Watching BBC3s documentary Is breast best?  last night got me thinking.  So many women want to breastfeed but face difficulties in the early weeks which lead to them having to stop.  Many of these women wrongly feel that they have failed. These women have not failed,  but the system and society has failed them!  If we want to see increased breastfeeding rates and a more positive attitude to breastfeeding in this country then we as breastfeeding mothers, health professionals, and activists need to step up and serve women better.  We need to give them the support, information and confidence that they need to succeed.

During Pregnancy.  

Women do not need to be lectured about the benefits of breastfeeding.  Everyone knows that breast is best, and telling people over and over again is not all that helpful. I believe pregnant women need to be given accurate information about breast and bottle feeding which enables them to make informed decisions.  Pregnant women need to be given realistic expectations about life with a newborn, they need to be told what breastfeeding is like, how breasts work, when their milk will come in and the physical and emotional results. They need to be told what colour normal breastfed baby poo is too!  They need to know that it is normal for babies to feed lots and lots in the first few weeks and that this settles down with time.   Mums need to know that at 6-8 weeks baby will have a growth spurt and feed loads, and that every month after that the same thing will happen again.  They need to be shown how to hold baby to feed, and that their are different positions which may suit them better than others.  

Most of all though pregnant mums need to be exposed to breastfeeding. They should be encouraged to attend a breastfeeding support group or antenatal workshop (with a real baby present) where they can see another mum feed, ask them questions about what its really like, and generally get used to seeing babies at the breast.  Not only does this help mum get a realistic idea of what breastfeeding will be like, but it gives them a contact point to go back to once baby has arrrived.

After Birth.

Getting breastfeeding off to a good start is fundamental.  In hospital mum needs care from a trained midwife/breastfeeding supporter who knows what they are doing and has a positive attitude towards breastfeeding. Getting the staunch formula feeder who has no knowledge or interest in breastfeeding is not helpful.  Mum needs someone who cares about her breastfeeding success to sit with her, spend time helping her latch, and keep helping until she gets it right.  Hovering with a bottle will not help mum gain her confidence!   Mum has her part to play too - asking for help is so important.  Yes midwives are always busy, and yes it feels bad buzzing them when you see them running around. But it is their job to help women breastfeed.  You have a right to breastfeeding help and you must ask if you are struggling.  If its hurting when you feed then you need help, don't just perservere thinking it will get better, chances are it will get worse if you don't deal with the cause of any pain quickly.

The first six weeks.

Leaving hospital and coming home is when the fun begins!  The first few weeks are incredibly hard for new parents with a whole lot of learning to do on the job.  Added to that are recovery from the birth, hormones, sleep deprivation, visitors outstaying their welcome, and  a whole host of other stuff going on.  During this time mums need to forget about the world and focus on getting to know their new little ones.  There is no rush to get out, or to get back into your jeans.  This is the time to hang out with baby and learn to feed together.  In the first couple of weeks health professionals call round to visit, this is a brilliant time to ask all those little questions about feeding.  However stupid you might think a question is, it is far better to ask then sit alone worrying about it or worse still google it!  I think we as mums often rush through the early weeks with baby, we want all the family to come visit and we want to get out and about with baby and this can really hinder breastfeeding. Asking visitors to entertain themselves or better still do the dishes whislt you escape to feed and rest is really helpful.  There's nothing worse than your gorgeous new baby been passes around by well meaning visitors bouncing and jiggling baby when all baby needs is a feed, especially when your boobs are getting fuller and fuller by the minute!  

With my first baby I was told that if I got through the first six weeks, breastfeeding would then get easier and its true the first 6 weeks are the worst, survive and you'll never look back.  Remember though the key to getting through those first six weeks is getting help, and been supported.  If you are feeling pain on feeding, don't feel comfortable with your latch, or are getting more and more anxious about facing feeding in public then go and talk to someone, call your midwife or health visitor, or a breastfeeding helpline, or go to a local support group. These people are here to help and as I've said before if you don't deal with these problems they will only get worse.    

Long term support.

