Science Day In Long Beach: "Are Breastfeeding Moms Bitchier When Threatened?" And Other Questions
I'm at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology conference in Long Beach.
Today is the evolutionary psychology pre-conference.
I got here a little late (as I parked at the convention center and then took what I was told by a parking dude was a "two block walk" to the Hilton, which turned out to be two rural blocks, as in, about 15 long city blocks. Grrr.).
I did catch a bit of the end of Jennifer Hahn-Holbrook's talk on breastfeeding. Here's my tweet about a bit of it:
Breastfeeders fiercer! #SPSP2015 Jennifer Hahn-Holbrook: Breastfeeding moms inflicted more punishment on "hostile confederates" than did formula feeders
Hahn-Holbrook's whole talk was on a fascinating subject: "Does breastfeeding offer protection against maternal depressive symptomatology?" And you can read it here.
Here's the abstract:
Mothers who breastfeed typically exhibit lower levels of depressive symptomatology than mothers who do not. However, very few studies have investigated the directionality of this relationship. Of the prospective studies published, all but one focus exclusively on whether maternal depression reduces rates of subsequent breastfeeding. This study again examines this relationship, but also the reverse--that breastfeeding might pre- dict lower levels of later depression.Using multilevel modeling, we investigated the relationship between breastfeeding and self- reported depressive symptomatology in 205 women followed prenatally and at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months after birth.
Consistent with previous research, women with prenatal depressive symp- tomatology weaned their infants 2.3 months earlier, on average, than women without such symptomatology. We also found, however, that women who breastfed more frequently at 3 months postpartum showed greater subsequent declines in depressive symptomatology over time compared to women who breastfed less frequently, resulting in lower absolute levels of depressive symptoms by 24 months postpartum, controlling for important confounds.
In sum, these findings are consistent with a bidi- rectional association between breastfeeding and depression, with prenatal depression predicting less breastfeeding soon after birth and breastfeeding predicting declines in maternal depression up to 2 years after birth.
Just based on the title alone, yes, in my experience, breastfeeders are more bitchy and confrontational about it. They post pictures of themselves nursing (very indiscretely) on Facebook, continually harp about how everywhere is anti-breastfeeding, they are being discriminated against or being attacked, etc. They make far more derogatory and judgmental comments toward women who bottle feed (even if it's pumped breast milk) and about how the women were selfish and/or didn't try if they chose not to breastfeed or were unable to for whatever reason. They also seem to perceive themselves as victims of society's disapproval for "just feeding my child" or "doing the best thing ever for my child." I see this all over parenting forums I belong to and amongst a few of my friends. On the other hand, these women are very much like the new feminists who constantly think they are a victim of some oppression or another even when none exists. To be fair, I do also know and see women who breastfeed that are not like I previously described and think the ones that do act that way are nuts. I have formula fed, breastfed, and also exclusively pumped and fed bottles and I have to say I have experienced much more negativity about feeding my kids bottles than I ever have about breastfeeding, all of it from mothers who breastfeed. And as ridiculous as it is, I was out with my newest baby and when feeding him his bottle two women approached me to ask why I wasn't breastfeeding him. I explained to them that it was pumped breastmilk in his bottle, that due to his special needs (he is a 30-week preemie) it is fortified with extra calories and nutrients so he can adequately grow and also thickened so he can keep it down (he has horrible reflux because the sphincter at the top of his stomach is too weak still to stay closed). According to them he would have none of these issues if I just nursed him directly at the breast (I do once a day), the bottles and extra add-ins are why he's sickly and throws up. It takes a special kind of asshole to just approach a stranger and tell them they are doing everything wrong for their baby and making them sick!
On the topic of depression, I can say I feel more emotionally even with this baby and this is the longest I've exclusively breastfed any of my children. I never really had any postpartum depression per se, but I did seem more sensitive to stressors with my other kids, whom I discontinued breastfeeding with earlier due to returning to work and not being able to pump enough.
BunnyGirl at February 26, 2015 10:52 AM
"It takes a special kind of asshole to just approach a stranger..." ... When I was pregnant with my now-six-month-old, the check-out-girl at a burger joint lectured me on breast feeding. She asked me if I planned to breast feed my baby (because I was obviously pregnant), and when I responded "probably," she gave me a lecture on how much better it is for the baby. I was shocked enough by the fact that an 18-year-old fast food worker would presume that it was appropriate for her to lecture a paying adult customer in her mid-30's about what's best for her child that I didn't respond in the way I would have liked to. (I should have responded, "Excuse me, do I f*cking know you? And I'd like to speak to your manager..."
