Do you have questions about breastfeeding? Ask PHE’s expert

[JustineBMumsnet]

Whether you’ve struggled to breastfeed in the past or you’re pregnant for the first time and new to thinking about breastfeeding, PHE would like to help answer the questions you have about breastfeeding, and they have breastfeeding expert Jane Scattergood on board to help.

Here’s some information about Jane:

“Jane qualified as a midwife in 1992, and is a specialist health visitor. With a long career in supporting women and families in all aspects of health from pre-conception to school age, Jane has supported breastfeeding mothers and promoted breastfeeding extensively and in all settings, acute neonatal hospital care, community health visiting (including supporting the training of breastfeeding peer supporters) and around the time of birth in hospital and home."

Ask Jane your questions about breastfeeding by 1st June 2018 and we’ll select 10-15 questions for her to answer and post her responses as soon as possible. All who leave a question below (regardless of whether it’s chosen or not) will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £150 voucher for a store of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck

MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs apply

[MiniAlphaBravo]

What impact if any do you believe government/local council cuts to services such as children’s centres are having o lm breastfeeding support? For example, in my area the breastfeeding cafe has gone, which was something I used with my first child and found helpful, so I worrry that these cuts will make things even harder for mums who want to breastfeed but don’t have much support from their family and friends.

[CommonFishDiseases]

How can grandparents best support the breastfeeding of their grandchildren, especially if they themselves did not breastfeed?

[qate]

I have an 11 month old who feeds around 4-5 times in a 24 hour period - once he has turned one, I'd like that to go down to just one morning and one night feed (I had to go back to work early, so have spent the last 7 months expressing for his day feeds and its taking its toll on my sanity!). If I do only a morning and night feed, will this be enough to maintain supply or will it force an end to our breastfeeding journey? Is there anything I can do to keep the supply up just for the purposes of these feeds?

[StealthPolarBear]

Qate I can tell you I did pretty much exactly that at around that age with no problems at all :) maybe an extra feed when we got home from nursery too

[Sairelou]

Hi Jane
I have noticed you are not on the IBCLC register. Do you think it is important to

[Sairelou]

Sorry small child malfunction.

Do you think it is important that the health professionals that are giving support to parents on breastfeeding are appropriately qualified?

[Narya]

I mix feed my son on the advice of paediatricians due to low milk supply and poor weight gain. I find it works very well for us but some other HCPs have been unsupportive. They are very dogmatic about exclusively breastfeeding.

What is your opinion on mix feeding - do you think it could be promoted more to prolong some level of breastfeeding in mothers who might otherwise move to exclusively formula feeding?

[LapinR0se]

@MMHQ if you’re going to have someone on here advising about breastfeeding, please can you ensure they are IBCLC registered?? Thank you.

[asuwere]

in general, do you think there needs to be so much 'promoting' of breastfeeding? Are there women who don't know the benefits and are 'persuaded' by a poster in a labour ward?

[blacklister]

My question is the same as @MrsSiba's -covering the first two days would be great. My 9lb baby who'd had a traumatic delivery couldn't make do with the 1/2ml of colostrum I was producing for the first six days until my milk came in properly (I lost a lot of blood too).

Next baby will be ELCS soon so I'd love to know what to expect/do the first two days.

[AHedgehogCanNeverBeBuggered]

DS is about to turn 1, I've been back at work since he was 9 months and express during the day. He was conceived through IVF
and we'd like to make a sibling for him but my periods haven't returned yet and the clinic won't treat us until I stop bf. How do you recommend weaning him? He won't take a bottle from me (only DH or my parents) and won't settle for me at night without bf (but he's fine for DH).

Ideally I'd like him to stop bf by the end of September but have no idea how to stop! And will I mastitis if I suddenly stop?

[CelticPromise]

To be fair one of the most knowledgeable people I know about breastfeeding is a specialist HV and not an IBCLC (and I am one so I do know what I'm on about...)

[wontbedoingthat]

Hi, thanks for running his q&a. I'll follow with interest.
I've breast fed three children. First and second, no mastitis, breasts went back to normal after they stopped, never had any pain (except when they had bad latches), no problems etc. My third has been much more difficult. I've had mastitis several times, not always infected, just little lumps. He's a very rough feeder, pulls and squeezes and bites! My breasts, since the first bout of mastitis are not quite the same shape anymore and feel quite gristly - nice eh?! Not in a worrying way and the bits that feel odd are exactly where the mastitis has been. It feels like the blocked bits never properly unblocked somehow. Is there such a thing as scar tissue inside or damage inside the breast from all the growing/shrinking/pulling/infections etc? Obviously, online it's impossible to know individuals but generally how long would it take for breasts to recover after what has amounted to almost 5 consecutive years of breast feeding?! Thank you

[cheshiremama89]

I am breastfeeding my only son who is just 4 months.

