The latest breastfeeding trend: exclusively using a pump rather than nursing. According to this Babble dispatch by Kate Tuttle, more and more women are choosing to give their baby breast milk but not actually delivering it via the breast. One tragic reason is a repulsion toward employing the sexualized breast in the context of a baby:Although there are certainly some women who exclusively pump because of such attitudes, most come to it accidentally, through a combination of a bad start at nursing and a conviction that breast milk is best, even if it doesn't come "straight from the tap."
We know a couple of people who went this route because of physical problems. It seemed like all the hard parts of breastfeeding with only one of the good parts (the milk). So hats off to anyone who spend so much time hooked up to a breast pump in order to get milk to their babies. Hear, hear, to Kate's call for more and better lactation consultation at hospitals, and for raising consciousness about the fact that breasts can actually be both sexy and a source of food.
You can read the whole story here.
Reader Comments ( Page 6 of 6)
76. Sounds to me that bottle feeding breast milk is a bigger pain that sore nipples; which only lasts a very short time, btw...they get tough real quick LOL.
I formula-bottled fed my first born, nursed the second one. He was born in 1971. He was huge, and my breasts are small...by the time he was six weeks old he would empty me out so quick I couldn't believe it, then he'd scream until I gave him a bottle so could fill his tummy.
This is always a downward spiral and within a week or two I was done nursing. I felt terrible but my doctor was very supportive and convinced my bruised ego that my baby had gotten the best of starts because I had successfully breast fed for those first crucial weeks...he had gained 3 lbs in 6 weeks!
Breast feeding was one of the best experiences of my life...and at 62 I still don't regret it in any way. I always encourage young women I know that are pregnant to breast feed.
RedHawk at 6:53AM on Jan 23rd 2008
77. As long as you feed your child, what does it matter?
A man threw all four of his children off of a bridge last week, a woman was found in her home with all four of her children dead. We read about child abuse almost every day. Now, we are going to vilify women who don't choose to breast feed, BUT feed their children formula.
What a shame, really.
les at 2:43PM on Jan 23rd 2008