Breastfeeding: The Problem Is Men

Posting Date: 11/15/2000

Breastfeeding. It's natural. It's healthy for the infant. It encourages the mother-baby bond. Women know these facts, and because of them many women decide before they are even pregnant that they will breastfeed their newborn infants.

But the research on why women don't breastfeed, finds one obstacle coming up again and again. It?s the men.

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You would not believe the myths that men expound upon. "It will ruin your breasts." "How can we have sex when you're dribbling?" It's disgusting.

In one group of women recently surveyed, 44 percent started out breastfeeding, but only 13 percent were still breastfeeding when their babies were six months old. The number one reason the mothers gave for choosing bottle-feeding was their perceptions of the fathers' attitudes towards breastfeeding.

Women, do not listen to your husbands. They don't know what they are talking about. This is a choice you can make that is clearly good for your children. When they are babies, you can make good choices for them. Later on, you won't be able to get them to eat their broccoli.

Researchers also criticize the media for discouraging breastfeeding, saying that they portray it as funny, embarrassing, difficult and a choice for celebrities and the wealthy.