RE: BREESTFEEDING IS THE MAIN BASIS OF BABY'S HEALTH: FACTS AND INVESTIGATIONS
Great article! Thanks for sharing.
In the UK, where I was for a decade and a half, it was common to begin breastfeeding, but by six months, very few still feed despite the World Health Organization recommending breastfeeding for the first two years of life! Saying this, it was widely accepted and discreet breastfeeding is rarely a problem even in public.
In the US where I'm from and where I am again, breastfeeding is widely encouraged, but not as widely practiced/accepted as it should be. Women are encouraged to cover up (breast and baby because we can't have a glimpse of tit, now, can we???) and/or go to the lavatory to feed!!! Worse, there are groups now who actively discourage claiming that breastfeeding is better than bottle feeding! Lower class women are far less likely to breastfeed than those with greater wealth and/or knowledge. (Though some of this group I just mentioned are the wealthier/knowledgeable crowd who simply don't want to feel guilty for their choices...)
For me, I breastfed all of my six children - they did not have formula. It doesn't mean it was always smooth sailing, but we got there!
thank you for your story so much!!
so in the US it's more popular than in the UK? I'm surprised. As far as I know women in US must go to work after only 3 months after the birth! It's awful! How can they feed then? In Russia women rest and stay at home with a baby for 2 years but they still don't deed so long, maximum 1 year as a rule.
Here women don't feed in public either, but it's wrong I think. There's nothing sexual and nothing bad in feeding your baby, there're clothes, special models, which cover breest and Moms can feed even in cafes or in streets! There're ways out if women really want it!
No, breastfeeding is definitely more popular among the general public in the UK rather than in the US. In the US, it seems to be more common in certain circles, but it's almost forbidden to share the news about breastfeeding within may other circles.
I like that Russia has women stay home for so long. It's another thing more accepted in the UK than the US too. But in both countries it is more and more common for a woman to get a short time at home and then put babies into child care situations. (Especially low-income women.) It's a sad thing, to be sure, and the society will pay in the long run. :(