Why am I the only one who believes in my milk?

[CherryChoc]

Sorry just a tiny little rant.

DP made a comment last night that he was concerned I am not feeding DS (4 months) enough. Don't know where he got that from as DS is happy, healthy, alert etc with no weight gain issues. So I asked and he said DS seems to be asleep all the time, and there was a misunderstanding about weight gain too - at 10 weeks a GP took his weight and marked it on the 9 week mark by mistake. I didn't notice and thought his weight gain was still accelerating, as it had been up to that point. Based on this I estimated his weight at 3 months to be around 13lb. When I got him weighed he was 12lb 12oz and it looked like he had dipped sharply on the chart - but when I got home and realised the mistake, re-plotted it looked fine and like a normal breastfed baby's pattern (ie more sharply up, then levelling out at 3m) I am due to get him weighed today (wasn't going to bother but will now for DP to see).

Anyway I was speaking to my mum today and she said hmm well you're not eating very well are you, maybe your milk isn't very good quality - you need to eat a healthy balanced diet for him to get the vitamins.

Now - I know I'm not eating fantastically well (really shouldn't let DP do the shopping!) - but am I wrong in thinking that he will get all the nutrients etc from my milk first, and my body will suffer if there are not enough?

you are right, they are wrong

imo

Yup, your body will strip mine itself to provide your baby with the same quality breastmilk whatever you eat pretty much. I was reading something the other day about the Russian forced labour camps where women were on a pretty much starvation diet, and made to haul lumber/rocks etc in extreme cold. And until they had to stop breastfeeding at 2, their babies thrived

Ignore them all.
Unless DH is a health care professional then it is just an opinion.
I dont understand why people feel the need to comment on our feeding abilities. Surely as long as our babies are awake, alert and growing steadily then I dont see what the issue is!

Grr the HV thinks my milk is not calorific enough and I need to eat more. (Fair enough I need to eat more anyway but it's the assumption that my milk is faulty I don't like!)

They are suggesting baby rice in a month if he hasn't sped up his weight gain. (Which is totally normal for a bf baby!) My mum is convinced if I get my diet up again it will work and they will be happy. At least clinic is only once a month so I can just "miss" it next month and then turn up at 6 months with my bf chart and Gill Rapley book in hand!

The HV is ill-informed and quite spectacularly so. Calorie content of milk is unaffected by the mother's diet.

The very fact she has misinformed you like this is a Big Hint that you can discount anything she says about breastfeeding

It's not compulsory to go to the HV you know - you can get electronic scales and weigh him at home yourself - stepping on with and without him is easiest.

Highly questionable if a healthy 4 mth old needs weighing at all....

I don't weigh. Tisn't weight watchers in reverse, where you get a little sticker every time they hit a pound increase.

A healthy diet is a good thing for YOU - so do try but it won't make any difference to your milk.

In the same way that despite having horrendous sickness throughout pregnancy and losing 2 stone in the first 3 months did not stop my babies developing into rather healthy 10 and 11 pounders! The only one to suffer was me.

If your happy then don't worry.

Surely if you are not eating properly then whilst you may not be putting your baby's health at risk by feeding him poor quality breast milk you are putting your own health at risk.

If your body is depleted in terms of vitamins this will impact on your immune system and you will be prone to picking up all sorts of viruses and infections. It can also impact on all sorts of other things that are specific to women too - i,e bone health etc.

You need to eat well for you too you know.

If you're not 100% you won't be able to function properly and that won't do you - or your baby - any good in the long run.

Gunner, her milk won't and isn't 'poor quality'.
Yes of course she needs to look after herself but one can safely assume she is not suffering from malnutrition.
Cherry, they are all talking through their arses, and ignore your dh even if (especially even) he is an HCP.

i think Gunner was saying NOT poor quality milk.

CherryChoc - it sounds like absolutely everything is fine. If your son is happy, healthy and alert, there's no reason to think he is not well nourished.

My 27 week old DS is stubbornly clinging to the 9th centile on the charts, but he is so obviously a happy little chap, no one is concerned.

I did have DH at one point saying I must be starving him, as there was a phase when DS never seemed satiated, but thankfully DH has accepted that my milk is fine and that DS is simply a little guy (for now).

A healthy diet for you is definitely a good idea, but as others said, don't worry that you are somehow malnourishing DS.

And the advice about baby rice sounds bonkers - because as far as I know breastmilk has far more calories and fat, ounce for ounce.

We started solids two weeks ago and DS has been putting away good amounts but it doesn't seem to have affected his weight gain.

Thank you Chandellina, at least you knew what I meant.

Moondog - I never said the OP's breastmilk would be poor quality but surely everyone knows that a good supply of breast milk relies on a woman eating and drinking properly, regularly and well.

Women also needs to eat a healthy balanced diet to maintain a healthy immune system - particuarly when extra demands of breast feeding are being placed on the body.

Perhaps that's a bit clearer for you?

there is some good reading on kellymom on the subject.

and cherrychoc, We believe in your milk

burnsy

Gunner - check out the links, please.

"everyone knows that a good supply of breast milk relies on a woman eating and drinking properly, regularly and well."

No they don't know that because guess what - it isn't true

Oh, so now it doesn't mater if women (a) eat a diet of crap (b) next to nothing all day or (c) both of the above

They can do any of these, or both, and they will still produce A* breastmilk and be perfect specimens of health themselves too.

OK

Gunner I understood what you meant too, just hadn't been back to this thread.

As far as I know, breastmilk doesn't have grades - it can't be poor quality or good quality, it's just what it is.

Obviously if someone isn't eating properly, they are not going to be a perfect specimen of health, but this applies whether they are breastfeeding or not.

Thanks Lackadaisy for your comment

Marla I think I will stop going! Might have to get some scales I can use at home though to keep DP happy. He is happy as long as he is gaining as he has no idea of centiles etc.

CherryChoc - I feel for you. I had this problem too with my DH and PIL. Baby was happy but oh no, everyone knew better. As OP said, I don't understand why so many people feel they have to comment on our feeding abilities.

Just ignore him, everything else will just make you crazy. It shouldn't be this way but I guess Mum knows best