One of the greatest things I ever did as a mum was join a breastfeeding support group. Its not one of those hippy, middleclass or pretentious types you sometimes hear about.  Its normal mums just like me, who love breastfeeding. At group mums find friendship, they find women with children of the same ages, they meet mums one step further along the parenting journey to learn from, and realise that they are not the only one who is sleep deprived and covered in baby sick. Yes mums get professional health advice from our group, but more importantly they find (I hope) a community of women who will support and care for them through breastfeeding and beyond. In groups you get to see tiny babies feeding, big babies feeding, and toddlers feeding - and all of those feel normal.  At group women share the horror stories, the funny stories and the stories that make you want to cry.  Good breastfeeding support groups should provide those elements of parenting that we miss out on these days due to no longer living near our extended families. I appreciate thought that theres along way to go and many areas are not as fortunate as here. 

9 years later I still go to support group, my babies are all grown up and breastfeeding is become a distant memory, so now its my turn to be the supporter.  It's now my turn to tell mums that in 6 months or maybe 3 years they will rediscover sleep!  It's me that can share my weaning stories and its me who can say if I had my time again I wish I'd done certain things differently.  Mother to mother support whether that be for a few weeks or for many years is what mums need, not just for breastfeeding but for every aspect of parenting. I really do believe that it is because of group that I succeeded in feeding my babies for as long as I wanted.  As mature breastfeeders we can supply that support to mums in our families and communities and its through those relationships that we really can make a difference to breastfeeding rates and the duration women breastfeed.   

Going back to work.

Going back to work can be really difficult for mums.  What would help many is having more employers who support and encouraging breastfeeding mothers.  Mums need rooms to express, not toilets and not a partition pulled round them in the middle of an open plan workspace!  They need fridges, washing facilites and all the practical stuff sorted out for them.  More than that though they need to feel that their feeding is valued, they need to feel every part the professional despite the breastpump stored under the desk. They need their bosses to affirm them and acknowledge their hardwork and commitment to work and baby.  Employers benefit greatly from breastfeeding, mums have less time off with poorly babies so save them money, and feel happier in their return to work when they can continue to provide milk for their little ones. A good supportive boss is more likely to find women returning to work after after children and will be rewarded with loyality from their breastfeeding staff members.    

Stopping breastfeeding.    

And when the journey ends mums still need support, whether they stop after a month, 6months, 2 years or longer, mums need to be supported through the weaning process.  Some stop because they feel they have to, others because they feel the time is right.  Either way giving that last feed is a emotional time.  Mums need to be told what a great job they have done, that every feed they have managed has benefited baby and themselves.  

I want mums to stop breastfeeding because they want to, at the time that feels right for them,  not because their choice to feed was removed by a society who are ignorant, or health professionals who are not trained enough to help.  Most all I never want a mum to stop breastfeeding because they didn't feel able to ask for help.  There's a lot of guilt tied to motherhood, and so many women carry totally unnecessary guilt because they think they failed to breastfeed, and that is so sad.  These women are not failures, they are not worse mothers because circumstances stopped them breastfeeding.  But we as a society have let them down.  Information, support, and honesty may well have extended their breastfeeding journey.  As a society we just need to grow up, and deal with boobs.  Breastfeeding is normal, healthy and lovely and those of us who survive and live to tell our breastfeeding tale, need to get out there and normalise breastfeeding again. We need to be advocates for our fellow mums and provide them with the support they need.  Maybe then we will see breastfeeding rates increase in this country. 

(Is Breast Best?  Cherry Healey Investigates was shown on BBC3 on Tuesday 13th April at 9pm.  You can read Cherry's blog about the show at http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/tv/2011/04/is-breast-best-cherry-healey-i.shtml )

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Great advice from the Analytical Armadillo on coping with germs when your little one starts nursery...

http://www.analyticalarmadillo.co.uk/2011/04/reducing-infant-illness-when-starting.html

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A fantastic poster from Baby friendly showing what exactly is in breastmilk compared to formula.  Amazing how much goodness is in there, it's almost like it was designed for human babies!!

http://www.bcbabyfriendly.ca/whatsinbreastmilkposter.pdf

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I didn't become an activist by choice, it just kind of happened.  I entered breastfeeding with a give it a go attitude and all these years later I am so passionate about breastmilk because I have seen it's benefits personally, and the more I read about breastfeeding and formula the more amazed I am by the brilliance of human milk for human babies.  I often get accused of being in the breastfeeding mafia and to be honest I'm proud to be - it was a real achievement for me to breastfeed and I am filled with joy when I hear success stories from other mums who have made it through the emotional and physical exhaustion of the early days of breastfeeding.  I kinow breastfeeding isn't for everyone and for a whole host of reasons lots of women choose to bottlefeed, but for those who want to breastfeed support and information are essential.  I'm glad there are activists about who are getting information out to women who need it.

