So, on one of the mom blogs I follow, a reader who can't breastfeed asked a question about generic vs. store brand formula. 500-plus judgmental, ignorant comments later, the breast-feeding Nazis have their say. Made me F&*%^king FURIOUS!!!! Here is one of the many self-righteous postings:
"Your milk WILL come in. Its what your body was made to do. I think women use it as an excuse to not breastfeed. There are so many herbs, supplements, and ways to stimulate milk production. Women who adopt can stimulate milk without ever having been pregnant and successfully nurse a baby. Breast is best. Healthiest, free and always available. I will never understand why someone would choose not to do it. Laziness? I work full time and nurse and pump for her when I'm at work. No excuses. It can be done."
It's not even the fact that she's so friggin' stupid and misinformed. There are ABSOLUTELY women whose milk will not come in, or it will but it's not enough and they have to supplement because the baby's underweight. Or the baby has some allergy to breast milk, or the mom is taking some prescription meds or whatever. But that's not the point. What makes me so mad is the belief this woman has that she can determine what is best for someone else - and then pronounce it like she's God on high, passing judgment on the ignorant masses. And her authority to know what's best is based on what, do you think? A medical degree? A license in nutritional health? No, she read a bunch of stuff on the internet and plopped out a couple kids and that makes her an expert. Here's what another "expert" posted:
"If its possible for an adoptive mom to produce milk without ever being pregnant then a woman who gave birth can't say she doesn't produce milk. Men can produce milk for Gods sake! And it can be done NATURALLY with no hormones. Unnecessary is the use of formula when science has proven over and over that breast milk is healthiest. Powdered milk produced in a factory? Seriously? Would YOU drink that? My children also don't eat processed, preservative filled baby food from a jar. Only homemade from organic fruits and veggies and meats. It's my responsibility to give my kids the best start and that isn't done with unnatural nutrition."
First of all, where are men making milk?! I looked it up, it is technically possible. There are no actual recorded cases, of course. But it's technically possible, just like it's technically possible to fart from your eyeballs if you train yourself to for years (look that one up, lactation Nazis). But what really cracks me up about this sanctimonious scumbag is the whole "I only feed my children homemade foods" crap. Well, aren't you just the perfect little mom? I bet you fart perfume and shit gold bricks too. You mark my words - MARK MY WORDS - one day, this holier-than-thou I-live-and-breath-for-my-children mother's kids will grow up and move away and write a book about how much they hate that b&*tch. BET IT.
As for me personally, when I was pregnant with Jack I couldn't wait to breast feed. I took a breast feeding class. I signed up for a visit from a lactation nurse. I joined the La Leche League. And when Jack was born, he wouldn't latch. WOULD. NOT. LATCH. But I didn't give up on breast milk, I pumped. Like a damn cow, I was - even ordered myself a contraption off ebay that allowed me to pump hands-free so I could still type on my keyboard while being milked. I did it long after I had to return to work, pumped breast milk on my lunch break at my desk, did it as long as I possibly could and do you know why? BECAUSE IT WAS FREE. Because I am one cheap mother and formula is damn expensive. No woman would choose to feed her baby formula if they could breast feed. For some women, for some reason, breast feeding just doesn't happen. And it's not anyone's right - certainly not these smug goats - to determine what is best for someone else. Stick that up your home-made-baby-food-making a#$ and choke on it.
So true. I went through hell with a lactation specialist for 3 months, pumping around the clock b/c there was nothing there & my child would no longer suck b/c it was useless. I followed all the rules they told me to a T & still it was all my fault. "You're drinking too much water...too little...not enough fat in diet...too much...too stressed...pump every hour...get a stronger pump...try this herb...that herb..." With my first only the left breast worked to produce a whopping ONE ounce a day the entire 3 months. With the second child, the right breast was the only producer or a whopping TWO ounces a day for 3 months. It was frustrating to watch other mothers who were anorexic, smoking, etc. effortlessly breastfeed, paying no attention to what they were eating, drinking, etc. It's not rocket science but these Nazis depend on the income so they're just making a business out of people's misfortunes. They just won't admit there are more mothers out there who don't produce. Years ago there were wet nurses so the topic was not as complex as now comparing formulas and being taken on a roller coaster ride of guilt.
ReplyDeleteI have to disagree with one statement in here -- that "No woman would choose to feed her baby formula if they could breast feed." Not true -- I did! I just did not want to breastfeed. The idea made me dread having a newborn, made me dread feedings. And I wanted others to be able to feed the baby -- I didn't want to have to be the source for every meal. Some people just don't want to. And that's ok.
ReplyDeleteLoved this so much.
ReplyDeleteI chose to formula feed...
Can't stand having my nipples touched. I have what is referred to as acute sensitivity. Meaning they're oversensitive to the point it's painful and extended touch or stimulation, ie foreplay, breast feeding, etc. Makes me feel physically sick.
I'm just glad that the whole Breast v Bottle debate doesn't seem to rage on as wildly in the UK like it does for our American cousins.
But I can't understand the basis. People seem to think that formula is tinned poison. It's not at all. It was invented to help stop undernourished children from dying. Also the breastapo obviously have a very poor perception of the reality of nature when they say retarded things like 'its natural. Were animals, it's what we were made to do. ALL animals can breast feed'. Oh really?!? You know what happens in the animal kingdom when a mother can't produce to feed her litter? That's right...they die!
But, y'know breast Nazis. Don't let a few million dead babies put you off pushing your crusade, or anything.
It also make me laugh, hysterically when these same women are against formula. But are willing to advise women to give their newborn unpasturised goats milk. UNPASTURISED goats milk, I ask you. Yeah, coz a nice healthy does of botulism and any other potentially deadly pathogen floating around in there is far more preferable then giving your undernourished and hungry baby 'evil, poisonous baby formula'.