Finding breastfeeding disgusting

I might be the only woman in the world who thinks it's weird to do so, and here's why.

Breasts can be used to feed, yes. But breasts are also used to turn women on. Man, woman, whatever your preference, when you're in a sexual act breasts play a key role in turning someone else on, and turning you on. And then, to turn around and engage in the same act for feeding your child.. doesn't that seem wrong? And maybe I'm ignorant, maybe your hormones change and when you have a baby, your breasts don't stimulate you like they have done in the past.. but my guess is they still do, and when you're engaging your child in that activity.. it's almost like engaging in sexual act with your baby. I'd say it's a mental thing, but unfortunately, it's not just mental it's a physical stimulus, and something uncontrolled, physically it excites you as foreplay does, even if it's not immediate your body's natural reaction takes over.
It's not something influenced by society or culture, it's equally a natural thing. Breasts stimulate you sexually. This is why I find breastfeeding disgusting and I literally am.. the ONLY women I have ever talked to that feels this way, and maybe is a psychological thing.
If someone has any constructive commentary to share with me on this I'd be more than happy to listen, but anyone shouting at me that I'm wrong would be more ignorant than myself. My opinion isn't wrong, no opinion is wrong.

Hello, nightfox, and welcome to Psych Central! Of course you are right that people have their own opinions, and they don't need to been seen as right or wrong.

At least women these days can choose not to breastfeed.

Yes, it can be somewhat of a turn-on. I never perceived that it was like having a sexual relationship with my children. In fact, it can be painful when a child latches on and then starts getting teeth!

The first time a baby latches on is soooo excrutiating there can never be anything remotely pleasurable about it!

I've literally cried and I didn't even cry while giving birth!

I hated breastfeeding! Raw bleeding chapped nipples are not my idea of fun.

Not my idea of a turn on either.

(Who knows, maybe that's exactly why its so painful, to seperate the 2 acts psychologically for us women)

I guess your opinion is largely psychological, we don't look at our babies as sexual beings, also breasts were created for feeding not pleasure.

Just turns out someone figured out they CAN be used for both. IMO if we have to choose a function and not engage in both, then my vote goes to the breast's natural function of feeding, even though I didn't enjoy it.
Its good for baby, so I did and would put up with it for as long as required.

It's an interesting topic. My kids are older now, but I don't ever remember feeling anything remotely similar to a sexual feeling when breastfeeding (I breastfed both for over a year). In fact, I think I had the opposite reaction in that I didn't want my husband using his mouth on my breasts because that seemed weird--at the time a mouth on my breasts meant feeding time!

Soon after breastfeeding ended, it was fine for them to be 'used' sexually again. Now that I'm older, it's difficult to understand why the two feelings were very different, but they were. So, no, to me, nothing disgusting about it because breastfeeding had no sexually stimulating effect on me. It could be hormones, or just a certain mind set. Sexual stimulation has a lot to do with one's mindset so if a person is just thinking about feeding their child, they're probably not thinking about sex.

I'm sorry breastfeeding was painful for some people. I had some issues with infections, but for the most part, it was not a problem.

Getting up round the clock to feed a baby, dealing with perhaps pain, let-down and leaking, occasional engorgement, being the only person available to meet that particular need of your infant no matter how much you just need a break. No, not the least sexually arousing. In fact, while breastfeeding, the last thing I wanted was my husband anywhere near my breasts. Do some women feel some physical arousal. I've heard that can be so, but that doesn't make breastfeeding a sexual act. Never personally had that happen though.

Oh yes!!! You guys just reminded me!!!

No mouth besides my baby's allowed on my breast while I was a cow!

Firstly its gross, its full of milk and it leaks and its sprays! Also, its baby's fooood!
Which makes it SUPER WEIRD!
So no no no no touching of MY boobs while they're baby's source of food.

Yeah milk has its own way of nuking all the sexiness out of breasts!

for me it was not a problem, after my H saw a baby attached to my chest and the feeders in the babies mouth he wanted nothing to do with that until they were weaned.
Nothing chases a man away faster then a baby attached to your boobs. While I was nursing my children My H wanted nothing to do with me in that way. Even after I weaned my children the let down still happened and the milk still sprayed, and the ends got huge ready to feed that baby, ya know.

Later it was hard to turn my brain off and think romance not baby. I nursed for a year and a half with the first child then while I was preggy I nursed my first child still, then nursed my 2nd child for 9 months. After child number 3 was born I nursed her for 2 1/2 years. When a baby is attached you it is not a feeling of sexual love it is a feeling of love, love for your child. (prolactin I believe it is)

We all have different feelings regarding nursing babies. And that is ok. Good luck with your decision and with the decision being the right one for you when the time comes.

We have to remember that breast were first and foremost created for the nutritional needs of our off spring just like it is with all other living mammals --mom (human & animals) give birth to small mini me's then in turn feed their off spring with flowing milk from their teats. **Then comes sexual pleasure from breast with your partner, which from my own experience, after breast feeding all three of my children, was not sexual in any way shape or form..... for all the reason already mentioned above.

