Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Infant feeding

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

Original poster

Health visitor rang today...

104 replies

TimeWasting · 05/12/2011 21:48

She was really surprised we were still exclusively breastfeeding at 7 weeks.
Pleased sounding, but clearly shocked.

I'm beginning to think she didn't worry about DD weight gain as this would clearly pick up when I put her on the bottle. Grin
Maybe she'll start harassing me now.

Weirdly she remembered exactly how long DH had been working away when I saw her couple weeks ago, but has forgotten that DS was bf and never had a bottle.
People are funny.

OP posts:
bushymcbush · 05/12/2011 21:55

Such a sad testimony to how few people really do manage to breastfeed beyond the first few weeks. Sad

Why oh why oh why is there so much marketing and yet so little practical support for this??? Really makes me Angry

LittleWaveyLines · 05/12/2011 22:23

Slight hijack, but what are the breastfeeding rates currently? Is it really that bad? My NCT antenatal group has a 63% EBF rate at 6 months......

Original poster
TimeWasting · 05/12/2011 22:24

We're a particularly low bf area.

Realised I wasn't clear, DD is 7 weeks, but she knew that DS, now 3 had never had a bottle. And was shocked at that when I told her.
...does not compute...does not compute...

OP posts:
YankNCock · 05/12/2011 22:25

Yay Wasting! I don't have to tell you to ignore any harassment from this HV. Grin

Original poster
TimeWasting · 05/12/2011 22:26

We only have around 50-60% initiating bf here iirc, let alone still bf at 6months.

NCT is a self selecting group, not representative of whole population.

OP posts:
LittleWaveyLines · 05/12/2011 22:27

Ah I get it now! Yes, her brain was definitely on idle mode I think in that case! Grin

ATruthFestivelyAcknowledged · 05/12/2011 22:28

LWL - your group must have been lucky. I'm the only one of five women in our group to still be breastfeeding. In fact, none of the others made it past three days.

Original poster
TimeWasting · 05/12/2011 22:28

Hey Yank! I get the feeling she's going to have a few Confused faces from me when we see her in the future.

OP posts:
LittleWaveyLines · 05/12/2011 22:32

Only three days! Shock

I give credit to Mumsnet not luck though - I really struggled (NCT breastfeeding class made it all sound soooooo easy and didn't mention cracked nipples, difficulties in latching etc, neither did midwives) this forum gave me loads of advice and links for exaggerated latching etc, which I then shared with the rest of my group. No idea how many would have continued otherwise though...

Original poster
TimeWasting · 05/12/2011 22:35

Well done for spreading the knowledge. Mumsnet is the one breastfeeding essential all new mothers need, no doubt.

OP posts:
Alibabaandthe80nappies · 05/12/2011 22:46

Well done Wasting!

You know all the stuff about weight gain, blah blah. If you're happy then all is well.

I had to take DS2 - now 8 months! - to the Drs today, and it wasn't my usual GP.
Dr said 'How is he eating? Is he taking his bottles ok?
Me 'He doesn't have bottles'
Dr Shock 'Oh but he still needs milk, he is only little'
Me 'Yes I know, he's breastfed'
Dr 'Oh. Oh, well done!'

Grin
Original poster
TimeWasting · 05/12/2011 22:53
Grin

8 months! Shock Time flies.

OP posts:
stegasaurus · 05/12/2011 23:09

My HV seemed amazed that DD was still breastfed at 6 months and then told me I would have to stop soon as she will have teeth! They also didn't seem to get it when I took her to A&E (at a children's hospital). The nurse asked if I had any of her usual milk with me and I said well, yes because she is breastfed. She said 'what? just breastfed?' like this was incredible. I explained that she has water with meals but doesn't have formula milk or bottles but felt like this was an entirely alien concept.
I don't know what percentage of women around here breastfeed to 6 months and don't have an NCT group to compare, but I am guessing not many from my HV's reaction. She certainly gave the impression she rarely comes across EBF almost 6 month old babies.

