Jo Frost's breastfeeding advice

[BertieBowtiesAreCool]

I've just seen this on facebook and I'm really shocked. I'm not really a fan of the alpha parent blog (and I feel a couple of her comments on here are a bit unnecessary) but honestly, the review is 99% spot on and the content of the book is unbelievable.

www.thealphaparent.com/2013/11/anti-breastfeeding-books-part-five.html

Breastfeeding mums are called "martyrs", more myths and ridiculousness than Clare-Buy-My-Book, advice which is so utterly backwards that it would do more to scupper breastfeeding than to help it, and ideas which went out of fashion about 40 years ago!

I've never liked Jo Frost but I find this just totally awful - surely she should have got a researcher in or something?!

Oh FFS, so incensed I forgot to make the link a link!

Full article/review here

Link please!

I find the blog vile.

I dont trust the reviwer enough and feel they have exceprted sections to support their point, rather than doing an open unbiased review.

Normally Mortified I would agree with you but I can't see another review of this online and she's quoted it fairly extensively. In fact the quotes speak for themselves even if you ignore all of the commentary.

Sorry, I should clarify, I can't see another review that doesn't just say "It's bad/horrible/outdated" - this seems to go into a lot more detail.

And I agree I do often find Alpha Parent to be pretty vile.

Yes but she has quoted what, 10% of the book?

Yes perhaps, but the review centres on one chapter/topic so it's probably rather a lot on that one topic. Plus you can't quote too much of a book or it breaks copyright.

Honestly even if the other 90% was wonderful evidence based supportive information I don't think it would redeem it.

Great review. How can such books be printed

Reading the excerpts I actually think Jo hasn't said anything all that inflammatory.

The Blogger sounds like a militantmI'm afraid.

I'm with Mortified: I find the sanctimonious rant of the Alpha Parent irritating and off putting. I'm not particularly a fan of Jo Frost either but I thought this 'review' lacked balance and credibility.

I'm not massively impressed by the tone of the blog (horrid reference to chavs), but I wholeheartedly agree that Jo Frost would be the last person on earth I'd go to for parenting advice.

The thing is, a non BFer really cannot know everything about BFing. In the same way that someone who has never ever driven a car could teach someone else how to.

I wouldnt expect Jo Frost to be able to offer me BFing advice. I had GF's book and loved it but thats because I am keen on routine and structure. If I were more laid back and wanted to co sleep etc, I would have looked for a book which emulates/supports that.

The blogger is ripping apart a nonBFer for attempting to adress areas of BFing which she has no doubt heard many a woman complain about. Had she not touched on it at all, having never done it, then no doubt people would have been up in arms about that too.

BFing makes you lose weight.

If this was true I should be a size 4 like Mrs. Beckham. (not a 16)

That blog is dismal.

I read those first excerpts about being a martyr more = you are not in this alone. Dad is a parent too, feeding the baby is not all down to you, you also need the support of your partner and they may only feel able to support if they feel needed and useful in turn.

Am I making sense?

Alpha Parent really fucks me off.

I would agree with Jo Frost that bottle feeding is not the work of the devil, but I would totally disagree with a lot of the other points. However I also disagree with the point the Alpha Parent makes about making several bottles up beforehand and putting your baby at harm. This was the standard advice when dd1 aged 6 was little and it did her no harm whatsoever.

I also would not take bfing advice from someone that has never done it. And having both ff and fb I wouldn't presume to assume one is better than the other because that would be suggesting that I had slighted one of my own children over the other.

Also, breastfeeding CAN cause gas. I think Jo is right on that one. My lad was certainly more farty after I'd had something very richly flavoured like curries.

It's like AP has forgotten that this book will be read by first time parents who it may come as a relief to know that breastfeeding is not easy for everyone/bottle-feeding is fine/when to feed etc.

Tbh I always, always struggle to understand why people look to people with no children for parenting advice. I do not just mean Jo Frost in that. I would not care if someone had a phd in the mechanics of riding a bike, if they had never been up on one I would not be looking to them for advice on cycling so why in God's name would you do it with parenting children. The empathy that comes with the territory of parenting your own child means that it simply cannot be replicated by a Super Nanny. I saw her all but force a woman in America to give up feeding a 12 mth old because there was no need for it anymore. I had not fed myself for more than a couple of weeks at that stage before moving to ff and I thought she was way out of line now with a bf 2 year old I still think she was way out if line.

Jo Frost is bloody awful.

The Alpha Parent sounds like a smug tosser.

Um, I agree with lots of what Jo Frost said in those extracts. I know a couple of people who have been "martyrs", refusing help.

I can't remember what else I have just read but I didn't agree with the blog. For example, I fail to see why getting someone else to give one feed would not help you sleep if that's what you chose to use your time to do. I bf'd DD and she had one bottle a day from DH either as the last feed of the evening or the first of the night which meant I'd get a block of about 4 hours.

Sorry, really fail to see the problem.

In the interests of disclosure, I did buy and read this book when DD was tiny. 1 of only 2 books I had and I found it really reassuring and helpful.

That blog is really annoying. However, that book has not endeared Jo Frost to me one bit. Sanctimonious bloody woman!

The Alpha Parent's tone may not be to everyone's taste, but she is spot on with her facts - the quotes from the book show JF really, really, should not be in the business of giving infant feeding advice. It's quite shocking.

To be supportive, and to assure mothers finding bf has difficulties that they're not alone, does not, or should not, mean writing a whole load of misleading rubbish.

Cheshire, you write 'I fail to see why getting someone else to give one feed would not help you sleep if that's what you chose to use your time to do.'.....it sounds counter-intuitive, but in fact the research we do have shows it does not help in general (obv, individual people will have different experiences). The studies that have been done show that you get more sleep if you bf exclusively (some women don't sleep well if they miss a feed - they wake up with uncomfortable engorged breasts, or the baby does not settle and they have to feed anyway.....that sort of 'real life' getting in the way of what sounds like a good plan!).

I used to quite like Jo frost until I read one of her books and realised how much of her bf info was wrong. It's so unhelpful for someone so influential to be allowed to publish wrong information! Not a huge fan of the blog but in terms of Jo frosts knowledge of bf, they are spot on.

I quite like Jo Frost, I think she does well on the whole form boundaries for children, but why would you take advice on infant feeding from a women who doesn't have children? Why would you look to her for any advice on babies?