Myths about breastfeeding.

[VictorianSqualor]

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)

Ooh just thought of another which I don't think anyone has mentioned. Breastfed babies need iron supplements after 6 months.

Maybe I'll ask dd whether her milk has changed to newborn milk when dc2 arrives. Wonder if she'd give me a straight answer .

And another - when you're bf-ing, if anything at all proves tricky with your lo (not sleeping well, crying, unsettled, blah blah, all pretty normal baby stuff in fact), there will always be someone to suggest that bf is to blame, and that the answer, of course, is formula.
imagine how mad it would seem if it were the other way round...

Argh, just read a thread in which a mother is being told the ole 'must top-up with formula' line.

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"If he's feeding a lot in the evening then you don't have enough milk - give him a bottle"

"There's no point breastfeeding after about 6 weeks anyway, formula's just as good"

"Put him on the bottle, then he'll sleep through"

AAAARGH

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it's really difficult to put people straight on these isn't it? because you can bet your bottom dollar it is a mother who gave up because of crap info/support by supposedly knowledgable people who is spouting it, which is so so sad. how guilty would they feel if they were suddenly enlightened or how guilty do they feel 'coz they may already know you're right and be making an excuse.

who asked about prem milk being rich? i went to a seminar on feeding prems and one of the speakers (some research dietitian or something - very up in her field anyway) said that bm was incredibly rich in calories if you're baby was prem. you provide perfect milk for your baby (whoever you are), so if your baby is prem they need more calories, your body knows that produces the perfect formula for him or her.

The number of women I hear who say they don't or didn't have enough milk, makes me fill with sadness
ds1 was ff from about 10 days, I had NO support at the time even though I had called the NCT for help, my local branch at the time were not interested either, so I did what was best given the situation.

Having gone through 12 weeks of bfeeding DS2 I can understand why more people quit, but I've heard so many older people tell me they gave up because of a lack of milk situation.. in many cases I have not had the heart to tell them actually it might have worked out had you had the support I have had.

Other myths: it's easy/hard (I am a bloody yo yo with this one!!)

haven't read all of this, so this might be covered already, but the enduring thing that has been said to me, over and over again...."you don't know how much they're getting; at least with formula you know"

also the old no alcohol rule.....gaaaahhhhhhhh. Of course we're not going to get pissed and feed our babies, but a small glass of cold pinot grigot while you feed your baby on the patio on a hot Sunday afternoon....yes please

oh, and not a myth, just a big Happy Birth Day to Victorian Squalor who has gone in for her unelective c-section today

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Just thought of another: you can't BF or more likely to not succeed if you have a c section...

You can't bf with inverted nipples (my Aunt,mw and a hv with dd)
You can't breast feed if your boobs are to big.

I am going to breast feed this time round despite the obstacles above!

the myth i hear all the time is that what you eat affects the quaility of your milk.

am forever correcting people on that one.

after 6 months it's all for the mother's benefit
you have to eat healthily and get loads of rest or your milk will turn to ribena

That if you BF you will lose all the baby weight - doesn't work if you're sat on your arse all day feeding

from MIL - surely he can't be hungry again already (after 2 hours)

from MW in hospital when DS 2 days old - chewing his hands means he's got wind because he only stopped feeding an hour ago and should only need to feed every 3 hours

that a newborn wanting to feed every 2 hours is a "hungry baby" and needs formula because that is not "normal"

agree with chasing butterflies - any problem with the baby, even if tbh isn't not really a problem but normal behaviour, the solution is formula

other myths:
not having enough milk has to be no. 1.

that bf babies can fit into a rigid routine, and if they can't, the reason is your milk, rather than the routine

early expressing won't mess up your supply

frequent feeders are using you as a dummy

That BM isn't enough for a large, "hungry" baby.

Mine both reached about 25lbs at 6 months on exclusive bf

I always thought you wouldn't be able to breastfeed as your breasts are too large (my mother, who is a trained MW)

BF babies need to be fed in silence (my mother again.)

Your baby is sucking for too long and you should give her a dummy instead (guess who?)

Oh and-
"I can always tell when I enter a home whether the mother is bf or not by how knackered she looks".
(My otherwise lovely MW. This nearly stopped my bf career in its tracks).

One more. from NHS direct nurse, when I asked about dealing with ds's first tummy bug (temperature, vomiting, etc). "give a sicky baby cooled boiled water instead of milk". my common sense wasn't working well, but at least I had to say no, I'm going to have to keep bf, because ds won't take a bottle (smart chap )

havent read whole thread so may double up.

You have to feed on both boobs every feed
you have to feed for 20 mins so that baby can get hind milk
baby will fail to thrive if you only breastfeed before your milk comes in.
breastfed babies don't sleep well
life is always unpredictable with a breastfed baby
you have to choose between breastfeeding and a social life
you can't drink or eat loads of stuff whilst breastfeeding
Oooh so many

MamaChris, that's good advice... if you formula feed! BM is the best thing for an upset stomach, but it won't take formula very well.

You'll make your baby more clingy.
Women who BF past 6 months are doing it for themselves.
You need to supplement with iron/vitamins if you BF past 6 months.
If you're struggling with BF then switch to FF because "happy mum/happy baby" - when it is very obvious from lots of threads here and elsewhere that many mums aren't happy when they've switched to formula.
You need to drink milk to make milk (what about cows??)

You will lose weight. When I finished breastfeeding I weighed the same as I did when I went in the hospital to give birth.

tinkerbellesMum - yes - I've since read up on it and I can see it applying to formula. But she'd already asked if he was breastfed! When I said he wouldn't take a bottle she said "well, I suppose you'll just have to keep breastfeeding" (like water would have been better!)