Why are breastfeeding rates so low in the UK?

[Olivebrach]

So related to the news about the Royal College of Midwives changing their policy saying mothers have the right to formula feed and the stigma around formula needs to change ect..

I get it that for people that breastfeeding doesnt work out for/isnt easy, they shouldnt be made to feel like a failure. And the 'breast is best' mantra can be upsetting if that is what you desire to do but it doesnt work out.

But considering the breastfeeding rates are so low in the UK (1 in 200 babies are breastfed at the age of 1). The "mantra" and policy atm currently isnt working to up bf rates..? Clearly more people are formula feeding.

So in your opinion..
what should be done to increase breastfeeding?
And why do so few women end up breastfeeding?

AIBU to think the rates need to improve?

I think varying levels of support are a major factor - support from healthcare professionals is key to helping you through the first few weeks but then support from others in the same situation I would say is more important for after the 6-8 week period.

In the early days, while midwives/nurses in hospital were helpful, they just didn't have the time to spend showing me how to get the latch right and only having a lactation consultant in helped me (although she was so militant that I nearly wanted to give up as I would never live up to her exacting breastfeeding standards!). I nearly gave up so many times in the first few weeks (on day 4 I sobbed because I'd convinced myself that my husband was going to leave me because I couldn't breastfeed - disclaimer: my husband didn't give a toss what I did as long as the baby and I were OK!). Other things that put me off were actually the things that came from breastfeeding advocates - "if you give your baby formula - any at all - its the end of your breastfeeding journey"; "don't give your baby a bottle or dummy to avoid nipple confusion"; "nipple shields are the work of the devil" - I almost felt that if I did any one of those, I should just give up then. I wish I'd realised earlier that doing any one of those things occasionally was not going to mess up our breastfeeding and I should have been easier on myself.

What I think made the biggest difference to me and helped me continue breastfeeding (in the absence of any major reasons why I couldn't - no milk, health problems, etc) was having a support system of a group of friends with babies of a similar age who were all breastfeeding (either exclusively or mixed) - it meant that I saw other people breastfeeding and had a constant line of communication to say "is this normal; is your baby doing this; how did you deal with this?".

Also - this link has been my bible for the last 12 months - it was practical and no nonsense and helped me understand what was coming next: www.thealphaparent.com/timeline-of-a-breastfed-baby/

(You can eat and drink what you like when breastfeeding, apart from getting so drunk that you aren't safe to hold the baby.)

Fair although that also applies to FF.

@Lockheart breastfeeding my baby is one of my fondest memories of her babyhood and actually probably one of my most enjoyable general life experiences, certainly much more pleasant than pregnancy for me. I can’t wait to breastfeed the next one soon. It’s really really not always bad.

"it is the overwelming consensus on blogs, threads, almost anything that’s written about the practical realities of breastfeeding"

Right. So we need to do something about that too. Because that really isn't what it's like for most people.

Qate-those comments you quoted from breastfeeding advocates. Who do you mean?

Agree with Queen - there can be some hurdles to overcome with breastfeeding but it's not constant. I had mastitis with my first because the latch was wrong - once that was sorted it was plain sailing and because I'd been taught proper latch it didn't happen with the next two babies. Things like leaking breasts are going to happen whether you breastfeed or not, your milk is going to "come in" after birth and you are going to leak milk however you're feeding your baby. Never had bleeding nipples. Never had cracked nipples. Had lots of cluster feeding, one terrible sleeper and two who were better. Ate and drank whatever I wanted - what exactly do you think you can't have when you're breastfeeding? There are very few medications you can't take either.

I don't have this amazing story about breastfeeding despite having a breast practically falling off. I did have some early issues which were resolved with help and found feeding subsequent babies easier because I'd learned what to do. I'd say my experience was fairly typical of someone who breastfed 3 babies for a total of around 3.5 to 4 years in total.

And good shout to whoever recommended The Politics of Breastfeeding by Gabrielle Palmer. It's a great read around all these sorts of issues. Very eye opening.

