Myths and Stereotypes About Breastfeeding

One of the things I have discovered in my years of teaching and just talking about breastfeeding in general is that there is a lot of miseducation out there. So I'm curious what you ladies see as some of the common myths and stereotypes of breastfeeding? What do you think can be done to challenge these myths? Do you think the myth/stereotypes(s) keep women from initiating and/or continuing breastfeeding?

I'll give you an example of a stereotype that drives me crazy (I can could add a bunch more, but I'd love to hear what others have to say.). The stereotype that breastfeeding is gross and sexual. I think a lot of people do believe this. I even had a student argue with me one time about how BFing an infant much older than a few weeks is disgusting, and she went on to say that's what formula is for..blah, blah, blah. Then I asked the students in that class to raise their hands if they agreed or disagreed. I was shocked to see that only two women in the class didn't think it was gross to breastfeed past the first few weeks of life.

What myths/stereotypes have you heard?

 

Oh Rachel I could give you my own list

But just to name a few:

1. Breastfeeding should hurt in the beginning. While I think pain can be normal I dont think everyone has to have it! It really bothers me that lots of people think its not possible to have a painfree nursing experience. while I admit its not all glamorous and there are times where you are bound to have pain i dont think it has to be the excruciating way people think of it. When I hear of pain problems, I think hows the latch? hows the positoning? Are your flanges to small etc? Are you air drying?

2. Breastfeeding is HARDER than formula feeding. Its not harder its just different work. You put all your effort up front figuring it all out and getting situated, and then maintaining your supply as you go. Whereas with formula you're always washing, sterilizing, mixing, buying etc. Thats work too. Its just different.

On a side note, today I had my first OB appt with this prengancy, the doctor gave me a bag full of "goodies" which are usually (in my experience) very pro formula. this one wasnt! I was going through it tonight (while my husband and I were chatting) It had breastpads for leakage, lanolin, tube conainers for collecting/storing/breastmilk, bm storage guidelines magnet etc. I was impressed. I then preceeded to talk to my husband about all the marketing formula companies do and how I wish someone would spend the same amount of money marketing breastfeeding and all the benefits. You're not selling an actual product but you are selling a healthier nation one child at a time.

My last tidbit-- my doctor told me today an advantage to nursing into this pregnancy is that my milk will come in faster with this pregnancy than it did the last. Has anyone heard this? It was a first time for me and Im wondering if what she said is true.

I think the only way to squash the myths/sterotypes is for mamas like us to get educated ourselves and then spread the knowledge! Hence while I KNOW I have a ton to learn, Im doing my best and one day I hope to be an excellent LLL Leader & Lactation Consultant.

 

I think that our culture is becoming much more accepting of BFing in general. However, that acceptance wears thin after the baby reaches 1 yo. So the stereotype that bothers me a lot is that it's not normal to nurse a baby beyond 1 year. At my baby shower I had a friend nursing her 16 month old little girl. My step MIL made a comment afterwards to me that it was a little "extreme." Extreme??? At 16 months? So I wish that people would be more accepting of nursing beyond 1 year. In fact, I don't think it should even be called extended nursing. Because it's just a normal, natural thing to do!

 

QUOTE(E&Msmom @ Apr 28 2009, 01:52 AM) [snapback]1291198[/snapback]
1. Breastfeeding should hurt in the beginning. While I think pain can be normal I dont think everyone has to have it! It really bothers me that lots of people think its not possible to have a painfree nursing experience. while I admit its not all glamorous and there are times where you are bound to have pain i dont think it has to be the excruciating way people think of it. When I hear of pain problems, I think hows the latch? hows the positoning? Are your flanges to small etc? Are you air drying?


