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 vividly remember DS going through a growth spurt. He'd been feeding non-stop and my breasts were like empty sacks with nothing left.

In desperation I put him down and left him to cry for a while, we all eventually fell asleep, then I woke up 4 hours later absolutely bursting with milk.

“I also hate the brazen marketing strategies of formula countries and disagree with their selling it as "better than" breast milk. But it's certainly no worse“

Breastmilk is as complex a substance as blood.

Formula is a rough approximation that is nutritionally adequate but incapable of mimicking all the functions of breastmilk (and breastfeeding) that have evolved to optimise development and growth.

Formula is clearly not equal to breastmilk.

If MRI scans can identify lower rates of white matter and electrical activity in the brains of ff babies at 12 months, differences in reproductive tissue at 4 months (less testicular tissue in boys and more ovarian tissue in girls) identifiable by ultrasound, different body tissue deposition and composition, DNA damage and chromosomal breaks (discovered by researchers looking for answers for the higher rates of childhood cancer in non-breastfed infants), smaller thymus and largrr kidneys..

Note - I’m not saying anyone should breastfeed. I’m saying there’s a shit tonne of evidence out there that how a baby is fed does affect a child’s growth and development and it’s not a social crime to hold the opinion that formula is inferior to breastmilk on the basis of it.

minifingerz I think this is true. The problem is, Western society is based around Victorian ideas about child development and as long as people take advice from family rather than science, bringing up a baby will always be about routine/cot/measuring feeds/measuring baby/naps. We have completely lost the knack of breastfeeding as a society.

None of this litany of evidence is going to help a woman who is struggling. It'll just add to her feelings of guilt because she can't give her "best" to her baby.
But judging by recent posts, the mental health issues caused by poor support and lecturing aren't really in the mix for discussion just now. They have been previously on this thread but aren't at the moment. Hope that changes.

The good thing about modern day obstetrics is that fewer women and babies die in childbirth or the days and weeks after. I assume nobody wants to go back to that.

@minifingerz

Do you have sources for this information?

I really do support breastfeeding (heck I have combi fed since like 3 days old and he's 11 months now! All because I had insufficient milk and it was causing me huge anxiety) but a lot of what you've written seems a bit scare mongering... especially the info about brain matter. Would love to read sources for this though and respect if it's right.

I just don't think any of this "factual information" helps a woman in an emotional, hormonal and vulnerable state. When my boy was 3 days old and I was anxious about him eating enough because he was sleepy due to jaundice, no amount of factual information about how good breastfeeding and breast milk is would have stopped me from making him that bottle,

To me, as far as it goes, formula feeding is an adequate substitute for breastmilk. I can't say it isn't. It is almost impossible to tell who was breast fed and who was formula fed. I say this as someone who works with 6-8 year olds every day. I have survived til adulthood with no problems as a result of being formula fed since birth (mmm sweet anecdata.. I know sorry...)

This whole discussion to me, is about making women feel less guilt and anxiety over their parenting decisions. Until it's proven that formula shortens lives or makes people measurably "less" in some way that social influences can't be account for, I will always say it is an adequate substitute and support other women for making their own decision.

I think what ShackUp and minifingerz Said is correct

However I agree things like “white matter” probably do more harm than good to a woman struggling.

I don’t think the factual evidence minifingerz Stated is going to make a huge difference or indeed shows any “harm” in ff otherwise it wouldn’t be allowed!

I doubt anyone could pick out my 6year old as a boy bf till 3 out of all his classmates.

I clearly believe that bf is great but we should be thankful we have a good and suitable alternative.

I truly hope all woman who wish to bf are supported through the tough times to do so so that ff remains a medicine for those who need and a choice for those who want.

gierg DS1 had to go under the lights due to jaundice, and attend a jaundice clinic. He still had 'breastfeeding jaundice' at 6 months. It's the sort of thing that could've wrecked breastfeeding, but I did my research and held firm.

I agree that it's impossible to tell who was bf and who wasn't. There are too many other factors to make it significant. All else being well, there are some benefits for the mother's health.

“I just don't think any of this "factual information" helps a woman in an emotional, hormonal and vulnerable state“

Err, you wouldn’t discuss it with a woman in a vulnerable state who was looking for support with feeding.

However, it’s perfectly reasonable to include it in a general online discussion about breastfeeding rates where people are making confident assertions that how babies are fed has no impact on health and development.

Re links:
White matter in brain: news.brown.edu/articles/2013/06/breastfeeding

Ff and cancer in children: jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2299705

Thymus size:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/10592070/

Kidney size
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/25747235/

The other links are referenced in this book, which I’ve lent to someone so can’t copy here: www.amazon.co.uk/Milk-Matters-Infant-feeding-disorder/dp/0959318313?tag=mumsnetforum-21

“I agree that it's impossible to tell who was bf and who wasn't.”

Can’t believe mature adults still use this argument!

