Breastfeeding rates in the UK

[Faerie87]

It’s just that really, been reading up a lot on this recently and the statics show that our rates are not as good as other countries, so what is it that other countries do differently?

I currently feed my LG a combination of breast milk and formula, I express for her, unfortunately I was never able to get her to latch properly but would have loved to have been able to feed her directly. I know this can be quite an emotive subject so I thought I would share my experience to show I’m not in one camp or the other regarding this, I’m just curious to find out what is the general consensus on why the Uk does have low breast feeding rates?

I think it’s nice to share experiences of feeding baby’s whether it be formula feeding or breast feeding, and for those ladies who have tried to breast feed but not continued what made you stop? And if you were to have another baby would you do anything differently?

Ok @Lethaldrizzle we get the point. You had no trouble breastfeeding. Here is a round of applause for you 👏👏👏

LethalDrizzle You seem to have had an empathy bypass.

@Lethaldrizzle
using lack of support as a reason is not enough

Wait... do you mean

A) "lack of support" is one legitimate reason people fail at BF, but there are others such as simply choosing not to,

Or

B) "lack of support" is not the full reason people give up on BF. Are you suggesting that those citing lack of support also have other factors involved in their giving up, like not really wanting to enough?

Many women don't breast feed because they don't want to

Indeed. And those people aren’t the ones who cite a lack of support as an issue.

I breastfed easily. I was fortunate that I didn’t need support. I trained as a breastfeeding peer supporter and have helped people who couldn’t access any other support who wanted to breastfeed.

It’s such a bizarre viewpoint “I didn’t need support therefore it isn’t an issue for anyone else”.

Many women don't breast feed because they don't want to

True. About 80% of women who stop breastfeeding in the first 6 weeks do not wish to do so, though. Those women clearly are suffering as a direct result of lack of support / investment, societal attitudes and/or other pressures. Those are the 80% who deserve better from healthcare professionals.

Support needs to be real support for the whole mother/ baby relationship - not breastfeed at all costs.

I have hyperemesis, lost A LOT of weight and clearly didn't have enough fat/ nutrients to produce decent breastmilk. I followed all the advice, saw HV and consultants, went to all the groups. Everyone said to just keep going, change latch, nipple shields etc etc. I looked extremely unwell from the pregnancy and everyone had details on it. You don't tell people who have broken a foot to keep running a marathon. Formula or at least topping up isn't a crazy suggestion. That would have been real support.

It does make me slightly mad seeing all the talk about BFing rates as it really puts the pressure on Mums like me to keep going to build up the statistics, when in fact it may not be best for your family. I was asked constantly if I was BFing even over the age of 2.

The people I know how quit breastfeeding, did so as it was impossible to get things done with a baby attached to you constantly.

No judgement from me, I disliked (and still do 9 months in!) breastfeeding. I’d have quit months ago if I could.

Although with my first I desperately wanted to, but felt I had no support or encouragement, I didn’t have a clue what to do and no one to help me. The hospital gave her a bottle before I’d even held her.

I also didn't need any support from
HCPs lethaldrizzle - and I think you're being an arse. You and I are lucky, not virtuous, that it came easily to us, and it means we're in no position to judge women who had different experiences. I have no idea whether I'd have persevered if it hadn't been so relatively easy for me, and nor do you.

I found the nhs health visitor unhelpful, but I did NCT and we were shown how to get ds to latch on during the last couple of classes. Thankfully ds knew what he was doing.

However, when the GP treated ds for thrush in his mouth, she didn’t bother to tell me I would also have it. Stupid woman. I was in pain for weeks until our local cow man told me why, and to go back to the surgery & complain.

We managed 6 months ebf and some breast until 18 months. My family were generally supportive

lethaldrizzle what unhelpful comments. I wanted to feed. I tried to feed. I became physically and mentally ill trying to feed (actually I had plenty of milk). Breastfeeding was more painful than childbirth and I had a posterior baby. Childbirth lasted 8 hours. At 8 weeks I was a husk of my former self and 7lb lighter than the week I fell pregnant.

I needed an hcp to tell me it was ok to stop. They didn't.

Hope you have a cuppa ready because here's a biscuit

Lethaldrizzle what do you think would help if not support?

@SnuggyBuggy am awaiting "wanting to succeed at BF more", "wanting the best for your children" in response.

Yes to those talking about holistic support. This is such a multifaceted issue that it if we want more woman to breastfeed we have to have sustainable multifactorial solutions.
I agree suitably trained hcp’s is a biggie but so are the breastfeeding mafia who are anti bottles/dummies etc.

At no point did I judge women who can't. From what I read on these threads it's not about people who can't, it's about people not wanting to for all the various reasons cited.

On earth you did get that from story after story of women in pain, being given actively harmful advice, finding their supply either dropping or not coming in properly, etc.? I think we all agree that in some of these cases women who found themselves physically unable to breastfeed might have been able to do so with more support, but that doesn't make it a won't rather than a can't.