This is interesting In the beginning I had no idea that nursing would hurt, but when I had marks and bruises on my breast and was in pain, the LC told me to give it a few days and a few weeks at most. Well a few weeks came up, and I was in terrible pain. I told myself if breastfeeding hurt this bad the human race wouldn't have replicated. That's how I knew something was wrong. I called the hospital and told the LC; she was going to let me come in, but they were really busy with deliveries, and once you've left the hospital any work they do with you is voluntary. So they gave me the number of a local LC, who was on vacation, and by the time I got to see her my boys were 6 weeks old, and I was pumping 6-8 times a day and getting them to the breast once or twice a day. It took three months for the pain to stop. I had this problem. It was mainly due to shallow latches.

QUOTE
2. Breastfeeding is HARDER than formula feeding. Its not harder its just different work. You put all your effort up front figuring it all out and getting situated, and then maintaining your supply as you go. Whereas with formula you're always washing, sterilizing, mixing, buying etc. That's work too. Its just different.


This is an interesting point because I often think that breastfeeding is harder, but I think it's more the lack of social support and education that makes nursing hard for most people. Once you get it figured out it's not hard at all, and it can save a lot of time.

QUOTE
On a side note, today I had my first OB appt with this prengancy, the doctor gave me a bag full of "goodies" which are usually (in my experience) very pro formula. this one wasnt! I was going through it tonight (while my husband and I were chatting) It had breastpads for leakage, lanolin, tube conainers for collecting/storing/breastmilk, bm storage guidelines magnet etc. I was impressed. I then preceeded to talk to my husband about all the marketing formula companies do and how I wish someone would spend the same amount of money marketing breastfeeding and all the benefits. You're not selling an actual product but you are selling a healthier nation one child at a time.


I don't even remember what I got in one of those bags, but definitely not breast pads.

 

Great thread!

I'm sure I'll think of more later, but here's one that really bugs me. So many people say that if a mom is nursing a toddler, she's "just doing it for herself," and it's not about the child. I don't even know what that's supposed to mean. :huh: The only thing I can think of is the "gross/sexual" assumption, like the mom is perversely getting off on it somehow. Or like the mom is purposely trying to infantilize her child and delay normal development.

As a mom nursing toddlers (and toddlers who still nurse ~5x/day and show no signs whatsoever of wanting to stop), this just makes me so mad. Sure, I'm doing this "for myself" - in the sense that snuggling my babies and seeing them happy makes me happy. And I'm doing it for them: the milk is good for them, and they love nursing, and it makes them so happy. I'm the last mom in the world to infantilize her kids, because the baby stages were really hard for me, and I love it that my kids are growing up and getting more and more independent.

Worst of all, the "she's just doing it for herself" camp can't even explain what they mean. Whenever I ask someone about it, they just evade the question, can't come up with a good answer. They're just icked out and there's no rational thought behind it whatsoever.

[/vent!!!!!]

 

Yeah, the nursing toddlers hang-up is huge, it is like people believe that the baby should not have access to breasts after 12 months (if that!) yet many babies still take a bottle or formula past 12 months. I think it all boils down to the sexualization of breasts. I had so many eye-rolls when I was still nursing my older DS at 16 mos, 18 mos, 24 mos and finally at 29 mos when he weaned.

 

I feel like Bfing is becoming more acceptable, but only to a certain point. I have a goal of nursing for a year at least, and most people I know have come to understand that from a nutritional stand point, that's a good decision because if I stopped they'd still need formula. It's an easy arguent because we all hear so often "breast is best" plus they can't switch to cow's milk for a year anyway. It's a relatively easy sell...

The hard thing for me is what's going to come after a year. Right now I don't even talk about it. My plan is to just see what happens, maybe cut down to just morning and night feedings and see how it goes, but I'm not planning to stop nursing cold turkey because they hit one year. I think a lot of people will be uncomfortable with that...which is why I'm hesitant to talk about it. I have friends who have BF, but they all take it as a given that you stop at a year if not earlier. I've dealt with some people being uncomfortable with BFing by telling them about the health benefits. Once the year is up, if I decide to continue a longer until we are all ready to stop, I think I'll have a much harder time explaining it.

