Message from a breastfeeding "support" group

[Sultanawana]

Back in September, I commented on a post on a breastfeeding support group. The mother was asking if anyone for advice for a jaundiced baby not gaining weight and mentioned using formula top-ups to help. I commented that I had given very small formula top-ups to my own baby who was not gaining weight at the time and in hospital for severe jaundice. This was advice given by a medical professional. After posting, I was then met by an indirect reponse from admin stating that they would not advocate the use of formula and directed anyone who did to read their conditions, even though the mother seemed to be wanting support with deciding to give a little formula.
I replied that this was wrong and that the mother in question was feeling huge pressure and couldbe looking for someone to say "yes we gave a bit of formula and it worked out ok." Which it did for us as I breastfeed solely at 5 months. It actually saved my baby's health and our breast Feeding journey.
Not only did I received the following response but I was banned from the group for a period of time. I was gobsmacked. Censorship of this nature just seems absurd to me. Surely, "support" of this militarian nature is counter productive? The "support group" was "can i breastfeed in it support group" on facebook. Here is the response I received:

Dear sultanawana

You’re a very passionate breastfeeding mother and you’re committed to helping and supporting other mothers in their breastfeeding journey. You had a difficult start and had to top up with formula with the advice from healthcare professionals.

Unfortunately, CIBII BS group is a “peer support” group. As trained breastfeeding peer supporters, we can not advocate the use of formula for a breastfeeding problem, but have to explore all other avenues first; this would be outside our remit and can only be suggested by a HCP or an IBCLC and closely monitored. We would be breaking WHO code and the guidelines we adhere to which would then contravene and invalidate our insurance to be able to offer free support to our members.

If a mother was still experiencing difficulties, we would have a duty of care to refer them to an IBCLC/BfC for more in-depth support, which mum may be encouraged to top up with expressed breast milk, possibly donor milk and/or formula to help with weight gain whilst the causes were being investigated.

We appreciate your generosity of your time in responding to the OP and thank you for your understanding in helping us keep the group running smoothly according to our ethos and rules.

Kindest regards,

I was then banned from commented on the group! What are your thoughts?

To be fair, unless its a consultant, a very experienced nurse probably does know better than the doctor...

This group did the exact same to me. I lady was asking for advice as her daughter was almost identical to mine- 9lb ish born, lost 9-11%, milk not yet in, lost lots of blood. I gave her my story and how I still to this day didn’t have to do anything other than express and try to encourage my supply, I was banned and lectured about it. Told I was giving out dangerous advice and that I was going to end up putting babies in danger. Their advice consisted of “offer the breast more often” to a woman whose words had been “Ive not slept for three days because she’s been feeding so much, I can’t possibly feed her any more often than I am doing without passing out”. But yeah. You guys be all militant about it, it won’t get them anywhere. I like UK Breastfeeding Support- they are lovely and really helped me when I was in the same position. They really feel like my “people”

I am on several of these fb groups, I find them mostly helpful!

We got re-admitted at 5 days with dd2, because she had apparently lost 17.5% of her birth weight, they wanted to give my baby formula & I refused, she was not crying more or less than a normal baby, she was not ill, didn't look 'skeletal' or shrunken in her skin as she would if she had lost so much. I explained to the dr, she was my 3rd baby, my first I bf to 15months, 2nd to 3yrs 3months, I knew what I was doing & she hadn't lost that much, in my opinion, they had got her birth weight wrong, on top of that, she was an emergency caesarean, (which can hinder your milk supply) but my milk had come in at day 3. She didn't listen to me, & wasn't happy that I refused formula.

She weighed my dd (which came up with a different weight to what they got which led to the re-admittance) & she came up with that I needed to feed & express every 2 hours, because she didn't believe that I had enough milk, & I needed a nurse in with me for every feed, to watch me feed & express! They all said there was nothing wrong with our feeding, I was pumping 3-5oz every 2 hours, our latch was fine & some even asked for advice on how I had fed dd1 for over 3 years!

When the next dr came around in the morning & weighed my dd again, she had either put on 3oz over night, or all of the hospital scales hadn't been calibrated, so she got another set of scales & got yet another completely different weight, so she apologised profusely, & signed our discharge notes, as dds birth weight was clearly wrong & she hadn't lost 1lb 6oz, it was their scales. I knew I was right to refuse formula, so the answer is not always to use formula, they should find out what the issue is first.

I agree with pp who said the reply from the fb page was fine