Here's the blog of a fellow activist, the Daily Momtra,  full of wise words indeed: 

http://dailymomtra.com/2010/11/12/activism-isnt-about-being-better-than-you/

My favourite line of the blog:  "it all boils down to this: people become activists not because they woke up one day and decided to be an asshole or loudmouth. Something happens in their life that shows them that there is a specific need for more support, more information, more action in a certain area."  That sums up my attitude to breastfeeding support totally. 

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As a mum who has lived through 3 frequent night wakers (and survived), there have been many times when exhaustion has left me wondering what I can possibly do to get some more sleep.  Many mums suggested leaving baby to cry it out. However, leaving my baby to cry is something that goes against my every instinct as a mother, I've always wanted to deal with my children's needs quickly and responsively and have always felt that if my baby is crying its because they need something.  This  article by the Analytical Armadillo gives some great insight into CIO and why it may not be the best choice for baby:

http://www.analyticalarmadillo.co.uk/2011/01/cry-it-out-potential-dangers-of-leaving.html

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Another great article from the AA - I've always thought that breastfeeding was not the cause of tooth decay but its good to see a bit of the science behind why it's not a problem:

http://www.analyticalarmadillo.co.uk/2010/12/ask-armadillo-does-breastfeeding-cause.html

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Great artile on mixed feeding from Milk matters:

http://milkmatters.org.uk/2010/11/18/mixing-bottle-and-breast-it-doesnt-have-to-be-all-or-nothing/

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For those of you who have no clue about formula feeding here's another great blog from the Analytical Armadillo.   Why making up a bottle of formula correctly is so important:

http://www.analyticalarmadillo.co.uk/2010/08/ask-armadillo-making-up-infant-feeds.html

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Finding out your pregnant with baby number 2 is an exciting time.  But it can also be a nervous wait with lots of questions: How will I cope with 2 little ones? Will I love them the same? Will big bro or sis be jealous of the baby?   For parents with a small age gap one of the big issues in the early months is working out how you will juggle feeding the new baby with a toddler to look after.

Second time around you have the confidence and experience to know what you're doing (hopefully!).  You know how to breastfeed, what it should feel like. and where to get help with problems.  You're also already primed for the sleepless nights.  But there are new challenges:  How do you breastfeed with a toddler demanding your attention, climbing all over you, asking for snacks, or strangely needing the potty every time you sit down to feed?

Boobdudes is here to help with 10 Top Tips for happy toddlers during breastfeeding:

1. BE PREPARED.  Before you start to feed get everything you think you might need to hand. Keep the door or stair gate closed so no one wonders away out of sight.
2. HAVE A SNACK READY.  You can guarantee that as soon as you start to feed a little person will decide they are thirsty or hungry so grab a drink and snack for them before you start to feed.  Grapes or raisins are great because they take time for little fingers to eat.  If its near lunchtime try settling them down with their lunch next to you whilst you feed.
3. STORYTIME.   Keep a few favourite books ready to read together at feed time.  Toddlers love snuggling in next to mum so its an ideal time to look at a book.  Ask them to hold the book or help turn the pages.   Or keep a favourite episode of Peppa Pig or or The Night Garden in the DVD player ready to switch on.  If they only get to watch it at feed times it becomes a treat.
4. SPECIAL TOYS.  Keep a small basket of different toys or puzzles that you can get out at feed time.  You could even let your big one choose a special toy or teddy themselves that they get to play with whilst you are feeding.   Little girls love to sit with mum and breastfeed their dolls.
5. PRAISE AND ATTENTION: When baby is asleep or content to be put down lavish attention on your toddler.  If they are getting quality mum time between feeds they may be happier to play independently whilst you are feeding.  Praise them for playing nicely whilst you are feeding and talk to them about what they are doing as you feed baby.
6. A SPECIAL JOB.  Making your big girl or boy feel a part of caring for the baby really helps.  Involve them in baby's care by giving them little jobs such as getting a clean nappy from the bag, or choosing baby's clothes for the day.  Praise them for being kind to baby, and tell them how much baby loves to watch them play.
7. ACCEPT HELP.  It's hard to accept help sometimes, we have this built in guilt mechanism that says if we ask for help we aren't coping, or we should be able to cope with baby because we've done it all before.  But looking after 2 little ones is hard work and if you have visitors make the most of them being there. If they ask if you need anything doing don't hide the mountain of washing up, get them to do it!  It will give you more time, and energy, for both your little ones. In the early days when people come to meet the new baby ask them to play with your toddler first.   Then they can have a cuddle with baby later on.  If they bring presents let your toddler open them and make sure they get a few treats too.
8. GO OUT.  It may sound ridiculous when you're totally exhausted, and it can be a major operation getting 2 little ones out the door some days, but going out makes a big difference.  Go to toddlers, storytime, an any other groups you can find.  There are always plenty of mums eager to cuddle baby whilst you play with your toddler, and willing hands to care for them whilst you feed baby.  Plus it tires them both out so hopefully they will sleep and let you get some rest later in the day!
9. TALK.  Even very young children can understand a baby's need for food.  Explain to your child simply what baby is doing and why, let them see how the baby feeds.  If you breastfeed them tell them about what they did when they were a baby and how you enjoyed feeding them.  For slightly older children you can explain how good mummy milk is for babies, that it keeps them healthy and helps them grow.
10. ENJOY.  Time flies so fast so enjoy the special relationship you have with your little ones.  Before you know it the sleepless nights will have ended and you'll be waving your little ones off to school.  Having 2 little ones is exhausting and probably the hardest stage but the rewards of a close age gap will be reaped as they learn to play together and become friends.  It's amazing seeing how siblings grow and develop together.

A mum's view.

"I have breastfed both of my children past my one year goal, although surprisingly I found it an easier experience with my first child. With hindsight I think this was because it was an entirely different experience. With my firsts child I had all day to sit and feed and devote all my waking moments to her every need. It was such a wonderful experience, one which I was eager to repeat. However when number two came along, a completely different personality, I was at first disappointed that the experience wasn't exactly the same. On the whole she was a constant snacker, 5 minutes on and 5 minutes off, I really felt that all I did was feed. I'm not sure whether this was just her style or whether she had developed this style due to the fact that I no longer had hours to sit on the settee and feed to my hearts content. I spent the first few months consumed with guilt, my first child was no longer getting the attention that she had previously had and my second child was not getting the attention my first had had when she was a baby. However my second was thriving, although slightly smaller than my first and not putting on weight quite as rapidly as her sibling, she was however a very happy child who actually sat up quicker and crawled quicker than her sister. After a few months the guilt eased and we found our own way of coping with the demands of two children. While I fed,my elder child would breastfeed her dolly and cuddle up with me and I found rather than trying to please them both separately I could please them together. I also found that I could breastfeed everywhere doing anything, there were many times that I breastfed holding my baby with one hand and making crispy cakes with the other. Painting was also fun, and I found if I covered my baby up with a towel the she didn't get splattered in paint by an over exuberant 2 year old. I look back on the whole experience and really cherish each different experience, it taught me a lot as a mother and also gave me lots of laughs and stories to tell my children when they grow up."

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"Hi my name is Jackie and my son, George, is approaching 18 months. I knew I wanted to breastfeed even before I became pregnant but when it happened I was full of apprehension. Would I be able to do it? The more I heard about it the more it seemed to me that only a lucky few managed it with no problems. My sister-in-law had recently given birth to my niece and was heart-broken to have had to give up breastfeeding after a couple of weeks because she was in a lot of pain, and I had heard a lot of stories about mums not producing enough milk. I think I just assumed that we would have problems and I just hoped that we would be able to get through whatever came along.

