"Dont you wish you did it the NORMAL way?" WHAT?!?!?!?

[CinderToriella]

[Bathsheba]

Given that this thread is in the Breast Feeding Support section of BB i strongly agree that that girl was misguided in implying that a bottle was the "normal" method of feeding a baby.

BFing is normal because it's what the human body was meant to do: feed a baby via the breast. A bottle is an aide when that isn't possible... like a wheelchair is to those who can't walk for one reason or another or glasses for those who can't see. Using these aides shouldn't invite criticism but calling an aide the "normal" method is simply incorrect.

It's hard to tactfully explain this to some people... you did well to stay calm.

[allycat06]

No you are just one of us "dirty hippy weirdos"

baahahahahaha.
I watched an old 60 mins segment the other day about attachement parenting/long term BF, probably one of the most judgemental and condescening bits of fluff I have ever seen.

It is a very sad situation when bottle feeding is seen as the normal (read natural) thing to do. You can't really blame people of thinking that when all you see on TV is ads for formula and in movies and tv shows more often than not a new baby is being fed with a bottle. It was nice when Packed to Rafters gave breastfeeding a bit of airtime.

[kelebek]

well done for doing it the normal way, ie breastfeeding with your breasts. Sure if you are using formulae the normal way is with a bottle but you aren't.

I found as DS got older I could time it so I could have a drink everynow and then. We are still feeding now and if I do go out for the night it isn't a big deal if he doesn't have a bf for one night at his age so you are able to (in moderation) let your hair done.

[tellytubby]

w.t.f!?!

Some people are freaking CRAZY!

[MummaSue]

and

[Traveller]

I would have taken the comment as a chance to educate this friend in the fact that breastfeeding, whilst sadly not as common any more as it was pre the days of massive formula advertising, is in fact the biologically normal way to feed an infant human. I would have then gone into the irrefutable health benefits of breastfeeding, and the health risks taken when choosing not to do this. I have done this to other people before. It either results in them learning something, and possibly changing their opinion, or I bore them so much they never risk criticising my breastfeeding again

[smiles4u]

i know someone when she was pregnant with twins whinged to me that she can't afford tins of formula for two babies!

... and with her rolling her eyes said to me " Oh looks like i'm gonna have to try breastfeed then " with added disappointment to her face ... needless to say that apparantly lasted 6weeks !!

[TeniBear]

I would have taken the comment as a chance to educate this friend in the fact that breastfeeding, whilst sadly not as common any more as it was pre the days of massive formula advertising, is in fact the biologically normal way to feed an infant human. I would have then gone into the irrefutable health benefits of breastfeeding, and the health risks taken when choosing not to do this. I have done this to other people before. It either results in them learning something, and possibly changing their opinion, or I bore them so much they never risk criticising my breastfeeding again

I really hope I'm able to do this if anyone ever asks me

[Bathsheba]

I could also maybe push the boundaries a bit and say "maybe breast cancer rates would be more normal instead of what they have become if women did what nature intended and breast fed their babies... proven to reduce the likelyhood of developing breast cancer". But that's an emotive issue and i'd pick the time and place IYKWIM. It might be something i would pull out if the person was insistant that breast feeding was 'ick' or 'boring' or something dismissive like that.

[*LittleMissSummer*]

i know someone when she was pregnant with twins whinged to me that she can't afford tins of formula for two babies!

... and with her rolling her eyes said to me " Oh looks like i'm gonna have to try breastfeed then " with added disappointment to her face ... needless to say that apparantly lasted 6weeks !!

Oh wow thats ridiculous! but in saying that i wish i had of tried as the formula Miss K is on is $30 and DP even found a chemist that sells it for $36 and she goes through a tin a week.

With our next bubba ill be trying or the very least expressing.

[helle]

i had a gorgeous moment recently at a fete...
i went to the BF/changing tent, and one of the mothers manning the tent had her daughter with her... she would have been about 2. While i fed DS the girl came and sat next to me and said, in a very matter of fact tone, "ooh, he's having his milk!" and chatted away to DS while having a peek to make sure he was "drinking it all" (which made him giggle and spray milk everywhere...). It was kinda sweet that she didn't feel at all awkward by this strange woman with her boob out and a little blonde man attached to it ^^;

and limeslice i can vouch for that info too. my nan is dead set against bfing, hates it. thinks it's useless. she is forever trying to catch me out with something to bag out bfing - even if she thinks she's being subtle! my mum on the other hand bf both of us kids til we were 1+

[Shanti]

I find when I state the WHO guidelines on infant feeding, that most people don't know what to say after

Well done breastfeeding

[Shanti]

I find when I state the WHO guidelines on infant feeding, that most people don't know what to say after

Well done breastfeeding

[peanutter]

I've had strange looks in parents' rooms because I breastfeed AND use cloth nappies... I must be the most un-normal person...

ditto!

even the couple of people I know who use MCNs have been shocked that I use terry flats, and assumed that I hadn't heard of MCNs ... and several friends and families chuckled at my naivety (before DS was born) and gave me 2 weeks to stop with cloth nappies, and not much longer to give up on breastfeeding ...

DS is now 4.5 months old, still a happy cloth bummed boy, exclusively breastfed (with me back at work for almost 3 months).

Others are free to make their choices about their own babies, but heaven help those who criticise me for breastfeeding my little man!

[Meercat]

I have had people tell me it is gross, I will have her feeding off me when she is 15 (COME ON REALLY) and even had a family member get angry at me for quoting the WHO guidelines when she told me I should give Tiah formula because she chose to give her son formula and felt like me breastfeeding was to have a go at her (WTF)

I just let people assume it is a burden to me now if they wont listen the first time. Then I pity them when I am snuggled in bed with my beautiful little girl, giving her something only I can Nothing beats the sleepy smiles I get when she looks up at me after she has some booby!

[deletedit]

People still seriously think that? Geez!

I've had very little to do with babies as I grew up - I'm an only child too, so no little siblings, and for whatever reason when I had my daughter (at an awkward age - I didn't know ANYONE else in my social circle having babies at the time) it actually didn't occur to me that there was any other way to feed a baby besides boobies. Fortunately, mine work just fine so it was never an issue, which is just as well because it never crossed my mind that it might *not* work, I hadn't looked into bottles or anything at all.

Yesterday I was out at a tile shop with the two littler kidlets. Baby got grouchy just when they wanted me to pay (serves em right for taking so long to help). The staff didn't seem to mind at all that I parked in the corner and BF a bit before forking over the dosh. Fortunately they had a couple of chairs set up in one of the tile display thingies, otherwise I would have been BF on a display toilet

[UntoldAngel]

ditto!

even the couple of people I know who use MCNs have been shocked that I use terry flats, and assumed that I hadn't heard of MCNs ... and several friends and families chuckled at my naivety (before DS was born) and gave me 2 weeks to stop with cloth nappies, and not much longer to give up on breastfeeding ...

DS is now 4.5 months old, still a happy cloth bummed boy, exclusively breastfed (with me back at work for almost 3 months).

Others are free to make their choices about their own babies, but heaven help those who criticise me for breastfeeding my little man!

Apart from the back to work, that describes the attitude a lot of people have voiced toward me to! I'm actually preferring the terry flats too cos bub is such a skinny that I haven't found many mcn's that fit him good enough
Just because something didn't work for you (and from the people I'm talking about it's more from the effort involved) don'y pass judgement on me