Talkback: Gisele explains controversial breastfeeding comments

Samantha Dean

05/08/2010 at 11:47

I think absolutely that she should apologise, I'm on medication that stops me being able to breast feed as well as for various reasons with previous children was unable to, most importantly that with my first child she was failure to thrive and HAD to go on to formula almost immediately. I felt like a total failure as a mum being unable to breastfeed now with 3 different children for 3 different reasons, the midwives are not sympathetic and make you feel guilty if you are unable to breastfeed as it is, without having to hear it from so called role models! If I'd been forced to breastfeed for 6 months, my children would undoubtedly have died or been left with serious health problems!

Samantha Dean

05/08/2010 at 11:48

Goes to show that breast isn't always best!

buster76

05/08/2010 at 14:03

I think she meant people that make the choice not to breastfeed, not the ones that can't for genuine medical reasons.

JODO

06/08/2010 at 11:33

It doesn't really matter she meant, it matters what she said and its as ridiculous as the Chinese trying to limit the number of children people are allowed and enforcing sterilisations. When it comes to the human body, to your body you have human rights and enforcing legal forms of feeding would be barbaric. She doesn't have the right to voice such an ill informed opinion publicly. She isn't away somewhere privately sharing her thoughts with other people and she voiced her opinion purely out of conceit and ignorance. She should be utterly ashamed with herself.

bonniebeth

06/08/2010 at 12:49

Well said Clare.

I managed to feed my DD but failed totally trying to feed my DS, and it was nothing to do with my inability to breastfeed him. Unfortunately he was born with a tongue tie and couldn't latch on properly. Believe me, I tried very hard for the whole time we were in hospital (4 days) but he was getting none of my milk, was very windy, hungry etc and I was in excruciating pain. What was best for my son was to be bottle fed and not, like some people commented at the time was to have his tongue tie cut! Everyone has their own reasons and beliefs and I think that Giselle was completely out of order saying that BF'ing should be made law. Who died and made her God???

http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/p/dev005pr___.png

Clare Hawkins

06/08/2010 at 13:50

Exactly, I joke about the breastfeeding police but five minutes in Gisele's world would literally have feeding police stand over you with truncheons and pepper spray I guess? When are women and health professionals going to realise that positive support, encouragement and understanding are not just essential for women who can, can't or choose not to BF but for our babies too. Its hard enough to be a new Mum but to have other women attack each other over this issue is not helpful.

buster76

07/08/2010 at 11:59

I don't understand why people get so defensive? No-one has attacked anyone.

http://bfmed.wordpress.com/2010/04/26/guilt/

JODO

07/08/2010 at 13:19

You don't really get commenting on web-sites do you?

JODO

07/08/2010 at 13:21

Personally I have breastfed. I also have friends who have been driven PND over pressure to BF hence my irritation.

buster76

07/08/2010 at 14:41

If you are saying the point of commenting on websites is to attack people and for people to become aggressively defensive without fully reading and digesting a comment before replying, then perhaps I have misunderstood the purpose! Or if you are after angry tirades instead of measured and reasonable responses then try Mumsnet.

JODO

09/08/2010 at 06:15

You've made your own point perfectly. I made a comment about no-one personally, aside from a public figure about whom the posts related. You either don't see the irony or you really thought your weblink posting was helpful. I'll let other people make their own judgements.

JODO

09/08/2010 at 07:03

I should also explain my point that websites track all comments you make. You made exactly the same point as me some time back about women who attack each other over parenting issues. Its all logged and shows that we're arguing the same point. This is what I meant but not understanding making comments online.

Caroline Dunn

09/08/2010 at 21:18

Very intersting document. Someone has put in words what I have been feeling for a while now.

I think Gisele comment was not very clever. I guess I agree with her, but the choice of words (law) was very poor so for this reason, she was right to apologise.

DarkStar

10/08/2010 at 12:42

She was right to apoligse. Not everyone lives in her ideal world. I wanted to breastfeed but my baby couldn't latch on properly (and believe me we spent many hours trying). One day whilst in hospital we spent almost 2 hours trying to get her to latch on for a feed. I tried, my fiance tried and the midwives tried but nobody could get her to do it. Obviously she was very hungry and getting more distressed by the minute, and the more distressed she got the harder it was for her and the more it upset me. It was then I decided to formula feed and I swore that my daughter would never have to cry for her food again. The midwives weren't very sympathetic and they made me feel like a complete failure. To breast feed or formula feed should be the decision of the mother because at the end of the day she knows what is best for both her and her baby. I know from experience that breast feeding, despite how much you may want to do it, is not always possible.

P C

10/08/2010 at 18:21

Unfortunately Gisele has failed to grasp the context of natural selection! Luckily we live in a modern world where fewer 'live-born' babies die. If nature had it's way, my son would be dead- I had a caesarean, he had the cord wrapped round his head three times, and to top it all off, terrible tongue tie (only spotted at 2 weeks old), which meant that he was failing to thrive feeding from the breast.

If the 'breast-feeding' law was in place (and we'd left things to 'nature'), my son would be a goner!

I also think that in this day and age, we have to value and respect choice... (that's a whole other debate!)

Thank god for formula in our case!

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