What's the most ridiculous/crap advice you ever received about breastfeeding?

freeez · 20/05/2021 00:41

When DD was 11 months old, and I was still BFing, we both had an awful D&V virus. A GP told me that flat lemonade would be better at rehydrating her than my milk. This was only 10 years ago.

Aquamarine1029 · 20/05/2021 00:57

Shocked at how clueless GPs and health visitors can be about breastfeeding

Just wait until you go to a GP about peri-menopause, it gets even better.

Totallydefeated · 20/05/2021 01:04

That it doesn’t hurt when the latch is right (this was the very early days). I’d have far rather they’d just been honest. I wouldn’t have spent all that time thinking it must just be me being useless.

Doona · 20/05/2021 01:11

That it was impossible for me to breastfeed because my nipples were too flat. When I told her I'd breastfed my previous for 12 months, she was disbelieving. I'm so lucky I didn't get her for my first one. I would have believed her and gone straight to bottle

MangoSeason · 20/05/2021 01:21

That if you exclusively pump for whatever reason, your milk will dry up and you will fail. Not true and I am bewildered why midwives and LCs can be so militantly against EPing. Mine certainly were.

I had a non- latching baby and EPed for 12 months. Could have fed triplets with the amount of milk I produced.

HollyHardcastle · 20/05/2021 01:24

That breastfeeding over 12 months benefits only the mother.
I wish someone would remind me of these benefits when my 19mo is doing gymnastics and pulling my hair while latched on.

Mochatatts · 20/05/2021 01:31

The assumption that I might struggle to breastfeed my 'big' baby. She was 8lb 9oz and had two older brothers who were bigger and also breastfed. And that the reasshe night be unsettled, she's a 3 month old, is because I'm exhausted and she's not getting enough milk. Again really aren't most parents exhausted and babies unsettled 🤦‍♀️ All comments from well meaning older family members, women who had breastfed.

BeingATwatItsABingThing · 20/05/2021 01:31

I wish someone would remind me of these benefits when my 19mo is doing gymnastics and pulling my hair while latched on.

If it helps, my (nearly) 8mo does this now and she’s FF.

Worst advice I received was from my dad (quite out of character). He told me, “Parents make sacrifices for their children if they want to be good parents”. He’s not wrong but he was referring to my decision to switch to pumping and combined feeding after a terrible 5 weeks of desperately trying to feed a tongue-tied DD1, including a hospital admission for severe mastitis.

GoldSlipper · 20/05/2021 01:43

“You don’t know how much he’s getting. He’s a big boy - he needs formula. You’d be able to have a break if he was in formula.”

From my mother of all people!

I just stated “paediatrician is delighted with his progress” and promptly ignored her. We saw a paediatrician regularly as he was born abroad and that’s how it worked there (he had no health issues at all! Besides surely the fact that he was a big boy was testimony that he was getting enough milk?)

Susannahmoody · 20/05/2021 01:45

It's natural, so it's easy

I had mastitis, thrush in the breast (agony) and nipples so cracked even the fucking breastfeeding nurse looked shocked.

newtb · 20/05/2021 02:08

The let-down reflex is a gentle tingling. Quote from some crappy booklet. No it hurts like hell and makes you curl up your toes in your slippers.

UnCoffreDorE · 20/05/2021 05:04

It wasn't so much advice, rather an assumptive question from a well meaning friend, when are you starting the bottle? Implying formula feeding. I was taken aback, LO was 3 weeks old. I replied that I wouldn't FF at all. Apparently folks around here combo feed as a standard. If I hadn't spent few days in hospital after birth, where I met very knowledgeable breastfeeding midwives, I would most likely have thought that I was doing it all wrong.

LittleRa · 20/05/2021 05:10

From the health visitor, during a home visit when I was pregnant- I mentioned I wanted to EBF and she said “well ok but remember Daddy can give a bottle too, to help him bond with baby”. Wtf?

MindyStClaire · 20/05/2021 06:48

When I had mastitis and a newborn, PIL were on holiday with a friend who was a recently retired HV, so they had her call me. I didn't particularly need anything, but anyway it was nice of them. She told me to make sure I didn't feed from the infected side, that the milk wouldn't be ok for the baby and it needed a rest.

BeingATwatItsABingThing · 20/05/2021 06:54

@MindyStClaire

When I had mastitis and a newborn, PIL were on holiday with a friend who was a recently retired HV, so they had her call me. I didn't particularly need anything, but anyway it was nice of them. She told me to make sure I didn't feed from the infected side, that the milk wouldn't be ok for the baby and it needed a rest.

Wow! That’s terrible advice!

CeeceeBloomingdale · 20/05/2021 06:56

Feed every four days 🙄

CeeceeBloomingdale · 20/05/2021 06:56

Argh hours not days 🙈😂

MindyStClaire · 20/05/2021 07:05

Feeding every four days sounds amazing 😂

MindyStClaire · 20/05/2021 07:06

And yes, that was indeed terrible advice about mastitis, but luckily I already knew that.

Although discussing it with a friend later on, she had been told similar and had just pumped from the infected side. She was really surprised when the rest of us said we'd fed through it, and that feeding helped. Her little boy is only 5.

Crowsaregreat · 20/05/2021 07:11

I was in hospital for about a week with DD after EMCS and she didn't take to feeding so had 13% weight loss.

I felt desperate about it and we did formula to ups but I had a procession of midwives saying stupid things. I have v big boobs and had several who just came in and said 'you do have big boobs, so...' one said I would be putting lots of weight on the baby's face and that's why she didn't like it (I always cupped my boob with my hand) I got ordered to 'hamburger the nipple' a lot with no explanation of what this meant.

firstimemamma · 20/05/2021 07:13

My health visitor tried to discourage me from breastfeeding my young baby because it would mean "he would never have a bond with his dad".

I ignored her and breastfed until he was 16 months and guess what he absolutely ADORES his daddy so what a load of crap that 'advice' was.

HumunaHey · 20/05/2021 07:22

I took my DS to a weigh in clinic when he was about 5months. He's quite diddy, born on 9th centile but had always followed his growth chart curve nicely.

I exclusively breastfed and the lady who weighed him said to me I need to do more to get his weight up. Her advice was to "eat crisps, chocolate, cake anything. Just build up your fat so baby can get some."

I probably weighed about 9-10 stone at the time so it's not as though I looked malnourished. Nor did DS, he was growing nicely at a steady pace. But some health "professionals" have a "fatter the healthier" when it comes to young babies.

Girlonthego · 20/05/2021 07:28

Nothing to add here really but watching with interest as these are all incredible! I'm going to keep these in mind when baby no. 2 arrives in a few weeks

Asiama · 20/05/2021 07:38

Formula is healthier than my own milk.

I need to wash my nipples before and after every feed for hygiene reasons.

NeedsImprovement01 · 20/05/2021 07:44

10 minutes each breast every 4 hours. They scream the last hour, but then go straight to sleep. MIL

Express at least a bottle every night for dad to feed, otherwise its your fault if Dad doesn't step up and help equally when you return to work. Careers coach.