AprilSpring You said I agree suitably trained hcp’s is a biggie but so are the breastfeeding mafia who are anti bottles/dummies etc.

And that’s where it all becomes tricky. Giving a young baby a bottle or a dummy increases the chances that breastfeeding will cease. The mechanisms involved are very individual - so for some young babies it will make no difference at all, and for some they will quickly develop a preference for the shallower latch and easier suck on a bottle / dummy. That means breastfeeding can become painful for the mum and / or the baby loses their ability to transfer milk efficiently.

I can see how it comes across as ‘breastapo’, but on the other hand I don’t think it’s fair to avoid telling women who are saying they want to breastfeed that what they’re planning to do (bottle or dummy) increases the risk of not being able to continue breastfeeding. I think it’s really important that mums are able to make an informed choice. And that’s where better-trained HCPs comes in - there’s a lot of rubbishing breastfeeding information out there.

I think there is definitely a lack of trust with breastfeeding advice and also recommendations for bottle preparation. I'd like to see some balanced information on the risks of nipple confusion and bottle refusal.

SnuggyBuggy I completely agree - because the whole thing is a balance. For one mum, continuing without using a dummy or bottles may be what she wants to do, and she rates the issue of bottle refusal fairly low in her priorities. For another, she may well be happy to take the risk of breastfeeding ending in order to be able to give a bottle, because the baby taking a bottle is a priority for her.

What I feel strongly about is that women get the information to balance those risks and make the decision that is right for them. Plus advice on when introducing a bottle / dummy is least likely to cause problems.

As the thread shows, there can be a lot of pressure on women to do what suits their DH or their mum or their m-i-l. I think that good breastfeeding advice helps the mum to work out what she wants, and what she thinks will work best for her baby and her family.

Yes, when I was thinking about giving DS a bottle from quite early HCPs were all full of doom laden advice about nipple confusion, while everyone I knew in real life (and the advice I got on MN) was adamant that bottle refusal is much more likely. I found it really hard to find consistent or evidenced advice on when best to try a bottle, which I felt I really needed to do for when I go back to work. The head of infant feeding at the hospital said not to worry and that my DH could just teach him to have all his feeds out of a sippy cup when I go back (he'll only just have started weaning so I assume will still be living almost entirely off milk), which at the time sounded like dubious advice and now I've spent more time with babies seems obviously mad!

I've never in my life come across a nipple confused baby. And I've known lots of bottle refusers. So I've always suspected that nipple confusion is much less of an issue than it's made out to be.

However, bottle refusing is common even in those babies who took bottles in the early days, so there seems no way of guaranteeing against it.

Should have added DS1 loved solids from the get go, so by the time I left him with the nanny (8 months) I was much less worried about it.

He'd bf morning and evening, drink a bit from a sippy cup during the day and way generally fine. However id have been much more worried about a baby who was less established on solids.

For me I think it's simply lack of support.

I wanted to BF DD1. First night in hospital after a traumatic labour and emergency c section, I was struggling to get her to it h, DD was screaming and I couldn't really move yet. Called the MW and explained, she simply brought me a bottle and said 'here, try this'. In my desperation I took it and that was that.

I did combi feed for 6 weeks but my flow was already disrupted so gave up in the end. Have not BF DD2 and am not planning on BF my third child (due this month) either, simply because I know the support isn't there and it's just too difficult.

Yes, I know there are no guarantees that DS will keep taking a bottle and there are downsides, as I said upthread I find the daily, technically unnecessary, expressing a right faff. However, I do think that if I'd put off offering a bottle as long as I was told to the odds of him refusing it from the off would have been much higher.

Because HCP's are being mentioned, as expected, I just wanted to jump in. As a (now former) midwife, I spent so much time helping women with feeding and it is such a fine line between supporting and encouraging breastfeeding and reassuring, and feeling like you're pushing something. I tried really hard to be hyper aware of any signs of Mum especially not wanting to breastfeed actually, or that she was looking for something more. It's an incredibly fine line because I don't want to be the one to suggest formula or topping up as I know that can be seen as pushing or disempowering and I never wanted to be that midwife, and I've seen others totally destroy breastfeeding confidence or completely disagree and say the opposite of what I'd been saying and encouraging once I'd handed over.

From this thread, it seems a lot of women were looking for their HCP to validate or 'give permission' to stop BF/give formula/mix feed. I would ask why? Why does my opinion as a midwife you'll likely never see again matter at all? It's YOUR baby! Which I think our terrible PN care doesnt set women up to own and feel confident in.

I also thought that the advice from the infant feeding head, my own antenatal midwife and my health visitor all came pretty close to telling me to stop being selfish and to ditch the shared parental leave nonsense so that the bottle wouldn't be necessary - which felt a bit ironic as the government's advert for shared parental leave was one of the three played on constant loop in my local maternity unit!