Originally Posted by little_tippler

I have to say that I know for a fact of several cases of women who had trouble when they first gave birth, with breastfeeding and who were mistreated by nurses at the maternity because of it. They wanted to breastfeed, and had planned to, but initially had trouble with the baby latching on, painful breasts, and PPD.

Instead of being supportive, the nurses made them even more anxious by insisting that it was all in their head, that it was their fault that the baby would not latch on and that deep down they just didn't want to breast feed and so were doing it on purpose. I can't imagine having just given birth and being harassed in this way.

If a mother is having difficulty in breast feeding, nurses should be supportive and encouraging, all the while reassuring the mother that though it's quite a normal occurrence to have initial trouble in getting the breast feeding process to be a happy and smooth experience for all involved, that persevering will usually right the problem. And if not, they should make the mother feel that there is no shame in not being able to breast feed your baby. I know a few women who wanted badly to breast feed but the poor quality of their breast milk made it so their baby was never happy and cried constantly, losing weight in the process, at which point (sometimes two months later) they decided that the bottle was the better option, by indication of their doctor.

I think the insistence nowadays that women should breast feed at all costs is promoting a generation of overbearing maternity nurses who don't know the difference between gentle encouragement and support and outright bullying.

Though it's important to stress that breast feeding is a natural and important part of a baby's growth process, it's also important to remember that ultimately, a women has to have a choice if she wants it, because it is her body. There is no need to shame or berate people for their choice, if it is made in an informed and conscientious manner.