Cows' milk is better than breastmilk for a one year old - and that's a fact!

[NotSoRampantRabbit]

So said a GP to my lovely friend yesterday.

Friend went to see GP a couple of months ago with mastitis. During the conversation she also mentioned that her periods hadn't returned since having her DD. GP said this "wasn't right" and did blood tests. Poor friend really worried that something wrong - I reassured her that her periods would return eventually and that feeding her DD would delay their return.

She went back for her test results today. They were, of course, normal. GP baffled until friend told her that she was still feeding and might that be the reason. GP wanted to know why she was still feeding and told her that cows' milk is much better for children over the age of 1 than breastmilk.

Friend very upset.

Have sent her email with links to Kellymom and some useful threads on here linking to scientific research.

Have suggested she make a complaint to the Practice Manager.

Can anyone give me anything reassuring re periods?

Am on friend's behalf.

My periods didn't return until dd was 18mths old (I bf until 2).

It varied greatly amongst friends of mine who had babies at the same time. Some resumed them earlier, some later.

Some didn't resume AF and now have new babies

I really think she should complain - that GP is giving terrible advice and is in a position of responsibility.

Perfectly normal not to have periods return yet. Some women get them back quickly, some when they partially wean, some only when they wean entirely. With DS I got them back at 9 months when he night-weaned; DD is 12 months and they haven't come back yet, I suspect because she's still having one very brief feed in the middle of the night.

A complaint is definitely in order.

This has made me so cross - I really hope that she does complain to the practice. GP is an ignorant idiot.

My own anecdotal evidence on periods returning while bf - mine returned at 8 or 9 months the first time and 13 months the second time.

The periods thing is completely normal. Some get them back while still exclusively feeding, some don't get them back until they night wean, some don't get them back until they stop feeding altogether.

If she wants to ttc I can understand her concern and there are routes she can take I believe to encourage her cycle to return. Otherwise, not a problem.

The GP's a twonk. Hope she does complain.

Animals produce milk for their young. Cows do it and humans do it. How can it possibly be better to drink milk from another species than your own?!

Thanks for responses.

I really can't believe that a GP would give out such blatant misinformation.

I think my friend is considering TTC sometime in the not too distant future, so any info re helping their return (whilst maintaining her morning/evening bf) would be great.

I am going to encourage her to complain. I am her most militant friend!

Mine came back at 13 months when I cut down to one feed a day - dammit!

Where has this GP got this knowledge that cows' milk is better than bm at 1 year? He/she sounds so certain and yet we know that this is false (from the Evidence). A bit worrying - is he/she making things up as they go along? Not reassuring in a highly-qualified medical practitioner.

Haven't had a period since 2005! Have had a DD and a DS -- GP is talking bollocks, menstruation stops for many reasons - including: exhaustion, weight loss, breastfeeding, trauma and pregnancy.

Cows milk is better at one year old - if you are a baby cow!

God what crap advice.

But unfortunately bog standard, no?

Surely the most effective/best value way to increase bf rates in this country would be to have a mass education programme for ALL HCP's.

It just seems that everywhere you turn you get undermined and told complete rubbish.

Thank god I found mumsnet, otherwise I wouldn't have carried on feeding DS for over 2 years, and I wouldn't be able to support all my friends and help them feel confident and NORMAL!

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Yes to cows' milk for ice cream!

Nothing more unpleasant than a sloppy cone on a summer's day.

well i conceived ds1 9 months after dd was born without sight nor life of a period so no periods is no reason for her not to go for it whenever she wants.

ds1 was 12 months when i got a period..... think it is very much linked to night feeds in my case

cow's milk is too high in certain vits and minerals and too low in others and many immunological factors. not to mention the added benefits of the physical act of nursing even if no milk were involved.

Is your friend's GP Dr Hillary Jones?!

My periods returned when ds was 18 months. I do think it coincided with night weaning, but he was still having feeds during the day at that time.

I started ttc when DS was 16 months, had first period at 18 months, one 6 weeks later and then a positive test!
DS still feeds loads!

Ye Gods. Definitely get her to complain! My periods came back at about 13 months (am still feeding at just gone 2), but it varies tremendously - I've heard of an exclusively breastfeeding mum who got hers back at 8 weeks, but for some people it can be well into the second year - both of which are perfectly 'normal'. I hadn't cut down or nightweaned when mine came back, but I'd had a cervical loop excision and bled quite a lot afterwards, and I suspect that the procedure and/or the stress had something to do with it (I had a second loop excision in january and my periods went haywire then as well )

Oh and on the 'utter bollocks' front, she will probably be told next that 'cows milk has lots of iron in it' which is not only complete tosh but misguided, in that human breastmilk has more iron and more importantly 50% of it is bioavailable which means the body can absorb it, whereas high levels of cows milk intake has been linked to anaemia (yes that's right folks it can irritate the stomach and reduce the amount of iron absorbed from other foods.

Tis quite fun to be well informed on these matters and mock the doc though

Do tell her to complain, the silly sod probably hasn't been trained in this since med school (if at all then) and if she complains he may actually be forced to update his knowledge

WMMC Surely you mean 'udder bollocks'?

LOL Starlight!

Why do these highly trained, highly paid professionals insist on giving advice based on no evidence whatsoever?? WHY? Is there a part during medical training where they are told if you don't know, make it up you might be right.. [baffled]