Benefits of breastfeeding 'wear off' by 5

[greygal]

Had 6 week check for DS today with my GP. He asked all the 'normal' questions, including how I was finding breastfeeding.

I've been really lucky and had no pain, soreness etc and DS is gaining wait incredibly well so I explained that despite my longest sleep in 6 weeks being 4 hours in one go, I felt that it was going really well and felt positive about continuing.

He then launched into a rant about there being far too much pressure on mothers to breastfeed and that by the age of 5, any benefits to a baby of being breast-fed had worn off!

AIBU to wonder why the bloody hell we're all bothering (especially people who have cracked, bloody nipples/ blocked milk ducts/ mastitis etc)?

Is it true that there is no difference between a breast fed and formula fed child by 5 years of age?

@TheDailyMailIsADisgustingRag would they latch onto a nipple shield? Might cut out the tedious pumping until you can teach them to latch.

My doctor told me if I was a cow I'd be a prize winner as I produced so much milk, kept the milk bank going at the local maternity hospital for some moths.

Actually I think I did read a study about this. I'm going to be really lame and half arsed in my reply because I can't remember where I read it but I'm as sure as I can be that it was about cognitive abilities.

BF children had a slightly higher IQ (very slightly by a couple of points) at approximately 3 years but this wasn't seen in groups aged 5 and above. By age 5 all cognitive advantages had 'worn off' and there was no difference between FF and BF kids. I'm not sure how well controlled the study was though.

Thanks @gummy!

The pumping is very tedious, but at the moment, it’s less frustrating for both of us than getting into a battle to latch him on while he just wants fed and my poor, (rejected), boobs are pouring out milk all over both of us. I will give nipple shields a go though. I’ve ordered some, but for the time being, I’m trying to be super relaxed about getting him on the boob, for the sake of my own sanity!

I don't mean to drip feed but he also took one look at DS: born at 8lb 15oz and now a pretty chunky 12lb and said, "you'll be weaning him at 4 months unless you want to be feeding every hour of the day..." 

I don't think it's fair for the doctor to make assumptions. However, what I will say is that, whilst you've done a fabulous job feeding your child for six weeks, you are only six weeks in (granted, the very early days can be really hard).

I recall DD, who I actually ended up feeding for 14 months, having 'growth spurt' after growth spurt and remember vividly that I was feeding her every 1.5 hours during the day at 8/9 weeks. I was in a pit of despair with it all. She was also a bottle refuser, so I kept going and kept going, because I had to. I enjoyed feeding her once she was weaned onto food and the feeds became less frequent, but actively chose to ff DD2 because I knew that mentally I couldn't cope with the very very frequent feeding again.

All I'm saying is, be less and remain open minded.

I agree with Roseandmabelshouse

But it's not just about intellectual ability is it @sourpatchkid? Obviously that's interesting but we shouldn't discount benefits to health/ immunity/ even emotional well-being, maybe?

Your GP sounds like a bit of a twat! I would complain, if he talks like that to someone who is really struggling he could end up making them feel terrible.
DS was 8lb 14 and we didn't start weaning till six months. And I wasn't feeding him every hour till then

I've yet to meet a GP who really knows their stuff about bf!

Ah they’re not all bad! I have two close relatives who are GPs and they both breastfed all their children for over 6 months.

I'd honestly have a word with your HV about his words. Like you said, he could have seriously put you off if you'd been having doubts when actually breastfeeding is going really well. Sounds like he needs a lot more training.

@custardcream1988 totally appreciate what you're saying but for the first 3 weeks, he fed almost exactly every 90 mins day and night and often constantly for 5 hours of an evening so I'm (hesitantly) hopeful that it won't get any harder than that!

I'd hate to be wrong!

Oh yeah, and the benefits. I fed DC1 till 2years. It was the best way to settle him when he was sad or unwell. As a tool for soothing infants it is amazing, and you always have it with you! For that and the reduced risk of breast cancer it is already totally worth it.