He doesn't go long between feeds and grazes all day!

Do I allow him to do this or try and encourage longer gaps between feeds?

We currently co sleep and so he wakes several times a night for a small feed which I think now is just for comfort?

X

[TillyTheTiger]

I am breastfeeding my 2yo son a couple of times a day. We've been TTC our second child for 10mo without success (we got pregnant with DS on the first try). My periods have returned and are fairly regular - but could breastfeeding be affecting my fertility?

[LostMyBaubles]

Im pregnant with my 4th ans ive never successfully breastfed.
Im adamant that this time I will get it right.
What tips/ things do you recommend?

I do have very medicated births and pphs etc does thos effect anything??

Thank you

[GetKnitted]

Why do you think the midwifery profession turns so quickly to giving mothers in labour heroine, when it has clear and potentially devastating effects on mothers and their babies in the first days of their life together when they should be establishing a lasting bond. Why is follow up care for drugged new mothers so lacking, why is there such limited awareness of the potential for potentially unusually lengthy reactions to heroine treatment and for how long will this situation continue?

[GetKnitted]

Sorry LostMyBaubles my post wasn't a direct reply to your question, just coincidence. My personal view of my own experience was that having Morphine* completely ruined the first days with my first DS. I wish you very well with your coming birth and, if you do need extra pain medication, of course you should take it.

*named so to make the doctors feel comfortable

[hodgeheg92]

Any tips for avoiding mastitis again?

[LondonTheNovel]

I BFed my first child til he was two, all normal.

Second child, I can't remember exactly how early on, but I think within the first week - she only takes from one side. I am still BFing her now at age three and she has never bothered with the other side in all this time - any idea what that's all about?! (I mentioned feeding first child normally as obviously both breasts were working fine for him!).
And should I be worried at all about myself - is it a possible indication something is wrong? I did actually have a mammogram a while ago (not because of this) and all looked fine, but still I sometimes wonder!

[BonjourMinou]

I breastfeed my 11 week old but let him have the odd bottle of formula (max 1 per day, some days none) to practice bottle feeding ready for when I return to work. I do this because I'm no good at expressing - third baby and I've given up!

Will the formula have a negative impact on the benefits of breastmilk? (I.e the way it lines baby's stomach)
Will it affect supply in the long term?

[BaconCrispsGone]

How common is it for a woman to 'not have enough milk'? As opposed to getting bad advice or mot really wanting to breastfeed.

[lulu12345]

Do any foods / drinks help increase your milk supply or is this a misconception?

Do all women produce different volumes of milk, and for that reason need to feed at different intervals? (Ie I have to feed my daughter every two hours)

How much volume of milk does a baby take from the breast at different ages?

I’m returning to work when daughter is 7 months old.. can I still breastfeed her morning, evening and overnight but leave a gap of up to 11-12 hours? Can the body adjust to this schedule?

[NeverTwerkNaked]

A few questions from me

• with both mine I ended up with extended hospital stays. I am convinced that is what helped me establish a latch and keep the breastfeeding going even when it felt so hard. Do you think women might benefit from having the option to stay longer in hospital and getting more support?
  

• a lot of GPs and other medical specialists (outside allergies) still seem blissfully unaware that breastfed babies can react to allergens a mother has eaten. My son ended up very ill before he got better because i was laughed at by a GP when I asked if it could be something I was eaten. What is the general advice if you think your baby might be reacting to something you are eating?
  

• I’m concerned that certain breastfeeding advocates spout nonsense that can lead to bottle feeders feeling needless guilt. I heard all kinds of nonsense about “closer bonds if you breastfeed” when pregnant with my first, but when I had to switch to bottles because of his allergies I actually felt much closer to him and my PND diminished (because he was no longer so horribly unsettled). Do you think the breastfeeding / bottle debate should be presented purely factually without any of the manipulative subjective fluff about “bonding”?

[PollyCotton]

Why do so many HCPs think they're entitled to stick their fingers in my baby's mouth & decide whether the posterior tongue tie is big/tight/serious enough to be causing problems? My eldest ended up diagnosed with failure to thrive, my second & third both had their PTTs cut after I demanded to see the IBCLC. Everyone else - multiple HVs, GP & "infant feeding specialist" at the hospital - offered to "check" if there was a tie that might be affecting feeding & every single one of them told me there was no problem. I went from agonising feeds that made me bleed to absolutely no pain once the scabs had healed.

Why are people who are supposedly trained to support exhausted, vulnerable women learning to breastfeed not being taught properly about tongue ties? I think breastfeeding rates would go up if those supporting new mothers understood that there's more to feeding than what looks like a good latch.