How to encourage/support women to continue bf?

[hunkermunker]

Breastfeeding initiation rates are, nationally, about three quarters of women. Different places obv have different rates within that - some considerably lower, some a fair bit higher.

However, only one in three week-old babies have had exclusively breastmilk and by 6-8 weeks, there's a big drop-off of babies having any breastmilk at all, compared to the original initiation rates.

I think it's a combination of things - poor support from health professionals, pressure from family/wider society, lack of body confidence (either with public breastfeeding or with knowing how to tell if the baby's feeding "enough") and a general idea that you give bf a go, but if (when?) it "fails", or "doesn't work out", you bottlefeed - and with all the other things I've mentioned playing a part, often it does "fail" or "not work out".

I do use the word fail advisedly - nobody "fails" at breastfeeding, nobody. I used it in part to say that!

If you stopped bfing before you wanted, what would've helped you to continue?

If you bfed for as long as you wanted, what helped you? And how old was your baby when you stopped?

Would/did better antenatal/postnatal information play a part? If so, what would you have liked to know? And how would you have liked that info to be given to you? Also, what support would you have liked? Help with the baby? Help with your chores? Supportive friends who knew about bf?

TIA.

chillybangbang, I think you have made an interesting point. I have sought advice from bf counsellors who have been great but I have had to go to the GP to try and obtain medication. I have felt that the GPs haven't always been that supportive or shown due regard for the opinions of the bf counsellors. I am starting to reach the point where I would love to see someone who is a bf expert and could prescribe if necessary but don't know how to find such a person! (sorry if I am repeating stuff from an earlier post). I think I am reasonably savvy and determined, would certainly pay if I needed to but just don't know who I can see. This is going to be my next question for ever patient bf counsellor!

Where is the specialist help????@chillybangbang. I found the MWs, HVs and the Bf counsellors from the NCT, NHS and La Leche all much of a muchness. Nobody really helped much. I struggled for 6 weeks in crippling pain. I didn't just say 'Oh, I think I'll stop'. It was a bloody nightmare. And I am not alone. I know other women who have struggled on with bf-ing, some of them post c-section, too, who are at their wit's end and physically ill by the time they stop. It's patronising to infer that one night it all got a leeetle bit too much and we reached for the SMA.

Meant to add, if I do find the kind of specialist help described above it should not just be confined to those who can pay but open to everyone.

What I found most unhelpful in establishing breastfeeding was hospital staff. Just a few hours after giving birth to my first child, I was attempting to nurse for the first time, and a nurse came up to me, squeezed my breast and said "You haven't got any milk." I knew that I wouldn't have any for the first few days, but told her that I very much hoped to have colostrum. She shook her head doubtfully and asked me if I'd got a bottle ready. The same attitude was prevalent when I gave birth to my second child in a different hospital, in a different town. I couldn't help wondering whether the staff on maternity wards received any training at all regarding breastfeeding.

Once I'd got breastfeeding established, I had no support at all from anyone other than my husband. What I found helpful was lurking on mumsnet, reading the advice offered to other women (and to me a couple of times). Before I gave birth the first time, I studied the pictures of a good latch in a baby book someone had given me and tried to bear it all in mind - amazingly, it did help to get started.

The other thing that saved my sanity was taking off my watch. I did this so I wouldn't be tempted to time feeding, and I got the idea from my sister, who was complaining that "Cave mum never had to worry about how long between feeds." All new mums should be told this until the message sinks in. Once I'd taken off my watch, I found I stopped worrying about the time, I stopped thinking about it and I started to relax and things were much better.

I hope this helps, hunkermunker!

For me it would be really good help with BF in those crucial first few days - access to someone who knows how to get a baby latched properly and who has the knowledge to troubleshoot the problems that can crop up.

I didn't have that help first time and spiralled down the usual poor ltch/cracked nipples/poor feeding/poor supply/top ups route - dd was fully FF by 12 weeks and I had raging PND party due to guilt at not feeding her "properly".

I did get that help second time round from an exceptionally good midwife and consequently ds was BF until 14 months.

The trouble is that it was pot luck that I got that help one time and not the other - every woman should be able to get the quality of help that I received from that midwife - she should not be the exception to the rule. The bottom line is that midwives as a whole need more training or that there should be more infant feeding specialists available.

"It's patronising to infer that one night it all got a leeetle bit too much and we reached for the SMA"

Oh come on, be fair. I was using that analogy to make a point about people seeking out specialist advice, not about anything else.

