The Decline of Breastfeeding

When my baby was placed in my arms it was instinct to draw him close to my chest and offer him my breast, to me it was the most normal natural instinct in the world. Yet, sadly, a lot people these days are choosing to bottle feed their babies when there is really no good reason at all.. It is everywhere we look and from a young age children grow up with bottle feeding imagery. Just look at Baby ChouChou and see the bottle it comes with.
We have come a long way since formula milk manufacturers could openly promote formula as an acceptable alternative to breast milk before six months - but the message is subconsciously still there. One advert showing at the minute says "once they are six months SMA follow-on milk gives a baby vital nutrients they need". So implying, mama milk isn't good enough after the age of 6 months (and conveniently using a loophole to promote infant formula).& You see it in tv shows, in books and comics, even posters. The UK buys in so much of its' advertising and television from countries like America where advertising of formula isn't outlawed, so bottle feeding is in everything you watch.
Back in the day when there weren't bottles and sterilisers, women fed their babies for as long as necessary. No talk of it being 'bad' for babies. No worries about iron deficiencies. They didn't have other options and if they couldn't or chose not too breastfeed, they called in a wet-nurse who could.

Over time though, with the invention of bottles, teats and sterilisers, and with the media to promote them we have come to forget what was once natural and acceptable; instead are subconsciously enticed by a substitute that does the job for us,along with devices to administer this formula - all saving us time. Apparently. It is no longer the norm to breastfeed (though I feel the tide is turning). Breasts are splashed willy-nilly over page 3 and top shelf magazines, yet images of breastfeeding are banned on Facebook. What's wrong with that picture?!?!

My mother never breast fed. Neither did my grandmother. My friend 'cant be faffed with all that' and regularly comments to me sarcastically that she likes her figure too much. It is just not something women want to do these days. There has been a decline in breastfeeding in favour of bottlefeeding since the war when women were forced to work in jobs whilst men were away fighting, and has continued to decline. Not only that but with the government pushing to get women out of the home and in to work now, with women becoming more career focused and less interested in the home, and with the advent of labour-saving tools and the belief in gadgets to get things done, it is easy to see why bottle-feeding caught on. Even I used to love buying cute little bottles and sterilisers, and all those bottle feeding tools.

Lack of support is another hindrance to breastfeeding.These days women who have had babies are rarely supported by family and in the community in the way they once were. As we have seen the decline of the extended family, and seen families move further away from each other, its obvious why women are left to their own devices. Women nowadays dont tend to grow up seeing grandmothers, mothers, aunts, or sisters breastfeed . They no longer know how to do it. And then there is the time required for breastfeeding. It is no longer accepted that women need time to just feed their baby because nowadays they have to keep the house, run kids to numerous clubs and social events, possibly even work. All by themselves with no-one to rely on.Mothers these days dont know what to do, dont have support and dont know how to look after themselves  end up just end up feeling its too hard and quitting.

Nothing really prepares new mums for what breastfeeding is like. If you breastfeed your baby will probably feed more regularly. With breastfeeding its normal to feed probably 2 hourly, but its ok to feed every 1/2hr, or 4 times an hour - thats just how it is. It is tiring and demanding. It requires time, patience and learning a whole new set of skills. Bottlefeeding is marketed as being easier and more convenient and 'anyone' can do it. It fits with the dumbing down we as a country have suffered over the years in many areas.

Still, there is hope in the form of support groups such as The Breastfeeding Network and Le Leche League who are there to help support mothers in breastfeeding. There are newly emerging breastfeeding support groups through the NHS and other organisingations such as NCT. There are new generations of parents who are keen to follow more natural living, those who wish to avoid putting processed food in their childs' mouth, or who just agree with the slogan 'breast IS best', who are out there trying to change the way women think about their feeding options and see that when it comes to the welfare of a child, breastfeeding IS the only option.

*Disclosure - all opinions expressed here are my own and based on my belief that wherever possible breast is best for babies. There are circumstances where women cannot or choose not to breast feed their babies, women have the right to choose how to feed their baby*