Life After Labor on MTV...Dr Drew and his anti-bfeeding comments....UGH!

[Molliejo]

Did anyone catch the Sixteen and Pregnant reunion show on MTV last night? It was hosted by Dr. Drew.

Anyway, an audience member asked why none of the moms featured on the show breastfed their babies. Dr. Drew announced before any of the moms responded, "Yes, a lot of people have misconceptions about breastfeeding." (I thought he was going to talk about how great it is since most of the misconceptions I know about breastfeeding are negative)

He went on and on about how much breastfeeding hurts (has he ever breastfed?) and that sometimes your baby does no cooperate and that tons of women have some 'romantic notion' that they will breastfeed their baby and everything will work perfectly and that they are living in some fantasy world. I was LIVID. You would have thought that the whole show was sponsored by a formula company.

I really expected more from him, but I am not even sure why. If I recall he is really pro-circ as well.

I am just disgusted.

[RasJi7]

I'm glad I didn't see that! So glad I don't have cable I would be outraged too.

[liz-hippymom]

yes that was uncool. all the teens who kept thier babies were bashing it- hurts,boobs get huge, too much work..yadda yadda.
thank God BOTH teen moms i have foster have nursed!!! and of the teen moms i know from my teen years, all nursed for at least 6 months!

[fruitfulmomma]

Don't really watch tv but that would have made me :.

And my niece, who was a teen mom, bf'ed for at least a year. Of course, she also birthed at home.

[Youngfrankenstein]

Way to help a woman out, Drew!

[tanyam926]

I didn't see it bc I don't watch that show but I wonder why he has such strong neg feelings about it? I wonder if his wife had problems nursing their children...? (Total guess, I have no idea). Or he could just be a UAV, but thefew times I have heard him speak he seemed to be caring and pretty level headed.

[nameisrio]

Saw it. Am considering writing a letter of complaint to MTV, not that it would probably do much good. As a doctor, he should have said something about how it's the best start for a baby and there are support professionals and groups like LLL to turn to if you are having a hard time in the beginning.

[mama1803]

I saw it. I was hopeful when the audience member asked her question that we'd hear a good plug for breastfeeding from Dr. Drew. But no! I was so disappointed and mad at his response. What a golden opportunity to impart some helpful info and it was squandered. And really, what would he know about how much breastfeeding does or doesn't hurt.

[mamalisa]

I love love love Dr. Drew, but man, really??? I was shocked at his response. I think he was being very sensistive to the girls and didn't want to guilt them, but there's a way to say what's right as well.

[zipper]

saw it

made me sooooo mad- I was really happy the question came up- because I'd actually talked about how that bothered me (that all of them used bottles right out of the hospital- the show pretended to show all different types of pregnant teens- and no breast feeding seemed so one sided also I loved farrah and her mom in her episode where her mother told the doc at a visit that breast feeding made your boobs saggy
But then dr. drew took the question and I was just incensed by his it's not romantic and baby has to cooperate did any of you have a cooperative baby? - was it the editing or was that really his response? I have lots of respect for him- mr rehab and underlying issues I thought he was smart- but wt* cooperative baby? babies breastfeed- you don't have to get some kind of special baby that isn't in love with the formula gods to breast feed. You just have to breast feed. The talk about it hurting- I lost respect for every one of them- one or two weeks- I'm lying there nursing my 9 month daughter who this week got her two top teeth (now she's got two top and two bottom a newborn giving love to the boobie is nothing. "you leak" grow up. I have nothing against teen moms- and was mad the show used statistics that group anyone under 20 having a baby in with 14 year olds- if you're 18 you're an adult having a baby- old enough to go to war old enough to have a baby without society giving you crap- why we all need to be 45 before we get pregnant I don't get. (I'm 24 and 3 years married with a college degree- and found hostility when I was pregnant about me being too young) sorry I digress- my point- your age has nothing to do with your qualifications to parent- however- you're immaturity about the breastfeeding- I think maybe you aren't quite ready. And dr. drew- pretending to call out the baby daddies but letting us all know that breast feeding isn't worth the effort- not cool with me.

[dantesmama]

Yeah, I saw that. : I understand that he didn't want to guilt-trip the teen moms on national TV, but IMO it was completely irresponsible of him to totally dismiss breastfeeding and make it seem like this excruciatingly painful, complicated, and difficult thing. The girls' reasons for not breastfeeding - "OMG, my boobs got so big and hard and they hurt so bad!" - that's just normal engorgement that goes away in a few days if you keep at it. But nobody told them that, and Dr. Drew didn't bother to clarify. For a lot of girls watching the show, that's probably the first "info" they've heard about breastfeeding.

