"Some women can't breastfeed"

[amandae21]

I always hear this on cafemom breastfeeding posts (like the food stamps one today). I understand some women have medical issues, but seriously, how many women aren't capable of breastfeeding?

I'm not judging/debating anyones decision to not breastfeed. I'm just wondering how much truth their is to this claim. From what I've read, it is uncommon for women to be unable to breastfeed and some issues can be resolved or worked around with a feeding system.

[Anonymous]

Why in the world do you give a rats ass why another mother is or isn't breast feeding? It's nobody's business. A mother should not be judged because of her personal decisions. It's none of your business what her reasons are.

[Roo1234]

Yes. I nursed three children....18 months, 32 months, and 34 months. However because of a problem with the milk ducts in my left breast, I had to do it entirely on my right side. It was, at times, incredibly difficult, painful, and frustrating. the only reason I didn't quit was because two of my children could not have dairy or soy proteins and the formula option was cost prohibitive. I can fully understand and empathise when why some choose to not press on when faced with difficulties.

[mamalove1023]

I EBF both my children w/o any difficulty.  The actual % of women who can't breastfeed for medical reasons is very very low.  Women who state they did not produce enought or dried up many times do not have good lactation support. 

[buttersworth]

My first child, I planned to breastfeed. I put her to my breast upon birth and she latched on immediately, where she stayed for about an hour. But I had no idea nothing was coming out, not right away. I knew before we went home that nothing but colostrum was coming out. The doctors said that would be okay for her for up to three days. So we brought her home and I kept putting her to my breast; the pediatrician had said the same thing about the colostrum. On day 3, she was screaming, tossing her head from side to side when I tried to feed her, and now it was really hurting. I was really worried it'd gone on so long already, so I had my Dh call the pediatrician and ask if it was ok to give her some formula. The only reason we had any formula was that a sample was sent in the mail. I had a few bottles (not many) given to me at the babyshower. We rushed to feed her and she was better, although she ended up getting collick from the forumla and had to go on a hypoallergenic one.

I had heard all kinds of criticisms from people (who weren't the docs I had talked to). One of my sisters insisted I probably didn't do it right. For my second child I didn't expect milk to come out either, but I was going to try just so we could get a bonding experience out of it. The nurses had asked, I told them I was going to try. When he came out, two nurses were all over me grabbing my nipples and tryng to shove it in the baby's face...really stressed me out and the baby too. I didn't even get to do it for bonding purposes, because the baby didn't like what they were doing, being forceful about it. By the time I had my third child I knew for sure I wasn't breastfeeding. He came out prematurely and had to be on a feeding tube for 8 weeks anyway. STILL..the nurses nagged me about breastfeeding.

And THEN, my DH's adult nephew had a new gf who came to our home and actually made a face at me when I told her I wasn't breastfeeding -after she made a point to ask. She had been a nurse in an NICU! She should KNOW some women can't, and she should be sensitive to choices, I'd think..but uh-uh. During that same visit, the nephew was making jokes, actual jokes, about me personally bottlefeeding.

So YES. There is truth to it. And it really stinks because you want that for your baby, and other people around you everywhere try to make you feel guilty about it because they think they can guilt you into breastfeeding - when you can't!

[Anonymous]

Very, very few women can't breastfeed. Many of them truly believe they can't, though. I was one of those moms with my first child. Don't judge them, they truly believe they are not able and they may not have enough support or the right kind of support to figure out how to make it happen successfully.

[Anonymous]

Actually, way back in the day before formula, they made a mixture of PET milk and powdered milk. And before that they would just give them cows milk. My grandma is almost 90 years old and she could never BF and neither could her mom. She tells stories about how they fed them all the time (she thinks it's amazing we all could BF at all). They used to give them things like mashed potatoes at a month old too. Your information is inaccurate and judgemental.

I tried BF both of my kids, the first wanted to have nothing to do with it. She would scream bloody murder if you even got a boob near her (I saw every LC in the hospital and at the Peds office). I pumped exclusivly for 8 weeks. After that I dried up :(

My second made it 4 months before she decided that she didn't want to have anything to do with BF anymore.

I made a choice to feed them instead of forcing them to do something that was stressing them both out. I don't regret my decision. I aim for healthy, thriving babies.

Quoting divinedimension:

I dunno OP. I did it four times. FOUR times. What happened back in the day when women's supply ran out (before formula was in the picture)? There was no OPTION of not breastfeeding. You did it and you made it work. That is what happened in our family. We dealt with thrush a zillion times, mastitis, low supply, bad latches. You name it, we've survived it. 

I think if a woman had no other choice, she'd feed her baby the way nature intended to. It's just easy to give up quickly if you have bottles to run to.

[Anonymous]

I dont have milk ducts. 

so...no i didnt even try. 

[Simple-Beauty]

This

Quoting mamalove1023:

I EBF both my children w/o any difficulty.  The actual % of women who can't breastfeed for medical reasons is very very low.  Women who state they did not produce enought or dried up many times do not have good lactation support. 

[Anonymous]

Me titi have no milk

[hlzcmjzajz]

I breastfed my ds until he was 10 months old & am currently breastfeeding my 10 month old dd...
I give kudos to those moms who tried but couldn't; & even to the moms who chose not to- at least we're all feeding our babies!