Should antenatal classes teach how to prep bottles?

[babyOcho]

Most of my antenatal group are now mixed or bottle feeding, only 2 of us that are exclusively BF.

They were discussing the other day how they thought that the BF counselor in our antenatal session shouldn't have only talked about BF, but should have told us how to prep bottles, talk about how much/many bottles to give, in what positions we should hold the bottles blah blah blah.

What do you think? Should antenatal classes teach how to prep bottles? (These were NCT classes).

I think not. I think that there should be lots of information about BF, the benefits, and more importantly how to get help in those early days and weeks.

[colditz]

Yes, because your first experience of giving a bottle is likely to be fraught, emotionally charge and sleep deprived. Just because it isn't the ideal doesn't mean we should risk poisoning the babies whose mothers do choose to bottle feed.

Mumsnet is not the real world you know. There are people in Britain who cannot read. If their first experience of bottle feeding is from the night garage at 3 am, how the hell are they supposed to work out how to do it? You can't ring the HV at 3am, and ours can take weeks to get back to us.

[Littlefish]

I have a feeling there are guidelines from the WHO about what those breastfeeding sessions from the NCT are allowed to cover, which is why bottle feeding isn't covered. I might be completely wrong, but I seem to remember hearing about it.

[tiktok]

No, this is not permitted under Baby Friendly Initiative, which NCT and many maternity units support. Group demos of formula feeding and formula preparation are not supposed to take place i) because it is undermining to breastfeeding, which needs a lot of confidence and support to do and ii) because group demos antenatally are not a safe way of teaching anything...people don't remember a lot of 'how to' stuff and as it is important to get it right, 'hands on' teaching to the mum and her partner, preferably in her own kitchen, at the point at which she needs to know about it, is safer

There is no time to teach formula feeding antenatally in a 2 - 2.5 hour breastfeeding class anyway - there is little enough time to get the breastfeeding stuff in! Main aim of breastfeeding class is to build confidence, explain that help is available and where to get it from, and to cover the very basics of how it's done.

No one who decides to give a bottle in the middle of the night is without emergency help. You can always call the maternity unit where you gave birth if your query is seriously out of hours.

If someone is sleep deprived, emotional and fraught, do you really think they will remember a demo they had weeks ago before the baby was even born? But they may remember that breastfeeding help is available, that problems can often be resolved with the right help.

[malfoy]

I do agree Tiktok but there seem to be so many questions on here about formula prepared bottles, eg to boil or not to boil the water, how long to keep in the fridge, is it ok to use mineral water, etc.

Not sure NCT b'fding class is the right place though.

[Saymyname]

Yes, I think they should.

[Saymyname]

(we didn't have a breastfeeding counsellor btw at our NCT session - was just covered by the group leader, I think she could have covered bottle feeding as well).

[tiktok]

I absolutely agree that ff parents need more information. The confusion about how to prepare it is a case in point - and even health visitors and midwives seem unable to dispel it.

But the antenatal class is absolutely not the time to explain and demo it....it is confusing, it has to be done properly, it does need practice and care, and for that reason, doing it in a group weeks before the baby even makes an appearance, is the wrong time.

[Saymyname]

"it is confusing, it has to be done properly, it does need practice and care"

Couldn't the same be said of breastfeeding though?

[tiktok]

Saymyname - of course breastfeeding needs practice, but if you do it 'wrong' your baby doesn't increase his risk of gastro-enteritis! You don't need to follow detailed instructions in breastfeeding, or prepare your breasts by washing and sterilising....

Group discussions and activities atenatally help with the confidence building aspect of breastfeeding. You don't need these to formula feed.

[Saymyname]

We got leaflets with diagrams showing us how to breastfeed at our NCT classes. Leaflets on how to prepare bottles would probably be quite usesul too - or could the FFers not be trusted to remember where they put them and follow them properly?

[tiktok]

Why the sarcasm, Saymyname? I am making serious points here. If you want leaflets antenatally on formula feeding, there are many sources for this - no one is preventing mothers from getting hold of written material on this.

To give out 'how to prepare' formula leaflets at an NCT breastfeeding class is undermining of the confidence and support for breastfeeding that we know is an important part of breastfeeding effectively and happily.

If knowing about formula feeding antenatally is important for anyone, then of course they can read about it beforehand. It is not appropriate in a group setting to demo it - which is what the OP asked about.

[Saymyname]

Apologies tiktok, I don't mean to be sarcastic.

Your last point explains exactly why the NCT won't educate people on bottle-feeding - because they believe it undermines breastfeeding. But why not just say that, instead of trying to complicate the issue by claiming that it would be impossible for people to take in this kind of information for future reference?

[tiktok]

I did say that - read my posts. There are two reasons why it is not appropriate to teach formula prep in the antenatal class. I was crystal clear about these - read what I said at 15.24!

[Saymyname]

I have read your post - what I'm saying is that the second reason doesn't hold much water with me. Why not just say "we believe it undermines breastfeeding."

Why then claim that giving out any advice on formula feeding at all is damaging. Is it really going to be more damaging than complete ignorance?

[katierocket]

I think tiktok is spot on here.

[tiktok]

Saymyname - I gave two reasons. You choose not to believe that the reason about giving ff information antenatally is unsafe - take it up with Baby Friendly, then, as this is what they have found.

Of course ff information that's badly understood and partially remembered is riskier than not knowing anything - someone who knows they don't have a clue will read the instructions or call the maternity unit. Someone who half-remembers or misremembers something from weeks ago (or even months if we are talking weeks after the baby is born) is likely to make a mistake - without even knowing they have misremembered. An error about putting water or powder in first could be unsafe; an error about temperature of water could be unsafe; an error about the type of formula could be unsafe...etc etc etc.

Think about it. Would you learn to drive/swim/speak French/make a cake by watching someone do it weeks or months before you actually did it? Or would you think the most effective way of doing any of these things would be to have someone beside you while you did it?

The breastfeeding class does not even attempt to teach people 'how to' breastfeed, but concentrates on understanding how it works, building confidence and ensuring people know where to get help and other less practical but more important skills.

The ff demo you are asking for is purely practical - and the antenatal class is a useless time, and inappropriate place, to give it.

[Saymyname]

Tiktok, I respect the fact that you agree with every aspect of the Baby Friendly policy.

Personally, I don't. People pick up myths and ideas about bottlefeeding everywhere - not just at antenatal classes. I genuinely don't see the harm in printing and distributing well researched and informed leaflets on bottle feeding.

Each to their own though, nobody said we had to agree with each other

[tiktok]

Saymyname - yes, people do pick up myths and ideas...and your point is? If people want and need to know about formula feeding, then of course they should get the info at the right time. The right time would be postnatally, not in a group weeks before the baby is here.

I have told you why it is harmful to have a group demo. You seem to think there is no risk in half-remebering a demo, despite my clear explanation of what could happen!

I have also told you why leaflets on formula feeding cannot be given out to the antenatal breastfeeding class - because it undermines breastfeeding.

[Saymyname]

Tiktok - leave it, you are never going to convince me.

[tiktok]

Hmmmm....I rather gathered that