The article's title is "Breast is Best? One Dad Says No to Breastfeeding". When I saw that title I just knew it was going to piss me off. No one should be saying no to breastfeeding! But I gave it a chance and read it. It starts out, "In an article published on Wednesday in The Atlantic, one dad makes his case against breastfeeding, saying that the "breast is best" mindset added insult to injury after his wife struggled to nurse their son." Ok, I get that. I know breastfeeding can be difficult. I know that it isn't for everyone. In fact, you don't even want to try it? I'm totally fine with that!
About here is where the article takes a bad turn, "They turned to formula, and almost immediately their lives changed for the better. That meant that I could get up on my own and feed Thomas while his mom went for six hours of sleep. The advantages extended beyond quality REM sleep. I got to bond with my son. I got to sing him songs and tell him stories. Those hours of father-child bonding were a good thing. I got to take him to my parents' house for the day—without worrying about having enough milk or keeping it cold—and give Betsy an afternoon to rest. Betsy and I got to go away for a long weekend—to be together, to work on our marriage, something that was not just good for us, but good for the baby, too."
I think it is so wrong to discourage breastfeeding! Plenty of husbands can feed their children while the mom sleeps. It is called a pump people. You didn't want to have to worry about keeping the milk cold? Oh I'm sorry! That's just lazy. You can keep breast milk at room temperature for 6-8 hours. There are plenty of storage options.
You got to go away for a long weekend. That's nice. So because I breastfed my baby and we didn't go on a long weekend our marriage is at a disadvantage to yours? Why don't we take the whole formula/breastfeeding discussion out of working on our marriage!
This yahoo article also talks about a different moron that says, "watching his wife breastfeed ruins his sexual appetite. Infidelity is a side-effect of extended breastfeeding, and the positive effects of extended breast-feeding should be considered in light of the negative effects on the marriage." Are you freaking kidding me?! Infidelity is a side-effect of extended breastfeeding?! A man that cheats has no one to blame but himself. No one said you had to watch your wife breastfeed.
The yahoo article writer suggests, "Some women may feel that, when it comes to breastfeeding, dads shouldn't have a say at all". I disagree. My husband encouraged me to breastfeed. Without his support I might have given up. When he wanted another child a year ago and we were told that might mean ending the breastfeeding before Chase's 1st birthday we decided together to continue with breastfeeding and he has continued to be supportive of the choices WE have made.
People get so upset about the whole breast is best campaign. I think most mothers are educated enough to know the positives and negatives of their options. One of the most important lessons you learn as a mom is to stand by your choices you make for your family. It sounds like this man's wife is a great mom. Sucks for her she has a lazy husband that needs to have weekends away from their child to have a good marriage.
I think some people are so ignorant about all the benefits of Breastfeeding! Look at any research, how can you say formula is better?
ReplyDeleteI cannot believe this, but then again I can. At times, I feel my hubby isn't happy that I am still breast feeding. I think he won't try anything with me until I am done doing so. Not sure why. I can wear a bra or whatever. It sucks, but it's a reality.
ReplyDeleteI wrote a post about breastfeeding too. Don't get me wrong though, my husband is so happy I am providing for our Emma. He finds it truly amazing. He just misses our bonding I guess, which I understand. I guess he thinks she took claim of my body, lol.
Can I offer an opinion from someone who did not breastfeed?
ReplyDeleteThe Breast is Best campaign absolutely makes me feel like less of a mother because I was unable to breastfeed. I went through some seriously awful guilt and it damaged some of the first memories I have of being a mother. Yes, breast milk may be best but it's unfair and hurtful for people to stand so staunchly behind a campaign that degrades people who chose/are unable to breast feed.
That being said, I absolutely applaud the father who is standing up to say hey we used formula and our kid turned out great. It seems like everyone is so down and negative towards formula but let's face it. Without formula, my kids would have starved. Without special synthetic formula that had no soy, milk or whey proteins in it, my son would have thrown up 20-30 times a day. Not spit up. THROW UP. He would have lived in constant pain for the first year of his life because he was unable to digest any type of natural proteins found in milk...breast, soy, etc. Didn't matter. Formula saved us.
Please, moms. Stop being so damn hard on formula moms all the time. It's hurtful. We KNOW we aren't doing "what's natural and beautiful." We don't need reminded constantly. It sucks. Big time.
Thank you for posting this!!!
DeleteThat article is ridiculous!! I do think that we should pass less judgment on moms who have to formula feed (and this is coming from someone who has never formula fed her baby). BUT I think people are just trying to come up with an argument to make them feel better about themselves for not breastfeeding. If you can't breastfeed, fine. That's okay. Just don't come up with a ridiculous argument to make it seem like it's better.
ReplyDeletePeople are so ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteHe is grasping at straws trying to prove his point.
People are selfish.
ReplyDelete