Deramin
They gave women breasts to produce milk. And evolution has made darn well sure that the milk was just perfect for human babies. So why would you pay money for formula when your own body produces something better? As long as you aren't starving and don't have some weird defect (or had them choped up so they would be larger or smaller, the former being rather stupid. or addopted the child which is altogether a different story) then your breasts are gonna produce all the milk you need to feed however many you have to. Breast feeding also teaches the kid to wait for what much better than formula that can be given at anytime. It cements the bond between mother and child(ren) early (the same reason I think strollers are horrable. If you have to carry the child around you will not let them get extreamly heavy. Strollers were invented so Nannies wouldn't bond with their charges). Breast feeding also stops you from getting pregnant untill the child is wheened. So why would any woman with functioning breasts pay for what their tits already do?
the dancing kitten
OK, let's get a breastfeeding mother in here...
Thing 1: Sagging breasts - so far nursing has not made my extremely larger than average breasts sag. My pregnancy DID make them sag. When my breasts are full of milk, they are actually perkier than they've been since I was a DD in high school.
Thing 2: I've never had cracked nipples. I did get blood blisters the first week I was nursing, but that is because my nipples were inverted and the baby was latching on incorrectly. IF IT HURTS YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG. Call a lactaion consultant at the local hospital, or go to www.lalecehleague.org . If you do happen to get cracked or sore nipples, Lansinoh is your best (breast?) friend. It will make life so much more comfortable!
One of the most important things to know about breast feeding is that it is learned and not instinctual.
Thing 3: Breastfeeding in public - as far as I know, it is illegal to deny a mother the right to feed her child in public (in the United States). Personally, I don't feel comfortable whipping my boob out in a crowd, so I tend to either wear a poncho (since they're so fasionable right now, nobody notices) or else I frequent establisments that have a nursing mother's room. The local malls all have at least one bathroom that has an armchair in it for the ease of the mother. Most restaurants will seat a nursing mother in a corner or in the back of the restaurant, if requested.
If a woman is discreet, she can feed her baby without anyone around her even knowing she's doing it (providing that the baby doesn't slurp). There are specifit nursing tops made with hidden flaps and fasteners and such that make it so all you do is pop out just enough n****e for the baby to latch on to. No need to give a free peep show.
Feel free to ask questions...
Thing 1: Sagging breasts - so far nursing has not made my extremely larger than average breasts sag. My pregnancy DID make them sag. When my breasts are full of milk, they are actually perkier than they've been since I was a DD in high school.
Thing 2: I've never had cracked nipples. I did get blood blisters the first week I was nursing, but that is because my nipples were inverted and the baby was latching on incorrectly. IF IT HURTS YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG. Call a lactaion consultant at the local hospital, or go to www.lalecehleague.org . If you do happen to get cracked or sore nipples, Lansinoh is your best (breast?) friend. It will make life so much more comfortable!
One of the most important things to know about breast feeding is that it is learned and not instinctual.
Thing 3: Breastfeeding in public - as far as I know, it is illegal to deny a mother the right to feed her child in public (in the United States). Personally, I don't feel comfortable whipping my boob out in a crowd, so I tend to either wear a poncho (since they're so fasionable right now, nobody notices) or else I frequent establisments that have a nursing mother's room. The local malls all have at least one bathroom that has an armchair in it for the ease of the mother. Most restaurants will seat a nursing mother in a corner or in the back of the restaurant, if requested.
If a woman is discreet, she can feed her baby without anyone around her even knowing she's doing it (providing that the baby doesn't slurp). There are specifit nursing tops made with hidden flaps and fasteners and such that make it so all you do is pop out just enough n****e for the baby to latch on to. No need to give a free peep show.
Feel free to ask questions...
Deramin
Prehapes a new question is should girls be required to take a pregnancy and child raising class in school? Should it be an extention of sex ed? Or should we simply let women choose what's worse for their babies because they simply don't know better?
the dancing kitten
Oh, I ABSOLUTELY agree... I think too many girls think having a baby is like having a pet or a doll. They don't know the responsibilities involved, and they don't know what's healthy.
I practically cry thinking about how many girls on Gaia who've said "liek OMG i wanna get a c-section bcuz i dun't want ne stretch markz!"
People, the stretch marks come from the baby being in your belly. Having a C section is actually worse for your stretch marks because the ones that get scars through them never completely heal.
My high school had a class offered as an elective on basic child rearing and pregnancy info - they required any girl who was pregnant to take it, and then it was available to anyone else - I personally think classes like this should be offered as part of the junior high/middle school class rotation - my school called it "the wheel" system - but most schools have a class that the student is required to take something like this: where they spend a quarter in shop, a quarter in home ec - sewing, a quarter in home ec - cooking, and a quarter in musi appreciation(that was my 7th grade wheel schedule). Maybe condense home ec into one quarter and have all the kids take a mandatory basic class in child rearing. For the squeamish or uber-conservative parents, leave the sex issue out of it. Heck, why not get the kids CPR/Red Cross certified, so they can babysit?
I think that would be an amazing idea...
