WHAT CAN BE DONE TO INCREASE BREAST FEEDING RATES IN THE UK.

[lissie]

we all know that postnatal care is a huge factor, but what else can be done?


i speak as a failed bf-er who will try again with every baby i have, but supports the mothers right to choose.

[lissie]

can i jump in and ask you to sign these please!

[movingmumma]

um this will sound a bit like appealing to vanity but I really found Breastfeeding helped get my body back on track. There's nothing like breastfeeding for tightening all those bits that suddenly seem to be sticking out. It was bl**dy tough in the beginning and I was bullied in the hosptial and told I couldn't go home until my baby was feeding. I found being in hospital very stressful which of course made matters worse... but somehow we stuck with it and I and my little one got the hang of it.

I also think having midwifes come to your home is invaluable. Mine were brilliant. I remember crying when my DS had fallen weight wise more than he should have... the team were so helpful and I felt so much more relaxed at home. I certainly think hospitals shouldn't make women feel they are trapped there. Sleepless and exhausted my DH and I actually forgot that we had the right to leave the hosptial right there and then and were pathetically grateful when I was finally told feeding had been established and we could all go home... seems like a lifetime ago now but it certainly made me want a home birth next time - I wouldn't have felt like this if this hadn't happened as my midwifes were wonderful.

[gogetter]

Tiktok I agree, the numbers are very low, but as someone working in the industry the choice for education just isn't out there. It's midwifery or nursing which a 3 /4 yr degrees and apart from that there is a few random courses for maternity nursing or doula courses as well as other short day courses which I don't think give a great amount of training - I think there should be some middle ground so that people can study post-natal care to a higher standard without doing a full midwifery course. There needs to be wider spread training and yes I agree if MV and health visitors were trained better in BFing this would work well.
I wonder though how many mums research breast feeding before attempting it? People are often told it will be simple as pie and we can see from threads like this though that the case isn't so. Education of more support workers and parents at an ante-natal stage would obviously help. Although of course it is the choice of some women not to breast feed and that is their choice.

[feo]

I've breastfed for nearly 6 mths now and I think one of the key things is getting the right information. Easier said than done. My local hospital and the midwives have been good but the internet (kellymom) and mumsnet pages have been the most useful. I don't breastfeed in public just because I'd feel too self-conscious. Babyfeeding (and changing) facilities are often poor, even in the big stores (in Tesco babies and the disabled apparently have similar needs!Normalising bf by having good facilities as the norm in workplaces and restaurants etc would help. You do feel a little like the poor relation as you squash you and baby into some of the miniscule rooms / areas provided. Having said all this though I do think that it is up to the individual mother whether she feels (or can) breastfeed. I've been ok but from what I've read on mumsnet there are lots of things that can hinder successful bf.

[chocbutton]

Haven't read all posts yet, but here is my contribution, along similar lines....
-better support in hospital/at home
-realistic antenatal classes that explain that it will hurt, that you will feel you are constantly feeding at first and that it has to be learnt by both mum and baby - you expect it to come naturally just like it seems to in the books!
-free lansinoh starter tube!
-better facilities in shops/restaurants - I am still BF my DS at 7 months, yet I was so self conscious at first. I made sure I went to baby friendly places at first, (with my mum for support)and wore easy BF tops - still found it quite difficult, and luckily not had any bad reactions, although would be able to stand up to people now. Have heard horror stories on here about people being asked to leave places, and this would have really affected me in the first few outings. Have to say that the baby friendly places get my business again and again, I wouldn't ever return to some places where I was expected to feed in the toilet etc.
-better education for public at large, including MIL's etc!!

[evenhope]

I've just been having a chat with my 21 yo DD about bf. She feels it's disgusting to have "something feeding off you". (I will add she's a Drama graduate and thinks that being pregnant is equally disgusting, and that she'll ask one of her friends to be a surrogate-she's not in the real world).

But it made me that she felt that way because for the first 6.5 years of her life I was either pg or bf, so she should have absorbed the idea that bf is "normal", as we never did the top-up thing.

If somebody brought up with extended bf still feels it's disgusting, that suggests that schools should play a role during PCHSE (or whatever it's called these days) to provide information about infant nutrition, so that boys and girls get the facts before they are old enough to be put off.

My DD came out with the classic "at least someone else can feed the baby if you bottlefeed". When I put it to her that OK if I was ff do you see daddy getting up in the night she had to concede that it would still be me on duty.

Perhaps a soap needs a young girl with an overbearing MIL and a storyline where MIL takes over the feeding and expects the mum to rush about making tea etc when she'd really rather sit with the baby herself?

[thelady]

OK, a request for practical suggestions here please.

I run a small hotel. I would like to provide for breastfeeding mums. I can't provide a separate room for feeding - it's simply not practical - although there is a ground floor room (used to be a small dining room) which isn't heavily used at the mo.

On the basis that there's very little child-friendly in our town, and as I'm expecting my first in Dec, I'm hoping to at least show willing.

At a minimum, what would you need in the way of facilities in a place that aimed to be breast-feeding friendly?

In addition, what facilities would be on your dream wish-list? I know I won't be able to provide everything (expense, space, etc) but it would be nice to know.

[rosmerta]

The NCT is running a campaign to protect mothers and babies from the effects of formula advertising which would surely raise bf rates? For more info on what you can do go to their website

[indiemummy]

thelady - what a lovely idea, I think a comfy chair and somewhere secluded, with water to drink and maybe magazines to read, would be just fine.

The truth is, many women want their bodies 'back' after 9 tough months. They have decided before baby arrives that they will probably use formula and may even know which brand. They say things like: 'I would have liked to breastfeed, but it was so hard and I had to do what I could to make myself happy / stop going mad / get back on an even keel'. They want to get out of the house without the baby and not have to worry about expressing and leaky boobs (which, let's face it, can be a bit of a palaver!). I've heard this kind of thing loads of times.

These people don't really WANT to breastfeed so no amount of bf counsellors or postnatal support will help, as they won't access it.

The idea that someone suggested that formula milk should be unbranded is interesting. It should just be government-issue and come in grey tins and cartons!

I think tackling attitudes like this is the most important thing.