodding and whispering 'yes!' a lot lol!

[glenny_c]

I think comments like "Breastfeeding Nazi" etc are a way of people processing their own guilt and feelings of inadequacy by turning other people into the enemy (If that makes sense?)

I know for me- I ff DD after a really rough time in the beginning trying to establish breastfeeding and it just didn't work. Finally, for my own sanity I switched to formula. All the bad feelings I had in the beginning (and a little still now) had to do with my own feelings of failure and guilt that I couldn't breastfeed. I have met a lot of breastfeeding mothers, both on here and IRL, some of whom are very pro-breast. And I can honestly say that I have NEVER had anyone make a negative comment to me about how I fed my daughter. I expected bad comments and again- I own that. I expected it because it was how I felt about myself, not what anyone else had said.

I think it's another example of women turning on each other for no good reason. It's a shame

[Lenny]

I'm with her. Sigh.

An ABA member said to me the other day that one of her friends was 'complaining' about the ABA. Friend said to her 'you know the problem with the ABA? They are just ALL about breastfeeding'.

[glenny_c]

And for the record- The ABA were AMAZING for me when I was going through the trauma of difficulty breastfeeding, they helped me in every way possible and NEVER made me feel bad that I ended up going onto formula. I have joined them again for this pregnancy as there are things I want to do differently this time.

[Frantelle]

You know what I think these terms come from people feeling insecure with the choices they have made.

Its like people who use formula feel the need to explain why they chose to formula feed.

Im happy with the choice that My husband and I made and my DS is thriving I therefor have no guilt and dont feel the need to explain myself.

I do believe in information being readily available for both breast feeding and formula feeding. People need to make informed choices and then accept/ own the choices thst they make.

[onthefly]

PMSL Lenny! No false advertising there

I understand, at a personal level, where that anger comes from - it's the unresolved mourning process for women who haven't breastfed.
But it goes so much deeper than that in our society. It's sad.

[Jellyfish]

It's sad.

That is how I feel; sad Reading things like this really just upsets me.

[Artechim]

There was recently a stop smoking campaign on TV recently which featured a popular All Black. He had the camera crew follow him around for a morning and included in the final cut that was aired was a couple of seconds of him lovingly feeding his six month old baby from a bottle. The La Leche League complained (very publicly) and got the clip of him bottle-feeding removed.

Try to tell me that is not fanatical - that somewhere out there there aren't woman who can't even concede two seconds of air time to someone bottle feeding.

[LimeSlice]

I think the Breastfeeding Nazi is a very real thing. All you need to do is get on some of the FB pages and they are rife with overly judgmental, obsessive fanatics. Although the term "nazi" is not my word choice, I think it needs to be noted that the word has evolved to mean other things besides the literal noun.

In most areas of more "natural" parenting you will find this women - the circumcision debate, the formula debate, the homebirth debate.... All of these areas are full of hardline extremists, who will offer their unwanted opinions in almost violent terms. Some of the language they use is quite scary.

But if you are happy with your choices, then what do you care what others think? I personally choose not to get too involved in the breast vs formula thing - because quite frankly I don't think there should be a choice. But that is just me, so maybe I am a breastfeeding nazi? I'm ok with that. I am not vocal about it unless directly asked, but I know lots of others who will go out of their way to harass and abuse someone and make their feelings known to the detriment of the cause.

[Lenny]

There was recently a stop smoking campaign on TV recently which featured a popular All Black. He had the camera crew follow him around for a morning and included in the final cut that was aired was a couple of seconds of him lovingly feeding his six month old baby from a bottle. The La Leche League complained (very publicly) and got the clip of him bottle-feeding removed.

Try to tell me that is not fanatical - that somewhere out there there aren't woman who can't even concede two seconds of air time to someone bottle feeding.

I bet there would have been plenty of comments if it had shown his childs mother breastfeeding too.
Perhaps not fanatical - just trying to stem the tide of normalising formula in the media.

[onthefly]

But if people are behaving badly, why not make it about that, rather than about breastfeeding? It's a general rule, surely, to be sensitive and mindful of others, and it's reasonable to call people up for it if they're not. It's not reasonable to react obnoxiously to someone else who's being badly behaved. And when we accept terms like bresatfeeding nazi or breastapo, we are saying that it's ok to belittle women who promote or support breastfeeding and mothers - since these terms are tossed around so casually sometimes.
If someone is militant - or whatever - and so not doing a good job of promoting their cause or supporting mothers, then this should be pointed out to them. As soon as you use one of these derogatory terms, you don't make it about their bad form, you make it about all those people who try to help mothers and babies. Would it be ok to call soemone a bottlenazi if they discourage mothers from breastfeeding? Do we warn public health programmers to take care to avoid the wrath of smoker-nazis if they promote the quit message? Do we need to watch out for the fatstapo if we warn of the dangers of obesity?

[Dansta]

when i struggled with feeding dj - i copped flack for giving him a bottle from a stranger - it was ebm but i copped it. with vic my sil took offence and i was told to feed in another room.

both sides of the fence i copped it. i get people have their ideals but i get shirty when eather side of this debate shove it down my throte.

[LimeSlice]

When you figure out how to tell a fanatic they are a fanatic without a backlash, with any success, you should let the UN know, pretty sure they want to figure that out.