Blueisland I’d agree. I fed my DS to 2.5 with very few problems, never had one cracked nipple. Neither of mine cluster fed. I’m still feeding my DD, I’ve had mastitis once when she was 8 weeks old which was swiftly diagnosed and treated and that’s it. All my friends bf, I don’t know anyone that’s ff. Very supportive husband. Never had a tut or a nasty comment feeding out and about. Never had a relative making unhelpful comments (MIL wasnt keen on my breastmilk pendant but I do appreciate they’re not for everyone )

I was told the same as qate about dummies, nipple shields, and nipple confusion by the midwife who saw us most days for the first 3 weeks. The midwife did have us topping up with formula though, which a breastfeeding cafe volunteer told me would ruin my breastfeeding journey and I just needed to do more skin to skin.

That’s fine, it’s your choice - and I’m glad so many of you had good experiences. But it’s still not for me.

I think the comments about blogs and online forums disproportionately evidencing difficulties with breastfeeding are interesting. I ebf our two DC beyond a year and despite some challenges, on the whole it was a positive experience. On balance it felt to me that it was the easier, more convenient option. I rarely feel empowered to write or even say that publicly though for fear of being jumped on as part of the breastfeeding army or inadvertently offending another mum who has chosen for whatever reason to ff. So perhaps my experience and other similarly positive experiences are hidden.

On the more negative side, I did find attitudes among family and some medical professionals dated and unhelpful. Most midwives and HVs I came into contact with didn’t feel confident in knowing how to help with bf. My FIL refused to stay in the room when I (very discreetly) breastfed; my DM felt that DC1 was too big (birth weight of 9lb4) and would need ff and when I questioned a doctor on whether some antibiotics would be suitable given I was bf I was told that there was no need to be now my baby was 6mths and I should stop.

sorry, be=bf

I’ve definitely been warned off drinking regularly, (as in told that one or two units, once or twice a week should be the maximum) and also no antihistamines for my hay fever or cold remedies. This is from Nhs website and also a GP. It hasn’t put me off feeding my baby or anything, but just to counter the “eat and drink whatever you like” comments.

Personally I think there needs to be more support on mixed feeding. I think my breastfeeding journey would’ve been so much happier if my son would take a bottle once in a while but by the time I introduced them he wouldn’t take it.

If the burden of night shifts/a few hours out/a glass of whatever could be shared I think a lot more people would breastfeed but there’s so much out there to say It will ruin your chances of bf’ing so people give up when they first give a bottle or become miserable when they won’t take one.

There were a lot of factors that could have stopped me breastfeeding but I was lucky to have support in hospital and community (services later cut) to help. I was also quite stubbornly motivated to do it. I found it interesting that doctors were concerned with baby being fed, however that happened, whereas maternity staff seemed to be held to the hospital's pro-bf stance.

I am an older mum in an area where having a baby young is common and do feel that there is a feeling that boobs on display for men is fine but for feeding is gross - something which needs to be addressed early on. Plus, buying all the bottles and kit is part of fashion.

@YourUsernameHistoryB look at the breastfeeding network pharmacist and email. They have a leaflet about hay fever remedies and bf. I take Claritin and it’s been a life saver.

So of course with ff you can take anything but again it’s about info. The bfn is the best place to get info on drugs as the pharmacist at the dr surgery wouldn’t sell me antihistamine.

Thanks @pike! I will. Though, tbf, it hasn’t been too bad so far this year. Fecking pollen !

I ebf our two DC beyond a year

My NHS trust considers exclusive breastfeeding as just that; exclusive from both formula and solids. You would have been ticked in my mixed feeding box from whenever you started solids. It's why the NHS talk along the lines of 'still getting breastmilk at 12 months'; exclusively breastfeeding isn't just no formula. In my baby group there were 9 breastfeeders with 6 still going at 12 months; however, only one ticked the 'ebf at 6 months' box as the others started baby rice / broccoli at 5.5 months or so. So, perhaps we need to look at the questions being asked, and the criteria?

I found it interesting that doctors were concerned with baby being fed, however that happened, whereas maternity staff seemed to be held to the hospital's pro-bf stance

Maternity staff are audited for breastfeeding rates / whether they've talked to you about it; medics are not.

I’ve definitely been warned off drinking regularly, (as in told that one or two units, once or twice a week should be the maximum) and also no antihistamines for my hay fever or cold remedies. This is from Nhs website and also a GP. It hasn’t put me off feeding my baby or anything, but just to counter the “eat and drink whatever you like” comments.