....... if you do not feel comfortable breast feeding when the time comes for your to have a child, then be confident and comfortable in your right to bottle feed.

Hi nightfox. I completely respect your opinion. I guess I just feel like sharing my experience. I nursed all three of my sons, and though it was a mutually gratifying experience, I didn't find it to be a sexual one. When I was so full of milk that it hurt, their nursing took that pain away. And by their nursing, I nourished them. Just as beasts can be used to turn a woman on, so can other parts of our bodies. And I sure don't get turned on during a pap smear! ;-)

Ok Nightfox, here goes......wait for it.....I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU!! It never even crossed my mind for a minute to breastfeed either of my daughters. It seems perverse to me. Always has. I had two days of milk spraying all over myself with big giant painful engorged breasts after my second child and it was just degusting, I never felt so unladylike in my life. (not sure why they didn't give me the pill to dry up like they did with my first). Whenever I see someone breastfeeding, it makes me uncomfortable. My daughter has breastfed her two sons. We can be in the middle of anything and out pops her boob and she starts feeding a baby. I cant for the life of me figure out where she got that idea, no one in my family breastfeeds. PLUS, her and her boyfriend are all flirty, and I kinda for a split second thought....EWWWW!!! (then I washed my brain out with soap)

I had twins, and I had the hardest time with breastfeeding. Between the breastfeeding, pumping, and supplementing with the bottle because they weren't getting enough, I was feeding 24 hours a day. So I just switched to the bottle. Plus, my husband could help feed that way too. And when you have 2, you need all the help you can get! But every woman has her own experiences. And none of them are wrong, there just different. So just enjoy your baby, however you choose to feed them, as long as they're happy, healthy, and very well loved! That's really all that matters.

Do what is right for you and your baby. God made women able to produce the perfect food for babies. God also gave doctors and scientist the ability to make formula that meets the needs of babies to. So either way it is a win win. Do what ever it takes to have a happy healthy baby weather that i formula fed or breast fed.

I had the same view and so did my husband

I am breastfeeding right now. It felt weird the first weeks. I love breastfeeding in a way that I get to bond with my baby, she is getting food that helps her grow and gain immunity- my body's hormonal balance is not the same as someone who's not breastfeeding so it could be that. I think our society do sexualize women's breasts as sexual objects meant only for pleasure. But my baby needs to eat! ��

I fully planned to breast feed my first (daughter) and did so for about 2 days. The pain was awful...I cried too...it hurt before she 'latched on' and I was in agony and bawling after she latched on. Finally, my then hubby asked me why I was torturing myself like that??? And he was the one who pushed me to do it, because it was 'natural' and his mother had done it. Whatever. I got pills to dry up the boobies and started her on formula and as has been said in previous posts above, that meant he could help feed her...the plus for him was that he got to bond with her also, and that was something, had I known would be so important to him, I never would have entertained the idea of breast feeding at all.

When my son was born, I told the doc, gimme the pills. I'm bottle feeding all the way!

People are different. I have no kids and find human reproduction disgusting. Breasts are icky, but they are considered sexual. No more sexual to me than a cow or dog teat. No.

I am not decided on whether I want children but if I do have a baby I will breast feed.

I don't get any pleasure from my breasts being stimulated, I let my other half play with them because it turns him on, but to me they are there for feeding babies.

I respect your viewpoint about breastfeeding and the other posters different viewpoints on this topic. One of my friends from the past had the same viewpoint as you about breastfeeding.

My viewpoint on this...

I don't find it disgusting, I just chose to not continue with it because of complications of over-lactation overly producing too much milk. I was in a lot of pain where you felt they were going to burst on you. And they would leak constantly and it was very embarrassing. So I stopped breastfeeding and let them dry up. It was frustrating because I wanted to breastfeed.

I know most mothers I knew who breastfed never ever said that it turned them on. Most viewed it as spending good quality time and devoting attention to that one child... having that mother child nuturing and bonding time together.


And as a mother when I did breastfed... my thoughts were about that and only that, feeding my child. Unfortunately, I didn't get to do that for long.

And as a wife and lover to my husband... my thoughts were on him and only him.

You're entitled to your opinion just as I am entitled to mine and as neither of us have had children we can only theorise what the sensation will be for us.

But we also have to respect the decision made by other whether that's to breast or bottle fed; if you find it offensive and inappropriate when a woman is breast feeding in public then just be respectful and move away away.

Oh and one last thing there is a 3rd option to feeding baby. Breast milk can be expressed and then bottle fed to little one. My friend who recently had a premature baby had to do this for the first few wks, it gave the baby the important first milk which helped him thrive but it also allowed Dad to bond too. Maybe this would be more acceptable for you nightfox

Seeing a mother with a suckling baby IS a turn-on for a man because it evokes poignant emotions and a desire to be protective of the mother and baby.

That has been my experience and it is well within the realm of the evolutionary theory, meaning, the Darwinian approach - that the male's desire to protect the breastfeeding dyad is evoked by seeing them nurse serves an evolutionary purpose.

Remember that you are an animal of a special kind - a mammal. Mammals nurse their young.

Your opinion is way too cerebral.