Live webchat with Gabrielle Palmer, author of The Politics of Breastfeeding, this Friday (20 Nov, 1-2pm)

[HelenMumsnet]

Hello.

We're very pleased to have Gabrielle Palmer, author of the highly praised The Politics of Breastfeeding, as a guest for a live chat on Friday 20 Nov, 1-2pm.

Gabrielle Palmer is a nutritionist and a campaigner. She was a breastfeeding counsellor in the 70s and helped establish the UK pressure group Baby Milk Action. She has written, taught and campaigned on infant feeding issues, particularly the unethical marketing of baby foods.

In the 90s, she co-directed the International Breastfeeding: Practice and Policy course at The Institute of Child Health in London until she went to live in China for two years.

She has worked independently for various health and development agencies, including serving as HIV and Infant Feeding Officer for UNICEF New York.

As usual, if you can't join us on the day, please post your question here and Gabrielle will try to answer as many as possible on Friday.

[Beveridge]

I have also been following the chat(with a full of beans 5 month DD who has only now had a feed and conked out!), great questions and great answers.

Thank you so much for giving us your time and wisdom!

[elkiedee]

Please could you pass on my thanks to GP as well for the book and for the webchat, and thanks to all who thought up good discussion questions too.

As for formula feeding guilt, it is an issue for me, as DS1 ended up being ff. Reading the book in May/June when DS2 was 3/4 months old actually helped me get my head round why bf went terribly wrong for me the first time and why I struggled the second time (fortunately with much more success).

[dawntigga]

A bleated thanks to GP - sorry I couldn't have been on live but dp came home for lunch

IThinkIMayBeALittleInLoveTiggaxx

[TheCrackFox]

Thank you for a great webchat.

[MrsMotMot]

Similarly I have been following but not posting as everyone else's questions were so good!

Thank you so much for coming on and for writing the book- you have completely inspired me as a bf mother and as a midwife. I will be giving my doctor sister a copy for Christmas!

[OmicronPersei8]

I managed to miss the webchat due to both DC waking early from their sick-bed naps, but it's been great to catch up. Very interesting.

[llareggub]

I'd like to express my thanks to Gabrielle for a fantastic webchat. I'd also like to give a collective pat on the back to all those who give support on the breastfeeding folder of mumsnet. When I started out here when pregnant with DS1 in 2006 I had vague plans to breastfeed for 6 months and then stop. I had no idea that you could feed for longer. Mumsnet's members changed all that and I fed DS1 until he was 2 years and 9 months when he decided breastfeeding was something he'd rather leave to his baby brother. So thanks everyone.

Am off to Amazon now to buy the book.

[StealthPolarBear]

thank you

[JaMmRocks]

I'm sad I missed this, but have found it inspirational to read through and am going to buy and read this book. Thank you Mumsnet! (again)

[wuglet]

Fantastic webchat even though she never answered my question.

Even more amazing as it was a first effort

[StealthPolarBear]

me too wuglet

[Boober]

Just had to say that this was FANTASTIC. I love GP and love her book.



The Scottish campaign is www.feedgoodfactor.org.uk. I was at the launch and on the scottish news talking about BF my boys .

Sympathise with you - my oldest DS is 3.4 and more of a milk monster than his brother 12 months! I was seriously considering TANDEM FEEDING on TV but decided in the end that it might have been a bridge too far

[BoobBuffet]

Brilliant! GP likes my name

I'm thinking we could have the start of the first MN-produced documentary?

[moondog]

What an absolute honour and privilege to have GP grace us with her presence and wisdom.
MN, you have excelled yourselves.
Thank you so much.

[TanteRose]

LeninGrad sorry missed you question...re: up to what age do they bf in Japan..

well, actually, most people do stop at around 1 year because that's what they doctors tell them.

However, there is no real social taboo about bf a toddler.

My DH was bf until he was nearly 4, and I bf DS until he was 3.

[ArizonaBarker]

"You can do so much good for this issue just by being you"

purrs like cat with bucket of organic cream<

I vote this as the blueprint for all webchats.

[HappySeven]

I missed this yesterday and reading it makes me sad. I tried REALLY hard to breastfeed my son (now 3). At 8 weeks he was still only 7lb and very unhappy. He never came off on his own and was on the breast for 1.5 hours at a time every 3 hours. When his teeth came through he was missing the enamel on them because he was malnourished in the 1st 6 weeks and I was so ashamed. I know breastfeeding mothers get a hard time but so do bottle-feeding mothers when I really think we should just support eachother. I'm expecting again and I'm scared as to whether to try again as I didn't bond with my son until I stopped breastfeeding - the lack of sleep because he cried from hunger followed by my belief that I had failed as a mother because breastfeeding hadn't worked for me meant I was diagnosed with postnatal depression. Sometimes we bottle-feeders DO understand the benefits of breastfeeding and are just jealous of those it works for. BTW I did see a breastfeeding counsellor and ask for lots of help.

[Gelamum]

This chat and all BF info on Mumsnet is great, but unfortunately I didn't know about MN when mine were young, so I didn't get enough support.

I knew NOW that I had thrush of the breast and in babies mouth which made feeding v. painful. But this was never diagnosed .

I think we do need to remember that some mums, like me, are DESPERATE to carry on BF. And try so hard. I knew it wasn't supposed to hurt. I wanted help. I wanted to feed for ages ! But every feed was agonizing.

I asked EVERY single person I could think of for help. I was in Queen Charlotte's, supposedly a great hospital, and has a pro-BF poilcy. BUT I got no help of any use.

Thrush of babies mouth and nipple is very common but may not be picked up.

I trid GP and even a BF counsellor !!, but our thrush was not picked up, only advice was yes my latch was fine, and it should stop hurting. BUT no-one picked up the thrush in bubs mouth....

So I fed, even VERY PAINFUL STILL ( feeding with thrush is v painful) up to 3 months exclusively then could stand no more.

OOPs sorry to moan on
I feel very strongly about this !!
I feel sad I never had a pleasant feeding experience with DD1.
I did feed my twins for 5 months three years later, despite having thrush exactly the same as before, but THIS TIME it WAS diagnosed.

[Gelamum]

Oops sorry at going off on tangent,
but trying to say how we should encourage breastfeeding.... is by really training people properly. Those who are supposed to support mums to pick up common problems should know what they are doing!

If, me in a middle class area, with NCT classes and an excellent hopsital, did not get the right help, then I bet loads of the mums who say 'it didn't work for them' could have undiagnosed thrush as well.
??