Breastfeeding - Why women stop
Categories: Newborns, Just for moms, Babies, Eating & nutrition, In the news
When I gave birth twenty-something years ago, nobody really prepared me for what breastfeeding would be like. I have every intention of doing it, but was shocked to find out just how much it hurt. I ended up giving up pretty quickly because of that pain.
These days, mothers are better informed than I was, but a new study finds that many who give up on breastfeeding do so for the same reason I did. The study, from Brigham Young University, finds that while three out of four new moms start out breastfeeding, 36 percent of them have quit by the time baby is six months old.
Renata Forste, a professor in the sociology department at BYU, says the discomfort that comes with breastfeeding is a common reason for women giving up. "A lot of women don't understand the discomfort,'' says Dr. Forste. "They aren't necessarily prepared for that. There is sort of an expectation that it's a very natural process - bring the baby to your breast and it's very simple. But it's not. I think it's much more complicated than that. It requires a lot more support.''
She also notes that even though more women are being encouraged to breastfeed than ever before, the social support really isn't there. Returning to work or just trying to have a life outside of the home is difficult when you are trying to breastfeed. Especially when so many people seem to find feeding a baby in public to be unacceptable behavior.
These days, mothers are better informed than I was, but a new study finds that many who give up on breastfeeding do so for the same reason I did. The study, from Brigham Young University, finds that while three out of four new moms start out breastfeeding, 36 percent of them have quit by the time baby is six months old.
Renata Forste, a professor in the sociology department at BYU, says the discomfort that comes with breastfeeding is a common reason for women giving up. "A lot of women don't understand the discomfort,'' says Dr. Forste. "They aren't necessarily prepared for that. There is sort of an expectation that it's a very natural process - bring the baby to your breast and it's very simple. But it's not. I think it's much more complicated than that. It requires a lot more support.''
She also notes that even though more women are being encouraged to breastfeed than ever before, the social support really isn't there. Returning to work or just trying to have a life outside of the home is difficult when you are trying to breastfeed. Especially when so many people seem to find feeding a baby in public to be unacceptable behavior.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Baron 8-22-2008 @ 9:22AM
Nipple shields almost completely stopped the pain my wife was having and we are going to be pumping for all the situations where she won't be able to nurse.
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jens 8-22-2008 @ 10:13AM
"we are going to be pumping"
ha- that's funny.
I had a lot of pain with nursing all three of my kids. It seemed like something I just had to suffer through and it did pass, after a few weeks. But it SUCKED while it lasted. When I recounted this experience after the fact, the local LLL leaders were quite dismissive- "oh, it shouldn't hurt at all, the latch must have been wrong..." and then they talked about how when they nursed they got big glassy-eyed grins and said "it didn't hurt at all!" They must all have overreactive oxytocin production or something.
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Michelle 8-22-2008 @ 10:45AM
As a new mother, I have chosen to only breast feed my son, he is almost four months old now, and now that he is teething it is really starting to hurt, but I feel that I owe my son the advantages that breast milk offers. As for Jens comment, some women do produce large amounts of oxytocin, I was lucky and did, my milk came in early and feeding my son has been easy until this month, and now I am finding natural ways such as, meditation to help ease my pain. As for breast feeding in public, I would say go for it, just do it with a little respect to others, I use a nursing blanket, it just looks like my son is sleeping . For some women, like me, using a pump is not an option, it just makes me produce even more milk and causes alot of pain.
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Laura 8-22-2008 @ 11:11AM
Although many lacation consultants, nurses, and doctors will strongly discourage their use, nipple shields can also do wonders for other breastfeeding isues.
When my daughter was born in Nov 95, I had so many problems just trying to get her to latch properly that I ended up pumping for 5 weeks and then gave up when she went through a growth spurt and I just couldn't keep up my supply to meet her needs.
When my son was born 3 months ago, I was determined to give it another try although I knew that due to the existing issues with my nipples, I was going to have the same latch problems. Fortunately this time, I had a great lacation consultant who recommended that I try using a nipple shield. Her opinion was 'do what you need to to make it work' and she was right. With the shields, not only was I able to overcome the problems caused by my anatomy but they also got me through an extremely painful outbreak of ezcema on my nipples. I honestly believe that the shields made my second breastfeeding attempt a success and I'm so glad that I did not listen to all the negative comments and "warnings" that I received from other consutants and even my son's peditrican.
We used the shields for about six weeks and it took about a week to transitition to breastfeeding fully without them. My son probably would have given them up within a day or two but doing it more gradually definitely helped my nipples adjust without causing any undue nipple trama.
In addition to the nipple shields, I think the other major difference that made the second go around a success was the support of my son's father. When I had problems the first time, my daughter's father (now my ex-husband) accused me of being "a selfish bad mother who was starving her baby". Even though the doctor assured me that my daughter was fine and that my ex was overreacting, I think his attitude just added to the problems. Since my son has been born, his father has gone out of his way to encourage and support my breastfeeding and that has made all the difference.