I don't know if that answered your question. I guess the myth I'm talking about is that people think there is no need for BFing after a year, which I think leads to the sexual myth or the selfish mom myth. I think it's ok to nurse longer and I know it is still beneficial, but I have to admit, though, that I even feel myself getting a little uncomfortable when people talk about nursing for more than 2 years, even though I know it's perfectly healthy and normal. It's one of those ingrained myths I think that's hard to shake even when you're in it...and I'm sure if we make it to 2 years, I'll be uncomfortable thinking about 3...

 

QUOTE(mamabee718 @ Apr 28 2009, 09:23 AM) [snapback]1291481[/snapback]
I think it's ok to nurse longer and I know it is still beneficial, but I have to admit, though, that I even feel myself getting a little uncomfortable when people talk about nursing for more than 2 years, even though I know it's perfectly healthy and normal. It's one of those ingrained myths I think that's hard to shake even when you're in it...and I'm sure if we make it to 2 years, I'll be uncomfortable thinking about 3...


I think many people feel this way. I know when I first started bfing my older DS I never even dreamed that I would go past 12 months. Then suddenly, he was 12 months old - and he was the exact same baby that he had been, just a day older. And that is how I continued to feel. Suddenly, he was 2 years old. There wasn't much different about him at 24 months than 20 months, you know? It just naturally progressed and really, by 18 months, we were pretty much only nursing first thing in the morning and right before bed. By 22ish months, we were down to just the before bed session.

This is one of the saddest things to me regarding my twins and their horrible latches/my chronic nipple wounds and mastitis - I just hate it that I had to pump so much in place of nursing and that we did not get to nurse past 1 year. I so cherished that time with my toddler DS. :wub:

 

Good thread! I agree with all of the ones posted so far. The sexualization one really bugs me. I am mainly nursing my DS because DD basically stopped nursing (and became a different baby) at 4 months old due to a milk allergy. People look at me strange when I BF my son, but give my daughter a bottle. As if I just picked one of them to nurse and told the other one too bad. And of course I picked my boy over my girl
The other one that hasn't been mentioned yet is that some people think it's really easy. I can't count how many people have told me that I'm so "lucky" that I was able to BF because they weren't able to due to <insert whatever here> I realize that some women and some babies are not able to. I have one of those babies. I get it. But I guess it diminishes what a commitment it is when people are flippant about how lucky I am. Bfing twins has been one of the hardest things I've ever done. It is a challenge.
Having said that, I also think people get carried away a little with thinking that Bfing is not the normal thing to do. It's like formula is normal, but if you really want to be super-mom you will try Bfing. I never thought of it that way. I just assumed I would BF my children. It just seemed like the natural thing to do. For me anyway. I think there are a lot of women out there who would just never consider formula b/c
1) no reason to
2) can't afford to
3) don't want to
Bfing is not this amazing thing you do as a mother. I mean it is, but it's just natural. So is Bfing past a year. I can't say that I've ever considered just stopping at a year. That wouldn't have even occurred to me. I guess I am not a good one to answer this question because I'm not sure I've been exposed to as many of the myths as other women have. I have never thought it was weird to do "extended" nursing. But then I'm the second oldest of 8 and my mom extended nursed every single one.

As far as how to beat the stereotypes, I'm not really sure. It is such an emotionally charged topic, for reasons I am not even sure I understand. It's hard to speak factually about something that people take so personally.

 

i think the restrictive myths (ie careful what you eat, you MUST drink x amount of water EVERY day, NO alcohol, etc) is one that bugs me - it makes it that much more unappealing to nurse if you feel like you have to turn your whole life inside out to do it "right". i mean, obviously, you can't go out on a bender every night & expect that that won't affect your babies, but having a glass of wine or a beer with dinner is perfectly fine. also, with your diet & your water intake, as long as you listen to your body & give it what it's asking for (eat when you're hungry, drink when you're thirsty) you'll do fine.

in regards to extended nursing, i've started dropping hints quite early on that "we would see what happened when they turned 1" - at first, there seemed to be a lot of resistance, but as we're getting closer to the day, i think people (mainly ILs) are starting to realize that the girls still seem like "babies" and so it's not that big of a deal. or something.