[Molliejo]

Originally Posted by dantesmama

For a lot of girls watching the show, that's probably the first "info" they've heard about breastfeeding.

Yes, that is what really gets me about it. And it will probably be something they remember when anyone says anything about breastfeeding or when they are pregnant with their own babies.

[leafwood]

I saw it last night (during my 2hr nightly nurse-a-thon w/ ds) and I was so upset by his comments. I did not expect him to grill the moms or judge their decisions, but I actually felt he was dismissive and sort of rude to the person who asked the question. I understand that the moms had a diffiuclt time, but he compeltely joined them instead of reamining neutral and validating that it's difficult, but hey, so is motherhood! I would have loved for him to talk about the fact that many moms do not BF b/c of lack of support (like the one girl whose family talked her out of it after delivery) or lack of knowledge. To discuss the benefits of BF in general. Instead, he came across as snarky and I got the impression that he was quite uneducated on the subject.

I wish he would have said nothing instead of making the comment about women having "romantic notions" about BF. What in the world!! Romantic? I knew it could hurt, it was one of the hardest things I did, but it was not an option for me not to.

[Freud]

Ugh! I saw this too and couldn't believe the way in which Dr. Drew chose to comment about breastfeeding. It seemed as though he was actually discouraging breastfeeding, instead of taking a neutral position. It would have been better if he didn't say anything at all. His comments, which were heard and seen by millions, did nothing but put breastfeeding in a negative light. This from a medical doctor. Horrible.

[SunShineSally]

Originally Posted by Freud

Ugh! I saw this too and couldn't believe the way in which Dr. Drew chose to comment about breastfeeding. It seemed as though he was actually discouraging breastfeeding, instead of taking a neutral position. It would have been better if he didn't say anything at all. His comments, which were heard and seen by millions, did nothing but put breastfeeding in a negative light. This from a medical doctor. Horrible.

Exactly! He is a Doctor and umm he was negative about breastfeeding that is outrageous!!!!! I was so disappointed in him and he could have said the positives and then went on to say but we all have a choice and no one should feel ashamed for their choice. that would have been waaaay more professional and he would have sounded like a doctor!!!!!!!!!

[Porcelain Interior]

I was a teen mom and I breastfed for over a year.

MTV would be the last place I'd expect to get any truth about anything, and Dr. Drew is imo only about making money and exploiting people.

Anyway I guess I mean to say I'm not really surprised. It is sad though since MTV's largest viewing audience is teens.

Shameful really.

[Eben'sMama]

He is also a big proponent of elective c-sections, as he and his wife has triplets and vaginal birth is "traumatic to that whole region of a woman's body." Meaning, that things won't be exactly the way they were before giving birth, and having a fulfilling sex life is all about having an aesthetically perfect vagina. I have heard him say this sort of ridiculousness on Loveline a lot.

[readytobedone]

Originally Posted by Eben'sMama

He is also a big proponent of elective c-sections, as he and his wife has triplets and vaginal birth is "traumatic to that whole region of a woman's body." Meaning, that things won't be exactly the way they were before giving birth, and having a fulfilling sex life is all about having an aesthetically perfect vagina. I have heard him say this sort of ridiculousness on Loveline a lot.

that is completely misogynistic and horrible. and like a c-section is NOT traumatic to a whole region of your body. believe me, i know, i had one :

[mrs*kewpie*pie]

he wasn't even real defensive about the comment on twiiter.... just said that we had to remmeber the show was edited from 4 hours down to 1 and that he was only trying to point out the realtiy of pregnancy so as not to glamourize it. WEAK!

[Bug-a-Boo's Mama]

While watching that show (all episodes ) I was very surprised about the lack of BFing. I was so happy to see the one Mama doing it, then later saw her giving the baby a bottle. So sad that they weren't helped/given more info. Lack of money should have been an excellent motivator for doing what comes naturally...and free.

It is one thing to have problems and not be able to BF, but a whole other thing to not even give a it a shot. The one girl mentioned that she was going to until her family/friends/everyone around her talked so badly about it she didn't even try.

I, too was very disappointed in Dr. Drew's response about their lack of BFing. While it was too late for them now, he certainly could have talked about the benefits of it, etc. He certainly had no problem talking about their lack of protection.

Many moons ago I used to love him on Love Line-wow, that was a LONG time ago. Very disappointed in him.