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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Clare Byam-Cook has a blog

10 replies

hunkermunker · 13/05/2009 22:21

Interesting that you can't leave comments...

OP posts:
moondog · 13/05/2009 22:49

I'm saying nowt.....

Hopefully · 14/05/2009 07:50

Crikey, she seriously hates breastfeeding, doesn't she? I don't consider myself to have remotely strong feeling about BF (BF successfully, but don't intend to continue to do so long term), but the instant feeling from the whole of her website is an opinion that BF is likely to fail and that women basically shouldn't try. Grrrr.

purplemyrtle · 14/05/2009 08:13

Not a very pleasant tone on there is it?

PuzzleRocks · 14/05/2009 08:20

I wish she would use spellchecker. Aweful

tiktok · 14/05/2009 09:27

What is sad about it is there is no sense of delight in her work, no sense of the relationship aspect of breastfeeding, no sense that in any way, breastfeeding is anything more than just a (potentially dangerously unpredictable) way of getting milk into babies. She's just got an angry head of steam about the way mothers are 'instructed' to breastfeed.

I think this does deserve anger, and I have expressed it myself here on mumsnet from time to time. But it's not what I would like to think is the only thing about breastfeeding.

And she seriously misrepresents what NCT tells mothers about the size of a baby's stomach - she uses anecdote and third hand stuff to rubbish NCT antenatal classes in a way that just makes her sound resentful and unpleasant.

I am sure she may be an effective practitioner in some cases, despite all this.

Some women may well prefer this rather joyless approach to breastfeeding, and if people want someone who is quick to suggest a bottle of formula if the bf is not going well (rather than expressing colostrum/milk, making the milk transfer more effective, or frequent, amending positioning), then she is probably your woman....and there are women like that. I don't judge them at all - that is their choice and it is their prerogative to choose the sort of help that meets their needs.

PuzzleRocks · 14/05/2009 12:30

Agreed, it certainly doesn't seem that she's motivated by altruism.

tiktok · 14/05/2009 12:44

She doesn't have to be motivated by altruism - we all gotta make a living I think there are many ways to support breastfeeding mothers and paid-for, private help would be included in that. It's just that she sounds so very cross .... it can't be just me

CherryChoc · 14/05/2009 21:09

I do remember skim-reading her book in the library once when DS was tiny (I used to pop in and see DP at work, push DS round town to get him to sleep and then go in and browse!) and it just felt.. wrong.

MarlaSinger · 14/05/2009 21:13

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

wombleprincess · 14/05/2009 21:38

actually, i read her book and found it very helpful. still breastfeeding at 7 months.

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