Unfortunately doctors are often misinformed about BF - they receive practically no education on it. You can absolutely have a few drinks - it goes into your breastmilk at a very, very low concentration. It's perhaps best not to feed a very poorly newborn while pissed, but social drinking really isn't a problem - the NHS advice errs to the conservative because people can be very liberal in interpreting drinking "advice", which I get.

Medicines will also generally say on the insert "do not take/seek advise of your doctor while BF" but again, this is largely arse-covering because no medication is actively tested for transfer to breastfeeding babies. In the vast majority of cases it poses them no threat and the level of concern based on risk of transfer can be found online or from a knowledgeable doctor or pharmacist. There is an amazing pharmacist (Wendy) running the Drugs in Breastmilk helpline who can advise. Again, most of the problems in this area come from ignorance about BF and a tendency to treat it like an aberrant state.

You can take most antihistamines (I do). They generally won't hurt your baby in normal doses, but some can reduce your milk supply somewhat. Ones which are known to transfer in v low doses are the preferred first choice. <a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/wp-content/dibm/antihistamines%2520%2528hayfever%2529%2520and%2520breastfeeding.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjU4ZKSm9DbAhWLJMAKHUD4DZoQFjALegQIABAB&usg=AOvVaw3UP8l-kQCob5rRY0Qjju89" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/wp-content/dibm/antihistamines%2520%2528hayfever%2529%2520and%2520breastfeeding.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjU4ZKSm9DbAhWLJMAKHUD4DZoQFjALegQIABAB&usg=AOvVaw3UP8l-kQCob5rRY0Qjju89

Maternity staff are audited for breastfeeding rates / whether they've talked to you about it; medics are not.

I absolutely realise something like that must be the case and think it's wrong.

As pro-bf as I am, the scaremongering around formula/bottles (and vocal criticism from maternity staff) just adds to confusion when you just want to do the 'best' for a sick baby.

Do we know for a fact that maternity services are audited actually for bf rates, not just for "have discussed bf feeding with mum" (ugh at mum but I bet that's what it says). If so, are there targets? If so, what are they?

@Lockheart - it's fine if it's not for you, truly. But I am going to speak up when I see this bizarrely distorted funhouse version of breastfeeding presented - not least because BF has so much to offer women for their own health.

They don’t tell you about the realities of breast feeding, the pain, the cluster feeds, the restrictiveness, that even your clothing will be restricted, the cost of a decent pump and what pump is actually like, thrush, how helpless your partner might feel. Explanations that most babies feed frequently for long periods of time (more than four hours) whether ff or bf- the increased feeding doesn’t necessarily mean your not producing milk. Also that the baby will use you as a dummy so sometimes they’re feeding when they don’t need milk.

I wasn’t told any of the above and it came as a horrendous shock.

Also some mums need to stop so aggressively bfing. I don’t care who bfs and who doesn’t, or for how long they do it. But I hate being mid conversation with a mum who whips out her whole boob then waves it around in my face. There is a whole army of mums like this where I live. I’m not saying they should hide away or even cover up, but it’s done really aggressively and makes me and others at our local toddler group uncomfortable particularly some of the men who don’t want to be accused of looking. It was this aggressiveness that contributed to me giving up. I didn’t want to be like them. Push me one way and I will go the other.

Better education is needed about realities of bfing and ffing. And those pro bf need to stop pushing their campaigns onto others when they don’t seem to understand the reality of what it is like for other mums.

Also some mums need to stop so aggressively bfing. I don’t care who bfs and who doesn’t, or for how long they do it. But I hate being mid conversation with a mum who whips out her whole boob then waves it around in my face. There is a whole army of mums like this where I live. I’m not saying they should hide away or even cover up, but it’s done really aggressively and makes me and others at our local toddler group uncomfortable particularly some of the men who don’t want to be accused of looking. It was this aggressiveness that contributed to me giving up. I didn’t want to be like them. Push me one way and I will go the other

Oh give Over. You can't be aggressive whipping a boob out, unless it's something else that they're saying/doing along with it.

I 'whip my boob out' all the time in front of formula feeding friends. Not once has it been anything more than to feed or comfort my baby.

Sounds to me like they're just comfortable getting everything out with minimal effort, and very confident!