Anyway, I'm sure some of the behavior is hormonal, but I also think that the "official" breast feeding advocacy organizations prime women to be defensive about it. And I also think that groups like LLL make women feel like it's an "all or nothing" thing. Like you're a bad mom if you give the baby formula once a day...or ever. And that every person who looks your way while you're nursing in public is going to march over and tell you to move to go feed the baby in the bathroom.
I had a much easier time with breastfeeding this time (versus w/ my first kid, five years ago) because I decided, from the beginning, that I was going to do it my way and not worry about the La Leche League Official Way That You Must feed your infant.
With daughter #1 I breast fed for three months (never exclusively), and with daughter #2 we're at month 6 and she's now majority formula-fed (but still nurses at night.) I was definitely more depressed with the first one. Nothing debilitating, though. And, in hindsight I'd wager that my mood was mostly affected by my home life at the time... but that's a whole different conversation.
ahw at February 26, 2015 12:22 PM
ahw and bunny, thanks so much for your comments.
ahw, that is truly shocking, that she hauled off and lectured you like that.
The thing I appreciate about EP research is that the drive is to find out what the evidence says. It is not ideologically driven like feminist branches of sociology, etc., where it seems they know the answer and then do "studies" to confirm what they think.
Amy Alkon at February 26, 2015 1:18 PM
My first was breastfed until 8 weeks because my milk pretty much dried up when I went back to work and didn't have adequate time to pump frequently and long enough. My second refused to ever latch and after the first week I just stuck him on formula when my milk never came in. With my third I breast fed her until she was 3 months old, then fed formula while I was at work and only nursed her in the morning and at night until 6 months. My newest will by 5 months old in a week and he's exclusively pumped milk (mixed with a fortifier and a thickener) and one nursing session a day. Since I no longer work I'd be able to nurse him just fine, but his special needs require that I pump instead. My goal is 6 months so I'm almost there. I'm undecided if I'll continue beyond that or not. I feel like I am unable to hive my older kids enough attention when I have to both pump and bottle feed throughout the day instead of just feeding.
BunnyGirl at February 26, 2015 1:21 PM
'And I also think that groups like LLL make women feel like it's an "all or nothing" thing. Like you're a bad mom if you give the baby formula once a day...or ever. '
Absolutely NOT LLL official policy. LLL group leaders and Area staff receive training before they start a group, but you can't stop every LLL member from voicing their opinion, and there are a lot of BF fanatics out there. The only thing LLL says about public breastfeeding is that it should be discreet.
crella at February 26, 2015 4:50 PM
The wife is around 6 mo, so we'll see if we breastfeed or not in a bit.
Ben at February 26, 2015 4:54 PM
"We."
Crid [CridComment at Gmail] at February 26, 2015 5:11 PM
So glad I had kids before the Internet could tell me ai was doing it wrong. But if you're already depressed, breast feeding might be less appealing. on the other hand, it's a whole lot easier than futzing around with formula.
KateC at February 26, 2015 6:28 PM
Well, since we share the weight gain and the so thirsty but now I have to pee things I figured why no go whole hog and start lactating as well. Cause men and women are the same, right? ;->
Ben at February 26, 2015 7:53 PM
I know this, the baby formulas they have now are very, very good. And there's formula for every sensitivity imaginable, and thank goodness for that. I think a lot of women lose sight of that big picture and forget that there are very personal reasons that some women may not be able to breastfeed. And that's nobody else's business.
gooseegg at February 26, 2015 8:35 PM
Everyone else has skirted the issue, hormones aside I imagine nipple chafing alone would make most women onery
lujlp at February 26, 2015 11:44 PM
I breastfed three kids mainly because I was cheap and lazy and didn't want to deal with formula and bottles especially in the middle of the night. I honestly don't remember any negative encounters about nursing in public. Of course, the youngest is almost 21 now and perhaps people just didn't care as much "back then" as they do today. I got a lot of flack because my middle daughter nursed until she was 28 months old. Damn kid would eat steak for dinner then want to nurse.
I did encounter a couple of whack jobs at the one LLL meeting I went to. That was with my third baby and by then I figured I had been breastfeeding babies long enough and they were healthy, and LLL was crazy.
sara at February 27, 2015 6:28 AM
I wish those jerks who ask strangers nosy questions about bottle-feeding would at least stop and think "maybe that baby's adopted."
No one needs to answer strangers' personal questions on ANYTHING, however, and we all need to remember that. (Assuming we're not talking about relevant questions from, say, our bank tellers or pharmacists, of course.)
lenona at February 27, 2015 7:33 AM
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