Haha, you see, this morning as I was walking to school with my friends we were discussing body issues. I brought up the fact that i was extremely bitter on account of gaing 8kg this year. One friend then says to me,"Well I'm only 5kg smaller than you, so you're not THAT fat." I was totally taken aback! What was she saying? Was she genuinely saying I was big or just being incredibly careless? You really could say a similar thing to your sister...

And by the way; breastfeeding is not necceserily better for the child. And it is a mother's choice as to whether or not she breastfeeds.

I see your point, but just like you like your smaller breasts, I'm very fond of my D-cups. I'd be disappointed if they were to shrink, and there's nothing wrong with that. Not saying that there's anything wrong with small breasts either, and I'm not saying she appreciates that, I'm just saying that it goes both ways.

Klarisse: I imagine your friend was saying that because she's close to her weight, and she doesn't consider herself near fat, so you can't be either. That sounds like something I'd say to my friends who consider themselves fat when they weigh less than me (5'6, 200lb), just a bit different.

nightingale: believe me, we women of smaller breasts are WELL aware that large breasted women "appreciate" their breasts, as does most of western society.
this type of tactlessness seems far too common to me - we should all know, to some degree, how difficult body image is for women, and try to remember that when complaining about ourselves. i'm very, very skinny and tall, but still have days where i feel fat. i have friends who are overweight. i would NEVER complain in front of them that i'm feeling fat.

nightingale: i took my dogs for a walk, and realized that my original response to your comment wasn't very mature, nor did it do any good as far as dialogue about tact & body issues.
i know that there are negative issues to both small/no breasts and large breasts. i think what struck the raw nerve in me that caused my first comment to you is that this poster wrote a post about her sister's tactless comment in front of a small breasted woman, and the 1st comment was you reiterating how you wouldn't want your breasts to get smaller. do you see how that might be tactless on your part?
i don't hate my breasts anymore. but, i still have my days, and my issues with my lack of a bosom can easily arise when a tactless comment about small breasts is made. and the point of comfort with my breasts that i'm at took me til about the age of 32 to reach. i don't blame myself - look at billboards, magazines, movies, t.v., etc. etc. etc. - all the praise of large breasts every where you turn. what small breasted woman wouldn't be a little f'ed up for some part of her adult life? and the last person a small breasted woman needs to hear a negative remark about small/er breasts from is another woman. just as i would never consider saying something like, "i hope my breasts are never side-show freak big" in front of a large breasted woman, i never want someone with large breasts saying in front of me, "i hope my breasts never get small/er".

I agree. My best friend is a 120 lbs, 5'10" and I'm 20 pounds heavier than her, and she's always saying "I'm so fat" and I'm like WTF *cries*

I think we're all guilty of doing that too. Let's all pay more attention to what we're saying, k? :)

My sisters commonly grouse about their little boobs, and yearn for implants...I can't relate to this thinking. I'm quite fond of my booblets! No offense intended to the well-endowed, but there are some definite advantages for me:

1. No bra necessary! (Hallelujah!) I feel trussed and trapped in a bra...I was thrilled to fling mine aside, with no repercussions.

2. People do not make annoying comments or address my boobs instead of my face.

3. My booblets haven't sagged any in over ten years of bralessness, or after breastfeeding. I might get flak for saying this, but...the bigger they are, the harder they fall.

4. They don't get in my way, ever, during exercise or what-have-you...and I never have back problems from them.

"And by the way; breastfeeding is not necceserily better for the child. And it is a mother's choice as to whether or not she breastfeeds."

WOW. where did you get that piece of information? if being a medical student and someone who did a senior thesis in women's studies on pregnancy and childbirth gives me any credibility, i have not found ONE single medical source that claims formula is anywhere as close to breastfeeding being healthy for the infant or the mother. that formula is just as good was an idea scrapped in the 1950's. even doctors who don't necessarily care about breastfeeding will tell you it's a lot healthier for both the baby and the mother. it builds the baby's immune system, gives the right amount of fat for neuronal development, and hardly ever gives allergy or indigestion problems. and it's good for the mother's recovery from childbirth. the standard medical advice on breastfeeding is to try to do it exclusively the first six months of the baby's life. check out both ACOG and American Pediatrics Association.

of course it's a woman's choice to breastfeed, but don't do it under false information. and how empowering is it for a woman to worry about appearance issues before her and her baby's health?

finally, breasts will shrink after pregnancy whether you breastfeed or not, and they will sag with age whether you breastfeed or not.

You said yourself, you like your small breasts. Maybe she just likes her large ones. Nothing wrong with that.

Klarrisse666, all of the research that's been done has concluded that breastfeeding is way, way better for the child. Among other things, formula use increases their risks of obesity and early-onset diabetes, because the main ingredient is corn syrup. I can't tell you how many people have argued with me about this (usually when they were trying to convince me that I didn't have to "be a martyr" and nurse the whole 12 months). Turn the can over and read the ingredient list for yourselves folks.

Way to miss the point, Glitta.

There is nothing better for your body image than to breastfeed. Your breasts get perky and you feel sexier. Breastfeeding helps prevent breast cancer, helps you lose the baby weight, helps your baby grow strong and healthy, and helps stimulate the babies brain development. My sisters and I chose to breastfeed our children. Only one of the babies wasn't breastfed and you can tell just by looking at the little 15 month old wearing 3T clothes that she was formula fed. And as for smaller breasts after breastfeeding, both mine and my sisters' breast actually got larger, they sagged a bit more but hey that's why we wear good bras.

I don't feel that your sister was trying to be rude by her comment, she just didn't think about the people in the room with her. Sometimes we don't look around us to see who could be offended by a comment that we make or a belief that we have.

What alissa said.

And nothing compares to the bond you develop with your baby when breastfeeding. The incredible feeling that you are the only person in the world who can provide the most satisfying and comforting experience in your baby's life as well as the most perfect and complete food is beyond comparison. I interpret this kind of statement as merely based on a lack of experience - of course a person who has never had a baby might think that preserving some feature of their body is more important than breastfeeding. It's understandable ignorance.

Just a quick comment on breast feeding. I can't say too much in that department as I don't have kids yet, but I do know of several people, my grandmother included, who were not able to breastfeed simply because they tried and their child lost weight drastically. Sometimes a woman's breastmilk just doesn't have the right amount of nutrients in it to support a baby. Although I think in most cases breast milk is best there are certainly exceptions to that rule so what Klarrisse666 was true in at least one way.

lenady_s, my lactation consultant told me that it's a myth that anyone's milk wouldn't have the right nutrients. She said that when a baby loses weight it's almost always because they're not latching on right, so the mom's not getting enough stimulaton to prompt her body to produce enough milk. But there's a lot more help for new moms now then there used to be.

My own grandmother told us that we would starve our children if we breast fed. I later found out that was because she had tried with each of her own 7 children and she was unable to because of inverted nipples. I understand how that would upset her and make her worry that our babies wouldn't get the nutrients that they needed. She saw it as her failing, not being able to feed her babies that way. I feel that she was extremely strong to continue to try even though it never worked for her. But that was in the 40's and 50's and they didn't have special nursing cups or anything else to help her out.

Ah, thanks for the info. You learn somthing new every day.