I know that abstinence and contraception is taught first and foremost, but you're also taught about what your body goes through as you grow. What better way to increase breastfeeding rates in young women and minorities. A whole course wouldn't be necessary, just a guest speaker from the local department of Public Health on one day to educate young adults on the hazards of formula, and the impact is has on them personally, as well as society as a whole. Young men can also benefit from this information, as they can learn to be encouraging and supportive of their partner. How great it would be to debunk myths and change the views of young people who see breastfeeding as "gross." Breastfeeding in the rest of the world isn't considered an obscene act, the U.S. needs to get on the bus.
Other - Pregnancy & Parenting - 11 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
Yes and no. Who would listen and pay attention? Not a group of 16 or 17 year olds. Hazards of formula?? Impact of formula?? Impact on society?? - careful, you are beginning to sound like a BF nazi. Granted breast is best but formula is far from poison.
2 :
Kids shouldn't have to sit through a class on breastfeeding FAQ unless they are expecting parents.Abstinence, contraception, sex health etc. is for everyone.Breastfeeding is for expecting parents.Breastfeeding is also NOT for everyone and not everyone is delusional to think that formula is "hazardous".True, breastmilk is best IF mother is healthy, but it is not the only way to go to have a healthy baby.
3 :
I was born premature so I couldn't have breastfed even if my mother had wanted to. Premature babies cannot breastfeed. For some women, they don't produce milk so they can't breastfeed their children. Also it is safer for a child of a drug addict or acoholic to be given formula rather than breastmilk because anything that is in the mother goes into the baby when it breastfeeds. You sound like one of those breast nazis. How can men benefit from breastfeeding? At least when the baby is fed from a bottle the father can participate in feeding his child. Breastfeeding should only be an OPTION for expecting teenage mothers but teeange parenting class should be a requirement so teens learn something real. Maybe make them watch a real live birth (not a C-section either). I'm talking a natural birth.
4 :
WHY WOULD YOU TEACH KIDS HOW TO BREASTFEED IN SCHOOL... WE SHOULD TEACH HOW TO PUT ON A CONDOM SINCE PEOPLE SO OBVIOUSLY FAIL AT THAT. and public breastfeeding is disgusting
5 :
I proudly consider myself a Tit Nazi and even I think having a speaker on the "hazards of formula" is obnoxious. I'm all for education, but not indoctrination. We teach teenagers all kinds of things in high school that aren't immediately useful to them. I think it would be enormously useful to have a unit on parenting which would include basic child development, infant/child CPR and information (not scare tactics or indoctrination) on breastfeeding. It would be a heck of a lot more useful than making high schoolers carry an egg around for a week.
6 :
I gotta say I like the idea. After all they do teach home Ec in some places. The breastfeeding class could be done right after the one where they give those dolls to show kids what it's like to take care of a child. Even for those who choose not to breastfeed, it could help make them more tolerant of women who breastfeed in public for example.
7 :
I agree...in the past, and in countries where breastfeeding is supported and encouraged as a natural act, children got their education by seeing their mothers, aunties and other women in society breastfeed. Now they don't have that important input, unless they grow up in a home where breastfeeding is celebrated and practiced, which means they are missing out on something important. Teaching it in Health/Parenting and Child Development class is really a poor substitute for seeing it in action generally, but it's a start at least. To the poster who said they couldn't have breastfed even if their mother wanted to because they were premature, I'm sorry but that's just not true. My son was born at 26 weeks, and I pumped for five months until he was able to breastfeed fully himself. He couldn't bottle feed because of oral sensitivity, but he loved the breast.
8 :
I took child development in ninth grade and i was the only student that wasnt a parent. I just wanted to take the class so i could get a babysitting job and know what i was doing. It was a great class and it taught me alot. Mostly it focused on the fact that newborns bond through feeding and the best way to feed was breastfeeding bc they get the eye contact, the skin to skin contact, and they feel the warmth and comfort of their mom everytime they eat, ultimately creating a strong attachment. They covered breastfeeding quite thoroughly, they even went so far as to show a video of mothers learning how to breastfeed, and more established breastfeeding mothers so we got the idea that it wasnt going to be easy but it was possible. I breastfed both of my babies not only bc my mom breastfed us but bc of what i learned in that class. It wouldnt hurt to teach all students about breastfeeding, it should be basic health information. 900 infant deaths a yr could be prevented if moms breastfed for the first six months of life, thats a huge number.
9 :
no that just promotes teen pregnancy which is SUPPOSED TO BE A BAD THING not glorified
10 :
I think it would be best to provide it as an overview and include other child development things including what shaken baby syndrome is! Since young men are the most likely perps, it seems smart to address the issue in high school and give options on how to reduce the stress of a crying baby (such as ear plugs, cotton or tissue to drown out some of the sound which can TREMENDOUSLY reduce anxiety or anger reactions).
11 :
I believe that BFing is probably the best thing you can do for a baby but I do not think that formula feeding is bad or hazardous. I think a class like that would make a person feel like they HAVE to BF. Especially if they tell them the formula feeding is hazardous. I also don't think it's right because some women just can't BF weather it's because of them personally, or because of the baby. And lastly, I would not support my son or daughter being part of a class like that. I personally like that they have Child Development classes, but I also believe that parents today let school teach their child WAY to much. It's a parents responsibility to inform their children of these thing. How a person decided to feed their child is a personal choice, and I could honestly care less on which one a person picks as long as that child is getting feed.
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