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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

Myths about breastfeeding.

159 replies

VictorianSqualor · 13/04/2008 22:00

What common misconceptions surround breastfeeding?

What have you or others been told by nosey well meaning people about what isn't possible?

Is there anything you hear or or see often that makes you want to smack your head off a wall and shout 'IT'S NOT TRUE!!'?

(Would like people to post the first ones they thnk of even if someone else has already said it as I want to see how common they are)

OP posts:
TinkerbellesMum · 13/04/2008 23:45

Absolutely. Our body will make the exact milk required for our exact baby. Even if you were to tandem feed your children, your body will still give each one exactly what it needs, colostrum for the baby and "proper" milk for the toddler. (just using those terms for argument sake)

TinkerbellesMum · 13/04/2008 23:45

Absolutely. Our body will make the exact milk required for our exact baby. Even if you were to tandem feed your children, your body will still give each one exactly what it needs, colostrum for the baby and "proper" milk for the toddler. (just using those terms for argument sake)

JulesJules · 13/04/2008 23:47

TinkerbellesMum - well that is a fucking useless policy imo! What idiot thought that one up? Touching someone does not mean you are "doing it for them", you can be just helping them get the position right so they can do it themselves when they leave hospital in three days time. I know that helping with bf is timeconsuming for the midwives, but it was sad to see how readily the free ready-made formula was distributed. (I'm not in Birmingham but in the NE. We have v poor bf rates.)

theUrbanNixie · 13/04/2008 23:53

Jules - i think a lot of bfc have had that training too. i certaily din't find the HCA who manhandled my boob into ds' mouth very helpful and both my mw (who i think was also a LLL bfc) and the bfc i saw afterwards didn't touch my boob at all!

TinkerbellesMum · 13/04/2008 23:53

It is still possible to help someone without touching and we would never leave a mum unable to latch and tell them "we'll work on it next time". To be honest, I think that total no touching doesn't happen, what doesn't happen is that we latch the baby for mum. We'll help her to get the right position and feel comfortable, but in the end she puts the baby on.

The first effective feed I ever had was when a neonatal nurse held my hand over Tink's head and said "baby meet boob"! But then Tink was only 32 weeks and we weren't going to be let out for a few more weeks anyway, being so young she needed to learn to breastfeed as much as I needed to learn to latch her.

JulesJules · 14/04/2008 00:08

Hmmm. Unfortunately, I think that policy gives some midwives the excuse not to help at all. I think it is a poorly thought out policy, and the earlier quote from the training manual was confusing and badly written. I have had wrong information and poor advice from many quarters but it's worse when it comes from midwives! Fortunately I had a brilliant HV!

zazen · 14/04/2008 00:21

It will be easy, and you are a better mum if you breast feed.

It will be hard, and you are a better mum if you bottle feed.

The unfortunate thing is that all these opinions about what mothers / fathers / carers etc 'should do' how often and with what, and to whom, just erodes confidence, when you need it most.

It's amazing that there are so many opinions out there. But I suppose there are so many people out there who are all different.

I only listened to my self and my DH and our DD - after all we were the two who were walking up and down with her trying to get her off to sleep etc etc.

We fed our DD breast and bottle which suited us all perfectly.

SparklyGothKat · 14/04/2008 00:23

Oh My mum said yesterday when I said that Callum was having a nursing strike 'Oh your milk must be drying up, you'll have to stop feeding him' [thanks mum

expatinscotland · 14/04/2008 00:27

a bf baby will be hungry all the time because it has to work so hard at the boob.

believe it or not, this came from my Papa, who was BF for TWO YEARS, co slept till then and was born at home, just like his 5 siblings.

JulesJules · 14/04/2008 00:27

I think the most ridiculous one I had was not to drink anything fizzy - it would give the baby wind

TinkerbellesMum · 14/04/2008 00:54

It's sad if they do that, I know around here some hospitals don't know the policy and I've heard of some terrible cases of women being manhandled. Personally I think the sense of achievement is greater from being gently talked through it rather than having a baby shoved onto your breast.

I'm not sure why that quote is confusing, the bit at the end is my own explanation and I'm not sure I did that well with it because I'm not feeling brilliant at the moment, but the quote itself should be clear

CantSleepWontSleep · 14/04/2008 07:59

Tinkerbelle - I think you are wrong with one of yours - if you tandem feed then in fact both children will get colostrum then newborn milk, rather than the toddler continuing to get 'toddler' milk.