So what a revelation it was to me when George took to it like a duck to water! After a difficult 30 hour labour, my planned home birth ended up a last minute emergency dash to the hospital, but shortly afterwards all that melted away as George latched on like an old pro and fed happily for almost an hour. That set the scene really for the next few months. Now I’ll take my rose-tinted spectacles off for a minute… Yes it was really tiring and at times I thought the boy would NEVER sleep through the night (he did, but it took 14 months!) and I often felt jealous of bottle feeding mums whose babies seemed to have cracked it after just a couple of months. But to see my happy, healthy baby thriving on my milk, and obviously loving it, it’s just the best feeling in the world. Also in the early days I had excruciating back pain for a while but this eased as I discovered the joys of feeding whilst lying down. Oh, and a couple of biting episodes (ouch!) and the comments from well-meaning others (time to give him a bottle now he’s got teeth, etc) but this was also short-lived.

I was very lucky because I got lots of support with breastfeeding, particularly when George was small. A friend of mine had recently become a Breast Mate so there was always someone I could call on to talk through any questions I had. I remember worrying a lot about whether George was getting enough precious hind milk and how long he should spend on each breast. Through talking to other mums at various groups my mind was put at rest that as long as he was gaining weight then everything was fine. I used the La Leche League helpline once or twice and received fantastic support, and I also found the midwives in the hospital were brilliant, sitting with me for the first few feeds so that by the time we went home I was feeling pretty confident.

I always said I would stop at 6 months (can’t remember why now…) well, 6 months came and went and I couldn’t think of any good reasons to stop. A year later we are still going strong and I won’t stop till he’s good and ready.

It’s because I found breastfeeding such a joy that I decided to train as a Breast Mate. I hope that I can inspire new mums and mums to be to embark on this fantastic journey, mums who might otherwise be put off by the thoughts of what might go wrong. It may be hard work to begin with, but the outstanding thing for me is how rewarding and how easy it has been!

So if any mums to be out there are feeling daunted by the prospect of breastfeeding, just go for it! Like me, you could well be pleasantly surprised."

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Oh joy another inane article has hit the papers, this time criticising those evil members of the Breastfeeding Mafia who are reducing so many poor women to tears.  We the Mafia (as I am supposedly a fully signed up member) spend our entire lives undermining bottle feeding women, and bullying others into breastfeeding.  We apparently twist every article about babies and food into a war of breast v bottle, and spread guilt and hatred of formula whereever we go. You just have to look at me to see how scary I am!

If you want to read Barbara Ellen's most insightful article yourself it is here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jan/16/breastfeeding-sting-cleaners

Ellen's latest rant is based on the announcement made by researchers last week that giving Breastmilk alone for 6 months could be harmful to babies.  I'm not going to go into details of that now because I've already talked about it, but I will explain why I as a breastfeeding mum found the research and particularly the media coverage of it so annoying.  Yes the report was about weaning on to solids, and not a direct criticism of breastfeeding, but reports such as this do a great deal of damage.  

New mums are often very nervous about feeding and weaning.  New breastfeeding mums in particular can worry about whether their baby is getting enough milk, and gaining weight appropriately.  Pressure is often put on breastfeeding mothers by health professionals and well meaning family members to bottle feed, particularly when baby is gaining weight more slowly than others might like.   There is also an innate culture within society as a whole that getting baby on to "real" food is really important.  There's this unwritten competition between many mothers (both breast and bottle feeding) to rush their babies on to the next stage.  It's the whole look what my baby can do now syndrome. We get so excited about the next thing baby will be able to do that we forget to enjoy what they can do right now.  

Multiple pieces of research have shown that weaning at around 6 months is the best thing for babies and that weaning early is not good for babies immature digestive systems.One of big dangers of bringing weaning ages back down to 4 months is that mothers sometimes choose to wean even earlier.  If the guidelines say 4 months they think 3 months will be ok. Here's were the danger really lies - babies weaned before 17 weeks are put at a great deal of risk. If the guidelines remain at 6 months, some parents will wean a little earlier but are less likely to wean pre 17 weeks reducing the risk of very early weaning.

