Ugh I get it, you LOVE breastfeeding...

[KatieB]

I can understand them being proud of breastfeeding as it's a wonderful achievement and fantastic for your baby but to slate Formula feeding is pathetic x

 

[summer rain]

Also, I find it quite ironic that they are so proud of giving their child BM when they don't even vaccinate them. Newsflash - BM is amazing stuf but will not stop their children getting diptheria, meningitis or any of the other terrible diseases!!!!!!!

That's the problem, some mothers (not too many thank God!) are so religiously into breastfeeding that they think it's a lifetime vaccine against everything. They'll have a hard time when their kids grow up and realise that BM is not even a lifetime vaccine against ear infections and gastros.

I don't think this is anything to do with BF, I know many FF parents who do not vaccinate, when I think about it its probably more than BF parents I know who don't, and many very staunchly 'lactavist' mums who are very pro-vaccination, even on baby and bump it is like this. The parents I know who do not vaccinate do so for completely different reasons than thinking BF is some kind of magical vaccine in itself-its usually either because they are scared of adverse reactions (sometimes quite understandably if there have been adverse reactions in the immediate family) or they simply do not feel that vaccines are safe and/or effective. I myself have delayed some of my son's vaccines not because I think BF will protect him from serious childhood diseases but because two of my other boys had a long lasting and serious reaction to one of the vaccine ingredients in the 5-in-1/pediacel vaccine; they had a cows milk protein allergy and that particular vaccine contains a related ingredient. The information leaflet with this vaccine has been updated and now says to avoid giving the vaccine if a baby has this particular allergy and NHS fact sheets for parents of babies with cows milk allergy say to avoid this ingredient because the risk of also being allergic to it is extremely high. It says in the manufacturers leaflet if your baby is allergic to those ingredients they shouldn't be given that vaccine at all; ever but I have instead chosen to risk it and just delay it because I feel the risks outweigh the benefits and from my research the risk of such a reaction is far less if it is given at an older age. Nothing to do with BF at all and I have given all my kids all their other vaccines bang on time. If other parents choose not to vaccinate though; that really isn't my business nor is it a BF vs FF issue either, same with any other 'natural parenting' issues, even on this board many of the staunchest natural parents are FFers-there isn't really any correlation between parenting style and feeding method.

I really don't like the whole 'us and them' tone that this thread is starting to exhibit and talking about BFers like they are not here when not only are there are many combi feeding mums on this board as well as BFers who have FF in the past and may do so in the future, and also all the old assumptions and stereotypes about 'them there breastfeeders' are coming out of the woodwork. Seems we are all militant, unwashed hippies who don't vaccinate our kids because we believe BF to be a magical panacea for every ill and we spend every waking hour shoving how great BF is into other's faces, hmm ok. While I do not support judgemental parents in any walk of life I can sometimes understand why some BF mums do have a persecution complex because anything they do or say is always seen to be militant or somehow pushing BF into people's faces, I have had this for commenting on threads on the BF section how pleased I am to have got to 6/7 months, that I am somehow saying ladies who choose to FF or had to give up are thus failures; but no I am genuinely pleased for myself as it hasn't been plain sailing and my second youngest I had to switch to formula for medical reasons starting from 3.5 months I don't see how or why that is offensive? xx

 

[thedog]

I've deleted two aswell, literally my facebook news feed was bombarded with anti formula, how so inferior it was, how great it is their baby gets human milk and now from a random cow How ff babies will end up with constant ear/eye/chest infections, we are lazy, aren't doing whats best blah blah fucking blah!!!

Oh and the best thing is, the one i deleted got kicked off here and returned.

 

[Ashley2189]

I hear you!
Farting and periods are also "natural" and no one should FB about that!
When ppl FB about BFing they are humble-bragging "Oooh I'm a mom look at me".
It's lame, rude and insensitive.

you're comparing bfing to farting and having a period? IMHO that's just about as bad as when Savannah Gunthrie compared bfing to urinating on The Today Show.