 

You won't make enough milk for twins.

I can't tell u how many nurses at the hospital said this to me, when trying to get me to give them a bottle, you will have to supplement anyway as u won't produce enough for two babies and because I didn't know any different I believed them. I really wish I had found this site when I was pregnant.

 

Don't even get me started on extended BF. It's not weird or sexual or all for the mom's benefit (though I have to admit that having them nap vs. not nap was a no-brainer). Just because it comes in a plastic jug doesn't mean that milk is not breastmilk. It's just another animal's breast which is actually much more strange if you really think about it.

The one that drives me through the roof is that some women seem convinced it's all or nothing. If you have a job that makes it impossible to pump during the day, you CAN still nurse in the morning and after work but give formula during the day. Your body will adjust to whatever schedule you keep consistently. The other is that breast size or quantity pumped is an indicator of how much you can produce -- both of which seem to be reinforced by the medical community -- or that you have some predetermined maximum meant to feed one baby so it's horribly difficult to "keep up" with two.

 

QUOTE(lovelylily @ Apr 28 2009, 08:52 AM) [snapback]1291514[/snapback]
Bfing is not this amazing thing you do as a mother. I mean it is, but it's just natural.


i was just thinking about this the other day - i can't remember exactly what, but i was reading something about the magical, amazing, specialness that is nursing & i just kind of rolled my eyes & thought "yeah, but it's also just a mundane, repetitive part of every day life too". don't get me wrong, i think nursing can be very special & amazing & i really enjoy the cuddle time, but it really & truly is also just a normal, boring part of every day life too, KWIM?

 

Oh I thought of a couple more. The myth that breastfed babies don't sleep as well at night. The myth that breastfed babies are hungrier than formula fed babies. Also the myth that breastfed babies are smaller, don't grow as quickly, and that this is a bad thing. I've got both a primarily formula fed baby and a 100% breastfed baby. I can tell you that none of these myths are true!

 

Boy, did I ever need this thread this morning! I love collecting and disproving BF myths! I hated the nurses and dc's telling me I'd never make enough, and the most classic jaw drop moment I've ever had was talking to the pedi the day my milk came in. I said, "I think my milk came in, but there was no pain" ("cause everyone had been telling me it would hurt when it happened) and he said ,"Yeah, MAYBE it has." then kept on about giving them bottles like it's some sort of miracle drug that will cure the jaundice. What was so funny was the front of my hospital gown was SOAKED!

Ok, I'll just name a few then tell you what I do with all of them

1) They won't sleep as long as they will if you give them formula. Tried it. Didn't work.

2) You need to drink milk to produce milk. If that's true, how does the cow do it with just grass?

3) You're starving your baby. Do I even need to say anything to this?

4) Formula is a cure all that will take care of everything from low weight gain to sleep problems ( never mind that breast milk has more calories....)

5) Is it just me or does it seem that if you breast feed for more than just feeding your babies people get really uncomfortable by it? Like it's going to 'cause some mental damage if I breast feed to help them sleep, or comfort them or just 'cause they're crying and I don't want to hear them crying?

6) What's the deal with it being more acceptable to give the baby plastic paci's and not the boob? And just what's so wrong with being used as a pacifier? The best pacifiers for breastfed babies, after all, trying to mimic a breast.

I've decided it's my business what me and my babies do with my boobs. Everyone else can just deal with it. I get a little bugged with my MIL when I sit down to feed them and she says "Again!?" or looks at me disapproving for nursing them to sleep. I'm doing what I need to to survive and stay realitivly sane. Everyone else can just-- well... yeah... I should end that sentence there.