And my DS was almost 10lb - EBF to 6 months. BF babies do go through stages of needing to feed more regularly, doesn't mean everybody has to wean!

@TheDailyMailIsADisgustingRag I used shields for weeks because feeding really really hurt. I personally think DC's mouth was too small to latch properly as he has a little tongue tie, I managed to wean him off of them when his mouth was a bit bigger and the pain had diminished significantly.

I also really hated pumping so was desperate to stop doing it.

I don't mean to drip feed but he also took one look at DS: born at 8lb 15oz and now a pretty chunky 12lb and said, "you'll be weaning him at 4 months unless you want to be feeding every hour of the day..."

Weird comment from a doctor given that NHS advises not to start weaning until 6 months.

@badg3r @teaandbiscuitsforme good to know! I thought it was a silly thing to say, given that there are MUCH bigger babies born and they're not weaned from birth, hence disproving the 'your big so need sold food' argument that he seemed to be making!

YY @gummy! Ds has a teeny mouth and slight, very posterior TT. I also have ginormous norks, so he just can’t seem to get his mouth round them. I’m hoping he’ll get the hang of it when he’s bigger.

Glad nipple shields did the trick for you! Maybe that will work for us too.

It probably because at around 5 they start turning their noses up at lovely lentils and only eating fish fingers and pasta

Me, I worked out what I would’ve spent on formula and bought myself a handbag. Win win

@Creatureofthenight my thoughts exactly! I told a midwife friend what he'd said and she was incredulous.

My gp and doctors nurse were similar, almost again bf, I told health visitor and she rolled her eyes. The nurse at the hv also let me bf whilst having injections whereas the gp nurse wouldn't.
You are mum, trust your gut on what is best for your child

Doctors are just people and some people are fucking weird about bf.

I had a doc tell me that I couldn't bf ds1 and that's why he wasn't gaining weight - added formula only to discover he had a severe cmp allergy, which doc of course totally failed to diagnose.

I had another one tell me that I was damaging ds1 by bfing him until 2 yo, especially because he was a boy - and she wasn't a gp or paed, knew nothing of ds1's medical history and I wasn't consulting her in any way about ds1....

people have their hangups and sometimes they carry them into their jobs.

i thought BF babies had less problems with asthma and allergies, surely that would continue beyond 5years of age?

*custardcream1988 totally appreciate what you're saying but for the first 3 weeks, he fed almost exactly every 90 mins day and night and often constantly for 5 hours of an evening so I'm (hesitantly) hopeful that it won't get any harder than that!

I'd hate to be wrong!*

Well done for getting through that.

It may not get worse than that.
I think I found sustaining feeds of that frequency just totally draining. One growth spurt just fed into another and it didn't get any easier until weaning. But, of course, every baby is different, as they say.

What I will say is that one of the most important things I've learnt from having babies is to never get too used to a good thing. Try not to be too smug this early on - you are only a few steps in to a massive journey.

I imagine that if I'd been struggling, I would be seriously considering giving up.

Is that the very worst thing for someone struggling though? I say that as someone who BF with no problems for about 4 and a half months. Friends of mine struggled with it and didn't continue past the first few weeks, I absolutely think they did the right thing for their babies at the time, and in honestly their children (mostly school aged now) seem as healthy as any other. Maybe it's a kind thing to remind someone struggling with something at an already stressful time that it's ok to put your own well being back in the picture, lifting that weight could really help their baby to have a more relaxed Mother. I'm not anti BF at all, but I don't remember bottles being a massive faff, those sort of comments remind me of devout BLW people describing spoon feeding and mashing food as some kind of a full time job.

@custardcream1988 I don't think I'm being smug. I'm quite prepared for the possibility that breastfeeding and general motherhood will get a lot harder when DS isn't spending his days feeding, sleeping and being easily amused.

It's okay to be pleased about how things are going though - that's not smug.