to think Tesco baby magazine 0-3 months seems rather anti breastfeeding

[twinsplus3]

although there are some helpfull hints : cabbage leaves and drinking a glass of water whilst nursing I felt they were out waighd by the following

• Mums talk, what mums really think about feeding. Not one of the three mums interviewed managed to breast feed for as long as they set out or for 6 mths.
• The idea of keeping a food diary to find out which foods your eating which may be upseting your baby including things such as tea, chocolate and a host of veg, seems like hard work.
• That Real mums routines including a mum whos 8 week old sleeps through after a 'dream feed' seems to go against guidlines not to premote formula for under 6 mths.

-Nutrition for new mums suggested waiting for 2 mths b4 trying to lose baby waight and then cuting down to between 1500 and 1800 calories a day (this seemed very low to me given breast feeding is ment to burn up an extra 600 cals a day)

In summery I felt that the mag would encourage women to spend a fortune on breastfeeding accsessories to give it a go and then switch to formula instead, maybe Tesco intention £££££££££££££

Only if you don't like them, like me. That's why I have pies.

If you like tea and chocolate you should eat as much as you can possibly manage

Am glad nobody told DS (just turned 1 and still BFing) that he wasn't meant to like me eating chocolate and drinking tea (although I do have redbush whenever I can be bothered).

Am also in the 'BFing for longer than I thought' camp. I decided to aim for 6 months but wasn't going to beat myself up if I didn't make it, as everyone said how hard it was, but after the first few days (when I was worried he wasn't latching properly due to all the scare stories I'd heard) I found it really easy (leaking buckets in early days and now biting when teething) aside, cheap, cosy and bonding and means I can pretty much eat what I want and not put on weight - for the 1st time ever (DH is very jealous). What is there not to like?

Getting support from midwives etc makes a huge difference, as I had a lovely one (of several less good ones who came in 1st few weeks) who said 'I wish my other mothers could see how well you do that, you are doing so well!' which made me feel amazingly positive (true or not). Also I went to a BFing support group in the early days - which was great because I found another mum with a quick let down who could explain why DS only had 5-10 minute feeds when NCT woman had said to expect them to be 45-1hr and why DS had milk dribbling out of his poor baby nose when we fed lying down in bed.

... wanders off to get rest of ready made custard from fridge as just remembered I should be making sure I get enough calcium!

Re: "Pretty much everyone can feed, thats not the reason that people don't"

I am now breast feeding my baby -- it took 8 weeks 5 days for him to feed (I was counting). For 8 weeks 5 days, he refused to latch on on a regular basis - maybe half a feed, every other day until then. I attended a breast feeding clinic for two days - all day - each week - and was visited by a specialist to help. There seem to be a large number of women in the same situation.

Comments like 'pretty much everyone can feed' were the ones that nearly made me chuck it in and switch to formula. There needs to be a place, in the campaign to publicise the benefits of breastfeeding, for compassion for women who are trying but struggling. And for those who try, and whose babies will not feed from the breast.

Slightly off topic - I know

If there is lack of balance then perhaps some of us that BF should write in to Tesco magazine to share our experience and redress that balance.

Perhaps

"I loved BFing my DC. It was free, easy and meant I could take advantage of Tesco's BOGOF on giant Toblerone bars and still fit into their new range of jeggings."

Or

"BFing was so convenient, it meant I didn't have to worry if DC was hungry in the middle of Tescos I could just whip out my norks and feed him. The first time I did this was in the frozen food aisle which was a bit chilly after that I prefered the bakery aisle. Much warmer"

smeraldina, you are bfing, thereby proving my point, not disproving it. Sometimes things that are worth doing are very hard. Or sometimes easy. But, almost all women can physically breastfeed, the reason most people don't is not a physical difficulty.
Thats not a contentious argument, its a simple fact.

Just looked it up and Tesco have a market share of 30%. That is a huge reach and influence they have over impressionable parents to be and new parents.
But not that surprising that there is lack of balance, as someone else said, there is no money in promoting BFing for them.

I'm another one in the 'surprised I could feed DD for this long' group, she just turned 1 yesterday. I agree that there should be more help for women to breastfeed without making it sound like it's massively complicated. I was freaking out about what I could eat, what I could wear and where I could feed when DD was tiny (she's my first) but I found it much less complicated than that. I read so many ads and articles trying to sell me breastfeeding 'essentials' like pillows, BF tops etc etc and yet somehow I've managed to feed DD for a whole year without buying any of it

I didn't diet either, like the OP said BF burns a whole load of calories and I was back into my skinny jeans 2 months after DD was born while still consuming mammoth amounts of dairy milk.

Hey I was going to start a thread about this ages ago

Also did you notice in the sleep section Dr Miriam Stoppard is recommending controlled crying? It doesn't give a recommended age in the booklet but it is aimed at parents of 0-3 month olds!

I too am "surprised to have got this far" DD is 13 months.
I wouldn't say it was easy at first, I probably worried too much and I didn't particularly enjoy it, but after a little while it just became what I did, you know, normal.
I also know how lucky I am that I didn't have any major problems with BFing.

Just came back on mums net reading through the new posts.steaknifethroughtheh.. your suggestion is ace made me lol. The bits I posted about r actually from a mag they send out to there parenting club members, so not in there instore mag.
smeraldina I found it really hard bf DS1 in the early weeks and am feeling a bit anxiouse about going through the initial stage again when the twins arrive I found your story of persistance and determination inspiring .
sweetnitanitro how very sensiable of u not to get conned by all the bf "essentials". I bought loads with DS hardly used and for some reson have gone out and bought more crap essentials. Am looking forward to using EZ2 nurse pillow though.

I joined the Parenting Club, still get the mags, I'm saving them to make papier mache.

The whole parenting club is all about positioning Tesco as a trusted baby/child retailer for the family. Same with all the other ones. There is no way they can be impartial it isn't about helping us other than helping us to spend more money.

Get you spending your money there and you will keep spending your money there.

Ever noticed the bogof offers are seldom on own brand, rather on name brands that will be a better profit for them when you are hooked on that brand.

That really bugs me about the Boots one - their offers are feck all use to me.