The stigma in the US is certainly somewhat sexual, and inhibits some women from publicly acknowledging that they breastfeed. I've also heard women who stopped or never started because their partner wasn't keen on it (It seems it inhibited viewing their partner as sexual.). Many only do it for 2-3 months while at least a year is recommended to receive the best benefit.

My baby and I took to breastfeeding well, and did it for years. It was great for both of us. But not everyone has success with it physically, and that's okay too.

My mother, I was told, tried to breastfeed but couldn't. I don't think it was a lack of milk production, but more an inability to relax and let the milk flow. She became frustrated and that made it worse, so I and my siblings were formula-fed babies. I think the benefits of breastfeeding are clear, but not all women are able to do so.

When I was in the hospital with my baby (2009), a nurse told me I was the only woman in the entire maternity ward who was nursing! It totally blew my mind! WTH?!?

I have no idea why women wouldn’t at least give it a try. The hospital even provided a lactation specialist to help me learn to breastfeed so it was easy.

It's getting better, with more awareness for privacy rooms for nursing in various locations, but there shouldn't even be a need for privacy if the practice of feeding one's baby wasn't sexualized by a certain portion of the population.

I have not found breast feeding to affect the breast shape after child is weaned. Everything goes back to normal beautiful shape, stomach, breasts, etc. It's a normal part of life and America seems to have gotten away from the beauty of such a natural act.

Here in the UK it’s encouraged to breastfeed...almost to the point where a mother is made to feel like a failure if she is unable to do so. I think a high percentage do breastfeed, of course we get generous maternity leave of a year, so by the time mothers go back to work their babies can be ready to change over to formula.

Morons handicapped by 1950's morality. I was breast fed much healthier

Obviously i can only know from second hand experience, but programming and body-shape fears seemed to be the most pervasive deterrents for women considering whether to breastfeed or not. The conundrum continuum included body shape issues like sagging breasts, to busyness, to embarrassment, to programming which urged them to not breastfeed. Sadly!

Fortunately, many of the deterrents seemed to dissipate as we we moved into the 90s. At least among my clients and friends here on the West coast.

Because crappy child care and no maternity leave (unless unpaid) make it Very difficult to do

Its very hard for working women because you can't get time or privacy to pump. The law says you're supposed to get these things but it doesn't always happen in practice.