I Had latch issues and thrush with dd1, I was really struggling - badly - I was so lucky because one of my neighbours who I didn't even know very well told me to go to the local breast feeding group, I felt really selfconcious about going, but I concluded that if I was going to prove my MIL wrong and long term breastfeed then I had no choice.

They were lovely, I actually went every week - I had found it really helpful when I had 1st gone that I wasn't the only person with my boob out! So I went every week made lots of friends, and by listening quietly to a very experienced lady I picked up a lot of info.

I finaly stopped feeding dd1 at 13 months I had intended on aiming at 2 years but it was her descision and she is about as stubborn as me!

Again with dd2 I had thrush, diagnosed by me this time and confirmed by the same lovely bf advisor, I bf'd dd2 until 18mnths when she self weaned.

With no3 ( ds) I had thrush again - by this time I had promised to drop in with each subsequent child to my lovely bf advisor! She gave me all the new leaflets and again I ent and shook my fist at the gp to get the right doses( LOL).

He is 12 months and still bfing - I just had a conversation with my sister who thinks i'm disgusting -her words because I didn't stop at 6 months " he doesn't need it you know"

I am pregnant too and am aiming at tandem feeding ds and the new baby - just wait till she witnesses that one

Ultimatley, I would not be where I am today if I wasn't such a stubborn bugger and been so very lucky to meet the right people at the right time. I have only recently found mumsnet, but I am sure it would have helped a lot.

I do agree too about having a health professional who is educated in breastfeeding and can prescribe. Would have heped so much.

sorry such an essay lol

DD is now almost 8. I breastfed her until she was 2.5 years.

Factors for me which I found extremely helpful:

I was breastfed, my mother was very supportive of breastfeeding and I assumed that's how I would feed DD.

I was a single parent from effectively the moment I became pregnant (aged 18) as DD's father ran off when I became pregnant. Therefore, I had no partner to consider and could do things my way.

I joined the NCT, went to NCT antenatal classes and attended a breast-feeding support group before I gave birth. That was invaluable, since I read a load of books about breastfeeding whilst pregnant (La Leche etc) and had the phone numbers of several breastfeeding counsellors to hand if things were difficult. I also read a lot about natural parenting and co-sleeping, both of which I think helped my general attitude to how I would breastfeed.

I had a lot of support in the early days, from my mother and from breastfeeding counsellors. This was crucial, since my milk didn't come in until Day 6 and I was frantic at this point, thinking DD would starve to death. Thankfully, though, there was no immediate pressure on me by anyone (midwives etc) to give formula. So I held out until Day 6 when milk arrived!

Also, I'm very bloody-minded and was determined to breastfeed. Also, I have no problem whipping my breasts out in front of anyone (I'm not especially shy and retiring!). Therefore, I didn't give a damn where I fed DD and who saw us!

In terms of additional support, I think that antenatal breastfeeding information is key. Many women vaguely know that 'breast is best' but don't know the actual risks of formula. I think if people were told in black and white that formula increases so-and-so by X% and that breastfeeding conversely improves chances of xyz by y%, this might help.

In terms of longer-term breastfeeding, I think the fact that the women at the breastfeeding support group were happily feeding toddlers and children of three or four helped me immeasurably. Also, I'm fairly argumentative, so would enjoy backing up my reasons to feed DD beyond 6 months with data from World Heath Organisation etc!

I think being bloodyminded about bf'ing was certainly a big factor for me. Also, had supportive MWs on the SCBU and maternity wards when DS had to go back in for 5 days when he lost too much weight and had an infection. I had v sore nipples day 7 and would have stopped there if one SCBU mw hadn't recommended nipple shields, much to the horror of her colleagues on the maternity ward. 5 weeks later, I didn't need them anymore. Every mw said something which contradicted the one before, and I got fed up with the bfing propaganda bandied around that it was this way or no way. Even after that, got worried about not having enough milk, but was stubborn enough not to give in to trying formula (not that it is necessarily an evil, but i felt it would lead to my milk drying up one way or another).

The local HV is not v helpful - at least she is now doing a LLL course, but she sets up bf'ing support groups at certain times of the yr rather than continuously, so it started when ds was 8 wks - could have done with it 6 weeks earlier. And for my friend whose DD is 2 wks younger and wasn't feeding well, it came 5 weeks too late as she stopped bf'ing just before christmas. So frustrating that the support isn't there when needed.

I only found mn in jan, and it's really helped to reassure and educate me. The video clips on that Canadian dr's site, kellymom, why didn't i study this before ds was born?! More antenatal education, more postnatal gentle, consistent support from all hcps (I'm a dr, and i am shocked how ambivalent other drs are to bfing) and community support.

that's all!