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

[Hardiharhar]

Just curious, as I've heard the most stupid things lately. Shocked at how clueless GPs and health visitors can be about breastfeeding :O

That I needed to start weaning baby at 4 months because “they were big and breastmilk won’t be enough for them”

Also that I would struggle to breastfeed because I am fat

Multiple well-meaning people suggesting I hold DC like a rugby ball despite me telling them I tried it over and over and it hadn't worked. Lots of pressure to increase solids and decrease BF when DC was under 1 despite DC being happy and healthy and me following her cues.

A woman who had worked in nurseries and childminding for 30 years told me not to drink anything fizzy as the bubbles would go into my milk and make the baby burp.

That breastfeeding was causing anxiety attacks. I said ‘but I don’t feel anxious?’ And his reply? ‘Ahhh that’s how anxiety gets ya!’ This was while I was on the floor at the GPs in absolute agony. Turned out to be gallstones. That GP was a twat.

In the weeks leading up to delivery, wash your nipples with a brillo pad to 'toughen them up' ahead of breastfeeding.

That it wasn't fair I bf ds because she never managed to bf....
So I need to stop...
Eh no thanks you old bat!!

@PrimeraVez

In the weeks leading up to delivery, wash your nipples with a brillo pad to 'toughen them up' ahead of breastfeeding.

This goes to show why the UK has some of the worst breastfeeding rates in the world! Almost half that of Sweden for example. The bottle feeding culture is so entrenched. Good news for those multi million pound companies and their profits.

We are only beginning to understand the health benefits of breastfeeding on a wider population level.

We are lucky to have safe drinking water in this country so that women who receive and follow this terrible advice can use formula safely (I did both. I am not anti-formula).

I can only thank my lucky stars that I give absolutely zero regard to my own parents (unsolicited) parenting advice because they’d have caused me a nervous breakdown with their ridiculous comments on breastfeeding (mostly ‘are you feeding AGAIN?’).

Considering that my siblings and I were bottle fed, I don’t know why they suddenly considered themselves authorities on breastfeeding.

Gawd yeah I was told By my aunt that I Had mastitis when baby was 3 weeks I needed to go back to gp and get tablets to dry up my milk and switch to formula 🙈 that’s the only option! Haha wtf

Midwife on the postnatal ward told me, whilst I was struggling to latch my baby, that "you can't build a milk supply from nothing with a breast pump".

I never did manage to latch him, but I pumped like crazy and he was exclusively breast fed from a bottle from about four weeks old to just past his first birthday.

We laugh about it now.

It shouldn't hurt (DC1 - it made me sob in agony)

and from a (good) friend: You're not making enough milk

From HV when DD1 was 10 days "you HAVE to move to formula now, because I need to write down how much she is drinking" 🙄

Agree with PP about the rugby hold. The HV tried that shit with DD2. Mum and baby happy, feeding well, experienced mum, yes let's make them try the rugby hold for 20 mins. Screeming baby, pissed off mum 🤔

HV told me I couldn't breastfeed my Dc3 because he has a cleft lip. Nobody had told him, and we had been happily breastfeeding for 2 weeks

When ever I read about breastfeeding rates, it tends to say increased contact with HV is the answer....I beg to differ

From midwife over the phone 44 hours after ds2 was born.

MW "Is your milk in yet?"
Me "no, I'm expecting it tomorrow"
ME "oh no, it should be in by now, you'd better start pumping"
Me "No, thanks, he's feeding every 2 hours, I'm sure my milk will come in tomorrow when he's 3 days old"
MW "you'll need to give him formula top ups in the meantime then or he'll lose too much weight"
Me "No thanks, I'm quite happy with how it's going for now"

He was over his birth weight by 6 days. She hadn't even seen him and she was trying to imply I didn't have enough milk for him.

GP: "You're putting her at risk of malnutrition" when I mentioned that I was still breastfeeding my 18m dd. While she was playing actively at his feet, glowing with health and on the 75th centile for height and weight.

That eating grapes would make my milk too acid (postnatal ward midwife)

Are you feeding again? (MIL)

You'd be having breaks by now if you were bottlefeeding (Mum)

Of course I never had enough milk. You're very like me (Mum)

@Dilbertian did he think you were only breastfeeding her and hadn't bothered starting solids?

Who knows whether he was even thinking at all. Dd was a bouncing picture of health! I was seeing him about my health and confirming that the medication was compatible with breastfeeding.

DD born late at night - EMCS and I was stressed and knackered .

I was having trouble latching her on, and a midwife kept turning up, shouting 'make a C shape' at me, and then leaving.

Thankfully the day shift midwives were amazing, and I'm still feeding 17 months on.

I still have no idea what the 'C Shape' stuff was about.

Midwife home visit after I'd had my first and wasn't making much milk "drink lots of coffee and eat lots of chocolate biscuits - the coffee will keep you awake for night feeds and the biscuits will boost your milk.."

From what I've read, although it's fine to have a couple of cups of coffee, too much caffeine can actually lower your milk production and babies can't process it like adults can. Crap advice.

The opposite here, I struggled with breastfeeding due to traumatic labour and ended up using formula. I was constantly worried that my child would have no immune system and would be constantly ill, would be less bright than their peers and would have no bond with me due to lack of breastfeeding. I’m about 9 years down the line now and none of those things happened. Child in question has never had more than a minor cold, has never had a sick day from nursery or school and currently excels in all areas of school. I wish I hadn’t worried so much but there was so much pressure around to breastfeed. Even the out of hours midwife team at the hospital told me on the phone they were no longer able to help or advise people how to prepare formula anymore and we just had to get on with it.

@aliensprig

Midwife on the postnatal ward told me, whilst I was struggling to latch my baby, that "you can't build a milk supply from nothing with a breast pump".

I never did manage to latch him, but I pumped like crazy and he was exclusively breast fed from a bottle from about four weeks old to just past his first birthday.

We laugh about it now.

Awesome effort.

Just keep trying and your milk supply will increase. In fact I dried up totally on week 5. I wonder if I had done mixed feeding it might have worked better

@JustKeep

A woman who had worked in nurseries and childminding for 30 years told me not to drink anything fizzy as the bubbles would go into my milk and make the baby burp.

wow, I came here to post the same advice...but it was told to me by a midwife! always wondered how she thought it happened

Well. This thread certainly appears to have popped off! I too received some atrocious advice...in the hospital I was told feeding every 4 hrs (literally a brand new newborn) was normal. Turns out my little one was jaundiced...and my supply was rubbish as a consequence. I guess I should have known better.

Some of these are hilarious!