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Some women have extreme difficulty producing milk. It's a real problem. In my anecdotal observation, however, it's far more common to decide against it due to
by quesera 11y ago
Some women have extreme difficulty producing milk. It's a real problem.
In my anecdotal observation, however, it's far more common to decide against it due to discomfort or inconvenience, often prompted by an initial difficulty getting started. We just aren't taught how to do it any more. We have formula for that.
- JoeAltmaier 11y agoI'd guess its almost universally embarrassment. The rest is rationalization.
- quesera 11y agoThat's an interesting idea. Do you mean the embarrassment at "maternal failure to provide for child" or the embarrassment at "I have boobs and milk comes out"?
- JoeAltmaier 11y agoThe 2nd. Add to that, "My body will change shape alarmingly. Strangers will have (often radical) unwelcome opinions on my activity. I'll feel like a milk cow. I'm using a part of my anatomy that up to now has been exclusively related to sexuality, to feed a child." Emotional reactions are real and cannot be argued away - people feel the way they feel. It takes cultural change to make it ok; and there are probably too many changes that have to happen together to succeed at that.
- austenallred 11y agoThere are many, many women who physically can't produce breast milk (or at least enough of it).
- JoeAltmaier 11y agoTrue; estimated variously but 15% seems to be typical.
- quesera 11y agoTotally true. And there are also women to could produce adequate milk if they received proper support, but gave up early because they didn't want to do it in the first place. But some women are truly unable, and unfortunately they are often lumped in with the "I'll bounce back to my preprego body faster if I don't" group. And, it's worth noting, some of those women are pressured by obnoxio clown-men to do exactly that.
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- beat 11y agoIf you think embarrassment is driving the responses of a mother of a newborn, you've never been around one. Physically, they have no shame anymore, no modesty. Emotionally, they are 110% focused on their babies. Anything that feels like failing their child is a crushing blow. To not be able to feed your child... it's the most horrible feeling one can have.
- JoeAltmaier 11y agoI'd guess we hang out with different people. My family is large; all my siblings have several children. The mothers have all felt variously about breastfeeding. Their reaction was little like what you describe.