Things you can’t tell by looking at children, but will have affected their growth and development:

• Whether their mothers smoked in pregnancy
• Whether their mothers consumed a lot of alcohol in pregnancy (fetal alcohol syndrome is not obvious except in the most extreme cases - it’s very under diagnosed)
• Children whose health has been damaged by pollution
• Children whose mothers experienced extreme emotional abuse while they were pregnant with them.

Tongue tie that was undiagnosed for 3 months here. Soul destroying. Tried very hard. Felt the mum guilt. Fed is best.

Off topic but Re. the lukemia study, I saw reported the other day that they think it could be linked to not enough exposure to germs in early life, so I guess breastfeeding would be the first exposure (apart from being born) to a multitude of bacteria from the breast. Suggests it’s the mechanism of feeding rather than the actual milk in that case? It does list b/feeding along with other factors as reducing risk. But I guess this is a very new bit of research. And yes it doesn’t help anyone struggling to b/f.

www.nhs.uk/news/cancer/child-leukaemia-linked-reduced-exposure-germs/#why-is-leukaemia-in-the-news

Kraggle But those aren't realities for everyone; and couldn't have been further from the truth for me.

My EBF baby slept through 8 hours on the hospital ward, and went 12/14 hours. Although that's very good and quite rare, my positive experience isn't rare.

There are plenty of women who have babies going 4 hour stretches on the breast.

Not all breastfed babies cluster feed.

Not everyone has trouble latching, etc etc

I don't think it's fair to bombard with how scary breastfeeding can be to start off with.

What's needed is open discussion and phrases like you May or may not.

Completely up to what baby you end up with.

What's needed is more support for BF women. Yes, for some it can be difficult to start with but that's where the support comes in. The NHS needs to stop pushing breast is best down peoples throat but failing to back up what they say with the support when it comes to it.

I find it absolutely scandalous how all these facts and figures of how amazing breast milk is are constantly drummed into expectant mothers, and then when they hit a hard time, there's no support and MW on the ward say "Maybe try him with a bottle?"

We need tongue tie clinics running more frequently, more access to feeding help. We need support groups in more areas other than middle class ones. My local area is very poverty stricken but luckily enough, that somehow means there's extra funding for these things where I am.

I cannot begin to image what that does to someone's self esteem. Plenty feel like they've failed.

Very few women actually can't breastfeed though.

But plenty are left unsupported and let down by health professionals, family and loved ones.

I agree with a lot of what minifingerz has said.
I know it doesn't mean that women who are struggling will automatically be able to do it but that doesn't mean we shouldn't talk about it! I honestly think the rates are so low because women don't want to breastfeed. It's as simple as that. Like someone said previously about raising babies in a Victorian fashion 'strict routine, own rooms asap etc etc' just doesn't go along with the breastfed baby. Breastfed babies aren't as predictable and don't fit in with our lives as easy. We want our babies to learn to be independent from stupidly early ages in this country.
I think that women that try to bf but can't are lower in number than women who simply don't want to. And we will all differ in opinion on whether that's a good or bad thing.
Most women I know ff. And the women I know that bf (my mother and grandmother) are both convinced their supply ran out at 5 months. Did it really or did they just night wean us which impacted supply?

Women who try and struggled are lumped in with women who don't want to and are given lectures. Since when has lecturing helped someone struggling?

Cluster feeding is great. You can watch an entire series on Netflix in one sitting (literally)
No offence, but that just shows how individuals see situations differently, because that sounds absolutely crap to me.

Thanks for that info.. i stopped taking folic acid very early on in my pregnancy as i realised it was irrelevent to mine or the baby's health as it is mot the format of folate we can use properly. So I ate more vegetables with folate in and lied to the baby father's mother that i had been taking my folic acid (!) .. same with vitamin (its actually a hormone) D drops post birth ... i just make sure we get plenty of sunshine.......

Incidentally, i cannot imagine life with my daughter without the breastfeeding journey we are on. She is 9 months old and by 6 months had gone from 9th to 90th centile as EBF. But i feed her on the go everywhere in the ergobaby. .

At 6 weeks we were in hospital for a UTI she had .. it was a shame how many staff who came into our room were embarrassed of my breastfeeding. When i went back to see the doc there, a nurse tried to usher me into a side room. When I realised it was because she was embarrassed I insisted that I was quite fine where I was in the corridor!

Oh the teeth thing is a none issue.. irrelevent to the latch.

Thank God for the internet when I first experienced cluster feeding ... was nice to have the solidarity.

Luckily my GP sister fed her two DCs till they chose to self wean .. one till his 6th birthday (i agree it is more appropriate to human dns than cow's milk) and the other still hs occasional feeds at 4.

I plan to go as long as my daughter feels she requires it.