Another myth is that you can't wear underwired bras whilst breastfeeding.

cmotdibbler · 14/04/2008 08:35

He'll become boob obsessed ! (Of 9 month old DS)
Its impossible to work ft and not give formula.
How can DH bond with the baby if he can't give a bottle ?

MindingMum · 14/04/2008 08:58

My MIL told me on DD1 that breastfeeding (in her opinion) was only acceptable until the baby was able to eat proper food!

Another MIL one was that I had better feed DD2 at home before we went out to a restaurant for a family meal because "people aren't gonna like that sort of thing while they are eating"!!???

Not enough milk

Your breastmilk can't be much good if you need to feed that often - my Mum!

Caz10 · 14/04/2008 09:04

little babies (like mine, 5lbs 15, so not tooo weeny) are "too small to suck".

4-5hrs between feeds is fine for a newborn.

actually these are not myths, just crap that my hv told me.

thinking hat back on, angry personal hat off....

CorrieDale · 14/04/2008 09:08

You need to drink milk to make milk - by a midwife ffs!!!!

If you drink fizzy water it'll give your baby wind. By another midwife.

At 4 months, baby should only be feeding every 4 hours. Any more than that and they're snacking. By the Baby Whisperer. (I actually tried that one out for a day until I realised my poor DS was hungry!!!)

BellaBear · 14/04/2008 09:11

corriedale - that's precisely why I don't like the baby whisperer book

ds feeds every two hours and enough people on here have told me this is perfectly fine

CorrieDale · 14/04/2008 09:17

Ooh yes, a bottle of formula last thing at night will help them sleep through. I still get told that now - DD is 9 months and on solids!

Don't eat broccoli, garlic, cauliflower, orange juice (another midwife)

theUrbanNixie · 14/04/2008 09:17

Caz - i got told that and ds was 6lbs8oz at birth! and my friend who had a 9lb baby buddha was told he was too big! roffle!

hannahsaunt · 14/04/2008 09:20

Corriedale - from experience, fizzy drinks can cause colic - not because the gas passes through to the breastmilk (!) but because the acid does.

BouncingTurtle · 14/04/2008 09:32

I was told by my MW not to drink OJ when I was in the hospital... I guess what they served with breakfast... I drank it anyway!!

Oh the paed that saw my baby decided he was hypoglycaemic - and insisted that he had formula top ups, which I allowed because I was abslutely exhausted. When my dh went home he looked on the internet and found that 50 - 60% of babies are normally hypoglycaemic on leaving hospital as their bodies adjust to not receiving constant nutrition, and that the formula top-ups were unnecessary.

Myth - paediatricians are experts on bfing.
No, they are not!

TinkerbellesMum · 14/04/2008 10:40

My daughter wasn't even 4lb when she started breastfeeding. They tried to get me to feed her every 12 hours (I did when they said that!) and NG inbetween but she screamed the ward down until they told me to "just put her to the breast!" That was the day after they let her have two unsupplemented feeds for the first time.

Opinion is split on what tandem babies get, I prefer the idea that our bodies can cope with two nurslings.

Can I add to the last myth:

Midwives are experts on breastfeeding ?

I've already had more training on breastfeeding than a midwife and I've not finished yet!

Original poster
VictorianSqualor · 14/04/2008 12:21

These are all great thankyou.
Keep them coming.

OP posts:
NorthernLurker · 14/04/2008 12:28

That one about not having enough milk is really prevalent isn't it I know a couple of women who both swear that was the case - from what they have said I think they were given lousy support and expectations myself. I also know someone who really did have low supply - but good support and her own determination meant she breastfed for over 6 months.

Bridie3 · 14/04/2008 12:30

Red wine is bad but white wine is fine. Actually white wine is more acidic and more likely to give some babies problems. And I know you lot aren't supposed to drink and breastfeed but I had an occasional glass of wine and found it relaxed me at a difficult time of the evening.

YOu should wean your baby at 12 weeks onto those little Heinz jars. Fortunately this was repeated to my mother (HV) at my son's christening and she put them right on that one.

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