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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

Unhelpful things you have heard health professionals say...

58 replies

FeelLikeTweedleDee · 09/10/2010 18:22

What unhelpful/misguided things have you heard so-called 'health professionals' say regarding breastfeeding/formula feeding?

Here's a few from my experience:

Midwife: "There's no nutritional benefit to BFing after 6 months. Mothers who chose to BF after that time are doing so just for bonding".

Breastfeeding counsellor: (after only getting 5mls out of my left breast with the pump) "Your left breast has completely dried up. You must pump at least every 3 hours. We'll try to bring the supply back".

Above breastfeeding counsellor: "Breastfeeding isn't the end of the world anyway".

A different breastfeeding counsellor: "I wouldn't bother using your hands to express after pumping. The pump should get all the milk out".

GP: "Formula is more nutritious." (don't get me started on this particular GP).

OP posts:
virgo1979 · 09/10/2010 20:20

Love the first rule of breast feeding. Haha.

phipps · 09/10/2010 20:22

When I was breast feeding my newborn most times she came round (health visitor) - you shouldn't feed him so much.

Original poster
FeelLikeTweedleDee · 09/10/2010 20:23

wastingaway - that is so common. Who on earth trained these professionals to think the breastpump is an accurate indicator of supply?? Seriously, was it once in their training?

Ditto to Woodlands' comment.

DanceInTheDark - wow that's disgusting. What did you say/do?

OP posts:
AKMD · 09/10/2010 20:33

Midwife: "If you don't give your baby formula he will be brain damaged." Erm, he seems perfectly ok to me 7 months later!

wastingaway · 09/10/2010 20:35

FeelLikeTweedleDee, I was steaming, as I'd been all over these boards looking for help and knew it was bullshit.
Thing is he was youngish SHO(? knowledge of NHS gleaned from Holby City Blush lower than the Registrar anyway) so goodness knows where he got it from. Hearsay from older Paeds or nurses probably, they don't actually get breastfeeding training do they?

I ended up screeching at the nurse, as we shouldn't even have been there.
I couldn't feed in the chairs they had, and it was the 4th time he got weighed that week. Angry

marzipananimal · 09/10/2010 20:47

a woman in my area with mastitis was told by GP NOT to feed of the affected breast. she got an abscess and had to stop bf :(

AppleAndBlackberry · 09/10/2010 20:53

From a nurse in SCBU about my 4 day old baby - "You only need to feed for 10 minutes each side, after that it's just comfort sucking". Another nurse was amazing though, I couldn't quite believe they were being paid to do the same job.

babymutha · 09/10/2010 21:11

when having problems with a new born's weight going up and down:
HV - have you tried drinking stout - it really helps with supply? (2008 not 1908)

beccas · 09/10/2010 21:28

I've got 2

Sicky 6 wk old reflux baby losing weight, admitted to ward after continually vomiting all day... Senior House Officer said
"You'll have to top her up with formula",
to which my DH said, "What's your clinical reasoning for that?, to which she shut up very sharpish. I went on to excl BF till 6 months, with reflux medicine to assist.

Health Visitor on home visit to newborn
"Clearly I don't need to worry about you dear, not like the girls in Erith" (lets say Erith is a slightly down at heel town in comparison to my middle class Conservative voting town)

mrsissue · 09/10/2010 21:31

AppleAndBlackberry that reminded me a nurse in SCBU told me not to bother BFing my DS (he was being tube fed, expressed BM and F) because he wouldn't be able to suck until 36weeks (he was born at 34weeks)

the more I read this thread the more I remember stupid things I have been told by medical profs, although there were also amazing nurses on SCBU but clearly one very stupid one.

strawberrycake · 09/10/2010 22:11

I had the opposite with my GP/ HV. I couldn't bf as ds has never latched, but pumped like a demon for weeks. It wound me up everything said 'exclusively bf' when the child wouldn't touch a breast and I was begging for help to get him to actually feed from a breast.

MrsC2010 · 09/10/2010 22:26

Oooh Beccas, I had a very similar comment from my HV the first time we met. She said it was great I was BF-ing (DD only 8 wks old so this wasn't long ago) as she was sure I ate well etc etc as she 'could just tell'...whereas 'on the estate' she tends to be more cautious about BF-ing. Hmm

She also went on to recommend that I didn't attend the baby clinic on the nearby estate as most of the mothers would be younger and single, so instead to go to the group in the leafy nearby village we used to live in...it's a 'class thing' apparently.

Not directly BF related but Confused none the less.