There is nothing like the love bonding / oxytocin surge that comes with bf. And i dont mind the nightfeeding - we cosleep (and cobathe at that .. another lovely place to nurse) - and not only that, but inam not rushing the return of my periods .. quite enjoying the break. It's true by 9 months, she feeds a lot less in the day. But when that happens, she does make up for it with a good old cluster session at night!! I will miss it when she doesn't nurse anymore.

And also, La Leche Leaugue. They are a wonderful group and in many countries. A great source of support.

I have a good friend who tried bf at first bit her baby was not thriving till ff . Said froend was just too self conscious about the size of her boobies .. so she wouldn't feel comfortable nursing in public. She also would be surprised at how mich her daughter wanted to be at her breast. I tried to encourage her but her daughter was happier with the bottle as she simply wasn't being fed enough.

I have fed my daughter on demand. I thank God for the carrier as it means my goings to and from anywhere have not been inhibited and it leaves me hands free...

I am so glad bf is working for us and feel lucky and blessed. I had small boobies before giving birth so had made no assumptions and had said i'll try but if it doesn't work i'll ff. but then i researched what formula is made of.. that made me now conclude i will bf her as long as she requests it......

Thank God for our bodies, boobies and babies. Mammary glands rock.

There is terrible stigma with breastmilk being dirty though. My father cut himself and i offered to squeeze (into a cup) some breastmilk for him to apply. He related it to pissing on a wound! Thanks dad : /// !!!!!

I am grateful my baby father's mother told me the pain would pass.

Her mouth was small when born and to get the latch i would say ,'big ahh' and she would hold moith agape and go 'ahhh' and then latch. It was painful to tears in that first month, but it was true, the pain passed and it became the sweetest thing ever. I was actually sad after about 3 months when she stopped saying 'ahh' after 'big ahh' as she didnt need to hold her mouth so wide agape anymore - she had come of age.

More people need to breastfeed everywhere so it looks more normal.

And welcome new baby cards never have breasts on them - just bottles - what does that do for the psyche of new mums? !!!!!!

Wish people did have more immediate support when needed. My sister is in a practice with about 10 other GPs but she is the only one to promote breastfeeding. My own GP at the 8 week review was surprised how strong my baby was just on breast milk. Oh dear! ..........

Hear hear

It needs to be made feel something that isn't embarrassing

I'm breast feeding my second baby and I absolutely love it not so happy about my squint boobs but I love it, done it with my first until she was 1 and I plan to do the same.

I was embarrassed around friends at first since they only have known bottle feeding but I got over it.

I'm 22 and I know I'm in a very low minority feeding my baby my friends sort of looked disgusted at me when I said it. I was 20 with my first baby and in those two years I'd say people have became more accepting or at least people I know have.

My heath visitor was very very supportive with it and there's a few local clubs she did say I would be the youngest there though.

Tv shoes should make it much more common. Every tv show I've seen the baby is born then given a bottle.

I have no idea how anyone could find boobs disgusting when feeding a child. They are a body part that's it. It's very confusing to me.

How about including the fathers? They are obviously completely excluded from breastfeeding, however for some families it works much better for both parents to be able to feed their child - going back to work, general need for bodily freedom, or whatever - Mothers now have more options, and expressing can be very tying and impractical.

To be fair it is bloody hard to get started! I think people who’ve fed for a long time may forget that. I fed DS to 16 months and thought my 2nd would be simple. Instead I’m trying to get my tiny floppy 4 day old to open her mouth wide enough and stay awake long enough - and I’m afraid that ‘say big ahh’ doesn’t reflexively make her do a lovely big gape! It’s then agonising when she latches and mete uncomfortable after that if the latch is good and painful if it’s bad. It’s 4am, I’m tired, I can totally see why people give a bottle! It will be a few weeks and even then every feed and every night will be on me for over a year, even once I’m back at work. Exhausting.

I didn't want to breastfeed, end of.

Partly because my boobs are already 34H and I'd rather have died than risk them getting any bigger.

Also I was damn sure that there was no possible way I was doing night feeds alone while my husband happily snored away beside me. Nope - DD is 50% his, he can damn well do 50% of the work.

Also I'd never have breastfed in public - I don't care that it's perfectly normal and natural (which of course it is, and I have no issue with women doing this) but I would just never have done it myself.

DD was exclusively FF from the day she was born and is a happy healthy almost 7 year old. Fed is best, whatever form that takes

The father should be nourishing the nourisher... imho . But many pillock partners cannot see that this is a noble cause

Totally agree that it's every woman's choice.

However, a couple of points... responsibilities can be shared equally without having to split each task 50/50. Also breasts change size because of pregnancy, not breastfeeding. And, "fed is best" is such an odd phrase. It depends what they're being fed, clearly. Solid food from 8 weeks alongside cows milk is not best, for example. Formula is nutritionally complete and safe, and is the only suitably alternative if you choose not to breastfeed, or find you can't. But it isn't the same as breastmilk,and won't ever be.