I am 100% pro-bfing, but I do realize that it's not possible for everyone. I believe everyone should try, but I would never try and make someone feel badly for not bfing. I do what I think is best and right for MY child, you do what's best and right for YOURS. I agree that some people use fb as a way to "brag" about how many GREAT things they do for their baby, and it makes me sick when it comes across as "this is the right way and if you don't do this you're a terrible mother"!

I have a friend who is pro-bfing, cloth-diapering, natural-birthing, anti-medication, vegan (extreme - "how could you kill that poor animal!"), very "natural" lifestyle. She doesn't exactly shove her beliefs down your throat and tell you you're doing it wrong, but the way she "advocates" is by sharing the WORST parts of everything she DOESN'T believe in. Once, she commented on a photo of me fishing. It was the very first fish I ever caught on my own, and it was a bit bloody from the hook, but I was so proud of it. she wrote - "WTF. OMG that's MURDER!". needless to say, i blocked her ability to comment on anything of mine.

 

[Foogirl]

I suppose I would be considered to be pro - bfing, I do wish the UK's rates were better. But that doesn't make me "anti formula". I won't feed it to my children, as far as that is possible, because bfing worked for me and I prefer it as a feeding method. I don't have a problem with individuals who do use it though, everyone has their own story and their own reasons.

I do think in many cases though the pro BFing and anti vaccine thing do go hand in hand. There are quite a few I've heard who give it as one of their reasons not to. Again, I prefer that more people would vaccinate, but their reasons for not doing so are theirs alone.

The only time either of those choices bother me are when they are I'll informed and are doing it because of mis information.

I very much agree ther should be far lees " them and us"

 

[nickyXjayno]

I don't see what the issue is?
People post loads of boring crap on facebook about that they have done that day or want to do on the weekend.
You're only bugged cause their talking about bf.
It's like when I see the TTC ladies slagging girls off for posting on fb about pregnancy & kids as if they are doing it to be spiteful & make others feel bad.
Truth is they & the bf girls are just really proud of themselves & love what they are doing & want to talk about it.
they do the same amount of posting as anyone else it's just you notice their posts more as you seem to be upset my it.

Not being funny but I've got loads of friends on facebook and don't notice what anyones updates are half the time as there are so many!
So I think it's a load of crap when girls say *ooh it's in my face* it's not you are looking for it.

 

[CeriB]

I get fed up with people FBing about the same topic over and over again, to the point where, after 6weeks of daily updates about how long it was until someones holiday, I FBed "CeriB doesn't give a flying rats ass how many days it is until your holiday" - Childish = Yes, Made me feel better = Yes!!

Complete bombardment on FB over any issue is annoying and something that is very emotionally involved can only be 100% worse. OP - do what you need to do, but don't let other people make you feel bad about your decisions. Your life - Your FB!

 

[celi84]

Of course it's none of my business if other ppl's kids are or not vaccinated. I just don't know if it's fair on the kids to expose them to such risks, whether you bf them until self-weaning or ff them since birth. Just one example, don't know what she was fed, but I had a friend at school who had poliomyelitis as a little girl. As a result today, she has great difficulties walking and needs a crutch at all times for the rest of her life. If she had not had the jab after the first time, she could have the same disease a second time and become blind as well. That is why I don't think it's worth the risk. I just hope that any parents who don't have their kids vaccinated are aware of the risks.

As for FB updates, I think we all agree that when it bothers us or simply is of no interest, we have the option to hide them, or even unfriend the ppl in question. No need to get woud up

 

[Snuffy]

Some people go way overboard with their banging on about BF. They're passionate about it, I get that. But it gets boring.

On one forum I used to use, if anyone asked for advice about starting FF one member would home in and immediately post a dozen links to BF support sites and phone numbers. She didn't even use the site that much, it was like the bat signal went off whenever anyone used the word formula.