The research announced in the BMJ last week, other than not been backed up by a multitude of other health and nutrition agencies, was carried out by researchers with a vested interest in the baby food industry.  I cannot see how someone who works for Nestle can possibly provide an unbiased view of weaning and feeding!  The media, in particular ITV, decide to discuss the report standing in front of shelves full of Cow and Gate and HIPP baby food jars, they could just as easily stood in the fruit and veg aisle, but in their wisdom felt that a free advert for orange baby gruel would be a better a choice!  This really annoys me because babies do not need to be weaned on junk in a jar.  Yes jars have their place (aeroplane journeys, trips to Mars, etc) but real family foods are so much cheaper, easier and healthier.  It seems convenient that at a time that more and more families are choosing to wean later and wean using family foods instead of buying jars, that a report is announced encouraging people to wean early.  I wonder how many sales the industry lost due to the WHO 6 month guideline was introduced?

Moving down Ellen's article we find out why she is so angry, she writes,

"Cards on the table – I hated breastfeeding. First child – struggled for three months, until I realised she was starving. Second child – stopped when my nipples were so sore that even a breeze made me howl like Nigel Pargetter. In hospital, they put me on an electronic pump, which left me feeling that they should hang some grass out of my mouth so that I could complete my impersonation of a cow in an industrial milking shed.  On the ward, nothing was as dreaded as the "breastfeeding team", who, nagged, bullied… sorry, I mean "advised" the mothers, some of whom were up for it, others who were sore, exhausted, sobbing."

Reading Ellen's story about her struggle with breastfeeding really puts into perspective why she is so angry with the so called Mafia -she tried breastfeeding twice and both times found herself sore, and unsupported.  had she lived in a different area, had a different midwife on duty that day, or had dedicated caring breastfeeding specialists available to her, the result may well have been very different.  From the little she writes about it, I suspect she had latching issues.  Had her latch and positioning been sorted out in the early days her baby would have not been "starving" and 2nd time around she would not have found herself in the pain she faced.   I can't imagine for the life of me why the hospital put her on an expressing machine instead of addressing her latching problem.  I feel disappointed for Barbara Ellen that she never got the chance to experience painfree breastfeeding, if she had her view may well be very different today.   

Sadly Ellen's experience of breastfeeding is echoed around the country - there are a number of women who choose before birth to bottle feed. If they do their research and make an informed choice then that is absolutely fine.  But for the majority of bottle feeding women the story is not that simple. Often mother's want to breastfeed but circumstances remove that choice.  Some find themselves in pain and don't have anyone availabe to them to help them discover painfree breastfeeding, others get engorged, mastitis, or unwell in another way, go for help and get given the wrong advice by health professional ending their breastfeeding journey.  Other mum's have a low milk supply, and instead of been advised ways to increase their milk are told to top up with formula diminishing their supply even further.  Some mother's are not given the information before having baby to know that breastfed babies feed more often than bottlefed, or wake up in the night, or have a growth spurt at 6-8 weeks meaning they feed more often. Their unrealistic expectations of life with a newborn end their breastfeeding journey too soon.  These mothers made the choice to breastfeed but a lack of accurate advice, support or information took that choice away.  

For others the choice to breastfeed is removed by society - in Salford were I live, breastfeeding rates  are among the worst in the country. Breastfeeding is viewed as weird, unnatural, and perverted by many.   When women are surrounded by this kind of attitude their choice to breastfeed is removed, they bottle feed because their mum, aunt, neighbour all bottle fed.  They bottle feed because they don't want to be the only one breastfeeding, or because their family think breastfeeding is perverted and wont sit in the same room with her whilst she feeds. There's also an attitude here that life should carry on as normal after you give birth:  nights out clubbing shouldn't stop because you've dropped a sprog!  When you bottle feed you can leave baby with anyone and carry on living the life you had before, no commitment and no worries. 

For the unlucky one's their choice to breastfeed is taken away, I have met so many women over the years that wanted to breastfeed but had to stop  -their babies are healthy and thriving on formula milk, but the guilt those women carry is saddening.  Had they received  the accurate information, support, advice, and companionship that I found they may well have been able to continue in their breastfeeding journey.

So yes Barbara Ellen - I am a member of the Breastfeeding Mafia.  I make the choice to inform and educate, to support and care, and to stand up for the rights of women to breastfeed.   I joined the Mafia because I believe that women should be supported by their health professionals to breastfeed, I joined the Mafia because I don't want to have any more tear filled conversations with women who had their choice to breastfeed removed by problems that could have been solved if someone took the time to help. I made an informed choice to breastfeed and got the support I needed to do so,  maybe the Mafia is what we need to enable more women to make the same choice.

