MovieChat Forums > The Slap (2011) Discussion > Breatfeeding Past Infancy Is Not Abuse

Breatfeeding Past Infancy Is Not Abuse

posted 12 years ago by lornamd-1
30 replies | jump to latest

I've seen a lot of comments from people about how disgusting and damaging it is that Rosie breastfeeds Hugo. Rosie's a lousy mother but breastfeeding past infancy and not weaning a child off is not abuse and is actually considered healthier by many experts including The World Health Organization, The American Academy of Pediatrics, The American Academy of Family Physicians, The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, A US Surgeon General and Scientific research (by Katherine A. Dettwyler).

According to these organizations 2.5 to 7.0 years of nursing is the biological norm that kids are designed to expect and helps a child with continued immune protection, better social adjustment, lower risk of illness and having a sustainable food source in times of emergency.

Its good for the mothers as well. The longer women breastfeed, the greater the decrease in their risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, diabetes, hypertension, obesity and heart attack.

And to the person who said it was sexual abuse that is truly ridiculous. Breastfeeding between a mother and her child is not a sexual act.

[–] mudrow-sump 10 years ago

Thank you for posting this. I'm appalled at all of the ignorant comments being posted by so many people regarding nursing toddlers/preschoolers. Nothing at all wrong with breastfeeding a small child to soothe them or make them feel safe. And those who imply that it's a sexual act obviously have no clue what they are talking about and come across sounding very foolish. It's too bad that the writers of the character of Rosie used breastfeeding for shock value and to create some warped idea of who she is as a parent.

[–] lornamd-1 10 years ago

Thanks mudrow

[–] johnnymike91 10 years ago

Well couldn't she at least use a breast pump instead of actual breast feeding?

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[–] lornamd-1 10 years ago

Why? That would take longer and could be less of a bonding experience between her and her child.

[–] SeedGodDammit 10 years ago

but why?

[–] eliz7212-1 10 years ago

When I saw Rosie breastfeeding a 3 year old boy IN FRONT of all the other boys, it was stomach turning. The older boys were thinking in a sexual way. It was nasty and whoever things this is natural is out of their heads. Of course breastfeeding is good for mother and baby but NEVER in front of older children, especially boys.

What is wrong with all these people who think that this scene was okay.

I was appalled.

[–] lornamd-1 10 years ago

In some cultures people walk around naked due to the hot weather and the children see this. In some homes people bathe with their kids and walk around the house naked in front of them. The human body is not always this appalling highly sexualized thing to everybody. To Rosie it clearly isn't and since Hector didn't mind her breastfeeding he doesn't see it that way either.

[–] eliz7212-1 10 years ago

I see your point. But this is TODAY, not years ago. Sexual ideas start early. Maybe this was okay (in whatever culture) YEARS AGO, but I'll bet dollars to donuts that if I walked into a Dunkin donuts and saw a woman with her breasts out and she's feeding a baby, you better believe all the kids would be hootin and hollering.

Things have changed since we were so innocent way back then. The social media that inundates our youngsters with all things sexual, well I just don't know.

This is just my opinion of course. Thanks for sharing yours.

Take care

[–] lornamd-1 10 years ago

There are still cultures today where people walk around naked. Read the National Geographic for proof of this.

If kids reacted this way to a woman breastfeeding, I personally think it's the kids behaviour that needs to change and not the womans.

But thanks for being respectful when you disagree. That's refreshing.

[–] eliz7212-1 10 years ago

My dad taught me well.

lol

Thanks much

[–] SeedGodDammit 10 years ago

exactly!

[–] LukeLovesFilm28 9 years ago

That figures. A GROWN woman shouldn't have to take responsibility but a little boy MUST. He's a boy. Terrorizing him out of sex by damning his reactions to sexual stimuli is not healthy.

[–] lornamd-1 9 years ago

Teaching a child that there are appropriate and inappropriate ways to react to the sight of a woman's breast is "terrorizing him out of sex"? Really?

[–] GuyOnTheLeft 9 years ago

You are actually saying a woman shouldn't breastfeed her baby in a restaurant?!? Good grief.

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[–] SeedGodDammit 10 years ago

You sound pretty ill-informed on the subject and rather bigoted. You need to understand breastfeeding is not sexual at all, it's a way to feed a child(the best and the most logical and natural way... our bodies are built to do it that way)

I do understand it's off-putting because the vast majority of women stop breast-feading very very early during their child's development, but that's a shame, it is MUCH less healthy for a child to get formula. The most natural and important thing in a mother's relationship to her child shouldn't be seen as weird or shocking.... it so upside down.

[–] netgirl9 10 years ago

I have less of an issue with Rosie breastfeeding till age 3 than her drinking and smoking while breastfeeding. All those toxins are transferred to the child in the breast milk. THAT is child abuse.