If people ask for BF advice, fair enough - assist away. But these people were asking about FF! It got so irritating that people started PMing me for advice just so she wouldn't start.

 

[cat lover]

I do actually combi feed myself, indeed I BF a lot more than FF, so noone can say I am trying to incite an 'us and them' feeling as I would be on both sides! And I certainly don't think people who BF are hippies and have never said so. I do agree with the poster that talking about BFing on Fb is not necessary and I would never do it, however of course people do post all sorts of unnecessary things on FB lol. As for the vacs, I know really that people don't think BM will stop diseases but I do feel it is dangerous not to vaccinate, though of course it is personal opinion.... I did not mean to cause offense, I was trying to be lighthearted and keep within the feeling of the thread. Personally I feel that all of us on BnB should get along and support each other and I would hate to get into an argument with anyone on here, so to all of you who take the time to read this

 

[celi84]

BTW, I didn't say all bf mothers were hippies either, in fact most of my relatives and friends who have had their babies already do bf or have done and they're far from being hippies. They're not against formula, disposable nappies, medication or vaccines. I was just talking about a small minority of mothers who seem to have extreme beliefs, IMO.

In my former post, when I was talking of BM being said to protect against gastros and ear infections, well, that's word for word what is said on my pregnancy record that was given by my NHS midwife. Therefore, I wouldn't be surprised if some ppl believe it until their children have an ear infection or a gastro

 

[Roffey82]

I believe that it's completely up to each individual to decide if they get the choice whether to FF or BF and this site is to give support so that's what should happen.
I feel that each mum should be proud of their thriving baby FF or BF and if they want to share that on FB then that's up to them.
My DS is 17 weeks and I've EBf but I'm going back to work in 3 weeks so will try combo feeding as Ive haven't been able to build up a frozen supply. but to be honest I haven't asked any questions about combi feeding as I don't want to be made to feel bad about my decision and so far all the threads I've read about combi feeding have gone that way. Don't get me wrong I really love this site and always get excellent advice but sometimes I feel bad for the original posters

 

[HungryHippo]

I'm a new mom and BF'er - but the hardcore BF'ers who can't help but vomit unsolicited advice are indeed obnoxious. As with any unsolicited advice - it's usually annoying. Thankfully, it's easy to a) stop reading and/or b) to turn around and walk away mid-conversation. New mom's get the benefit of being short with people. It's amazing what all I can blame on lack of sleep.

 

[summer rain]

BTW, I didn't say all bf mothers were hippies either, in fact most of my relatives and friends who have had their babies already do bf or have done and they're far from being hippies. They're not against formula, disposable nappies, medication or vaccines. I was just talking about a small minority of mothers who seem to have extreme beliefs, IMO.

In my former post, when I was talking of BM being said to protect against gastros and ear infections, well, that's word for word what is said on my pregnancy record that was given by my NHS midwife. Therefore, I wouldn't be surprised if some ppl believe it until their children have an ear infection or a gastro

Judging by your past posts for some reason you have a real problem with research that says that BF babies are less likely (note it says less likely not 100% that they won't) to develop certain childhood illnesses or to be hospitalised with certain illnesses, and obsessed with proving it wrong. Why? I know exactly the type of material you're talking about and nowhere does it say that BF 100% protects against anything just it is statistically less likely. 'Protects against' is not the same as 'completely prevents' and I've never personally seen any BF mum or blog or body of information make such a claim. I personally do believe BF has some protective immune factors and antibodies in it and also since breastmilk is sterile; that pretty much rules out any problems with contamination or incorrect preperation-these are some reasons why I personally chose to BF, but that doesn't mean 100% protection from illness just as FF doesn't mean 100% certainty of illness. A lot of the increased risk when FF can be ruled out completely by correct preperation and storage of formula. In my immediate family it is true the babies who were FF have had more ear infections, stomach problems and certain other conditions than those that were BF but that may be partly to do with certain allergies that most people in our family have particularly to milk products one of the side effects of which is suspectibility to certain infections and damage to the bowels etc. With my own children my eldest has always got the most ill and he is the only one who has had to have antibiotics on many occasions but its my second youngest who was FF from 3.5 months onwards who still has allergies and eczema, whereas all my others have outgrown them within the first two years. In his case though he had such severe allergies to foods via my milk that there really was no other option but to gradually stop BFing him so I did what was best at the time, as do all parents and otherwise he is a thriving happy boy.

