*Disclaimer* This post is in NO way intended to insult or put down those who can not or chose not to breastfeed their children. It is simply making a point that some of the things we are told about breastfeeding or are feeding to our next generation of moms are not only false but also uneducated. At times including advice that comes from our Doctors.
There are still a ton of myths about breastfeeding out there, especially here in the US. Everything from how it will effect your baby, to how it will effect your body! Here are a few of my favorite myths and stories
- Breastfeeding a little boy will make him obsessed with boobs. (Ask most Europeans and they will tell you they laugh at American men because they are soooo obsessed with boobs, even though most of them were NOT Breastfed)
- On a similar note. Breastfeeding your daughter will make her a lesbian. I’m not sure how the world survived and we were able to continue as a species before formula and bottles were invented! We would have been a society of lesbians and horny men! Maybe that is why cavemen had to hit their women on the head and drag them back to their caves!
- Breastfeeding will make your nipples long. Similar to the, Breastfeeding will make your boobs sag. Hate to break it to you folks but just because you don’t nurse doesn’t mean that your body is NOT going to produce milk, and those wonderful boobs of yours are probably not going to the same again!
- Breastfed babies get teeth later because it makes their gums harder. Really?!? have you ever chewed on a rubber nipple? How in the world could a natural nipple be harder on the gums? Besides, ask any dentist and they will tell you, the later the teeth come in the better!
- You need to drink a lot of milk to successfully breastfeed. Because our bodies are just filters for cows milk?
- You are just doing it for you and not for the baby any more. Yes because that is what every mom wants, to have to get up every 2 hours (or less) to have a small person suck on her nipple? Because I would not rather sleep through the night like my Significant Other gets to?
- This one is for the single moms out there. If you don’t stop breastfeeding you will never get a date! Because I Am sure that is exactly what you are thinking about as you are taking care of your perfectly perfect little nursling!
- My baby is hungry all the time because my boobs leak all the milk that is supposed to be for my baby. Really? Really? I would have killed to ever have had enough milk to actually leak!!!
- You can’t breastfeed a boy once he turns 1 because it becomes too sexual. I mean my little boy just woke up on his first birthday and started looking at me as a sex object? CooCoo!!
- Colostrum is not real milk and it will make your baby sick. Hmmmm…I think we need to learn a little more before about breastfeeding before telling anyone this!
- You can’t eat foods with too much fat because it will make your milk stringy and it won’t come out. While I do believe that we need to take care of our bodies even when nursing that doesn’t mean that I’m not going to enjoy the occasional Burger and Fries! And last I checked it didn’t make me produce string cheese!
- If you don’t feed your baby every two hours your milk will turn into butter. Butter?!? Seriously?!? Its like our boobs are just churns and running around for two hours must be just enough to turn it to milk! :)
Need a little more Breastfeeding talk? Check out these other articles!
10 Things NOT to do With Breastmilk
or the “if you had a c-section you can’t nurse” (not true, your milk CAN take longer to come in. but the baby will survive on colostrum til then.)
“if your baby is fussing after/while nursing then you aren’t making enough milk!” ermm no. chances are, it’s gas. or your baby has hit a growth spurt and your breasts haven’t caught up yet, by passing the “supply and demand” of breastfeeding by giving them a bottle is NOT helping. remove the demand, you remove the supply.
“If you don’t have a perfect diet, then formula is just as good as breastmilk” Can I just hit you now..? I don’t even know where to start with that ignorance. Again, is my body just a filter from mouth to breast? no. Even if I’m eating like crap, I bet my diet is STILL better than a COWS!
Courtney, having had 3 c-sections I heard the first a lot! I still managed to successfully nurse all three of my boys and plan to do it again after #4!
And you are soooo write. I don’t care if you eat Hamburgers and French Fries all day everyday! It is better than the diet of most cows AND your body will take all of the BEST of everything you have and put it into your Breast Milk to give to your baby! Just proof that even on a totally non controllable level as moms we give up everything for our kids!
Twitter: mellomuggle
says:
Wow, I had a c-section and I still nursed. And honestly, I ate all sorts of foods, including some spicy foods, and it never affected my daughter negatively. The only thing I refrained from was cigarettes and alcohol, naturally.
Melissa D recently posted..Giveaway! Amazon GC $50
I had a c-section with my first. Still Breast fed him successfully. I swear, people will believe anything.
