An amusing story to share...I was talking with my friend, and things went around to birth...which is hard, because she lost a baby at 21 weeks to Incompetent Cervix (maybe) about 3 years ago,her only pregnancy. Anyway, we talked about how she knew nothing at the time, and i oh-so-gently tried to get her to see that the OB's she was seeing are horrible nasty sOB's (30+ C/S rate, no VBAC's ever, almost 100% epis rate......), and she said looking back, she realizes she did not like her care, but at the time, did not know better..anyway..moving on, talk gets around to BF'ing..and she, almost nervously, says..."so, how long do you think a baby should be BF for?"
Well, I am torn, not wanting to give the trite, "well, any BF is better than none...." line, but not wanting to come off too militant, so I talk about how from a biological/anthropolgical standpoint humans are probably meant to wean between 4 and 7...blah blah..and she again asks "well, but what do you think is the minimum?" and again, i waver internally, not wanting to say that it is "okay" to only BF a baby for 3 months or 6, or a few weeks, or whatever, because i honestly hate that wimpy-butt "let's make all the moms who decide to stop BF'ing sfter a few weeks feel better about their choice" CRAP......but also not wanting to come off as too pushy and thus overwhelm her into thinking "I can never BF THAT long, so I might as well not try.." you know....so anyway, i'm noticing she seems a little tense, which is odd because we are good friends, and finally I start to say "well, 2 years really would be best, but a year would be okay, and 6 months is an ABSOLUTE minimum......." (Ya, i chickened out and watered down my true feelings..lol....)
And i get out "well, 2 years." and she cuts me off, literally exhaling a "whew" and saying she is glad because she can see herself BFing for 2 years but not 4, and she didn't want me to think she was horrible!
LOL. It just struck me as funny, in a nation where only about a third of moms BF to 6 MONTHS, that my friend was afraid of disappointing me for only intending to BF for 2 YEARS.....lol. So, apparently, i am the scary militant Bf'ing lady!.
Well, I am torn, not wanting to give the trite, "well, any BF is better than none...." line, but not wanting to come off too militant, so I talk about how from a biological/anthropolgical standpoint humans are probably meant to wean between 4 and 7...blah blah..and she again asks "well, but what do you think is the minimum?" and again, i waver internally, not wanting to say that it is "okay" to only BF a baby for 3 months or 6, or a few weeks, or whatever, because i honestly hate that wimpy-butt "let's make all the moms who decide to stop BF'ing sfter a few weeks feel better about their choice" CRAP......but also not wanting to come off as too pushy and thus overwhelm her into thinking "I can never BF THAT long, so I might as well not try.." you know....so anyway, i'm noticing she seems a little tense, which is odd because we are good friends, and finally I start to say "well, 2 years really would be best, but a year would be okay, and 6 months is an ABSOLUTE minimum......." (Ya, i chickened out and watered down my true feelings..lol....)
And i get out "well, 2 years." and she cuts me off, literally exhaling a "whew" and saying she is glad because she can see herself BFing for 2 years but not 4, and she didn't want me to think she was horrible!
LOL. It just struck me as funny, in a nation where only about a third of moms BF to 6 MONTHS, that my friend was afraid of disappointing me for only intending to BF for 2 YEARS.....lol. So, apparently, i am the scary militant Bf'ing lady!.
