Ignorance is bliss, or is it? (the negative breastfeeding labels)

I never imagined I would add this image to my blog. But here it is: a photo of Al Capone, the mob boss and the man behind the 1929 Saint Valentine's Day Massacre.

Apparently he and I have something in common: we both belong to mafia. Or so it seems.
Breastfeeding mothers, you see, are often labelled as breastfeeding mafia or mob or Breastapo.

I don't know if people who coined these expressions are just plain ignorant of what mafia and Gestapo are/were, as I actually cannot find any justification of these horrible accusations.

Let's deal with mafia first.
What is mafia? A Mafia group is a type of organised criminal group that attempts to control the supply of protection (Gambetta 1993). The scope of a mafia group is much wider than that of an OCG. Violence and the ability to collect reliable information are two key resources for a mafia group (Gambetta 1993). Mafias are formed by individual crime families that normally control a territory. The Mafia operates without consideration for justice, fairness or the wellbeing of society at large. In the world run by the mafia, there is no such thing as a "right" even to the protection for which one has paid.

Unless you lived all your life in a bubble, you must be aware of the mafia wars, assassinations of political figures and judges as well as murders of the innocent people, torture and execution of the enemies, extortion and financial ruin of its victims etc etc I could flood my blog post with the stats and tell you the data on the thousands of murders committed by the mafia.

Now let's move on to the other despicable organisation, Gestapo, the secret police of Nazi Germany, responsible again for thousands and thousands of deaths of the innocent people. To secure confessions they routinely used such methods as sleep deprivation and physical torture. Again, if you want to find the data, it's very easily done: use the google search facility.

If you use the expressions "breastfeeding mafia/mob" or Breastapo in ignorance, it is not an excuse. You cannot possibly compare the breastfeeding mothers to these organisations which have committed some of the worst atrocities in history. Breastfeeding doesn't maim or kill or put people in the gas chambers.

You have no right to insult women with these disgusting labels.

Apparently some mothers who have chosen to bottlefeed feel inadequate and patronised by their breastfeeding sisters.
Deal with it on a level that won't insult the others.

I have chosen to breastfeed my children and have never talked to any bottlefeeding mum in a patronising way, neither have I criticised anyone's choice.
In fact, if anything I feel harassed by the numerous blog posts ans articles written by women who for some reason decided to bash the breastfeeding choice, it seems to be very trendy at the moment.
I am not an enemy or a mobster, why do you think it is acceptable to insult me and paint the breastfeeding mothers as a pack of wolves who are ready to bounce on anyone who's not one of them? Why do you try to make me feel quilty for my choice? In fact I hardly ever mentioned it to anyone in fear that someone would take an umbrage at the mention of the word "breast". I am hiding it as if it is a dirty secret.
Yes, I'm sure there are some unpleasant women who would give you unsolicited advice on anything and everything, but even they do not deserve to be labelled as mafia or Gestapo.

My personal experience was quite the opposite, both times when I had my babies, the hospital personnel didn't have time or desire to help me with the breastfeeding and forced me to use the formula.
Two years ago, when Eddie was born at JR Hospital in Oxford and I didn't have much milk to start with, the nurses offered me a choice of two types of formula. When I asked if there was any breast milk available from the breastmilk fund, one of them brought a block of frozen milk in a plastic bag to me and almost threw it on the side table with an empty jug. I asked her if they had facilities to defrost it, she just said I should do it using the hot water from the tap. So, clutching my belly (I just had a c-section) and pushing the baby cot on wheels, I had to go to the toilet to try to defrost the milk in the very "sanitary" conditions (there was a tap in the room, but the water was slightly tepid and not hot enough to defrost).  And of course my baby was supposed to drink the icy cold milk. The pediatrician threatened not to sign my release papers until I started giving my son the formula top-ups. Nobody asked me even once if I need any help with the breastfeeding.
I wonder where is all the breastfeeding support when you need it?

I did feel inadequate because I have chosen to breastfeed but I would have never called the nurses who pushed the formula bottles forward as enemies or killers. They are just too busy to help one struggling mother.

As for the newspapers which publish drivel with the titles "Breastapo using the toys to brainwash our children", their editors should be fired for the defamation and libel.

And if you still choose to use these expressions, I am not taking your argument seriously. In my mind you lost it.

Lansinoh Disposable Nursing Pads (review)

Instead of leaking and crying "Oh,
drat!", go and get some Lansinoh
Nursing pads that are leak-proofed -
Your milking days will be improved.

As a big fan of the Lactivist site, I was pleased to read that Lansinoh were looking for breastfeeding Mums who would like to apply to test nursing pads.
Quote from the official Lansinoh blurb:
"Lansinoh Disposable Nursing Pads have an ultra-thin but super-absorbent contour for a natural fit that won't show under clothing."
All true, though it slightly enhances your bosom in a nice way, which might be a bonus for many, unless you are Katie Price and don't need any more enhancement.
"The soft, stay-dry lining draws milk away from the skin and into the core of the pad where it is absorbed by a special polymer to prevent leakage."
I was very impressed with the quality of the pads. The level of absorbency is excellent. No complaints at all, a superior pad.
I have been using other brands of nursing pads in the past, and I must say Lansinoh stays put in the bra, unlike the other brands which tend to fall out every time I open the bra to feed my baby. Each pad comes with two non-slip adhesive tapes that hold a pad in place all day if necessary. Even during a longer trip, when the pad might get wet, it still keeps its shape.
Each pad comes wrapped individually for hygienic purposes, again this is different from some other brands where all the pads are stashed in a box in a mish mash confused manner. For the same reason they are very convenient to carry in your bag.
And if your bag is like mine, reminding a bit of Mary Poppins's bag which contained all sorts of things, then you might be reassured that the wrapped pad will stay clean.
Each box contains sixty pads.

All in all 10 out of 10 for this product. I am a convert.

Breastfeeding Mum's best friend

After breastfeeding my firstborn for over 2 years, I considered myself a b/f professional, an ace of nursing. But as I was recuperating in the hospital after my c-section, breastfeeding Eddie wasn't an easy sailing. Though he immediately latched as soon as they put him to my breast and was suckling for over an hour, and I thought he was very clever to do that, I didn't really produce any milk at that point. After a couple of days he was getting pretty hungry, and the pediatrics matron insisted that I give my child formula and top up every time I breastfeed him with the formula. I was quite upset about it all but also didn't want to keep my big boy hungry. When we came back home, I was searching the Lactivist website for the tips on how to improve the milk flow and came across a link to get some free samples of the Holle nursing tea. The samples arrived very quickly, and I was worried at first that I wouldn't like it, as tea has aniseed and I am not very keen on it. However, I was pleasantly surprised that aniseed didn't overpower the other flavours, and the balance of aniseed, fennel, caraway seed and lemon balm was perfect. I ordered a few packs of nursing tea, and I noticed the difference in a few days. The milk flow became more established and consistent, and my baby ditched the top up formula. And that's my story about the nursing tea. :)
And here is a link to free samples if anyone wants to try.