Comments on: Would Hannah Rosin Have Made A “Case Against Breastfeeding” If She Was Canadian?

By: TheFeministBreeder

TheFeministBreeder — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 17:14:24 +0000

Good post. As if I needed one more reason to be jealous of you Canadians -- it's hard knowing that if I lived a few hundred miles north I wouldn't have had to pump at work that whole time, or even be away from my baby. The last year of my life would have been unequivocally better for my own mental health, and for my relationship with my children. But alas, I'm American. And I'm not proud of it. TheFeministBreeder’s last blog post..Things You Should Read Thursday: Vol. 8

By: Kelly

Kelly — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 07:52:17 +0000

Great response! I am amazed at the US maternity leave policy. It's utterly ridiculous. I am so proud of my friends there that pump during work for a year minimum. Kelly’s last blog post..Wordless Wednesday

By: Leslie Ott

Leslie Ott — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 21:18:14 +0000

excellent post !!! well, well said!!

By: Krista

Krista — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 22:00:44 +0000

I really enjoyed reading what you had to say about this "case against breastfeeding." I've read another post elsewhere that left me with a bad taste in my mouth. As an American living in Canada, I love all the benefits that parents get when they have a baby here. I gave birth at a baby friendly hospital, and the nurses were spectacular. I truly credit them with helping me get started right and gave me the knowledge I needed to nurse my baby for a year so far. I also took advantage of the public health nurse coming and she was so good. I had a lot of struggles initially and she was able to give me the guidance and support I needed. She came back several times to make sure we were doing ok and calls several times in between. I will say that a year later I can sometimes identify with how Rosin felt being home. I get that "stuck at home" feeling. I think that maybe she didn't have anyone to come in and say, you know what you are feeling is perfectly normal, but it does get better. I think with a lack of support even the mom who really wants to breastfeed will struggle and may even quit too. Krista’s last blog post..Once a Month Cooking

By: crunchy

crunchy — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 15:39:09 +0000

I think Rosin sees bf’ing more as a lifestyle choice than ‘natural’. I also felt she was resentful of a society that had totally turned from shaming bfing in public moms to the opposite and was feeling the guilt of admitting or showing herself FORMULA feeding in public…and admitting to that choice.

Where I don’t think formula should be a choice of convenience..I also feel that a mother needs to do what works for her..not for laziness or ease..but for her mental well being..happy moms and all that.

At a recent outing I was in awe of how many bfing moms were there and NO bottle feeders in sight.

While I am happy to see that, as a mom who sucked at bfing in my previous efforts and switched to formula, my fear of the playground ladies is in full force as I wait to deliver this next one.

I also think this guilt and back and forthing is a North Am thing…My friends in the UK who formula fed have no guilt about it whatsoever….is that lack of education?

I don’t know.

I also am curious about how the consulting in hospitals has improved since I had my last two.

Bustling about me and making me try different positions did nothing to help ‘me’ and show me and explain to me what was going on.

It just made me feel more frustrated and annoyed. This was at two different hospitals and at home consults too.

I am hoping a midwife helps more this time.

I think of how mentally I felt with a newborn and frustrated and tired and so on….and I can see how that resentment would linger with a person, no matter what side of the border they are on if they are just not comfortable with bfing and my sympathies do then arise.

By: Amber

Amber — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 04:55:55 +0000

I'm inclined to agree that Rosin wouldn't have had the same take on things if she were in Canada, and had access to long-term paid maternity leave. I don't see moms turning down maternity leave here because they don't breastfeed. The fact is that moms and babies are meant to be together in the early days and months. Breastfeeding is an important part of that time, but so is all the other stuff we do. And I also agree, I breastfeed because it feels like the right thing to do, not because I am hoping for a specific outcome down the line. All I have to do is look at my babies to know that this was what I was meant to do. I join you in hoping that our American friends advocate for and receive better maternity benefits. I think it's long overdue. Amber’s last blog post..The Case Against Breast-Feeding

By: Melodie

Melodie — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 23:59:53 +0000

Thank you everyone for your valuable feedback. I find it interesting that it sounds like most of us would choose to avoid Ms. Rosin if she were just another mom at the playground complaining about motherhood. While we may all be guilty of this at times, she really does go out of her way to try to get us to feel sorry for her and take her side. As her readers she has a captive audience in us and doesn’t know if we are siding with her or not, and she in turn can choose whether or not to read our responses. Somewhere over the past couple days I read where someone said they had talked to Rosin who stated she had gotten exactly what she had expected, personal calls and letters from moms who thanked her for writing her article and a bunch of angry internet moms who thought she was a bad parent. She got the attention she needed and likely *is* having a bubblebath now. I hope it makes her feel better too.