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This is a fantastic blog which outlines why it is so important to wait until 6months to wean your baby.  Full of lots of evidence based information and the links to check it all out for yourself.  Well worth a read 

http://networkedblogs.com/cZxK9

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Yet again a report has been published saying exclusive breastfeeding up to 6 months is "harmful":

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/jan/14/six-months-breastfeeding-babies-scientists

You can read the full MBJ report here:

http://www.bmj.com/content/342/bmj.c5955.full

How on earth can these "scientists" carry out non-biased research when their funding comes from the very people who need research to back up their money making industries. Infant formula and baby food companies have seen a decline in sales due to women getting clued up and avoiding their sub-standard alternative products so now they are fighting back with ridiculous, un-scientific and frankly rubbish research.

What makes me even more mad is that mothers get sent so many mixed messages about weaning.  A stupid report like this sends mothers into turmoil about when and how they should wean their babies.  Mothers need consistent, correct advice from health professionals and the media alike. How many women are going to put their babies are risk by weaning too soon as the result of this blatently money orientated research? 

Thankfully my digging this morning has also shown me that many mothers have engaged their brains and asked questions about this research before accepting it. Generation after generation of women around the globe have managed quite nicely with breastmilk and family foods. We do not need artificial infant milks and pots of orange gruel to give our babies the healthy start they need.  Human Breastmilk is nature's food for human babies.   Babies are designed to surive off breastmilk alone well beyond 6 months. Babies are also capable of eating nutritious healthy home prepared finger foods from 6 months.  They do not benefit in any way from been fed shop bought junk in a jar.  

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Hi, my name is Jen, I’m 27 and I have two daughters, Amelie who is 2 and Maya who was born on the 14th July. Amelie was born prematurely and was initially tube-fed my milk which I expressed full time (very hard work), but eventually weaned onto the breast. I had a lot of trouble with feeding due to her being so small and sleepy with a very poor suck reflex. I had also been very ill during pregnancy and after birth (I wasn’t able to feed her straight away as she was ventilated and taken to intensive care and I was critically ill for the first 8 hrs after birth so wasn’t able to express), which led to my milk taking 8 days to come and subsequently caused a low milk supply. In hospital I was given very little support despite her being in intensive care, and what advice I got was poor and non research-based. Also from a practical perspective the unit was very much set up for bottle feeding and not breastfeeding.

Once we were home and she was weaned off the tube I realised I had low milk supply along with a thrush infection and positioning problems meaning I was very sore. Also she wasn’t gaining much weight, a particular problem when your baby is under 6lbs. I went to the Lark Hill group for some support and guidance from Bev and the Breastmates and found it great! Bev was one of the very few people who recognised that despite doing everything right (extra expressing after feeds, breast compression etc), I was one of the rare people who genuinely did have low milk supply. I had been told by almost everyone including my GP, Health Visitor and family that I should give up as I was becoming more and more upset by the situation. However I knew I had to fight to keep going as we had overcome the initial hurdles (positioning, thrush, sleepiness) very well considering she was premature and apart from the low milk supply she and I were enjoying breastfeeding. I also felt that it was even more important for her to get the benefits of breastfeeding due to her prematurity and lung problems putting her at greater risk of illness. As a last resort Bev suggested I tried a medication called Domperidone, which has the side effect of increasing milk supply. Unfortunately my GP refused to prescribe it.

When Amelie was three months old I was totally desperate and decided to give up breastfeeding as I had had to resort to topping up due to lack of weight gain and the situation was tearing my family apart! As a final resort I phoned the intensive care unit and was surprised to speak to a very helpful and kind person who arranged to have a prescription written out for me for the next day. Within 48hrs my milk supply was completely adequate, and I continued to take the Domperidone for 4 months before I was able to come off it and maintain my supply on my own. In the end I fed her exclusively for over a year apart from the early top-ups, and am so glad I persisted with some good support. During this time I also faced other challenges such as dealing with a couple of bouts of mastitis and having surgery twice whilst continuing to breastfeed. With the support of the Breastmates I got through these situations quite easily!

