Is this true?

[SkyeOneDay]

At the NHS antenatal breast feeding class (which I thought was a bit rubbish really, I know they only have an hour, but "watch the dvd or go to another class" to find out how to properly feed seemed a get out to me) we were told a couple of things that I wasn't sure about:

1. The midwife said you could overfeed a breast feed baby. I think she may have been meaning more about hurting your nipples rather than overfeeding calories, if that makes sense, but she wasn't clear - just said that you can breast feed too much. Is this true? I was under the impression you can't overfeed a BF baby.

2. People with pink nipples have more nipple pain. Apparently darker nipples are tougher and you should let the sun darken your nipples if possible before you give birth...not heard this before either.

Bollocks!

nope and nope

Surely if your baby feeds lots it means they get more practice in a shorter space of time and become better at it quicker.

and how are you going to darken your nipples in the UK? walk around with them hanging out all day, hoping a bit of sun light might break through the clouds and shine on them!

I think what she might be getting at is, if you feed your baby when its not interested it may do a bit of unproductive sucking and make them sore that way and your nipples naturally darken through out pregnancy in preparation for the baby but I always thought it was so they can see and locate the nipple easier.

She definitely suggested trying to get sun on nipples - lying in your bedroom with curtains open as it's Spring and they would get some sun..Apparently that's one of the reasons people find breastfeeding so hard in the UK, our nipples are too sensitive.

I didn't listen to the first advice about overfeeding anyway (and certainly won't be sunbathing naked!!) because it sounded a bit rubbish to me, but I do wonder if the others at the class took it as all true.

OFGS - I can't believe HCPs are still coming out with this rubbish.

Visit www.kellymom.com which is a fantastic breastfeeding website, written by an American lactation consultant. Or if you fancy something more homegrown here's a blog written by a MNer

Congratulations, btw! When are you due?

sunburnt nipples aren't going to help at all!! That has to be the maddest thing I ever heard.

Thanks everyone, due in 3 weeks and have been doing lots of reading on here and kellymom, which is why I thought it sounded rubbish. (Some of the other stuff she said was fine, e.g. how often babies feed, how rare it is to not have enough milk etc etc) but then she came out with those two!

pantspantspants PMSL at what you said about walking around with nips out