I Get it Now - Page 2

[SilvanaRose]

Originally Posted by TCMoulton

I don't get what's so wrong with that question - if a woman has never breastfed a child before they would have no clue what it feels like and that seems like an honest, logical question.

I just saw this post and I had to comment lol. I agree it seems like a logical question. After all, men have a sort of cooling system down in their testes to keep the little swimmers cool, so it wouldn't be completely out of line to ask if maybe woman might have the same thing to keep the milk cool too lol

[Storm Bride]

Originally Posted by TCMoulton

I understand how this question would seem silly to many who have already breastfed a baby but coming from a woman who has never experienced breastfeeding for herself why it such a ridiculous question? I would highly doubt that there is anywhere on the internet that she could google to find the answer so she asked a friend who has been there, done that.

Seriously? Why is it strange?
It's strange, because there is no reason in the world to think that breastmilk would be cold. Why would it be? As someone else pointed out, people warm up formula. I have never met anybody in my life, whether or not they'd ever breastfed (or even had children) who thought that breastmilk would be cold inside the breast. I realize she may not be able to google the answer (although I've seen many, many references to breastmilk always being the right temperature, both online and in print), but it's the fact that her brain even framed the question that boggles me.

OP: Honestly, I don't think this one is so much about normalizing breastfeeding. It sounds as though your friend just had a brain blip. Good for her for asking, though. She'll never learn if she doesn't ask.

[Bookworm715]

When DS was first born, I pumped milk occasionally. I was feeding him a bottle and my (older) sister was watching me feed him. She had "the look" on her face- you know, where you can tell someone is pondering something but doesn't yet have the guts to ask? Finally she said "Um....so....do your, like...nipples actually look like....that?!"

Just picturing whipping out nipples the size of the silicone ones on a bottle cracks me up to this day.

[Kiara.I]

Originally Posted by nerdymom

Or maybe she thinks cows milk comes out of the teat cold? This is the problem with our society. Most of us live too far from the barnyard.

Yeah, I don't think it's so much a problem of breastfeeding not being normalized, as of us being, as a culture, so far removed from our food. I'm guessing your friend has never met a cow and probably thinks milk comes in wax cartons. And it does, for most of us.

[menomena]

Originally Posted by Bookworm715

When DS was first born, I pumped milk occasionally. I was feeding him a bottle and my (older) sister was watching me feed him. She had "the look" on her face- you know, where you can tell someone is pondering something but doesn't yet have the guts to ask? Finally she said "Um....so....do your, like...nipples actually look like....that?!"

Just picturing whipping out nipples the size of the silicone ones on a bottle cracks me up to this day.

well... actually... when the baby is nursing, the nipple stretches and gets drawn back into the baby's mouth. it does end up being rather long.

See here: http://www.lpch.org/DiseaseHealthInf.../0007-pop.html

[amlikam]

I feel like the more we laugh at those who are not aware of how breastfeeding works, the more likely we are to discourage people from wanting to know more.



Breastfeeding was the norm in my family- but we didn't ask questions, it was assumed thats what you do... I never realized it might be so difficult or that others didn't do it as a norm. (I had always thought formula was used when mom's couldn't nurse for health reasons )

I am sure glad my sister explained why she pumped to increase her supply and help it come in faster and didn't laugh at me...

I never asked if it came out warm- but I did ask if her expressed milk needed to be warmed before I gave it to my nephew when I watched him... (This was much before DD)

I think even educated people might not know all the information about something they don't ever use or have experienced.

it might seem a bit niave... but I think its great her friend could ask about it- open communication is a step in the right direction toward becoming educated!!

OP: : to your friend for wanting to know more

[mamazee]

I don't see how it's logical. People are 98.6 degrees F. Every other bodily fluid that comes out is 98.6 degrees F.

[Bookworm715]

Originally Posted by amlikam

I feel like the more we laugh at those who are not aware of how breastfeeding works, the more likely we are to discourage people from wanting to know more.



Breastfeeding was the norm in my family- but we didn't ask questions, it was assumed thats what you do... I never realized it might be so difficult or that others didn't do it as a norm. (I had always thought formula was used when mom's couldn't nurse for health reasons )

I am sure glad my sister explained why she pumped to increase her supply and help it come in faster and didn't laugh at me...

