I feel sad reading this thread too - it's really important to surround ourselves with positive, caring, encouraging women I've realised to help us deal with the crap other negative, "all knowing" women dish out. I hope to God I have never judged mums as I have been judged.

My MIL is really the worst offender,and most of my stories are about her. I never EVER had anyone tell me to give up BF and it still shocks me when I hear that ppl do that...especially to a new mum who it is working for.

But all the criticism seems to come from the critiquer's own issues by the sound of it. My MIL has always told me to let DS cry, that I cuddle him too much, "wear" (in the ergo) him too much, tend to him too much, feed him too much, - everything points to me not being a "good enough" mum in her opinion. Her latest pearl was that I am stopping my DS from crawling. WT? She has also offered great wisdom in telling me to have a glass of wine before BF, to put him to sleep...and to upend the foot of his mattress (when he was in a cot) so his mucous runs to his throat and he coughs it up. Whatever...I didn't want him to choke so we elevated his head instead...

All this stuff. IMO - we are the mums. We know our babies. Seek wise advice from people you trust and to anyone else, ACT confident (even if you're not) and don't even enter into a space where they feel that you need "helping". That's what I've found. For goodness sake, I'm the best mum for my son. Support me, don't crush me.

xx