Twitter: mellomuggle
says:
OMG these were great! I haven’t heard most of these!!
My biggest pet peeve was hearing women say they COULDN’T breastfeed because “their milk never came in”. Uh hellllo, no one’s milk comes in until the 2nd or 3rd day or even a few days after that is why we produce colostrum in the first place…cmon mothers, educate yourself…*sigh*
I just had to vent about that.
Oh and about doing it for yourself and not the baby. Yes, because it was GREAT to endure those first weeks of painful, cracked, bleeding nipples and being sucked on every couple hours. I mean, Ive have my nipples pierced and that wasn’t nearly as painful as breastfeeding for the first time. Still, If I had to go back, I would do it all again. Breastmilk is AMAZING stuff and so great for bonding with your baby.
Melissa D recently posted..Giveaway! Amazon GC $50
I agree! I hate when mom’s make up excuses for not breastfeeding. Which most of these are. If you don’t want to breastfeed that is fine, don’t do it. Its your choice to make, but don’t try to justify it with silly excuses. Its people like that that make it difficult for moms who truly can not provide milk for their babies.
Seriously – I dislike when the Mom’s who do breastfeed think they are so much better than those who don’t and act like we’ve committed some sort of sin. I had a c-section and 2 weeks later my milk still hadn’t come in. My son is just as healthy as kids who have been breast fed, if not healthier than some.
I apologize if you were offended by this post. That is why it was prefaced with a disclaimer about it not mattering whether you BF or not, or whether you can or can not. These are myths that were told to mom’s who were already nursing. The point is more or less, don’t make excuses for not nursing your baby. If you don’t want to do it than say that you don’t want to do it. Don’t say that you couldn’t do it. Its those people who make it harder for mom’s like you who TRULY could not nurse their little one. It doesn’t make you a bad mom because you chose not to, or could not nurse.
Twitter: ashleyspain7
says:
Oh man the amount of excuses is ridiculous.
But butter? I have never heard that. I’d probably facepalm myself and them V8 palm them.
Ashley Spain ( recently posted..Mommy Confessions: New Baby Sleep
My favorite is when my husband’s cousin said she couldn’t breastfeed because her milk “wasn’t nutritious enough.” Really? How exactly did you figure that out? Because I’ve never heard of any doctor examining breast milk for the correct nutrients.
The most damaging thing I think I’ve heard is that “you can’t get pregnant when your breastfeeding” which is closely related to “you don’t get your period if you breastfeed” Some women are lucky but many of us are not!
Actually, this is true for the first 6 months after delivery, something called as lactational amenorrhea method of contraception. This only holds true if you are exclusively breastfeeding at regular intervals and no menses yet since delivery. Initial “lochia” is not counted.
While it can be a GREAT form of birth control it does not work for everyone and needs to be done correctly to be considered effective. I know WAY too many people have gotten pregnant while still nursing because they hadn’t gotten their period yet and next thing you know, Irish Twins!
I have EBF 2 of my 3 kids with absolutely no bottles or anything and my period both times returned within 3 months of having the baby. I know that some people are very lucky and they hold off for longer, I don’t and I would bet that I was fertile at that point as well lol. Not all bodies are the same.
A friend of mine tried to convince me that if I breastfed I couldn’t work out because it would “sour the milk”. I had to pick my jaw up off the floor.
Twitter: katemoore1
says:
Really? OMG! lol If that were the case then I’d be in big trouble! Good thing it’s not!
Kate Moore recently posted..Birthdays
Twitter: katemoore1
says:
Holy crow people will believe anything! I haven’t heard most of these, but they are all ridiculous! I would never believe any of this. I breastfed my first daughter for 9 months (she just would not nurse anymore), my second for 2 months (milk dried up out of no where), and I plan on trying for longer with my third who will arrive in August. Breast feeding is perfectly natural and will not affect your baby in any of these crazy ways. C’mon people! Let’s use the brains God gave us instead of acting stupid and believing everything we hear. lol
Kate Moore recently posted..Birthdays
These myths are awful and yes completely hilarious, I couldn’t breast feed my oldest but her sister breast fed just fine, and the only reason I stopped breast feeding her was that she was eating more solid foods and didn’t need my milk as much so I ended up drying up. I really enjoyed the closeness that comes along with breast feeding, thank you For these myths, I needed a good laugh:)