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Laura 8-22-2008 @ 11:33AM
I just wanted to add one thing - using nipple shields incorrectly cause serious problems for mom and baby so don't use them on your own, talk to a lacation consultant. If one discourages you from trying them then then talk to a different consultant who is more supportive of YOUR choices.
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Karen 8-22-2008 @ 12:44PM
I also had problems getting my baby to latch on, which I attribute to her going to the ICU before we could nurse (she's fine now), and a lactation consultant gave me a nipple shield. If it weren't for that, I don't think we would ever have been able to get breastfeeding going. I've been lucky in that not only did my milk come in, but breastfeeding has been nearly painless. Now that she has teeth, every once in a while she bites me, which KILLS, but when she's nursing normally I don't feel the teeth at all. Pumping, on the other hand, hurts like the dickens. Can I just add that I hate it when doctors call it "discomfort"? Discomfort is when my bra strap is chafing my shoulder. This is pain, yo. If I could take my baby to work, I'd never pump again.
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Sandyone 8-22-2008 @ 3:13PM
Karen, you might benefit from bigger flanges for your pump. Yup, they do come in sizes. Going one size up made a world of difference for me (or was it 2 sizes up?).
Laura 8-22-2008 @ 4:04PM
Karen -
Sandyone has a great suggestion. My nipples were getting blanched white whenever I pumped which caused them to hurt not only during pumping but also for while afterwards when the blood returned. I tried the larger flanges and can now pump without pain.
queenoqueens 8-22-2008 @ 8:19PM
That was funny, yo. :-)
mamaloo 8-22-2008 @ 1:26PM
While so many woman KNOW breastmilk is the best source of nutrition for a baby, they don't know about the normal course of breastfeeding so that many have misconceptions about latch, frequency and supply that lead to giving up when a mom is fatigued and bewildered and home alone with a hungry baby.
I can't say enough about the support of lactation consultants and doulas. Doctors (FPs and Peds alike) typically have about 3 hours of lactation education when they are students, if that. L&D and PP nurses often have more education, but much of it is outdated or compromised by administrative needs to have all babies hitting certain metrics.
Even if you think you have a good idea of what you are doing, find a free or reasonably priced breastfeeding support system to check into (LLL meetings are a fantastic resource and if you find one with holier than thou leaders, call the office for a referral to a new one). If you find yourself having some trouble, find a non-hospital affiliated IBCLC - paying a few hundred dollars up front can potentially save you thousands of dollars.
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Sandyone 8-22-2008 @ 3:13PM
Hear! Hear!
I always try to get to a few LLL meetings while pregnant...that way, I'm much more comfortable calling the leader at 10 or 11pm, if necessary!
When my last child was born, I had 170 months of nursing experience. Guess what I needed? A lactation consultant. But instead of going straight to her, I waited too long. I didn't think I'd need any help...not with 14 years of nursing under my belt.
Yeah, always get some help before you think you need it.
queenoqueens 8-22-2008 @ 8:18PM
Yeah, it's ironic that you might not need help nursing with your first, but then need it with your second (or third, etc.). That's what happened to me. But every kid is different. And the mom is probably a little different with each child.
mamaloo 8-22-2008 @ 8:27PM
@queenoqueens Tell me about it! While I nursed my first for nearly two years, I was unable to do it with my second. Nothing worked. But, I am ever so thankful to the many doulas, LLL leaders and LCs who worked with me to try and remedy our problems.
amanda 8-25-2008 @ 5:33PM
My first son was a "lazy eater"(hate that term) but I tried my best to nurse him untill at 3 months of age I had to take him to the er and he was DEHYDRATED! I started pumping and had to suplimente feed formula. My second chold took to the boob like it was a olypic sport and she was going for the gold. She never had even a minute of trouble but when we went I took my pump and my nipple sheilds so I was ready no matter what. Just remeber if you are having trouble you MUST do what is best for you and the baby. I learned alot from a horriable first experience and a textbook perfect second experience. :)
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Cat 8-31-2008 @ 8:52AM
I was given a nipple shield in the hospital (for no reason! Just to "make latch on easier", when it was going fine) when I was barely concious and not able to think clearly, and it ended up almost making me give up on breastfeeding. By the time I got home, the baby was already used to it, and I was really mad they had given it to me. It was messy because it would always pop off, so I was constantly sticky and covered in breastmilk, I had to wash them so much, and the worst was I was always losing them and having to search for them while my baby was screaming. Having to teach her to latch on without it was SO HARD, and I knew if I couldn't get her to I would have to stop breastfeeding because I couldn't do the nipple shield anymore. So for me it wasn't the pain, it was the nipple shield.
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