Debs75 · 05/12/2011 23:17

We have a really low uptake of breastfeeding in our area. All the MW's and HV's are told to encourage breastfeeding but most of them don't have the time and a lot of them push formula quite quickly. IMO it is so they don't have to keep coming back to check on weight every week and can sign you off quicker when baby piles on weight at 'an acceptable rate'

I had DD2's 2 year check last year and I told the nurse I was still breastfeeding her and she was very shocked, she doesn't usually see babies past 6 months still being breastfed. She thinks it is down to how the 'breastfeed exclusively to 6 months' is worded and therefore what mum's think it means

nannyl · 06/12/2011 09:09

8/10 of our nct group are BFing at 3 months, and 1/10 was had a poorly baby and told by consultant in scbu not to express anymore other wise im sure she would be.

out of the 12 babies i know born at the same time as mine (3months ago) 10/12 BF and 5/12 are in cloth nappies!

at the baby massage group run by our drs surgary 5/8 were BFing.... one lady (a BFing counsellor) had EBF her baby who at 10 weeks was already 8.2kg, and who was over 11lb at birth! Shock

Original poster
TimeWasting · 06/12/2011 09:43

Good to hear about all the bfers, especially here in the North. Grin

Not sure I know anyone who fed past two years, apart from one lass who actually tandem-fed. I was Shock Grin Shock Grin when I found out, made me so happy. I'd begun to think it was MN mythology. Grin

OP posts:
mrsalwaysawake · 06/12/2011 15:57

Of the 7 in our NCT group, I think I'm the only one still exclusively BF at 4 months. 1 on formula for health reasons, 2 through choice, the others mixed feed.
They aren't very local though, and the only mums I know who are local, I know from a BF support group! So not sure what the rates are around here. Don't imagine terribly high, as people always seem impressed that I'm still BF, especially as DS is 91st centile!
What they don't know is, he doesn't like bottles, so even if I wanted to stop, I couldn't!

YankNCock · 06/12/2011 17:10

Out of our NCT group (6), I think I was the only one who fed past 6 months. In my other cobbled-together baby group (10-12 of us), all but 1 breastfed, and most made it to 6 months but had stopped by 1 year. Only one other lady and I carried on past a year, and she stopped at 14 months.

My childminder is still feeding her 2 1/2 yo and I'm still feeding DS who is 2.3--we are just grateful to have one other person who's still doing it. Everyone else makes you feel like the local weirdo. Grin

LittleWaveyLines, know what you mean about the NCT breastfeeding class, ours was very overly optimistic, would have liked more discussion about potential problems, and just the fact that it can HURT even if you're not doing anything wrong!

mrsalwaysawake · 06/12/2011 17:44

Totally agree that the NCT breastfeeding class was far too positive! No discussion of problems (even though I specifically asked for this), so we were all very surprised that you don't just point baby at booby and live happily ever after!

Gigondas · 06/12/2011 17:47

Mrsalways agree- I don't mind positive but wasn't that practical either. Got far more from our nct leader who also had a baby around same time.

kickingking · 06/12/2011 17:50

I had similar. Took DS for his six weeks check, was asked by doctor if I was breastfeeding at all. I said yes. He asked how much, slightly surprised. I said all breastmilk. He was Shock and Smile "well done! Six weeks! That's amazing!"

Sad, innit?

nannyl · 06/12/2011 17:57

completely agree that people should be told that in the early days it is exceptionaly painful even if you are doing it right

NOTHING prepared me for the pain of those 1st few weeks, as everything says it wont hurt.... well i dont think i know a single person who hasnt found it unbearable in the early days...

tiktok · 06/12/2011 18:14

Oh dear....not this old chestnut :( :( The idea that pain is inevitable stops women from seeking help with it because they think they have to put up with it :(

Pain with bf is not inevitable. It's very common - but it is not inevitable.

Different things can cause pain but they do tend to come down to the baby having difficulty in positioning and attaching well: tongue tie may interfere with the baby's positioning and attaching; the baby may be sleepy; the mother may need to adjust her hold or the way she is sitting/lying.

If it hurts then get some help.

tiktok · 06/12/2011 18:15

And I know loads and loads of people who did not find it unbearable in the early days! :)

zimm · 06/12/2011 19:00

Out of my small NCT group of five, three bf until eight months and myself one other still going at sixteen months. I think they see us as one of their success stories, even though the bf sessions were utterly dreadful and led to me doing a number of thongs wrong with dd and being readmittedSad!

Swipe left for the next trending thread