QUOTE(mamabee718 @ Apr 28 2009, 08:23 AM) [snapback]1291481[/snapback]
The hard thing for me is what's going to come after a year. Right now I don't even talk about it. My plan is to just see what happens, maybe cut down to just morning and night feedings and see how it goes, but I'm not planning to stop nursing cold turkey because they hit one year. I think a lot of people will be uncomfortable with that...which is why I'm hesitant to talk about it. I have friends who have BF, but they all take it as a given that you stop at a year if not earlier. I've dealt with some people being uncomfortable with BFing by telling them about the health benefits. Once the year is up, if I decide to continue a longer until we are all ready to stop, I think I'll have a much harder time explaining it.



I plan on nursing until at least 18 months, probably longer. If anyone gives me any lip about it I'll just quote the AAP's recommendation to breast feed at least a year. Let me repeat that: AT LEAST a year. I almost want to pick a fight with my pedi just so I can say that. :catfight: But I won't because I won't talk to him about it at all. It's none of his business and he probably doesn't know anything about it anyway. Mainly I just don't talk about it. If asked I'll tell, but I won't be swayed by anyone but my babies on the issue.

As for the sexual implications, I find the whole thing funny! Everyone seems to have it backwards! Breasts are a sexual object in this culture, but why is that? Sex is at it's foundation a reproductive act, so if a man finds himself attracted to breasts isn't because breasts = the ability to feed offspring? I mean, isn't sex just all about making babies anyway? We just use it for more than that. I don't get off on it, so I don't know what the big deal is.

Sorry this is so long, but I'd just like to wrap up by saying I don't feel like a cow, I don't know what people mean when they say that, I don't feel like I'm being used by my kids and I could care less how other people raise their kids, or who could or couldn't make enough for their babies or what any one else has to say about it. Until they are willing to stay here with me for at least 24 hours and get a clue I'm not listening.

 

Oh, and the whole "don't breast feed them at night 'cause it will rot their teeth" thing just pisses me off! I hear it more with people with toddlers, but still! kelly'smom says there's no proof of it. It just sounds like one more thing to make life harder for moms. Every time I hear any of these myths it's like I'm hearing: "Let me stress you out by telling you that everything that you've found that works for you and your babies is wrong, will 'cause health problems and mental problems and you should avoid at all costs."

I think the only way to break these myths is to get real facts on the subject and raise our kids. I saw my aunts breastfeeding, and I knew my mom breastfed us. It never crossed my mind that I wouldn't breastfeed my kids.

 

I'm not really sure if this is a myth, but it drives me crazy anyway: women don't always realize that formula companies are in it to make a profit. They're not giving you formula samples at the hospital because they care about your baby's well-being. They just want you hooked on their product.

 

QUOTE(E&Msmom @ Apr 27 2009, 09:52 PM) [snapback]1291198[/snapback]
. I then preceeded to talk to my husband about all the marketing formula companies do and how I wish someone would spend the same amount of money marketing breastfeeding and all the benefits. You're not selling an actual product but you are selling a healthier nation one child at a time.



QUOTE(andrew/kaitlyn/smom @ Apr 28 2009, 09:27 AM) [snapback]1291796[/snapback]
I'm not really sure if this is a myth, but it drives me crazy anyway: women don't always realize that formula companies are in it to make a profit. They're not giving you formula samples at the hospital because they care about your baby's well-being. They just want you hooked on their product.


I couldnt agree more which is why I requoted my original post. I guess Im wondering other than organizations like La Leche League or Breastfeeding Coalition etc Who really advertises and sponsors breastfeeding? Im suprised even more doctors dont advocate it. They all KNOW the health benefits. So why dont they push it instead of supporting the formula companies? Really bothers me. Are they all about making money or peoples health?

 

QUOTE(E&Msmom @ Apr 27 2009, 09:52 PM) [snapback]1291198[/snapback]
2. Breastfeeding is HARDER than formula feeding.

My last tidbit-- my doctor told me today an advantage to nursing into this pregnancy is that my milk will come in faster with this pregnancy than it did the last.

Oooh, I hate that one.

My milk came in on day 4 all 3 times so it didn't happen for me.

