i know i shouldn't really link to another site ....

[nappyaddict]

but this has made me feel a bit

it works by supply and demand doesnt it? so if the baby is getting some from elsewhere then the breasts will make less as they 'think' the baby needs less...no??

Yes nappies.

If you top up after each feed always offering the breast first then you can maintain what milk you've established. You will not be able to increase your milk to meet further demands. This is way better than giving solids at 6 weeks.

granted its better than solids.
but not neccessary. and far better to hunker down for a few days, feed lots and increase supply.

I wasn't saying it was better than EBF. I don't think every woman is prepared to hunkerdown and increase her supply. So they go and introduce solids!

guess so!

i just think the HCPs desperately need to be better informed tho, if the risks are as awful as they seem to be, people ought to be clearly advised that solids early are Bad News.
they dont seem to be being told. and that seems wrong to me.

HV too busy telling everyone that EBF is the only answer?

Sorry that was a bit flippant. I agree barely any advice given on dangers of solids.

"You will not be able to increase your milk to meet further demands." - This isn't true. If you let your baby feed more frequently for a few days then your breasts will start to make more milk cos they know the baby now needs more.

I am currently avoiding my hv team now because ds is 20 weeks and I know what shite they will come up with to make me wean. He is small. He was born small (6lb 11oz). I know they will also try to blame BF!

DD1 was born 7lb 11oz and didn't gain weight for 4 weeks when she was 10 weeks old (she was FF). Weaned her at 4 months (as per guidlines then) and she still didn't gain weight!! And guess what....she's still tiny now at 6!! Skinny little thing!! My children are just designed to be small and slim!! Will the hv listen though?

I like your response VS. I didn't realise that about the stomach being permeable.

Seriously, have learnt so much from you lot, and it's all backed up by research, NOT anecdotal; "so and sos, friends, mums, cousin said so!"

My mum doesn't believe all research though!!

nappy, you're right. Mothers can and do increase their milk supply - if they feed their babies, no matter how old, more often, then supply increases.

shoedweller, where did you hear that mothers cannot increase their milk supply?

The risk with top ups of formula at any age is that they increase the length of time between breastfeeds (that is, of course, the reason why they are sometimes suggested). This has an impact on supply.

tiktok - i was talking about mixed feeding. I was sayinf that formula top ups are a better idea for someone who isn't copin with 45min feed intervals rather than solids in a 6weeker.

Each to their own and all that, but 5 weeks?????

I'm not perfect but bloody hell

Sorry if I am not understanding you, shoedweller.

You said:

"If you top up after each feed always offering the breast first then you can maintain what milk you've established."

That may not be true.

You also said:

" You will not be able to increase your milk to meet further demands."

This is not correct.

" This is way better than giving solids at 6 weeks."

I agree with you there!

You're right I'm not being explicit. I thought that unless you fed more freq supply would be constant. if you choose to top up because can't cope with freq bf you're unlikely to feed more freq to get supply up and extra would come from formula when they had growth spurt.

You only have to feed more frequently for a short period and then your body starts to make more milk so there is enough to satisfy baby for 3 hours or however often they were feeding before. If you start adding in top ups then it means the body doesn't know it needs to make more milk and will carry on only making it enough to satisfy the baby for 45 mins or however long.

FWIW I have replied as well.

I suspect it falls on deaf ears though. It really is as though people just do not want to know.

lolol ayt the debsblugton post. are peope really this stupid?

I have just spent a week trying to persuade my fellow June thread people not to wean, a couple of them sounded just like these people, luckily I think that we got through to them.

Yeah

It would seem so!

Missing the point, anyone....?

It is sad that people are so stupid.

Why why WHY do people take it so personally when facts are posted? Why is it 'not nice' to post the truth abut weaning babies so early?

I really, really hate the widespread attitude of 'not mentioning the truth/facts in case it hurts people's delicate feelings' that you see so often on threads like that.

On my BC birthboard there was a woman who stopped giving her DD any milk at all at 9mo, as her mum told her that's what she did. She said her DD didn't need it as she was eating 3 jars a day

But what can you do?

I thought I was really polite about it myself.

This whole 'if you can't say anything nice...' malarkey - well, what do they want? Oh yes snugglemuffin, never mind the nasty WHO and their silly-willy guidelines or research, they just do it to make you feel bad?

Information. Thats all it is. Not an insult, or a judgement, or whatever.

they are morons, that's wwhy.