JetLi · 09/10/2010 22:28

Similar to BrigitBigKnickers 12m DD had loose poo's that didn't seem to want to clear up following a bit of a tummy bug. He advised eliminating dairy for a whole week "including all breastmilk as that is dairy too"

They recently laid on a big half-day BF training event for local GP's - 150 places in all.
6 GP's turned up

moajab · 09/10/2010 23:34

I was told by a MW when DS1 was 2 days old "He's a big baby, you're never going to have enough milk for him. You'll have to top him up."
I pointed out that he had slept really well the previous night and she replied "Oh do you have enough milk for him then? er no - he was 2 days old - my milk hadn't come in yet!

Bobbiesmum · 10/10/2010 00:07

When discovering my 13 month old daughter was still breastfeeding, a doctor colleague told me I would "psychologically damage her". He is now a paediatrician (god help us) and my daughter still occasionally feeds along with her 9 month old brother. I could fill this thread with shocking advice I've received re my children but won't go there!

TheGruffaloMami · 10/10/2010 00:12

HV at two week check: Are you breastfeeding?
Me:Yes, it's really going well
HV: Don't be afraid to top up with a bottle.
Me: Oh no it's going really well. I've read some really good stuff on mumsnet and kellymom
HV: well you don't want to believe everything you read on the internet (said with stewed prune face)

Same HV at 8 month check: So, how many bottles a day is he on?
Me: Hmm

Same check up..
HV: have you started on purees?
Me: No, he eats what we eat
HV: but you need to start introducing lumps
Me:I've never pureed. He eats what we eat
HV: Do you give him jars?
Me: Errr, not often
HV: Well you need to make sure he gets used to jars in case you leave him with someone who can't cook from scratch.
Thinks to myself: I'd never leave him with anyone who can't make weetabix/ toast / peel a banana.

I know she's given the same rubbish to other mothers and realy wish I had complained.

StarlightMcKenzie · 10/10/2010 00:14

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

gaelicsheep · 10/10/2010 00:24

"One bottle of formula undoes all the good of breastfeeding". A slightly over zealous interpretation of the evidence by my HV, who knew I had massive guilt issues after my first experience. The consequence was me going nearly mental over having to give a couple of bottles of formula when my DD went on nursing strike for 2 days.

Same HV when I told her I'd had to give a couple of bottles of formula - "OK, that's fine, don't worry" Hmm

ClimberChick · 10/10/2010 02:59

I was told not to feed from the affected breast by the GP when I had mastitis.

I can't recall the reason, but something along the lines of the milk not being good for her.

Just smiled and nodded, then came on MN for reassurance that she was wrong

mrsgordonfreeman · 10/10/2010 13:48

"Sometimes breastfeeding hurts."

This from a young female GP when I came to her with thrush.

She got a very strongly worded email from my midwife and I got my prescription the day afterwards.

"You need to pump for 15 minutes on each side, feed for 45 minutes each side then give the expressed milk in a bottle as a top up."

WAT

If I did that I'd never have had any sleep at all. That person got reported and taken away for "retraining."

MsKalo · 10/10/2010 14:12

I get so frustrated with some midwives who have ENCOURAGED so many women to stop bf because of niggling, yet normal, problems!aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh - some are so bloomin' useless!

faverolles · 10/10/2010 14:49

When I was in hospital after having dc3, I heard a MW telling off the woman in the bed opposite. IIRC (and this is about 5 years ago) it went something like this:

MW.Your baby's crying constantly because you've fed him too much.

Woman. But I'm bfing him

MW. (withering look) babies need to be fed every 3 hours, no more. (bearing in mind this baby was a day old!) If you feed him more than that, he'll be fat.
He's still crying because he needs changing

Woman. I've just done him

MW. Well you're doing something wrong dearie, aren't you?

Woman.(in tears now) I was just going to try feeding him more

MW. (shaking head) You haven't listened to a word I've said, have you?
Look love, this is your first baby, I can't tell you how many babies I've had experience of, so don't tell me I don't know what I'm doing.... (walked away looking pissed off)

I had a cup of tea with the poor woman later and told her to feed the baby as much as she wanted, and to ignore the horrible MW, as she really didn't know what she was talking about!
I heard later that the MW had some sort of disciplinary action, and had to do a BFing course to bring her up to date!

YunoYurbubson · 10/10/2010 14:50

On doing a rather wonky job of stitching up my 2yo's chin:

"never mind, when he's older he can grow a beard to hide it".

YunoYurbubson · 10/10/2010 14:54

Oh, it's in bf/ff - I didn't notice! Grin

janek · 10/10/2010 15:30

nurse on children's ward re feeding my 5 day old dd, who had lost more than 10% of her birthweight:

"if you feed them for longer than 10 minutes they're using up more calories feeding than they are getting"

No. You are wrong. If you were right the human race would be on the brink of extinction. Leave me alone, i feel bad enough for starving her in the first place, without you telling me i'm overworking her too...