This article really frustrated me for many reasons, purely because as a breastfeeding mum I have always seen it as my choice and respect the choice of others in how they feed their baby. Just as I am rapidly approaching the time to wean my little girl, some mothers will spoon feed and others will opt for baby led weaning. I do not judge either because it is their right to choose and both methods have their positives. The same can be said for Breastfeeding and Formula feeding.
I doubt their is a mum out there who has breastfed and not felt at one point or another that they want to quit then and there because you feel like you are fighting a losing battle. It is understandable since you have to be at the beck and call of a very demanding infant. One thing I never knew when I started feeding my daughter was that she would want to feed every two hours! Sometimes every 30-45 minutes on a bad day at the beginning. It. is. EXHAUSTING! There is no two ways about it since you and you alone are solely responsible for that time in the beginning. It is not an easy thing to do and it was not something I expected to be successful with.
My entire attitude going into my breastfeeding journey was that I would like to TRY. If it didn't work then that was why I had the emergency bottles of formula sat in the drawer just in case I needed them at 2am. I have the utmost respect for anyone who has tried to breastfeed because you will know how hard it can be and you have come out the other side of it. In my book anyone who managed one feed was successful in breastfeeding. On the flip side I completely relate to mothers who don't want to even try breastfeeding since lets face it, it is tying and you have already given your body to your baby for nine months, adding anymore time to that is not fun.
As for formula feeding mums feeling judged for having to witness 'brelfies' (God I hate that term!) I highly doubt it has been done intentionally at first to insight this reaction. It is no doubt a mother being proud of herself for managing to feed her child or even just sharing a part of her day to day life as many mothers do! I have shared many mundane photos of my daughter that I am sure annoy the childless population, but such is life and I think they're fab!
The article does fail to recognise the judgement that breastfeeding mothers face on a daily basis. From my experience their is more social stigma towards breastfeeding than formula feeding in society. Not so long ago I was sat in a group of mothers who did nothing but complain about breastfeeding and how it was awful and they hated every second of it and how they wouldn't have a life if they had continued to do it. I was not confident enough at the time to mention my choice and dreaded having to feed my daughter while the group was together. That is my own problem and due to my own insecurities and was not the intention of the conversation the group was having I am sure.
One experience I have had which did upset me was that people have questioned me in my choice to continue to feed my child. I must point out that she is not yet six months old but still I received comments when she was four months old that 'I had done my best for her and I should give up now'. I was not struggling to feed my daughter and had not complained about my choice or how it was affecting my life. Yet these comments keep recurring, that I have done the best for my daughter and I should probably stop now. Frustrating does not quite cover how I feel about these comments, particularly when I have never felt the need to question the parenting choices of others. It actually amuses me in a weird way that I will be feeding my daughter (as long as I don't have any major issues) until she is ready to stop. Hopefully that will be around the year mark since I miss my wine!
Articles like this really bug me since it diminishes the point of feeding your baby, choosing a way which is right for you and your family and doing what you are comfortable with. Instead of judging either viewpoint there should be respect for both sides and the amazingly hard job that all mums do on a daily basis whether it involves using a bottle or a breast to feed your child. I may be naive but tolerance is key in issues like this and not statistics which aim to isolate both sides of this issue.
Rant over.
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