Breast feeding- were any of you actively discouraged from BF?

I'm not sure how our experience of 40 or more years ago bears much relevance to that of young mothers today ?
Although in own case NCT classes and post natal support played huge part.
Young mothers today also have access to breastfeeding counsellors la Lèche counsellors, doulas etc

No-one tried to dissuade me; the hospital were very supportive and I fed both my babies for 10 and 6 months respectively.

1973 and 2009. Many of my younger colleagues too, but over-powering MILs activelly promoting bottle feeding, buying bottles and formula and even feeding themselves , without permission (extended families, married to oldest son).

Yes, agreed GSM- but we also know DDs, DLs, younger friends and colleagues, who shared their experience with us.

Great to know Witzend. Some mums who want to BF do need support and help- as some do not find it as easy and natural as you did, for all sorts of reasons. From my experience, when problems arise, so many are discouraged, passively or activelly, and just told to give up and bottle feed- as I experienced.

And one of my DDs too, also after emergency C-section.

Ilovecheese

MIL was not so much discouraging as puzzled as to why I was doing it.She was of the generation that thought breastfeeding was for people who couldn't afford to bottle feed.

Or perhaps sometimes, as Anthony Trollope put it in one of his books*, re an aristocratic woman who couldn’t BF and employed wet nurses instead, ‘The Ladies Arabella never can. They have bosoms for show, but not for use.’

*Doctor Thorne, IIRC.

Mine were born in 1977 and 1980. I just assumed I’d BF, didn’t expect any difficulties and luckily didn’t have any. Nobody ever tried to dissuade me or made any negative comment that I can recall.

Surely our experiences are from some decades ago.

Whiff

Fleurpepper why do you want to know ?

It is interesting- following the other thread. It seems to me, that more women are discouraged from BF, and the other way round. Certainly was my case. Both hospital staff bottle feeding my baby without permission, giving lots of samples when leaving hospital and being told that it is much easier to bottle feed. And by my MIL, who thought the same.

MIL was not so much discouraging as puzzled as to why I was doing it.She was of the generation that thought breastfeeding was for people who couldn't afford to bottle feed.

Fleurpepper why do you want to know ?