QUOTE(MeldieB @ Apr 28 2009, 05:10 AM) [snapback]1291371[/snapback]
I think that our culture is becoming much more accepting of BFing in general. However, that acceptance wears thin after the baby reaches 1 yo.

I so agree with this. I also think the later you BF the more accepting people become.

My doc recommended I keep BF'ing my ds (I wa sgoing to stop at 12 months) due to his smaller size. He said he needed the extra nurition. I BF'ed him until he was 18 months and often felt the need to explain to people that the doc recommended continued BF'ing. Like it was any of their business anyway.

 

QUOTE(E&Msmom @ Apr 28 2009, 01:52 AM) [snapback]1291198[/snapback]
My last tidbit-- my doctor told me today an advantage to nursing into this pregnancy is that my milk will come in faster with this pregnancy than it did the last. Has anyone heard this? It was a first time for me and Im wondering if what she said is true.

When I nursed through my pregnancy my milk came into faster and more abundantly. The visiting nurse who comes to your house 24-48 hours after birth couldn't believe how rock solid my breasts were. It was hard to get my babe latched on properly because my nipples almost disappeared due to the engorgement. It was uncomfortable but only for about 4-5 days when I walked around with cabbage leaves in my bra! It was about 2 weeks before I felt that empty feeling you typically get after a solid nursing session.

QUOTE(fuchsiagroan @ Apr 28 2009, 10:11 AM) [snapback]1291458[/snapback]
So many people say that if a mom is nursing a toddler, she's "just doing it for herself," and it's not about the child. I don't even know what that's supposed to mean. :huh:
As a mom nursing toddlers (and toddlers who still nurse ~5x/day and show no signs whatsoever of wanting to stop), this just makes me so mad. Sure, I'm doing this "for myself" - in the sense that snuggling my babies and seeing them happy makes me happy. And I'm doing it for them: the milk is good for them, and they love nursing, and it makes them so happy. I'm the last mom in the world to infantilize her kids, because the baby stages were really hard for me, and I love it that my kids are growing up and getting more and more independent.


If there was anything I was going to do for "myself" right now in regards to my children it would be to wean them! When one of the girls is begging and whining to nurse we often talk about what she would be doing if she was weaned. Would she be behaving perfectly without a whine in sight? Would she just be unconsolable or would snuggles be enough? I don't know because I've never had a non-nursing toddler.

 

QUOTE(miss_bossy18 @ Apr 28 2009, 03:20 PM) [snapback]1291573[/snapback]
i was just thinking about this the other day - i can't remember exactly what, but i was reading something about the magical, amazing, specialness that is nursing & i just kind of rolled my eyes & thought "yeah, but it's also just a mundane, repetitive part of every day life too". don't get me wrong, i think nursing can be very special & amazing & i really enjoy the cuddle time, but it really & truly is also just a normal, boring part of every day life too, KWIM?


YES!! Normalizing breastfeeding and the mundane dailiness of it would be so helpful.

The myth of the specialness and magic of breastfeeding do so much more harm than good. First, if you grow up on that myth, the hard work at the beginning makes you feel like you're doing something WRONG. Then there's the resulting "breast is best" tagline, which formula companies LOVE, because it makes them look like they support nursing when what they're really saying is, "Breastfeeding is best, of course, but we all know that life involves compromises and we can't always make "best" work and so there's formula, which is also great and so much easier. (See myth above)"

Then it feeds into the "breastfeeding as indulgence" myth by implying that it may be "best" for vulnerable little babies, but if you want life to return to normal, you need to move along to the packaged food all other humans eat. I can't help but think of the parallels between the squeamishness about babies old enough to recognize and verbalize about the source of their food and our general squeamishness with talking seeing or talking about the living sources of our food - eating pork or beef, for instance, instead of pig or cow.

But I digress...Great thread topic.

 

Breast is best kills me. Breast is average, formula is subpar would be better!

 

QUOTE(Username @ Apr 29 2009, 10:04 AM) [snapback]1293412[/snapback]
Breast is best kills me. Breast is average, formula is subpar would be better!