I never asked if it came out warm- but I did ask if her expressed milk needed to be warmed before I gave it to my nephew when I watched him... (This was much before DD)

I think even educated people might not know all the information about something they don't ever use or have experienced.

it might seem a bit niave... but I think its great her friend could ask about it- open communication is a step in the right direction toward becoming educated!!

OP: : to your friend for wanting to know more

: : :

I love you for saying this! Before I had DS#1 I really didn't care about breasfeeding. I just figured it was free, so I'd try. I asked on another message board if I could do half bf and half ff- I knew nothing about supply, etc. One poster responded and explained why that would prove difficult- she gave me book recommendations, suggested pumping if I'd need to be away from the baby, and explained that a baby needs to be eating often in order for your body to make enough milk for it. I really had no clue how that worked. I just assumed the milk was always there 'on tap'. I really firmly believe that w/o that advice and explanation I would have been ill-prepared to bf and I would have failed. I think normalizing is great but support and helpfulness can be even more helpful!

[RoseRedHoofbeats]

I think the OP's intention was more to lament how far we've fallen in terms of educating ourselves and other women and our daughters and sisters and nieces and friends in our bodies and how they work, how divorced we are from nature and all things "icky" that the answer wouldn't be blatantly obvious to someone. Not making fun or teasing.

~Rose

[kriket]

Originally Posted by RoseRedHoofbeats

I think the OP's intention was more to lament how far we've fallen in terms of educating ourselves and other women and our daughters and sisters and nieces and friends in our bodies and how they work, how divorced we are from nature and all things "icky" that the answer wouldn't be blatantly obvious to someone. Not making fun or teasing.

~Rose

thankyou.

I thought I was just communicating poorly. This is exactly what I mean! So eloquent!

[SashaBear]

Originally Posted by Bookworm715

: : :

I love you for saying this! Before I had DS#1 I really didn't care about breasfeeding. I just figured it was free, so I'd try. I asked on another message board if I could do half bf and half ff- I knew nothing about supply, etc. One poster responded and explained why that would prove difficult- she gave me book recommendations, suggested pumping if I'd need to be away from the baby, and explained that a baby needs to be eating often in order for your body to make enough milk for it. I really had no clue how that worked. I just assumed the milk was always there 'on tap'. I really firmly believe that w/o that advice and explanation I would have been ill-prepared to bf and I would have failed. I think normalizing is great but support and helpfulness can be even more helpful!

When my SIL was pregnant, she said she was going to just pump and give the baby the milk in the bottle. I explained how inconvient that was. I layed out how that would go. she changed her mind that night! LOL

[Kappa]

Originally Posted by SashaBear

When my SIL was pregnant, she said she was going to just pump and give the baby the milk in the bottle. I explained how inconvient that was. I layed out how that would go. she changed her mind that night! LOL

My bff decided to do this. I could not figure out why she thought it would be easier, it's great if your baby won't latch well or something out of the ordinary, but as a choice it is like triple work.

[white_queen_22]

Originally Posted by RoseRedHoofbeats

I think the OP's intention was more to lament how far we've fallen in terms of educating ourselves and other women and our daughters and sisters and nieces and friends in our bodies and how they work, how divorced we are from nature and all things "icky" that the answer wouldn't be blatantly obvious to someone. Not making fun or teasing.

~Rose

Yes that! On the other hand, in my family "mommy's nummy milk" is the normal for all babies and my kids will routinely ask in their innocent 3 year old manner whether that fussy baby in the booth next to ours needs MY yummy-nummy milk or if his mommy will give him yummy-nummy milk out of HER boobies.

They also think it is (and I quote) "so sad" that Daddy's boobies are "broken". Because THEY don't make milk like mine! hahahaha

Poor daddy and his broken boobies.

I have also seen a 6 year old girl freak OUT when my baby got fussy and I said "He's hungry" because she couldn't find a bottle in my diaper bag. Even after I had him latched and he was eating she was running around the house saying "oh no! oh no! Baby;s hungry" and it took us awhile to realize - she had NO IDEA that me nursing the baby was feeding him. So with her mothers permission of course, I called her over, showed her how it all works, expressed a little milk into my hand so she could see that there was milk in there, and then let her watch the baby latch on. Until that point she had NO CLUE that babies could be fed in that way.

THAT is the type of culture we are dealing with. A generation of girl who for the first, most formative years of their lives, NEVER saw a baby nurse.

Any wonder it seems strange at first to them? Any wonder they are curious? Any wonder they have questions?

Angela <><