Also you talk about all these 'extreme BF mothers' all the time; there really are not as many of them out there as you seem to want to believe and as I said there are extreme 'natural parenting' FF mothers as well- including some on this site who I have seen posts from telling mums if they use disposables their baby is very likely to end up with fertility problems or cancer in later life. I just wonder why you seem to have such a problem in particular with mums who happen to BF and who are also objectionable pushy people?

 

[Nervous_1]

As a combi-feeding mum I think the whole "them and us" attitude when it comes to BFing is ridiculous. Yes, exclusively BFing is best, but it's not always possible or it might just be (as it is in my case) the combi-feeding is the only way to continue to BF at all.

I personally feel that combi-feeders get the worst of both worlds, we get "why don't you just BF? FF is sooooooooo bad!" and we also get "just FF - it's so much easier!" Enough already!!!! I will choose to feed my baby as I see fit, as I'm sure we all do!

I have to say that I agree with a PP - the threads from the "pro-BFers" that bug people are being looked for. If they bother you that much either do as I do and skim over that person's status (I have a friend who posts at least twice a day that she loves her little princess and/or has a rant about having to go to work) or just block them. A thread inciting an argument about BFing vs FFing isn't necessary - if you want to do this go post in the debate section!

p.s. feel free to pm me if you want to chat about combi-feeding without getting shouted at!

 

[MaisieJune]

I guess they are proud of BFing but does sound a little like they are bragging. I would not go on FB and be like 'I got my tits out in the park today'... who needs to know that??!!!

Classy...

Didn't think a mother would be so narrow minded. I don't think anyone who breastfeeds would say that. They're feeding their child like any mother would. Just choice to do it the natural way. Also if a woman does post that she fed in a park think beyond. Even though I've fed in public a few times now I still feel uncomfortable incase narrow minded people give funny looks or remarks. It's not just women who ff who get made to feel bad about the way they feed their children.

I ff my son but I am bf my daughter.

 

[summer rain]

I guess they are proud of BFing but does sound a little like they are bragging. I would not go on FB and be like 'I got my tits out in the park today'... who needs to know that??!!!

Classy...

Didn't think a mother would be so narrow minded. I don't think anyone who breastfeeds would say that. They're feeding their child like any mother would. Just choice to do it the natural way. Also if a woman does post that she fed in a park think beyond. Even though I've fed in public a few times now I still feel uncomfortable incase narrow minded people give funny looks or remarks. It's not just women who ff who get made to feel bad about the way they feed their children.

I ff my son but I am bf my daughter.

Yes NIP is extremely hard and takes a lot of courage so if someone is proud of that fact I can understand why; they are not trying to brag but the way some people react it is a very brave thing to do; people will judge you for feeding your baby in public even FF-its the way this society is but at the end of the day overall you will see more comments comparing BF in public to going to the toilet or exposing your genetalia than anything else. When I BF in public I am very discreet and it just looks like I am hugging LO; hasn't stopped me from getting dirty looks and comments .

 

[celi84]

BTW, I didn't say all bf mothers were hippies either, in fact most of my relatives and friends who have had their babies already do bf or have done and they're far from being hippies. They're not against formula, disposable nappies, medication or vaccines. I was just talking about a small minority of mothers who seem to have extreme beliefs, IMO.

