AssassinatedBeauty Tue 24-Oct-17 20:06:38

That 1% stat is for women who are exclusively breastfeeding, so no food or formula at all at 6 months. So they may well be ebf and also giving solids.



To answer your question, of course it's not weird. However lots of people think it's weird because they've had very little experience or exposure to it. Bottlefeeding is present everywhere you see babies, it's used as a shorthand for feeding a baby, a bottle is used as a symbol for that, like this emoji 🍼. You see bottlefeeding on TV shows and in magazines, films, etc etc. It's what a lot of people think is the default and breastfeeding is the "other" choice. Add in the fact that lots of people also see breasts as solely sexual, then there's a lot of panic about seeing a glimpse of breast/nipple when women are feeding their babies.



The area you live in makes a difference. Breastfeeding rates vary massively by area, where I live the rate is high compared to nationally and you see women feeding fairly often. In other parts of the country hardly anyone breastfeeds so you'll never see it when you're out and about.



I'm breastfeeding my 16 month old and everyone that mentions anything about milk feeds assumes I stopped feeding at 6 months like many women do.