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s/o breastfeeding
I've thought about this before but I have no answers. It seems like so many people have trouble with breastfeeding. It doesn't seem to come easily for most. Some people work it out, some people just can't. Whether it's bad latches, low supply, whatever... there just seem to be a lot of hardships with breastfeeding so that even the most determined BF-ing mom sometimes can't make it happen. So my question is this: Is this a new phenomenon? What did people do in the old days? Yeah I know there were some wet nurses but that seems like it was more a "luxury" for nobility... what did women and babies do? Or did most people NOT have problems then? And has something in our lives/culture/etc changed to make it harder now in the modern world? I mean, clearly it's not just that people don't give "enough effort" or whatever... we go to LC's, BF'ing support groups, BF'ing classes, buy pumps, supplemental nursing systems, etc... and STILL a lot of people are unable to EBF even if they want to. So what gives?
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Re: s/o breastfeeding
I can't remember where I read/heard this, I think maybe a BFing book, but one theory is that women had constant support from their mothers/sisters/cousins/friends because they often lived together/very near each other, plus, it was pretty much the only option so their were many experienced BFeeders all around you to help if needed. Today we almost all live in single-family homes with family/friend BF help less accessable and round-the-clock. Many mothers are basically on their own 99% of the time. Plus, since so many less people have BF over the last couple of generations, they are less helpful anyway. I've also read that lactation consults in the hospital are far too brief and few to be really helpful, and I agree with that part from my own experience.
Oh, and I'm guessing that while more women were able to successfully BF, there were also alot more sickly babies and a much higher infant mortality rate related to nutrition deficiencies. Modern formula really is a wonderful thing!
I was reading a lot about breastfeeding over the weekend since I'm working on it with our new baby right now and I did not successfully breastfeed my twins. I pumped and pumped, but never had a good supply. Anyway, I read that past generations might laugh at all the support we need, but a big difference is that they grew up watching their family members breastfeed - it was just a part of life. All of the women in their family were experienced with it and could support them. Now that just isn't the case - I know my mom didn't breastfeed and I didn't grow up seeing anyone close to me do it.
I think another additional factor is just the pressure we put on ourselves since we don't inherently know if we are doing it right. My baby girl dropped almost 10% in weight by the time she was 2 days old and everyone immediately started saying we needed to supplement, add formula, etc. Well 2 days later she's gaining weight - we just needed to wait another day for my milk to come in. If I was a first time mom I probably would have just given her a bottle on Friday instead of sticking to my guns.
Just my two cents!
Yeah I wondered that too - if you lived with 3 generations and your sisters and all, you also could spend more time working on it and not worry about going to the grocery store and cleaning the house for your MIL to come visit and all... you could lay in bed and really work it and relax about it....
In the hospital with Ben, the LC's all had different advice. But when I went to the BFing center they really got us on track. And with Cooper, I was in the NICU for 3 weeks and the LC I saw there was AWESOME.
In my case, DS lost 12% in two days and they freaked out (again, he was C/S so I think a lot of that 8lb7oz was BLOAT and they need to reassess their standards). Anyway, I was at Evergreen and I felt HUGE pressure to FF - and I was shocked. I thought they would pressure me the opposite way, especially since I was totally game and his latch was great and actually comfortable. So day # 2 we started "supplementing" and I think once you start it's VERY hard to stop...
I pumped like crazy when I got home, Fenugreek, the whole bit. I always BF'd him first and then FF if he was still hungry...I had to weight him 2x a day and call in the #'s (that seems so weird to me now). I even visited the LC and he gained a full ounce in on feeding...so they said everything was fine. But eventually my supply went to nothing. I was pretty sad b/c I had researched a TON but nowhere in my research did I learn that it can 2-3 weeks to really get into a good routine and to just keep trying.
SIDE NOTE: I also think - despite being 2 weeks late - that he would have "come on his own" and I might not have needed a C/S. But again, "hospital policy"....grr
Boy, if I had to do it over....
There were also wet nurses* (women who nursed other people's children), and i imagine (though i haven't looked into it) that nursing might be/have been shared in other cultures and/or past times.
ETA - *I didn't notice you'd mentioned that.
These all sounds like valid hypotheses, and I'm guessing it is a combination of all of the above... better support network, growing up around breastfeeding, fewer early/sick babies (that survived), supplementing with animal milk, and even sadly higher infant mortality.
