LUISA Zissman has been blasted for her rant about ‘hating’ breastfeeding as she compares mums who do as ‘grass munching cows with tandem twinnies on their boobies.’
Luisa, who has three children, one of whom is 14-year-old Dixie Zissman, took to her TikTok account to share her thoughts on the controversial subject.
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The former Apprentice star wanted to talk about her “hate for breastfeeding” with her 130.3k followers, but it hasn’t been pleasantly received.
Talking to the camera, she said: “Today on what’s p***ing me off.
“Let’s talk about my hate for breastfeeding.”
She continued: “I really don’t like breastfeeding, I didn’t do it, I don’t like it, I’m not interested in it.
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“I understand it’s marginally beneficial.
“When you look into the actual benefits of breast over bottle, it’s literally smidgens of percent that we’re talking about.
“Your kid’s not going to die because they’re bottle fed. So I really, really want to be the voice for the mums that can’t, don’t, won’t breastfeed.
“It’s okay to give your kid a bottle.
“What’s not okay is not feeding your child.
“So if you’re sitting at home with your baby and you’re feeling like shit because Sarah, the grass munching cow with her tandem twinnies on her boobies is making you feel like shit, don’t let that affect you.
“You’re doing a great job, mama. You don’t need to breastfeed to have a healthy baby.”
After 18 hours of sharing her video, Luisa received 113.8k views, with 292 people rushing to the comments section to share their thoughts.
One wrote: “Wild way to put it. You do what works for you.
“You don’t need to hate breastfeeding – just as breastfeeding mums don’t need to hate bottle feeding mums.”
Just because something might be marginally nutritionally better, does not mean it’s all round better
Luisa Zissman
A second added: “Well I hate bottle feeding.”
A third said: “If I came on here saying ‘I hate bottle feeding’ the backlash would be unreal.
“Hating it is fine but state facts, it is more than marginally beneficial.”
Whilst someone else wrote: “I think it’s really important to normalise breastfeeding and that’s not happening.
Receiving backlash
“It is hugely beneficial to both mother and baby. Of course formula is perfectly fine. But we really need to promote breastfeeding.”
But someone else added: “This is EXACTLY how I feel!! Love that you’re sharing this and making others feel better!
“Both mine were bottle fed from birth!”
Luisa has previously received backlash against her opinions on breast feeding, having taken to her Instagram page seven years ago to talk about it.
We need to focus more on making mums feel good because; happy mum = happy baby
Luisa Zissman
In one post she wrote: “To clarify…… I don’t hate people that breastfeed, I hate it. I have friends that breastfeed, I don’t hate them.”
But wanted to emphasise on the movement of ‘My body my boobies.’
She explained: “Just because something might be marginally nutritionally better, does not mean it’s all round better.
“If you like me, and so many others I know didn’t want to, struggled or couldn’t breastfeed.
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“Don’t feel bad. Don’t ever let anyone make you feel bad for that.
“Your mental, emotional and physical health is the number one thing that will make you the best mumma bear for your children, not whether they have a bottle or a boob.
“We need to focus more on making mums feel good because; happy mum = happy baby.
“So if you’re in your PJs struggling with a baby hanging off your tit every two mins, please pick up a bottle you and your baby will both feel better for it.
Not breastfeeding
“Sick of mum’s suffering because of the pressure of society. I’m lucky I have never felt any kind of social or peer pressure cause I’m such an ignorant, selfish shit.
“But many women who are better people than me do and it’s not fair!! It’s ok to do what is best for you!!”
Luisa explained that she chose not to breastfeed her second or third child as it made her miserable with her first and contributed to post natal depression.
She added: “I am more than able to breastfeed but I simply don’t like it.
“I also don’t believe the bo**ocks we are fed about it being so much better than formula.
“No doubt there is extensive research to say it’s a bit better but it’s really not a life or death situation!”
What are the recommendations around breastfeeding?
The NHS recommends breastfeeding your baby exclusively (feeding them breast milk only) for the first six months, but it’s completely up to you to decide when you want to bring it to an end – and there’s really no right or wrong way to do it.
The NHS says weaning often happens gradually as your baby begins to eat more solid foods.
They note that solid food shouldn’t replace breast milk, as there is evidence to suggest breast milk helps a baby’s digestive system when processing solid food for the first time.
“Once they are eating solids, your baby will still need to have breast milk or formula as their main drink up to at least their first birthday,” recommends the NHS.
“Cows’ milk isn’t suitable as a main drink for babies under one, although it can be added to foods, such as mashed potatoes.”
You can also combine breastfeeding with formula, too and the NHS says “phasing out” of breastfeeding is often the easiest way.
For example, dropping one feed in the day or at night time.
After around a week, you can begin to think about dropping another.
“If your baby is younger than one year, you’ll need to replace the dropped breastfeed with a formula feed from a bottle or (if they are over six months) a cup or beaker, instead,” they say.
You can breastfeed for as long as you want, and while the NHS recommends breastfeeding your baby exclusively for the first six months, you shouldn’t feel like you cannot continue for longer.
The World Health Organization says: “Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended up to 6 months of age, with continued breastfeeding along with appropriate complementary foods up to two years of age or beyond.”