In my former post, when I was talking of BM being said to protect against gastros and ear infections, well, that's word for word what is said on my pregnancy record that was given by my NHS midwife. Therefore, I wouldn't be surprised if some ppl believe it until their children have an ear infection or a gastro

Judging by your past posts for some reason you have a real problem with research that says that BF babies are less likely (note it says less likely not 100% that they won't) to develop certain childhood illnesses or to be hospitalised with certain illnesses, and obsessed with proving it wrong. Why? I know exactly the type of material you're talking about and nowhere does it say that BF 100% protects against anything just it is statistically less likely. 'Protects against' is not the same as 'completely prevents' and I've never personally seen any BF mum or blog or body of information make such a claim. I personally do believe BF has some protective immune factors and antibodies in it and also since breastmilk is sterile; that pretty much rules out any problems with contamination or incorrect preperation-these are some reasons why I personally chose to BF, but that doesn't mean 100% protection from illness just as FF doesn't mean 100% certainty of illness. A lot of the increased risk when FF can be ruled out completely by correct preperation and storage of formula. In my immediate family it is true the babies who were FF have had more ear infections, stomach problems and certain other conditions than those that were BF but that may be partly to do with certain allergies that most people in our family have particularly to milk products one of the side effects of which is suspectibility to certain infections and damage to the bowels etc. With my own children my eldest has always got the most ill and he is the only one who has had to have antibiotics on many occasions but its my second youngest who was FF from 3.5 months onwards who still has allergies and eczema, whereas all my others have outgrown them within the first two years. In his case though he had such severe allergies to foods via my milk that there really was no other option but to gradually stop BFing him so I did what was best at the time, as do all parents and otherwise he is a thriving happy boy.

Also you talk about all these 'extreme BF mothers' all the time; there really are not as many of them out there as you seem to want to believe and as I said there are extreme 'natural parenting' FF mothers as well- including some on this site who I have seen posts from telling mums if they use disposables their baby is very likely to end up with fertility problems or cancer in later life. I just wonder why you seem to have such a problem in particular with mums who happen to BF and who are also objectionable pushy people?

Obsessed with proving it wrong? Talking about extremists all the time? I think you exagerate a little bit. I occasionally post on threads about the debate, because I think there is a lot of pressure on mums-to-be, like me, and I get the impression, from hearing other ppl's experience, that there is not much guidance given to them. I have a doubt about the stats just because around me, I know plenty of formula babies who are now grown up and are not (especially) sickly, or asthmatic, overweight, etc. and among the babies I know who were breastfed for a while, some of them have allergies or asthma, or are full of colds. Maybe this is the wrong sample that I know

As for disposable nappies, I have absolutely never looked at the issue and never commented on it. That's the first time I hear that it might cause fertility pbs and cancer. You say some natural parents ff? I can't help being surprised because it seems paradoxical to me.

As for extreme bf-ers, I have not seen them on BnB but I have elsewhere, on FB, on TV and in real life. There are not that many (that's what I keep saying!!) but they are quite vocal, and it seems that I am not the only one in this thread to feel that.

 

[Laura2919]

Stuff all these reports, surveys, research if you want to FF or BF then do it. Its your choice.
Its annoying when people insist that BF is the way forward, it only is best if it works for mother and baby. A FF happy baby is better than a BF struggling mummy, but it works both ways, if you can BF then thats great.
Not everyone finds it easy.

 

[celi84]

Also, I find it quite ironic that they are so proud of giving their child BM when they don't even vaccinate them. Newsflash - BM is amazing stuf but will not stop their children getting diptheria, meningitis or any of the other terrible diseases!!!!!!!

That's the problem, some mothers (not too many thank God!) are so religiously into breastfeeding that they think it's a lifetime vaccine against everything. They'll have a hard time when their kids grow up and realise that BM is not even a lifetime vaccine against ear infections and gastros.

I believe someone took offense at that post, but it was just a bit of a quip about OP's Facebook friends whose updates she chose to hide! Like Cat lover, I was being a bit funny, no need to take it seriously, let alone personally.