[–] GuyOnTheLeft 9 years ago

It's kind of a myth that drinking and breastfeeding is harmful. If a woman has three beers, she might be somewhere in the range of .10-.15 BAC, legally drunk. But her breastmilk will have the same amount of alcohol in it as her blood does. That means it is only 1/100 as alcoholic as wine. And orange juice naturally contains about the same amount of alcohol, or even substantially more if it has been stored for a few weeks: http://fshs.org/proceedings-o/1970-vol-83/294-298%20(DAVIS).pdf

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[–] dyanad 10 years ago

I am sorry, but I have to respectfully disagree. The scene was appalling and if I saw someone breastfeeding their grown child in public I would say something right away. Breastfeeding a baby is very different. I have nothing against it and support it, but this is something different. This almost seems like these type of mothers want to control their children. I think the point was made very clearly of what a menace this child was and how the mother had no desire to correct him...only give him her breast. This type of parenting will lead to many psychological issues down the road...I would venture to bet a lack of independence would be a big one. And the breast should not be for "comfort". Should we have teachers start whipping out their breasts to comfort an upset child?

I have never heard a doctor state that breastfeeding a 5 - 7 year old was preferable. I am not sure where you are getting your information. But hey, you want to raise your child to be like Hugo be my guest...he won't be invited to my house. And I imagine any child like him will get teased mercilessly in school.

[–] lornamd-1 10 years ago

Here's sources of experts saying breastfeeding past infancy is better

http://pages.liebertpubmail.com/Publish.aspx?qs=71b8883ce06d4a856a728edd148a18e6ca93cb1a9584c6281c6c2e65be0e3401ebdee197537262efd0f3ac19c363cb11cbb1eaed7a9f9565c8bfc7d8fe7b9abfac7c3f084d17700bd43a26702bb9ec055bf5649a212ccbc6db352553cc30379290805cc4f4f6bccf9a8115b85c8a34338e4ba174f30ea7912f4c0d9eefd35adf0f9db42cbcfbb7d407613e5a2afbc007f7501b7ee04476ae

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/121/1/183.long

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2957551/?tool=pubmed

http://adc.bmj.com/content/87/6/478.long

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20004910

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6525315

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8019249

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1936731

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3129058?dopt=Abstract

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6469558?dopt=Abstract

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/127/1/e137

http://www.who.int/pmnch/media/press_materials/fs/fs_mdg4_childmortality/en/

[–] eliz7212-1 10 years ago

I guess it's a metter of personal preference. We don't live in a society where this is readily seen by young teens and young adolescents. If we lived in another culture where this would not be given a thought, maybe that would be different. But the scene I saw on tv just turned me off. I don't know how they film this in front of those child actors but if I saw that in any of the local restaurants (while people are eating), you'd better believe I would move my seat.

In any circumstance I don't think it's appropriate for others to see this. If this is done in the privacy of one's home (I'm talking about breastfeeding an older child, not a little baby), then I think one should be discreet if done in a public place. But an older child? In a restaurant or social gathering where others can view this?? Sorry, it would turn me off. I think there is a place for everything and everything in it's place. I'm sorry if I come off as bigoted but honestly, would you want to be having your dinner in a restaurant and all of a sudden, in the table next to you a woman opens her blouse and begins to feed her 5 year old SON (or daughter) and you think people would be okay with this?

Perhaps if I had been raised in a society where this is a common occurance, I might feel differently but when I saw that on the Slap, I was immediately turned off.

As I said earlier, just my honest opinion.

[–] blubird-1 10 years ago

Not once have seen you post the benefits of drinking a lot of alcohol & then breastfeeding your kid. Do you think drinking a lot of alcohol & then breastfeeding your kid gives them great benefits because that's what Rosie did. More upset she drunk heavily & then breastfed & yes that is a form of abuse. If your handed your child alcohol & forced them to drink it, you would not only be criminally charged but your children would be took away for abuse.

[–] lornamd-1 10 years ago

I never said drinking and breastfeeding wasn't abuse. I was responding to the many comments I've seen which say that it's abuse to breastfeed a child past infancy.

[–] GuyOnTheLeft 9 years ago

Rosie's not a great mother. But her breastmilk, even once she got drunk, had no more alcohol in it than orange juice does.

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[–] RidiculousPasta 10 years ago

If you're old enough to talk, walk, and play baseball you don't need to be sucking on your mother's breasts anymore.

You people are nuts.

[–] lornamd-1 10 years ago

Ridiculous Pasta you know more than the World Health Organization about what's better for a child's health?

[–] Clemencedane 10 years ago

Agreed. At five and up it is freakish and often goes with a mother not allowing a child to individuate and be independent of her. The child senses she needs it more that s/he does and is kept by guilt in an unnatural relationship.

[–] GuyOnTheLeft 9 years ago

The kid in the movie was four. My kids got breastfed until age four, two, one, and two respectively.

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[–] dumbyetsexyblonde 9 years ago

I breast fed two of my children after the age of two. At an older age its used for comfort and I don't see what the problem is...

[–] GuyOnTheLeft 9 years ago

Agree. But the problem here is that Rosie's not a great mom in certain other ways. What advocates of EBF should really be disgruntled about is that they were kind of thrown under the bus by this characterization.

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[–] GuyOnTheLeft 9 years ago

Hear, hear. I have actually had lunch with Katherine Dettwyler by the way!

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