Can't we all just get along!

Here is a quote from the AP about the latest statistics on breastfeeding. "The latest CDC report found rates of breast-feeding were also lowest among women who are unmarried, poor, rural, younger than 20, and have a high school education or less". This is so insulting!

I found the quote to be very disturbing. They are generalizing a group of women just because they chose not to breastfeed or there body wouldn't let them. I didn't breastfeed and I am married, upper-middle class, over 30 and have a college degree. So take that CDC! The bottom line is you have to WANT to breastfeed. A local hospital is not offering formula anymore to new mothers, because they want them to breastfeed or at least try. This is ridiculous, give the mothers a choice! If you are nervous and are forced to breastfeed you will not be relaxed enough and you will become frustrated and feeding your child will become a chore. The new mothers will probaly go straight to the formula when they come home from the hospital.

Breastfeeding is difficult, especially to new mothers. When Grant was born the nurse practically forced me to breastfeed him and was upset with me when I wasn't getting the positions right. Do you now how traumatic that is to a woman who has just given birth minutes before, exhausted and trying to soak everything in that has just happened to her? I continue to try to nurse when we arrived home, but my milk never came in. I would of had to stop nursing 6 weeks later anyway since I am cursed with insulin resistance and need to take medication for it. When I stopped trying I felt so guilty. I read all the books where they said "breast is best" and I heard how great is was for an infant's developing brain. This caused me to be a little depressed thinking my son would grow up to be a babbling idiot! I am not taking sides on weather to breastfeed or not, as long as your feeding your baby I really don't care what you do!

Is the CDC trying to guilt people into breastfeeding and making them feel like a higher class of people if they choose to breastfeed? Bottom line can't we all be grateful that we have been given this chance at motherhood and stop judging people for their way of parenting.

Side Note: Grant has not grown to be a babbling idiot. He can count 1-20 and beyond, knows his alphabet (upper and lowercase) & colors, speaks well for his age, has a great memory and is even starting to recognize a few words.