Currently I am very much enjoying the far more straightforward experience of breastfeeding a full-term newborn with lots of past experience to draw on (although the first week has still been very intensive!). It is interesting to experience the first few days with a newborn and I hope it helps me to identify better with mothers struggling during this period.

In the Autumn of last year I completed La Leche League’s peer counsellor training and have been enjoying supporting other mums with feeding their babies, seeing them come through and start to really enjoy the experience of breastfeeding. I feel sad that so many mothers give up feeding not because they want to, but because they lack the necessary support and information, and am excited about being a part of helping women in this situation.

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Hi, my name is Tara and my son is Solomon. My experience with breastfeeding was quite an unusual one. I always knew that I wanted to breastfeed as soon as I got pregnant, however, during my pregnancy my breasts did not grow nor feel tender. As it was my first birth, unfortunately, I did not stop to think that there might be something not quite right.

I exclusively breastfed Solomon for the first 7 weeks of his life, I did not have a time when my milk ‘came in’ and with hindsight this was a warning sign and should have been investigated either by myself or a health professional sooner. During this time the midwife monitored him as he had lost over 10% of his birth weight. He was a big baby at 8lb 13oz but dropped down to 7lb 7oz and fed ALL the time. He would feed from one breast and then go onto the other and then go back to the first and had the strongest suck! I tried everything from trying different positions, to making sure he was latched on correctly and that he was swallowing and not just using me ‘as a dummy’. I expressed after and (if I got chance) in between feeds and offered him this as a top up. There were difficult times but I was not overtly concerned about his health, however the health professionals did show concern as he was only gaining ½ - 1oz per week (the expected weight gain would be close to this per day). My health visitor had mentioned a breastfeeding support group to me and I went along to that and found that there were many mums that had similar stories and their support and advice was absolutely invaluable to me.

Solomon had prolonged jaundice and was referred to the children’s hospital where he was tested and shown to have extremely high liver function test results. There were many trips back and forth to the hospital and far too many blood tests for my liking and on one occasion when we merely went to provide a urine sample, Solomon was admitted and fed formula through a tube as well as the breastfeeding I was giving him to see if he would gain weight. I was told that there might be a strange disease that he could have and we had to be sure. In the back of my mind I knew that there was nothing wrong with him but was caught up in the drama of the authoritarian doctor (a doctor must be right? Right?!).

It was the most difficult  3 nights in the hospital as there were not really facilities for a breastfeeding mum to stay with her child so I had to attempt to sleep in a pull out chair! They said that the formula top ups MUST be to a strict routine (rather than feeding on demand) which started off 2 hourly then 3 hourly. I was told that if he cried before the 2 hours then I could not put him to my breast (I ignored this) but because of the routine the staff would wake him in the middle of the night when the ‘time was ready’! Needless to say the lack of sleep and stress of the situation reduced my milk supply even more.

After all the drama and tests and force feeds I was eventually told by the doctor that Solomon’s problems were all caused because I was breastfeeding!

Due to the top up formula Solomon was given in hospital it stretched his stomach and despite me trying Domperidone to increase my milk supply it just didn’t happen. Whether it was because I had tried it too late or if I am one of the very rare few that have genuine low milk supply I don’t know but I didn’t give up hope. I was still producing milk, just not enough, so I continued to offer Solomon the breast and then topped him up with formula. He eventually weaned himself off when he was 6 months old as he realised he got more quicker from the bottle, but he had the best start and had what little medicine I could give him. He has never had an ear infection and has only had one case of the runs and I put this down to the fact that he got all the goodness I could provide for him.

I think that someone without as much sheer determination as I could quite easily have given up when faced with the daunting prospect that ‘my breastfeeding is causing my babies illness’ but it simply is not true that my breastfeeding was causing this, he had it and I didn’t have enough milk to flush it out of him!

Looking back on my experience I feel proud that I was able to provide Solomon with whatever he could get out and it has made me even more determined to be well prepared and well equipped to increase supply for my next one!

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I love this story, it's about a mum of 2 who was told she couldn't have any more children so went on to adopt a baby girl who really needed a mummy.   Absolutely lovely breastfeeding story....

http://thebreastfeedingmother.blogspot.com/p/my-adoptive-breastfeeding-journey.html

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