I also think they likely simply nursed one another's babies. In a communal society, there probably wasn't this weird "ick" reaction to having your baby drink someone else's BM (an aside, funny we don't have the same reaction to drinking milk that comes out of the business end of a completely different species). I'm sure for every person who struggled with supply, there was someone like me who struggled with oversupply.
ETA: Looks like CDMay and I had the same thought.
I'm going to make an AWESOME big brother.
Easter 2011
Oh and another thought! Over time (and since the population has exploded) I'd guess WAY BACK - when women couldn't feed their young it could be a genetic thing - then the baby would die and not pass down that trait.
Now that there are so many breastfeeding substitutes, that doesn't happen and genetically we could be altering (evolving?) to not provide milk anymore. Scary thought.
My mom didn't breastfeed me, I couldn't really breastfeed mine...what will Willow do?
Easter 2011
Plus, it was common for mothers to die during childbirth. What then?
I saw a movie recently (don't remember the name, about the oil rush and a man who made money screwing people for their land) where the boys mother died and they showed the father feeding him milk out of a makeshift bottle. They probably used what ever animal milk they could find in what ever manner they could.
As I struggle a little here, I've been thinking about this, too. My child nurses some (with help), but then gets visibly excited when the bottle shows up. My issue is low supply + his weight dropped too low and wasn't coming back up. So we supplement, too (and his weight is now up, thankfully).
I grew up around only breastfeeding. (eta: born early 70's.) Never heard of formula until I started working in child care centers. I was EBF'd, as were my siblings. My sister EBF'd her 3 kids until at least 12 months (even with working FT). DH was EBF'd, as were his siblings. We planned to, as well. I'm not sure it's a matter of how you were raised, but there are several other good theories here. In particular, I agree that there are a lot of different methods and (eta: MIXED) messages, from LC's, Dr's, friends and family.
And, sadly, many babies probably did die from lack of nourishment.
Interesting theory!
Photo by J Shelton Photography
Married 10/5/08 | 2 yrs of TTC, tests, procedures & a m/c | IVF #2 =James!
I'm sure this isn't that funny to anyone else, but I totally have this image of five or so women sitting around trying breastfeed and just passing a kid around until one of them is successful....
I agree with the other posts though. I really like the different ideas, they all seem totally logical to me!
I second this theory 100% . We are a generation of mothers that are seeing a resurgence of BFing. I'm willing to bet that a huge majority of us born in the late 70's-80's were not breastfed, becasue it was all about the formula at that time. So we really didn't have any models for BFing.
Jen - Mom to Jillian (10/2008) and Hayden (4/2010)
My Blog
Yep, a post partum doula could have helped with that. My friend's sister lives in the netherlands and they get I think 2 weeks of a home nurse/doula as part of their government maternity benefits!
If I could go back and do it all over again, I would hire a PP doula! I think it would have made weeks and weeks of stress and heartache so much easier! Some of them do laundry, cook, and clean too!
I too find this funny. Pass the baby, please!
I'm going to make an AWESOME big brother.
I too find this funny. Pass the baby, please!
I'm going to make an AWESOME big brother.
I had the same experience with different people telling me different things in the hospital. If K was my first child, I think we would be formula feeding right now, since she and I are having difficulty BFing. I know who to reach out to, and I know I can do it, since I did it with J, and that is the only thing keeping me going.
My mom attempted to BFing me (born in '76). She had no support and no idea what she was doing. She said I cried a lot and at 3 months old gave me oatmeal, and I slept and didn't cry for the first time. That was when she figured out her supply wasn't enough. . . . yeah, she BF for 3 months with no idea she had a supply issue, people just kept telling her I was a fussy baby. She lived in TX at the time and they were not near family.
For my dad's side of the family, it is not uncommon to walk in and see someone nursing a baby on the couch at anyone's house. Even in the beginning stages when you have boobs hanging out and milk leaking everywhere. But there is always another female family member to help out.
Yeah, I had problems with both guys at first, but if I hadn't made it through with Ben there's no way I would have known to keep trying with Cooper for so long. It took me about 6 weeks to get to full time nursing with Ben and like 8-10 with Cooper. I never could have held out so long except that I knew it could turn around and I had a lot of help with my mom staying with us so I could pump and deal with Cooper.