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?

Gunner, do behave.

Some quotes from you:
"surely everyone knows that a good supply of breast milk relies on a woman eating and drinking properly, regularly and well. "

And the wittily sarcastic one:

"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."

You were wrong, you were (gosh!) over-analysing, and just as relevant, getting on people's nerves

No one argues with you about the benefits of a healthy diet for the mother - it's the link you made between this and bf that people object to.

Clearly you preferred to appear like a knobend rather than simply say 'I got that bit wrong, sorry.'

Poor Gunner.
I am cringing for you.
What a tit

Cheers!

i only know ONE other mum at my kids nursery who is bf. her baby is now 6 montsh and she just told me she is trying to stop bf because she is feeling " run down" and wants to to take some multi vitamins. She is convinced that formula will be safer for her baby and she is going back to work ( in August) !!!!!

she doesnt really want to stop, just feels she "has to" because of the vitamin thing and work

Who came up with the 'shit diet for mum, shit sleep for baby' theory? Ate absolute crap when bf DD as a baby, she slept really well. Eating an immaculate diet now, does DS sleep? No he fecking doesn't, he farts from the nutritious beans and smells faintly of carrots

Kristina, that is a real shame....this is where the myth of poor diet = poor milk shows up: mothers feeling they cannot be doing their babies any good

She can take a multi-vit if she wants (and eat better, too, if she can). She's not thinking that she can't bf and take multi-vits, is she??

The nonsense about how crucial a healthy diet is for normal bf can be put partly put at the door of formula manufacturers, who put this information all over their milk marketing information.

This statement appears in many of their leaflets, and I think might even be printed on tins of formula:

"Breastfeeding is best for babies and provides many benefits. It is important that, in preparation for and during breastfeeding, you eat a healthy, balanced diet."

I've seen Cow and Gate leaflets that say things like 'what you eat goes straight through to your baby, so it's important you eat a health diet'.

Oh yes - straight through.

No wonder there are so many people who think like Gunner - it's a drip, drip, drip of misinformation that's put out there to deliberately mislead people into thinking that formula is superior to breastmilk, unless the mother is eating a first rate diet.

yes tiktok she is. i have told her that i've had all sorts of meds while i've been bf - different types of anti biotics ( for sinus infections and dental problems) and painkillers. i suspect she also thinks she will be less tired and that she is under pressure to wean at 6 months. she was telling me all the problems she has been having with blocked ducts as a result IMO of trying to wean too quickly. And her baby has been sicky on formula.i think the multi vits are her " offical reason" IYSWIM.

she also says all the stuff about " oh its so long since i had a glass of wine i really fancy one now". And " i know i shoudl eat better but its hard with a baby and a toddler".

i think she has fallen for the second rate diet = second rate Bm myth. i dont think she eats crap - just not the ideal diet IYSWIM. eg toast and tea for breakfast, not eggs and fruit

i think she believes that formula and bm are the same but if you have to take any meds then it tips the balance and formula is safer. she told me that " its not worth the risk" of still bf while taking them.

it doesnt matter what i say really as they think i am barking, still feeding a 3yo [crazy woman emoticon]

very sad

If you consider me a "knobhead" simply for holding my own opinions Moondog, then so be it. On that basis I'm happy to be one. Far rather that than to be a supercillious bore like you.

Noooooooo....Gunner, it was me who called you the rude name....me!

And it wasn't for having an opinion - as if. It was for presenting myth as fact, and thereby adding to the general confusion, and not admitting you made a mistake.

FFS.

Kristina, I am sad for your friend, especially as stopping bf has brought probs for her (blocked ducts) and probs for the baby (sick on formula). She is a victim of the ridiculous mythology and bad info that persists about feeding

Hi kristina if you want tell your friend she can even have Berocca if she wants! I have a pants immune system and depend on it as a pick me up, assumed it was contraindicated in pregnancy/BF and was pleasantly surprised!

I'm sorry- Gunner, why are you being so rude & horrible?! You've called people 'bores', you've told us a few times how boring the whole thread is (well why are you still on it then ) & you've presented your opinions as fact.

Regardless of whether you believe BF & diet are connected- which many people do believe- I think you should also acknowledge that lots of us (myself included) have believed in this kind of thing (reproduced by formula companies & by many many 'wellmeaning' friends, relatives etc)... For me MN has been one of the reasons I feel slightly more confident in my breastmilk, although I have to confess that on some level I do feel that when I drink more water or eat more healthily or whatevet it's better for me & my baby. I definitely agree that mothers need to look after their health, and I'm not sure I agree 100% that mother's diet plays NO ROLE whatsoever... but I'm convinced by everything I've heard in the last few months on MN that it plays a far smaller role (even a negligible role) than that I had assumed it played.

By the way. I too have many friends (formula feeding mothers) who've explicitly told me that 'nowadays formula is excellent, contains so many vitamins, nutrients etc' and 'nowadays there is hardly any difference between formula & bm' (too pc to say 'NO difference'). One of these friends- who bf unsuccesfully, with many difficulties, for a short time & then switched to formula- got this exact advice from her paediatricians. The paediatrician said 'yes, ok, mother's milk is better, but formula nowadays blah blah blah'...

Anyway. Just wrote all this down to let you see (perhaps) how we all fall for these myths & how UNDERMINING they are for women who are trying to bf, who often find it hard, & who often doubt their own breastmilk & its ability to feed their baby well...

eating healthily is, however very necessary for the mother, particularly one who is stressed and exhausted from breast feeding. Your baby will certainly be more than fine on a poor diet,

but a poor diet caused me to lose bone from my teeth and I also suffered pnd and am now seriously underweight. I know its not linked to bf-ing.

But eating well is important for mums.

and everything is a balance of course.

I do agree, Kalo, that eating well is certainly important for mums (I understand this effect being essentially the same as in pregnancy: the baby or embryo won't suffer but the mum may suffer, if she doesn't look after herself).

Ah, Gunner. Still here? Do carry on.It's quite fun to watch you dig yourself in deeper and deeper.

One or two further corrections:

Titok used the term 'knobend'

'Supercilious' has two l's. Not one.

As yuo were.

Oh someone shoot the poor woman and put her out of her misery.

'They are suggesting baby rice in a month if he hasn't sped up his weight gain.'

FFS that HV really is talking out of her arse.
As if baby rice has more calories that BM.

CherryChoc, you are doing fabulously well.
You'll know yourself if your baby is not ok. And it sounds like he is doing fine

baby rice is no good, many babies don't have the enzyme to digest starch, thats why they want to bf all time and weaning can be a nightmare if you do it wrong.

my baby didn't eat solids til ten months and I think i put him off by doing it all wrong and bad advice about weight gain from hvs.

Infact hvs are ridiculous.

You must eat well because hvs will send you round the twist with worry so you need the healthful food to combat their idiotic behaviour.

Not read thread but to the OP:

Your milk is fine. Your milk is fantastic. Believe it. You're giving your DS the best possible start he could ever have in life.

You start supplementing your milk, you'll produce less.

Have faith in yourself. It's hard when you have doubting Thomas's all around you but don't let them get to you.