What did / should your GP do to support your breastfeeding?

[FrozenNorthPole]

DH is a GP, and is starting a new job at the beginning of July in our local surgery (previously military medic with forays into NHS).

We strongly want him to be one of those doctors who has the knowledge and ability to support breastfeeding relationships rather than, as so often seems to be the case, undermining them with outdated knowledge, inappropriate prescribing or a lack of awareness of other support mechanisms to which mums can be signposted. We have 3 breastfed children ourselves so obviously he knows a fair bit about it, but I know that there are a wider range of experiences out there than we personally have experienced. We are in an area of the country in which breastfeeding incidence and duration are low compared to the national mean (not helped by local paediatrics department/HVs who push formula inappropriately).

We plan to get him on an NCT / LLL / similar course for professionals if we can find one locally.

However, what I would really like to know is: What did or should your GP do to support your breastfeeding relationship? Please share your experiences, good or bad!

I'd like my GP not to ask if the baby is 'feeding three hourly yet' (or other arbitrary routine), or to ask how much milk the baby is having at each feed, or whether the baby is sleeping through yet. IMO those sort of questions undermine breastfeeding by implying that it should be organised and regimented - they also show a lack of understanding of how bf works. I'd also like my GP not to look too surprised - or worse - at someone feeding an older baby or toddler. I do think being able to direct new mothers to a local bf group or bf counsellor could be very helpful - you could find out who is available in your area.

I wouldn't expect my GP to be actively supportive, but I would expect sympathetic prescribing if I needed any medications while breastfeeding.

For me it's comments like the following that aren't helpful:

"Oh well you're breastfeeding so it's a bit of a nuisance to give the gaviscon every time."

"Since you're breastfeeding we can't measure how much baby's getting from the 'boob'(ugh) each feed like we could with formula."

Well done your DH btw!

For me, some impartial info on combi feeding would be helpful. Also a focus on the benefits of early bf, rather than repeating the WHO mantra about needing to bf exclusively for 6mo. And I COMPLETELY disagree with the poster who made a snide point about formula being 'artificial' milk. Propaganda like that will simply undermine parents and make it less likely that those who do need to bottle feed will trust their HCP.

Also - please! - no more leaflets! I still have a stash of about 20 that I was given when I last tried to bf. It is a poor substitute for kind, practical encouragement and also a bit dismissive imo.

Each mum is different - I can only comment on my own viewpoint, which is that some bf is better than none. And that safe, hygenic FF is the only alternative option. For many women - and I include myself in this group - bf has not been part of our cultural experience growing up. Many of us don't have local family networks (common in the past) to provide back-up if bf goes wrong. It will take a few generations and significant investment into at-home support (eg, the dutch model, where an experienced maternity helper visits daily for the first few weeks) before we turn this ship around. At the moment, we are given plenty of 'permission' to bf, but precious little in the way of active support.

A great GP (and I was lucky to have one) will be an advocate for bf AND will exercise balanced judgement on its benefits. There is a significant omission in my leaflet stash - nothing on safe bottle feeding: when I gave up bf, I was told nothing like this was available. My main source of info has actually been my formula manufacturer, which doesn't seem like the most impartial source. I think combi feeding would give me the confidence to try bf again and extend the length of time I can do it. I intend to try this when I give birth in Nov. It would be great if I can access info on this from my HCPs. If not, I guess I'll have to resort to internet searches and hear-say, just like before. If we employ some of the ideas listed here, we really will be operating a two-tier NHS, with women in less affluent areas getting a raw deal.

I'm with Easterbaby personally. I'd like my GP to be non judgemental, supportive of my decisions and not to push breastfeeding as the be-all and end-all.

Yes but where IS the non-judgemental support for women who either cannot BF, choose not to, or who choose to mix feed?
The NHS is wrong to not offer support and correct advice on these issues as well as advising on the benefits of BF.
DOI- currently mix feeding twins myself (mainly FF to be honest) and work as a healthcare professional.

My GPs were great at prescribing the expensive effective drugs quickly whenever I had a medical issue which would potentially threaten my feeding.

They did this for 2 years until I chose to stop.
Because they took BF so seriously I was able to feed in spite of some serious medical problems which could have stopped it.

It is really hard to find the right balance: of course FFing is safe in the vast majority of babies when we have access to clean water, boiling facilities, many ways of cleaning bottles etc. I don't think that scaremongering or overstating the difference that BFing in a population may make is justifiable when faced with an individual woman.

However, BFing is generally the better option and gets undermined so much (by popular culture/advertising/your granny's BFing experience/HCPs/partners) that I think it is right for a GP to be seen to be encouraging of it IYKWIM.
I have BF, mix-fed and FF and I can see no perceivable difference in the health and IQ of my highly scientific study of 4 , but I don't feel defensive about what choices I made at the time. I was lucky in that I felt supported in whatever worked for my in very different circumstances.

In my professional live I would never judge anybody on how they feed their baby, but there are so many women who would like to BF and not enough who end up BFing as long as they would have liked. That is what I would like to support.

I also agree with the comment about colostrum: most women if encouraged and supplied with the information what colostrum can do, would be prepared to BF for a few days. But I still hear: "He was hungry and my milk hadn't come in" "Oh no, it will ruin my tits" (yes, really) "Oh no, my DP thinks BFing is gross" "My mum had no milk, so I won't" etc etc