Of all the aspects of parenting we discuss here at HerFamily.ie on a weekly basis, few topics are more emotive than breastfeeding.
The mere mention of it seems to conjure up a whirlwind of feeling; joy and pride in women who found nursing easy, frustration in those who find it challenging, indifference in women who decided it wasn’t for them and sadness in women who hoped it would be part of their experience but couldn’t continue for any number of (very valid) reasons.
As our annual Slice of Ireland survey once more delved into what’s really going on in the hearts and homes of families across the country, we decided to take a closer look at breastfeeding.
As the stats were tallied, two things became clear: firstly, the level of practical support in this country for women who want to try breastfeeding is remarkably low. Secondly, we have a lot of work to do in terms of learning to discuss breastfeeding in a way that is positive but not complacent or patronising.
Why? Well, 29 per cent of our readers admitted they felt pressured to breastfeed. Not encouraged, mind, but pressured.
Breastfeeding is fantastic; it’s endless benefits for mother and baby are celebrated on a minute-by-minute basis by parents and doctors and experts and gurus the world over… but the breastfeeding bullies need to give it a rest.
One reader recalled: “Even with medical issues that were making me sicker every day that I breastfed as I couldn’t take the medication I needed, I had people making comments about me “not trying hard enough” and not “putting baby first”.
“I would still choose to breastfeed again in the future if possible but my experiences have left me extremely uncomfortable with people who push breastfeeding so strongly, because it brings up such horrible memories.”
Thirty per cent of our readers had a negative breastfeeding experience. It didn’t work; they didn’t like it; medical issues got in the way; they drove themselves to the point of insanity trying to succeed; whatever the reasons, too many mothers are wearing them as a personal failure. Just what you need when you’re taking your first tentative steps into motherhood, right?
The evangelical approach to promoting breastfeeding rarely fails to inspire a backlash – does any mother really need to be made to feel bad about the choices she makes for her baby?
Nevertheless, 70 per cent of mums (who wanted to and were able to) chose breast over bottle feeding. Some were even glad to have been railroaded into it, like Rachel who told us she felt a little pressured to breastfeed by her husband and her midwife: “I love it though six months in, I’m so glad I gave it a chance and I can’t imagine weaning.”
However, in the early days, when they needed the most support, 51 per cent of mums who wanted to try breastfeeding felt let down by the professionals who were caring for them.
Reader Louise found the lack of support frustrating:
“I was expecting pressure to breastfeed and instead found the opposite: that there was more pressure to formula feed. Very little encouragement to breast feed I felt, only for one or two friends who were also breastfeeding.”
Incredibly, 19 per cent of our readers received no visit whatsoever from a community midwife after they left the hospital with their newborn. Overall, 42 per cent of new mums felt they didn’t get enough postpartum support, with breastfeeding or otherwise.
Did you feel you had enough breastfeeding support in the hospital and during those early days with a newborn? Let us know on Twitter @HerFamilydotie.
MORE: How To Really Prepare For Breastfeeding: Top Tips From A Lactation Consultant
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