Do you not see how condescending that is? You assume because someone is militant about something they are ignorant or need to be re-educated to be more mainstream. That totally ignores the fact that they don't WANT to be moderate. They don't think there is a middle ground. So be offended if you want to be, but it won't change their minds.
The term "Breastfeeding Nazi" doesn't belittle all the women promoting breastfeeding, it only belittles those who take offence to the term. It only does harm to the cause if you can't distinguish between the extremists and the supporters. It is like taking offence to a Palestinian extremist who just blew up a cafe a "terrorist" because you are also a Palestinian. He is a terrorist, but that doesn't change your message as a Palestinian. Intelligent people know the difference. If you want to appeal to the lowest common denominator then you will spend your life debating semantics and trying to explain the difference between night and day because they just won't get it.
So you are right, the people the term is aimed at won't care, they will wear it with pride, and the ones who it isn't aimed at take offence to it and let it control their agenda. They shouldn't.
It is a throw-away term, useless as it only makes sense to those who already have a line in the debate. Either you are a formula feeder who agrees with its sentiment or you are a breastfeeding advocate who takes it personally. Either way though, they label isn't changing anything as those it is assigned to don't see the negativity behind it.

The sooner everyone stops trying to be so PC about every little thing and being so tolerant of everyone's "choices" the better off we will be.

[Maruschke]

I am 100% supportive of people breastfeeding where they want, when they want, for as long as they way. If people want to rally support for that, I'm behind them 100%, without reservation. Thankfully this is as far as most pro-BF'ers take it.

But when other people have to be torn down in order to garnish that support, that is where I draw the line. I think most ABA members do really well to garnish support without vilifying BF'ers, and most people here on BB do well too. But there are a minority that go too far, and I don't think they fairly represent the whole. I don't like it when people call formula poison, but I'd never call them a Nazi for it. It's not poison, it just isn't a mothers natural bodily fluid designed for her child. And, that is just someone else's opinion, I don't have to take it on board... who really cares what someone else thinks about my feeding method? I don't need their validation.

On another note, the more I investigate my family history (I'm half German) the more interesting it gets. I've got people in my family who are German Jews. I'm still trying to figure out if any of them died in the holocaust. But if anyone ever compares the agony that the Jews went through, with being called "poison feeders" I'm gunna go off my nut. Are we so precious that being offended is considered equal with being gassed to death in mass numbers by an evil dictator because they weren't a part of the superior human race? Are pro BF'ers trying to exterminate FF'ers? NO! This isn't a eugenic program, it's a pro-BF program that a very small minority take too far FFS. Time to stop using the word Nazi where it doesn't apply.

[MantaRay]

It really is sad that in so many ways mums do not support other mums. For whatever reason mums judge other mums, feel competitive, superior, inferior, whatever, rather than just celebrating the sisterhood that becoming a mum should bring. We are all in the toughest job in the world together, imagine how much stronger we could all be if we banded together and acted as one supportive community and lobby group. Imagine how much more parent friendly we could make society if we all worked together instead of against each other.

Ironically, the one organisation that truly does this well is the ABA that is often accused of just the opposite. The ABA is all about mums supporting mums (more so than being about breastfeeding if you want to get down to it), and about doing what they can to make society more mum and bub friendly. It is the only place where I have felt totally supported without judgement since becoming a mum. And I know many other lovely ladies who feel exactly the same. Fing mums are well accepted at ABA meetings, and are supported by the ABA. It is inclusive. ABA counsellors do not have the medical training to give specific advice about formula brands or quantities but can and do still provide support to any mum or family member that rings, no matter how bub is being fed.

[onthefly]

Lime, you're right, this sort of thing does get my back up and it shouldn't.
I think part of it for me is that despite hearing 'about' these extremists, I'm yet to actually encounter one (though I've encountered plenty of defensiveness about this perception, from mums that didn't breastfeed and from those that do, but don't want to be identified as militants, or whatever term you want to use).
But yes, I take it personally when I shouldn't. And yes, there's a clear difference and clear-minded people with perspective will see that. But no, it's not just semantics, because Nazis exterminated people and even the most militant breastfeeding advocate never did that. And I don't mean that militants need educating, I just meant that we should address that issue, rather than making it about breastfeeding (or whatever).

On a side note, I am sensitive about the use of Nazi. And sometimes I wonder if I give the word more power that way. Because, really, the thought of Nazis marching across Europe ordering people to breastfeed is really quite absurd.

Mantaray - that is precisely why I like the ABA. It's all about mums supporting mums.

[Phteven]

Well there might be something in it...... In Measuring Mamma's Milk: Fascism and the Medicalization of Maternity in Italy Whitaker does demonstrate that the Italian fascist regime promoted a very regimented form of breastfeeding however in How Fascism Ruled Women: Italy, 1922-1945 deGrazia argues that whilst the regime paid lipservice to breastfeeding the regimented and medicinalised nature of breastfeeding as promoted by fascism (weighing after each feed, feeding to schedule etc) undermined breastfeeding and that the regime also boosted the use of artificial baby foods by distributing free samples of Nestogen as well as bottles etc. Additionally the large pharmaceutical companies were allowed to advertise freely during the pre-war ear.

Or are we not discussing breastfeeding and the Nazi era in Europe?

FWIW I think the term is ridiculous, no-one has ever been interred in a concentration camp for using artificial baby milk and I have never done the goose step whilst feeding.