Annabel Karmel, not content with making weaning sound complicated, has turned her hand to breastfeeding

[hunkermunker]

Words fail me

And yes, there are snippets in there that are true/useful - but HOW you dredge through the stuff that's unnecessary/nice to have but not essential - who knows?!

I actually think baby led weaning and trying to have meals that can be shared with a baby/toddler also work well for parents who haven't really made the effort to cook before. It's simpler to buy fruit and vegetables and to eg boil/steam veg where needed, and it's encouraged us to sit down and eat proper food more often.

I do see your point, elkiedee but have to say, I personally prefer a chinese ( with the western addition of a portion of chips!) to steamed fish and broccoli. Old habits die hard, especially the bad ones!

SIL bought an AK cookbook, but bought jars as 'it's impossible to get it smooth enough yourself.' I definitely think it puts people off!

I find all of this personal attack a bit depressing to be honest. Surely all that AK is doing is writing books and producing products.
As a parent you don't have to buy in to what she does but I don't think that she should be attacked either.
I think that her books are great. I have two really fussy eaters and through her books I have been encouraged to try new things with them.
OK so the results are not always great but at least i am trying.
I see the breast feeding content on her site as her trying to extend the information that she is offering. Why does there always have to be some hidden agenda?

But the information she is offering is poor and undermines bf. I think making bf info accessible is great but it also needs to be correct. The stuff on pumping would have had me quitting bf in the first few weeks. I expressed to see how much I had and got less than one oz. I cried all night and posted on here the next day. Still bf at 4 months now but I wouldn't have done so had I come across the info on AK's site.

If purees and meals for fussy children is her strength then why bother adding info on bf (if she doesn't know enough about to be sure the info is sound)?

I suspect the reason for adding bf info to her site is to get mums/customers looking at it sooner. BLW must be a threat but if new mums browse AK's site for bf advice its a comfortble next step to look for weaning advice there too (and she does have a vested interest there).

If they look for bf advice elsewhere like MN for example, they may decide to wean their children in a way which is decidely less profitable to AK.

I may just be a bit cynical though.

"I find all of this personal attack a bit depressing to be honest. Surely all that AK is doing is writing books and producing products"

Yes - all she's doing is making a HUGE amount of money from publishing information which may damage women's chances of breastfeeding their babies.

Seriously - it's completely unethical.

The word BUNKUM springs to mind . Where did she get this pants from? I used to like her cook books but think she's gone totally bonkers in recent years with her over priced baby blenders & baby foods etc etc!!

Where on earth did she get this nonsense about expressing to see how much milk is left . It's absolute rubbish. To say that only a very 'few' women can't express in bollocks!! Most bf Mum's I know have said they can't seem to express, I was always the 'abnormal' one who was able to express oodles of milk. I'd like to see where she'd done her research, what a laugh.

I feel sorry for the Mums who will read this twoddle & take it as the word of god

GONE RIGHT OFF AK!!!!!!! Am just off to calm down a bit now

In fact, I felt so strongly that I've just used the 'contact' button on her website to state my feelings! Will be interesting to see what she says if I get a reply (she says she'd like feedback positive or negative).

Haven't read all your posts yet so maybe someone's already done this?

I'll keep you posted

I think the Breast feeding info is just a small part of several different specialist topics if you read the home page (i think) a sleep expert and allergy expert are also anwsering questions and providing info, so i dont think AK is branching into selling bfing merchendise (sp) she is just offering people a chance to get questions answered if they want.

But the information is wrong, gussy. That's the main problem here.

using a breastpump was about the most time-consuming and draining thing i did when dd was a baby, hours and hours of 'squelch, squelch, nothing, nothing...oh, ffs...nothing...nothing...squelch...nothing...'

i am not going near one of the damn things this time around.

that website is kinda unethical, really.....never bought into her crap anyway....phew

Why is it unethical?

because it's crap advice is potentially detrimental to a mum trying to bf......

What advice is so crap? They have edited the expressing advice stating that all mums cant express so it may not be the best way for everyone...

some of the other advice ive found helpful, im just wondering what is crap?

The advice about having to eat healthily and avoid stress to produce good quality milk is incorrect -

Quote: If you are rushing around the chances are that you will not produce sufficient milk and its possible that your baby will not thrive. This is incorrect information and may make mothers feel worried they are starving their baby, compelling them to introduce top-up feeds which can compromise breastfeeding.

The expressing advice and information has been changed

The advice about foremilk and hindmilk is a bit dodgy, I think, but I'm not sure -

Quote: is not necessary and can lead to the baby taking too much foremilk from each breast and not enough hind milk.

However I have a feeling this is from a different section of the website than is being discussed on this thread as I can't see any CBC references. And actually as bad bf advice goes the things I've mentioned in this post aren't the worst in the world.

I have 'cared'm for 3 post CBC advice/visit mum's who were left in a heap, she went as far as to tell one mum that "if she was a dairy cow she would have neen shot" and it cost her £200 to be told that!!

Needless to say we worked at it and mum was soon feeding her ds 100% from source.

She told another mum tandem feeding (which was going well) was dangerous in front of astounded Portland Midwifes!!!

Thanyou Cherrychoc.

Ive found I am mega thirsty and always hungry since BFing anyway, so im sure my body has naturally increased my fluid and calorie intake! although i was poorly when DD was 4months old and didnt eat/drink for 48hrs and my milk did go down she certainly wasnt as satisfied with it lol.

It certainly isnt the worst bfing advice ive seen, and was wondering if im missing something obvious!

BREASTFEEDING RECIEPES NYAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh Purlease!!!

Surely we just all eat DONUTS!!!!!!!!!!!!
mmmmmmmmm.

Donuts and cups of tea tra la la.

Oh actually have just looked at the link in the first post and yes, a lot of the information on there is very , especially about expressing.

gussy, but not all mums are more hungry, etc....I mean by her theories basically mums in the 3rd world should be unable to bf, which is rubbish...

thing is, people will go oin that website not knowing what is correct and what is myth, and that is where the problem lies....and the unethical part is, that they are marketing bf to make money....I suppose....which means they are not going to be obective, are they...

Arhh but if she promotes a healthy eating diet is that bad? her recipies are free of the website, and if it helps people be more food aware and healthier isnt that a good thing? especially in this age where obesity is so profound!

I know many mums bf without good diets, and yes third world countries manage it well consisdering but we do have the skills and resourses to eat better, so im all for someone who promotes a healthy diet.

also isnt it the WHO who recommend an increased nurtient/calorie diet whilst bfing? for optimum milk supply.

Don't think so.