When I was bagging up my pumped milk to freeze today, I noticed the reminder to never microwave breast milk explicitly stated on the bag. It reminded me of our babysitter in Dublin. When Sugarplum was 9 months old I started having a sitter come to the house twice a week so I could go take a dance class. Usually I was gone long enough that Sugarplum required milk.
I explained to the sitter (or “child minder” as they are called in Ireland) that the breast milk could not go in the microwave. Because it was frozen I left out a tuperware and instructed her to fill the container with hot water and put the milk in it until it melted and warmed up then she could put it in the cup and give to Sugarplum. Every day for weeks I would come home and there would be 2 oz of milk left out of the 3 I’d left. I started to get concerned that Sugarplum would be one of “those” babies that wouldn’t ever take anything but me. I would usually try to give her the rest after the minder left as I hate to be wasteful (especially with things that come in limited supplies!) and she would refuse to take it.
I finally realized the problem was that the minder was putting the milk itself in the water, not the bag. She was watering it down which 1) probably tasted bad to Sugarplum which made her refuse it and 2) added more liquid which left me without any idea how much Sugarplum had actually had. I couldn’t get mad at the minder, after all breastfeeding is far less common in Ireland than it is in the US and not having children herself, she probably didn’t have much experience with breast milk.
This memory made me wonder: I know the Irish rates are low, but the minder is Italian, are the rates there low as well? So I took to google (again!). Here’s what I found:
The World Health Organization’s 2011 World Health Statistics Report shows the US as having a 13% exclusive breastfeeding rate at 6 months and Ireland was 15%. The highest rate, surprisingly was Rwanda at 88%.
In 2005, Ireland had the lowest rates of children who were “ever breastfed” out of 28 industrialized countries. Ireland was just over 40% whereas the US was about 75% (and 5th lowest) and Italy was just over 80%. The highest rates were in the Scandinavian countries (no surprise there!) with Norway, Denmark and Sweden all near 100%. The same source also shows rates of exclusive breastfeeding at 3, 4 and 6 months. Ireland is not even listed and surprisingly, Hungary had the best rate at 3, 4 and 6 months. The US is 4th lowest for 3 months, just ahead of Italy, Mexico and the UK and also 4th lowest for 6 months, ahead of Mexico, New Zealand and Norway. (see more at http://www.oecd.org/els/family/43136964.pdf)
I find it real disappointing that the US rates are so low. Most people blame it on a lack of support for new mothers and specifically those that are nursing, and I can’t disagree. Of course exclusive breastfeeding rates are going to drop off when breastfeeding is made more difficult by a lack of maternity leave and breastfeeding support and a cultural distaste for nursing mothers which can make mommies who do choose to breastfeed feel uncomfortable about nourishing their child. It also doesn’t help that our culture sees bottles as the normal way to feed a baby and while they saying goes “breast is best”, I think it should be followed up by “but formula is just as good” because that is how our culture truly views infant feeding.
I don’t think the misconception is intentional, I think it’s due to a lack of truthful, quality information of breastfeeding and the continued portrayal of breastfeeding being unnatural, gross or even obscene. It is not seen in mainstream media as a normal, healthy thing. When you do see breastfeeding being portrayed in the media it’s usually as a joke about how painful, awkward and “weird” it is. Well, I’ve got almost 4 ½ years of breastfeeding experience and I can say, it’s none of those things.
I’ve luckily never had to defend my choice to anyone. Everyone in my family is super supportive of my choice and I’ve never had a problem in public (aside from well-meaning family members occasionally letting me know I’m “showing” which truthfully I don’t care about). I’m curious though, how have you experienced breastfeeding? If you’re a mother who breastfeeds, have you ever experienced resistance or negativism to your choice? If you’re not a breastfeeding mother, how do you feel about seeing women nursing in public?
Yes I have received negative remarks. I just try to be informative and non-combative as I defend my choice. I have especially had to defend my choice to allow my children to self wean.
I do think people get more judgmental as children get older. People accept that newborns breastfeed but as they become older and mobile, people assume children should start having bottles and nursing a toddler is definitely viewed negatively. I guess I was lucky that my girls were tiny so even at over a year they still looked like babies, especially when in my arms nursing.
Luckily, I haven’t had any negative situations arise, personally, BUT with the career I’m in, I come across problems with this often. It’s so hard for me to not get upset. I just feel that we have been so programmed to thinking one way (formula is great, we don’t make enough, or childs too old) that it takes time, persistance, and education to change it back!
I’ve never had a problem. I have a friend that is tandem nursing though with her 2.5 yr old and new born and she has gotten a lot of looks and flack for doing so.
I think tandem nursing is even less understood than extended nursing. I’ve never done tandem as both my girls self-weaned when I was about 3 months pregnant but I applaud those mommies that do it, feeding one is hard enough!