PLEASE CAN TIKTOK OR ANY ONE HELP BEEN TOLD TO STOP FEEDING

[slushy06]

Sorry about caps and if it takes me a while to reply but dd has just been discharged from hospital owing to breathing difficulties from a bad cold doctor asked what I feed her I said bf she asked what else I told her nothing so she asked if baby fusses I said no but she said I should switch half her feeds while she is unwell to boiled water.
Is she right she seemed to dislike bf my dd weight has continued steadily on the 75 ff centille btw. And she is 12 weeks and not my first bf child and everything has gone without any problems at all apart from this cold. Do I give the water or carry on making sure she gets alot more fore milk you know the watery stuff. Thanks

Noooooooo!

Keep feeding her as much if not more then you would normally.

No need to "try giving her more foremilk" (is not really that distinct anyway)

Just keep breastfeeding her - while she is taking milk, having wet nappies and is not showing a shrunken fontenelle she's not dehydrated so your doc is talking...oh what's the technical term, oh yes....bollocks.

PS
If she is dehydrated/has diarrhoea the advice is to BF as normal and add in extra dioralyte or similar.

Never to replace BM.

Thanks for your help. I thought so, but I just wanted to be sure

Erm, I think this is Bad Advice.

Why do they want you to do that? Did they give any reason at all?

Just feed her as normal is what I'd do, no need to worry about foremilk, she will take what she needs. Giving the water is likely to mess up your supply.

If I were you I'd be on the phone to that doctor asap asking whay she advised you to cut down BF, and if she hasn't got a good answer than I'd complain formally.

would lay good odds on tiktok telling you to ignore f**kwit doctor and carry on bf without giving water because you are obviously doing brilliantly and your dd is thriving!

Agree with above, what purpose is boiled water going to serve, IGNORE, IGNORE, IGNORE.

I would also make a complaint about the piss poor advice.

Thanks ladies no dehydration doctor just said the milk might be heavy on her chest. Off to bed now while dp watches her thanks for all the replies.

Good lord, that doctor sounds like a loon. Heavy on her chest?? Are you crushing her with your breasts or something?

Heavy on her chest????? Whaaaaaaaat??? Sounds like utter utter UTTER bollocks to me.

I think you should complain, seriously. Dangerous rubbish advice.

THis may be to do with the school of thought which suggests that people with colds should lay off the dairy as it's mucus-forming (allegedly). However, it sounds a bit mental WRT a breastfed baby.

But she's 12 weeks old. If she doesn't have milk then she'll starve. Saying to do half the feeds with water is asking you to halve her calories. This doctor sounds dangerous to be quite honest. Was it a hospital doctor or your GP? If hospital - what 'rank'?

I do wish that HCPs who know bugger all about breast feeding would just admit that rather than inventing some half-cocked advice that is about as evidenced based as putting vicks and brown paper on your chest for a cold.

"Heavy on the chest" !!!!! Did this person buy their degree off the internet?

Milk is heavy on the chest.

If you put the whole carton there.

FFS, is it invent a medical theory day? There are myriad reasons why right now bmilk is the best thing for your child.

What a bizarre thing to tell you to do. FWIW, DS had a series of severe chest infections, including a partially collapsed lung as an older baby. His consultant reckoned that it was breastfeeding that had given him the ability to keep out of hospital during all of this.

Just bf as normal, and make a complaint about that 'advice'

Indeed CMOT - a friend's baby was hospitalised and on oxygen with severe bronchiolitis when he was 4 months old. She expressed milk for all his feeds and was told it was a major factor in his fast and full recovery.

Heavy on the chest my arse.

FFS Yet another load of Bollocks sprouted by the medical profession. Probably some old wives tale passed on through the generations.
A small baby needs only breastmilk. Tell the doctor to cut out her breakfast and dinner and only have water and she how long she lasts.
Breastmilk is perfectly designed for immature guts and is rapidly absorbed. WE ARE NOT TALKING A PASTA AND STEAK MEAL HERE.
You are doing the best for your baby.

slushy

This is utterly bizarre advice. If this came from either a hospital paediatrician or GP you are well within your rights to complain. The hospital PALS service (usually in reception area or details on hospital website) is generally a good place to start.

I fail to see what therapeutic benefit water is supposed to give. Your body produces antibodies to the infections that it (and by extension your baby) is exposed to. Your milk gives those antibodies to your baby, to help her fight off her cold.

What I find truly alarming is that the evidence that breastfeeding protects babies from respiratory infections is weighty and extensive.

Heavy on the chest indeed.

I would complain. it is not normal advice... that advice could actually be quite dangerous, to cut the calories of a little baby like that! terrible!

Hope you are getting sorted, slushy.

Just to clarify, I rarely suggest anyone ignores their doctor, and I don't chuck round insults at HCPs I don't know....sorry, Minky

We don't know the full story of anything posted on here: all we have is an OP's potted version of it.

Having said that.....;) what the OP writes here extraordinary advice to give for a young baby, and yes, there are risks with this advice, and yes, slushy should get a second opinion such as from her health visitor, and maybe ring the doctor who told her this and ask why halving the calories and the antibodies and the all over nourishment of her daughter would help.

It used to be that formula fed babies who suffered from gastro bugs were given 'half strength' feeds for a while. This is no longer routine advice, but I'm guessing maybe this doctor is remembering this older advice and not realising that it would not apply to a bf baby anyway.

Oh, and when you have ascertained that this advice does not apply to your situation, slushy, do complain.

I saw a doctor at the hospital who said all was fine and to continue bf as normal but the senior consultant who had to discharge me was the one who said about swapping some feeds she actually said a few no more than half.

She did seem to know it was wrong advice because I cut her off a few times she firstly tried to say that baby might be fussing at the breast and maybe I should give formula in case baby was not getting enough to which I said 'she is fine she does not fuss and has never had a drop in her weight' she then tried a different tactic of saying how often does she feed she might get dehydrated so might need water at which I pointed out my dd feeds nearly every hour which is much more often than most bottle fed babies she then asked if my baby was having more difficulty breathing while feeding and maybe I should give a syringe of water often through the night but not to give it for more than half her night feeds.

But now I think back she didn't actually say to stop she suggested that my dd might benefit but when I informed her that I would be continuing to bf she let it go can I still complain as she didn't say to more tried to put doubts there. My hv will be popping up later so will let her know what was said and ask her advice she is v pro bf and will probably know what I should do.

Thanks alot ladies I will make a complaint when dd is better she seems alot better today.

Hmmm...would be hard to complain as the doctor could say he only discussed different strategies with you and when he found you were happy to continue breastfeeding a lot he did not insist.

Deffo speak to your HV, though.

The thing about the doctor's discussion is that it was undermining to you, and you felt you had to stand your ground against advice you could not see the point of. This may well have made a less strong, less well-informed mum feel v. anxious.

Doctor was female, that is what I thought I actually considered it as my dd had been rushed from gp surgery up to hospital in a ambulance and I was panicking and not really thinking straight the only thing that stopped me was the fact that my son has had alot of bad chest infections as he is asthmatic and this advice was never given to me.

I have spoken to hv she was present when my baby was taken in so knows the back story and has advised to continue breast feeding and said she sees no medical reason to offer any substitute unless I feel unhappy and would like a break which I don't.

The advice doctor gave certainly would have made me stop when feeding my son as I would not have thought to question a doctor I think I will wait until dd is better then maybe see if I can have someone to have a word with the said doctor about current guidelines.