New Who advice on BF!!

[madhattershouse]

I found this article [[http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/jan/14/six-months-breastfeeding-babies-scientists
here].
Am a little ..what do you think. Talk about changing your mind!

What are we to DO about this? This constitutes the worst barrage of misinformation about breastfeeding in several years. People on my NCT bfc discussion board are already being bombarded by queries from worried parents. Is mumsnet prepared to make a big statement on the woeful misreporting of this? It just feels like we're left sticking a finger in the dyke to attempt to stop a flood of misinformation. How can bfcs compete with shite on The Wright Stuff, ffs?

Well I think you will find that increasing numbers of mothers following EBF has in fact caused the global recession (and swine flu).

Both occurred at the same time didnt they

All the major sources... BFI, Milk Action, RCM have all put out statements against it now. Doing a good job.

Nothing has changed should be the message.

stealth, I'm sure borderline anaemia would not cause any issues, after all it'a one of the reasons they monitor your iron levels and offer suppplements if required.

they ha a woman on R5 thos morning, no idea who she was but shw was spouting the usual crap about "my babies were all over 9lb so I struggled to bf them" demand feeding was all wrong apparently, and all babies should be sleeping through at 5 weeks, no need to night feed after that. sadly I was in a rush (ironically to go to my peer supporters course) so didn't have time to ring or email in to complain.

Oh AAAAAAAAARGH!!!

"Breast is NOT best" read the headline in one paper (I saw over someone's shoulder) today.

I agree with reshapewhiledamp ...what can we do?

And the bbc too...

i feel like crying with frustration

am debating whether to just avoid all media for the next few days for the sake of my blood pressure

theborrower the lady with the grey hair is a midwife but hasn't practiced for years. she specialises in helping women breastfeed (and weaning at 3/4 months if they aren't sleeping through ) and is a private hire breastfeeding 'specialist' so to speak, in south west london. she has written a book

other one defo a midwife i think...

the whole thing is bonkers

this woman

yes, the stuff I heard was along the lines of "breast is not best in all cases" too

All I take away from this at the moment is that lots of our media reporting is sensationalist, irresponsible or ignorant and sometimes all three.

This shoddy reporting is now going to be misunderstood by people without the time, inclination or ability to look up the evidence and abused by companies with an interest in pushing processed baby foods.

Sorry, meant to say thanks tiktok for the clarification - presumably my MW thought that too, which makes me feel better
(not sick, as I do every time I look at another tin of butter beans)

I also LOLed at your use of the word 'irony' in that sentence - perfect irony :o

My aunt (who has been trotting out "just get him on a bottle, so much easier" for weeks now) has just texted to say "see, I told you you should be giving him rusks with his milk now". DS is 11 weeks old!! I can't believe the irresponsible journalism on this issue.

So what do I do now? (Obviously not give him rusks!) I was determined to wait until 6 months before introducing any solids - I assume I should still do so?

Just when you think the advice is unanimous on something and you start to feel confident you're doing the right thing...

The advice has not changed - why would it?

The current advice is based on the WHO systematic review, re-assessed in 2009 as still current.

The paper under discussion is basically a suggestion that further research take place to bring in further research. The authors speculate this might reveal some infants might benefit from solids before 6 mths.

They certainly don't suggest it will be found that very young babies (under 4 calendar months) can benefit from them. Rusks for an 11 week old would be unsafe and certainly unnecessary.

www.nhs.uk/news/2011/01January/Pages/call-for-breastfeeding-advice-to-be-re-examined.aspx is a good link. It explains the media fuss and gives a sensible overview.

No one needs to think they have any justification for telling mothers anything except current guidance - for most babies, solids at around the age of 6 mths meets their needs with no benefit in offering them earlier.

Nothing has changed.

Just looked at the links to newspaper headlines at the bottom of that NHS news piece

Can the newspapers really get away with this harmful crap? (am sure it's not the first time they've woefully and irresponsibly misreported a story, but still...)

RubyBuckleberry you mean the labels weren't wrong?

don't think so :(

I wonder if we scientists can sue news sources which misrepresent our work? Happens to me all the time tho never as horrendous in impact as this.

No one should be allowed to discuss research publically without a science degree and reading the original paper... (and I don't know how much I'm joking!)

Wondering why so many people are so eager to immediately jump on the first occasion to prove that EBF is wrong, even if it is at the price of cheap misinformation & manipulation of words... I suspect some kind of guilt somewhere but I won't say more.

Peppapig (love your nickname btw) - I had a good laugh at your comment on BF causing the recession! :D :D