16 and Pregnant or Teen Mom

Lindsy - posted on 11/30/2011

Well I wasn't in high school but I was a young mom (19) and yes I did BF. It was painful for me , not the sucking , but the let-down was excruciating.There were times I had to bite down on a pencil to keep from yelping and scaring the baby. We made it 6 mons. BF and then she started crawling and there was no stopping her after that.She was just too busy to nurse.I have since BF'd 2 more babies without any pain what so ever.It's hard work but just like being a parent anything worth doing is going to be hard, but the rewards are always worth it in the end.

Lissa - posted on 11/29/2011

I'm glad I'm not the only one who had issues with this... Farrah is just a nitwit regardless, but it would be nice if the families and medical professionals encouraged the girls more.

Kayla - posted on 07/24/2010

OMG i love them shows so much!!
There was like 2 girls that it showed breastfeeding.. that was season 2 though i think.. but she lasted like a week and said she couldnt do it cuz it was too painful... It has never been painful for me other than having mastits.. And im not exhausted at all.. I dont like on Teen mom, i think the girls name is amber..(the one with gary), you ever notice that everyday that he comes home he picks their little girl up and changes her, without saying anything about it? and like she's ALWAYS in her playpen, like, how is it he automatically knows she needs to be changed???????

Sarah - posted on 07/24/2010

It's not those two shows that seem to have an upturned nose towards bf. A Baby Story and Bringing Home Baby on TLC seem to have the same lean towards how to feed your child. Even if a mom, in a follow-up, is still bf, she'll be shown feeding her child with a bottle. I agree that there isn't enough encouragement or education in the American media for the promotion of breastfeeding.

K - posted on 07/23/2010

anyone -teen or not- who thinks breastfeeding is 'gross' has some maturing to do.

Keara - posted on 07/23/2010

I personally HATE those shows and think they shouldn't be allowed on TV... they are sending all the wrong signals to teenagers, its glamourizing pregnancy and parenthood, making it the "cool" thing to do cuz the girls on TV are doing it, and its wrong. Parenthood is a blessing but it is also a LOT of work and most of these kids I'm watching pop out kid after kid who can't even take care of themselves!! ugh it just makes me so mad!!

Nicole - posted on 07/23/2010

omg!ive been watching all season1&2 and it is driving me insane!!!all the girls just pop out the bottles meanwhile their babies are wailing and sobbing n screaming like ther dying!all they need is a boob!these girls just care about getting back to their prepreg life,goin out w ther frens-it makes me so mad!being a parent is a complete sacrifise to your child-their health wellbeing contentment, etc.!!and what about the moms?what planet were they on when they had kidS?dont the grammas even school them on what a difference breastmilk has?and not only that-the babys would feel so much more secure and sleep better and not be screamin all the time.these girls jus want sleep in the begining and if they breastfed they could just nurse while they nodded off in a recliner or propped up on the bed!i think you are amazing and should be an exsample to any preg teens you know-be an active advocate in your community-hopefully it will spread.the us is one of the only countries that is so fast to whip that bottle out!i know that sometimes there is a med reason why females cant breastfeed but thats bullshit when even nurses try to say "oh looks like your baby doesnt want your boob-here just givem formula"!!theres so much crap in formula-tell me why ther tryin so hard to replicate all that dha and other stuff thats in breastmilk?its sickening.just like our body builds the womb to house and protect the baby,the placenta nourishes while the babys inside,our bodys devine creator has made it self suffieciently able to provide for our offspring. please preach the breast is best.please

Charmaine - posted on 02/25/2010

I think the reason most of these girls chose not to breastfeed is because they are simply not mature enough to know any better... they are uneducated and teens should just not be having babies... Not saying its a horrible thing, but most teens are to immature... i know some teens who take on the responsiblity of being a mother better then some women in there 20's and 30's so im not judging the teens...but i think that has alot to do with why they dont breastfeed..

Amberlee - posted on 02/25/2010

LOL Melissa! Im going to see what my DH thinks about that tonight!!

I just watched MTV's True Life... Im giving my baby up for adoption. And i was SO HAPPY to see the young girl who gave her baby up continued to pump for the adoptive parents! it made me smile!

Melissa - posted on 02/25/2010

i know Stevie, the saggy breast complaint is so ridiculious. like really with all the money you save by breastfeeding you could probly pay for a boob job at the end of it all! lol

Stevie - posted on 02/25/2010

I agree the show made the girls appear selfish and ignorant but that's the way the show is edited, anyone could edit your lives to make you look a certain way so we can't judge them. I agree I would like to slap women who refuse to try breastfeeding for fear of having "saggy" breasts... give me a break princess, same to the immature women who think it's "gross" ugh I could scream when I hear that. OK so no, it's not going to be fun to have a little person sucking on your boob all the time but we are mammals and that's how we feed our babies, get over it!!!

Jessica - posted on 02/25/2010

I also found that strange. I hope someone tried talking to these girls about how important is. BFing isn't easy sometimes and so many people give up too soon. I know several adult women who didn't breastfeed because they thought it was "gross" or that "boobs are for sex" so it's not just teen moms. Everyone has a different comfort level with their own bodies.

Melissa - posted on 02/25/2010

i too was dissapointed at that. but studies do show that young moms, less educated moms and lower income families tend to breastfeed less. its a shame because those are the groups that could benefit from it the most. well every baby can, but as far as financial situations go and health wise, reducing obesity(also higher among low income familes) there needs to be more education for ALL new moms.

Holly - posted on 02/25/2010

I was 18 when I had my daughter. I tried breastfeeding for 3 months and wish I could have continued longer. I posted on the teen group asking anyone else if they prepare their childs food and breastfeed and I got quite a few response of younger moms who did. Some are just uneducated or just too worried about the pressure to bottle feed because "it's gross" Giving your child the best possible thing is never gross. It is natural and it was what everyone did before formula. It just depends on the person.

Amberlee - posted on 02/25/2010

i dont watch the shows tho i was a teen mom i breastfed both my babies at 15 and 16 years old, and i went to a high school for teen moms and most of them also breastfed. it was encouraged and with our babies on site it was easy to do.

April - posted on 02/25/2010

i saw this one episode of 16 and pregnant where this girl Jenell never even held her baby when feeding him the bottle. she propped him up with a boppy pillow and fed him that way.

also on teen mom...apparently one of the girls started off breast feeding but I didn't see it going on...there must have been no air time!

but the one thing i liked at the end of Jenell's episode is she said, "When I first got pregnant, I wasn't thinking about the early stuff like making bottles and getting up at night. I was thinking more towards the future. Like taking him to the park and playing with him."

It was nice to see the light bulb going off in her head.

Rinn - posted on 02/25/2010

I definitely agree. While I don't really watch those show, I know what goes on in them. I think the main reason these girls choose not to BF is simply ignorance and lack of support. The odds are that for most of these girls, the bottle is the norm- it's probably what their mother did and since these girls live at home with their parents, the parenting styles are reflected. I also think selfishness plays a huge role. These kids are literally that- kids. They're more worried about themselves and the limitations and hard work that comes with BFing, not the benefits!