HHHmmm...not sure about this.

Anyway, whenever people said that it was impossible to BF twins, I would reply that if my body can grow and carry two, it can sure feed two.

Another big myth is that many women think their babies are trying to wean around 7-9 months when really the baby is just at a very distractable age and it will likely pass. It's very rare for a baby to self-wean before a year.

 

QUOTE(girls! @ Apr 29 2009, 08:23 PM) [snapback]1294135[/snapback]
Another big myth is that many women think their babies are trying to wean around 7-9 months when really the baby is just at a very distractable age and it will likely pass. It's very rare for a baby to self-wean before a year.


I agree completely! So many people have told me that. I know mine are sooooooo distractable now, but as long as I get them into a quiet room, they are still going strong. I can see how people would make that mistake and it's a shame that so many people believe it!

 

QUOTE(girls! @ Apr 29 2009, 08:23 PM) [snapback]1294135[/snapback]
HHHmmm...not sure about this.

Anyway, whenever people said that it was impossible to BF twins, I would reply that if my body could grow and carry two, it could sure feed two.

Another big myth is that many women think their babies are trying to wean around 7-9 months when really the baby is just at a very distractable age and it will likely pass. It's very rare for a baby to self-wean before a year.

LOL! That's like my guys. I actually think the distractibility gets worse when you are giving them lots of bottles. I think that's was a huge problem with my guys.

 

QUOTE(girls! @ Apr 29 2009, 08:23 PM) [snapback]1294135[/snapback]
HHHmmm...not sure about this.



I'd love to know more about your thinking on this. Do you think formula is better or equal? I think breast is just average, the norm, what nature intended. Therefore it is just average. Formula is not as good, imo and scientific data backs this, so it is subpar. I think the language surrounding "best" is misleading. I don't need what is best for my kids. I need what is good enough. Bm is good enough. I think sometimes is we change the language it change how we view it. Does that make sense?

 

QUOTE(Zabeta @ Apr 29 2009, 11:57 AM) [snapback]1293400[/snapback]
eating pork or beef, for instance, instead of pig or cow.

But I digress...Great thread topic.


The biggest one I got is that my kids wouldn't get enough to eat if I only nursed them. So far no one's starved.

However, to digress with you: the reason our words for meat are different for our words for animals goes back to when England had two or three native languages (for a while English, French and Latin were all spoken, and this is why spelling is so much fun in English). The people who tended the animals spoke English, a Germanic language. Most of our words for meat animals derive from this (cow, swine, hare, sheep). The people who ate the meat a lot back then were the wealthy elite, the court, and they spoke French. Most of our words for meat (pork, beef, mutton) derive from French. That particular dichotomy goes back to who had the money. (And the wealthy people paid other women to nurse for them. Wet nurses were the original "formula.")

 

QUOTE(rubyturquoise @ Apr 30 2009, 11:24 AM) [snapback]1295167[/snapback]
(And the wealthy people paid other women to nurse for them. Wet nurses were the original "formula.")


this is so true! that would be another myth about BFing that kind of irks me - that we should all do it because it's always been done (or our great-great-great-great grandmothers did it, why can't we?). but really, women have been trying to "get out of" BFing forever.

i guess this one is a bit of a devil's advocate myth (hope no one minds).

 

QUOTE(rubyturquoise @ Apr 30 2009, 01:24 PM) [snapback]1295167[/snapback]
However, to digress with you: the reason our words for meat are different for our words for animals goes back to when England had two or three native languages (for a while English, French and Latin were all spoken, and this is why spelling is so much fun in English). The people who tended the animals spoke English, a Germanic language. Most of our words for meat animals derive from this (cow, swine, hare, sheep). The people who ate the meat a lot back then were the wealthy elite, the court, and they spoke French. Most of our words for meat (pork, beef, mutton) derive from French. That particular dichotomy goes back to who had the money. (And the wealthy people paid other women to nurse for them. Wet nurses were the original "formula.")


This is a great thread It's not always that I learn something on here