Terrible breastfeeding advice threads - AIBU to think MN needs to do more to reduce harm

[Manamala]

Breastfeeding misinformation is so rampant on here - anecdotal evidence and inappropriate advice which can be really harmful to a BF journey is dished out willy nilly.

On DV and MH threads Mumsnet HQ will post offfical links etc. recommending professional support, shouldn't they do this on BF threads?

Mumsnet is a trusted source of information for so many new mums and there are such serious health implications from bad advice.

Anecdotal evidence might help as, guess what, all babies are different and the ‘right way’ doesn’t work for them all. You sound obsessed with breastfeeding. I was advised to top up by the breastfeeding team and the neonatal dietician. There’s nothing wrong with top ups of formula.

There should be the same for medical advice in general. So many threads of "I am taking x medication, experiences??" that cause people to stop prescribed treatment plans.

The General Health topic has the following notice-

Mumsnet hasn't checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you have medical concerns, please seek medical attention; if you think your problem could be acute, do so immediately. Even qualified doctors can't diagnose over the internet, so do bear that in mind when seeking or giving advice.

But that doesn't help if people post their urgent medical enquiry in AIBU 'for traffic'.

I have had invaluable BF advice on here that wasn't the "approved" way of doing things and went on to feed DD1 for 2 years. I trust women and don't think we need to nanny them. Often when "wrong" info is posted on here, other posters debunk it, whereas if I encountered that same bad advice "in the wild", I wouldn't necessarily have millions of other more knowledgable women at my side telling me it was wrong. Censoring discussions on this stuff is unhelpful.

Honestly I avoid BFing threads these days as some of them were quite painful to me when I didn't manage to BF DS. However anything dangerous should be reported to MN. As with all threads.

What’s wrong with KellyMom?

What is the dangerous advice you’ve seen?

MNHQ do an amazing job of keeping people safe on here. I guess an appropriate thing they could do is to add a warning to the topic page similar to the General Health one @Sparklingbrook highlighted, this is also on topics like Children’s Health which infant feeding is part of.

At the moment there is only a link to monetised pump recommendations which I think is questionable.

There are also MNHQ posts on some threads with resources e.g. DV or MH support. Couldn’t they do the same if a breastfeeding thread seemed particularly complex/heated/featured concerns about a baby’s weight or nappy output. Some signposting to the National Breastfeeding Helpline, some evidence-based resources and a pointer that face to face support is crucial most areas have free local breastfeeding support. Many people don’t seem to know about these groups.

Most of the harmful advice I am thinking of is not because that particular practice is harmful in itself, but it’s inappropriate for that situation.

Sometimes it is people trying to convince a mum there is no problem when there is a problem:

e.g.

• don’t wake a sleeping baby to feed them
• the baby doesn’t need top-ups
• pain is normal, grit your teeth
• feeding for 1hr+ without stopping is normal cluster feeding (feeding on and off for hours, yes that’s normal, but over 40mins with no gap suggests inefficient milk transfer)

Or, the inverse - creating problems and anxiety when there are none

• the baby needs to be woken for a feed
• the baby needs top-ups
• hindmilk/foremilk misconceptions
• try nipple shields (when there is no pain/tongue tie/other need)
• wait for breasts to refill
• schedule feeds
• sounds like low supply (the only indicator of this is weight gain and nappy output)

Sorry posted too soon….

And why bad advice can be so harmful - at worst it can be responsible for things like:

mastitis
lowered supply
oversupply
jaundice
dehydration
faltering weight
poor mental health

So much at stake for women/babies at one of their most vulnerable points in life. Women aren't stupid but surely a disclaimer and some signposting couldn’t hurt.

Yes absolutely true and very well put.

Couldn’t have said it better myself, I think we’re probably in the minority though.
i didn’t see that thread, how heartbreaking for that poor baby that it’s mother placed more importance on her method of feeding than the baby’s literal health and life. This kind of crap never ceases to amaze me.

I always see posts saying that drinking large amounts of alcohol is fine whilst breastfeeding and the you would need to be absolutely paralytic drink before it made any sort do effect. But after doing my own research this seems to very much not be the case and it’s actually 1 unit per day is actually the recommended amount!

I have never seen this once on MN.

I’ve never seen any dangerous cosleeping advice. Can you give an example of the type of thing you have seen?

@40andfit

A the posts telling women to bedshare and that it's safe?

There was even one a few weeks ago advising couch sleeping!

I’ve seen it numerous times as far back as when I had my first 8 years ago and recently with my second. Seems to be a mumsnet myth.

The cluster feeding thing drives me potty, makes me so frustrated to see women advised that having a newborn feeding at their breast without breaks for literally hours is totally normal….I just want to scream that the baby is bloody starving and it’s not getting enough milk!!! Give baby a formula top up for goodness sake.
Although I think The misplaced importance of exclusively breastfeeding is what ultimately drives women to do these things, it’s-a societal pressure and there should be more education about the fact that formula is exactly equal. And that’s coming from someone who BF for a long time.

Me too! I know cluster feeding is a ‘thing’, but feeding that goes on for many hours?! Think of all the energy their little bodies are using just trying to get enough milk. It’s almost cruel to let them spend that long trying.

Exactly, imagine how frustrated you’d be if you were trying to eat but couldn’t get anything in your mouth even when you’re starving. It really saddens me that women feel the need to keep battling on no matter what, giving a formula top up or a bottle of formula a day will not ruin breastfeeding, itv won’t make baby grow up with a low IQ or psychopathic traits or increase its risk Is cancer, feed your baby ffs.

Where on earth did you do your “research”?

The alcohol content of breast milk would not exceed 0.1-0.2% even after a good few units. That’s enough to be classed as “alcohol free”.

I’d trust physiology over “recommendations” any day.

My midwife 20 years ago suggested a glass of wine before BF in order to relax as I was finding it very hard.

A baby at the breast for hours isn't necessarily feeding though, they fall asleep and suck for comfort. So not frustrated in that case. And this is the issue. Every women's experience of breastfeeding is different so advice is often not relevant for the poster and then people on here start to argue about it. Just like with any aspect of parenting.

But it’s not just about alcohol content. Alcohol consumption effects milk production, milk quality, babies sleep patterns a lot of things. Look on la leche league or nhs website. Just because you’re not getting the getting baby drink doesn’t mean you’re not still causing harm.

www.llli.org/breastfeeding-info/alcohol/

Well I wasn’t referring to a baby sleeping in between feeds or a baby using the breast as a pacifier, I’m referring to an obviously frustrated, hungry baby that isn’t getting what they need.