Boob politics.... Mia Freedman article. A must-read.

[sushee]

I agree with you, LC. I actually think hospitals would benefit from more pro-BFing involvement that delivers true education and true support instead of reactive policies. But I don't agree that any policy should be dismissed without seeing if there is a benefit in the long run. There is a learning curve, and trial and error involved in any new way of doing things. I guess, from the POV of someone involved with developing policy, sometimes you need to try something to see if it works, and I think that's what's happening here.

[Little Chicken]

I can see your point, but being someone who would actually have to work with that policy, well, you can usually tell policy's that are developed by people who don't actually work in the area for which the policy has been developed. If you wanted to reduce formula use for 'top up' feeding then make it be prescribed by a medical officer. They are harder to track down then another member of staff. My last place of work required a signed consent from the parents, my current employer only requires verbal consent, but no way would you give it without any consent.

[HotI]

deleted

[fionas]

Personally, I absolutely hate the idea that if you want to breastfeed you absolutely can't give formula and to give formula with RUIN your chances of successfully breastfeeding.

I think it's wrong and it adds to the stress when things are not going well.

I'll share my examples.

By the time DD1 was born I'd had seven hours sleep over three days. Whilst in hospital I wasn't managing more than three hours sleep per night. I was stressed out of my head and exhausted because I simply couldn't attach her reliably. I had all the help in the world. That help sometimes consisted of a midwife trying for 90 minutes each time to attach DD. She lost lots of weight and I was advised to give formula. I refused (because I'd fallen for the line that if you give one bottle, you're doomed). She lost more weight, finally I agreed. I got home and still could not attach her reliably. I spent all day in bed with her. My milk did not come in until Day 7.

I decided that rather than feel like a failure at each feed I would express instead. We did that for two months. I tried to attach her after a couple of months. She did it easily but I stupidly thought that there was no way we would be able to breastfeed because I'd fallen for the propaganda that a bottle-fed baby will have nipple confusion and never go back.

Virtually the same thing happened with DD2 except I had a planned caesarean, was much more chilled-out and my milk came in on Day 3. Again, with all the help in the world from the midwives, we had problems attaching. I saw a lactation consultant twice when I got home. Still no luck. I tried eight times per day for three weeks and could maybe attach her once every two days. I expressed and gave formula. After three weeks, I decided that enough was enough and stopped trying to attach and stopped expressing.

At about seven weeks, I came across something on the web that made me think. Apparently I have huge nipples that will make it difficult for my babies to attach. None of the dozens of midwives I saw OR the LC I saw mentioned this. So despite having no milk, I tried to attach DD at seven weeks just for the hell of it. Easy.

So despite the fact that she'd been bottle fed from birth and I had no milk, we relactated. The dozens of bottles she had made absolutely no difference. She took to the nipplelike a duck to water. To relactate I expressed every hour for a couple of weeks, took Motilium and the other herbal thing by the bucketload. We used a supply line too. We did that for four months.

SO my point again is that I find the suggestion that giving formula here and there will doom the breastfeeding relationship dangerous and extremely patronising. I think women are told this because they somehow can't be trusted to keep breastfeeding and will give up too easily. Whereas the reality is that it may give them some respite when they are stressed to the max and give them the strength to fight another day.

[nickle730]

I absolutely agree, Fionas. My DD2 has been comp fed formula from about 10 days of age and has absolutely no issues switching from bottle to breast. She has always easily managed both.

I attempted to BF DD1 but I also believed that once I started FF she would suffer 'nipple confusion' and we were doomed. I gave up because the message I received loud and clear was that once you gave a bottle you were on a slippery slope to full time FF. There was - and still is - no support for women like myself who BF but have to comp feed with formula.

To anyone reading and wondering, I have had breast reduction surgery - twice. I simply do not produce enough milk to solely BF my children, and not all of my ducts are patent.

[Loveinamist]

Just had another look at the article and am not liking the bit about 'The midwife wasn't a hardcore lactivist and thank god most of them aren't' If it is good that midwives do not believe in breastfeeding then who will?? Biologically breastfeeding is the natural progression from giving birth and assisting in giving birth and looking after newborns is what midwives do! Where does this woman think the support for breastfeeding is supposed to come from!?? When did lactivist become a dirty word?

[MantaRay]

This probably won't be a surprise to many, but other than the bit about fb I really don't agree with the article. I think when Mia refers to "breast feeding association" she's a little confused, she seems to be using it interchangeably about at least 2 organisations. And the ABA that she might be referring to at times is not anti-formula. It's pro-mums and pro-families, and yes, pro-breastfeeding. They support ff mums also - they offer all sorts of support but not specific information about formula brands or amounts as this is the job of health professionals and counsellors are not trained in it.

I have had a child fed formula in hospital without my consent or knowledge. Totally un-necessarily. I have also successfully bf a baby who was unable to attach for the first 3 weeks without a nipple shield, and I'm very grateful that i had midwives try to help me with bfing instead of giving him formula. I wonder if the mum Mia refers to in the article, or Mia, are actually aware that breastmilk is the best thing for jaundice, and that sadly many doctors are not even aware of that fact. I wonder if that would change Mia's view. I have come across a number of mums who are distraught that they are no longer able to bf because they've been given bad information and no support to keep bfing. Many of these mums are grateful that there is a "breast feeding association" who can help mums to continue feeding if they want to, or just to listen to them when they need to talk.

Being pro anything does not make you anti something else. The fact that a group of volunteers devoting their time to help other mums can cause such negative feelings really astounds me. The fact that midwives, or any other health professionals, might want to give a mum and bub the best chance of bfing, something mums have been doing since the beginning of time and which many actually desperately want to do, is a good thing. The real problem is that too many do not know enough about bfing to support mums. Doctors with 4 hours of bfing training, child health nurses attending seminars and workshops run by formula companies, that is what is taking away mums' choices.

[nickle730]

Being pro anything does not make you anti something else.

I love this! I think the problem is that many mum's who do FF feel that they are viewed poorly by those who are passionate about BF.

[Lenny]

Where can i go to, to tell Tara that I love what she wrote?

[Phteven]

http://blog.taramoss.com/

Be warned...... she's beuatiful as well as clever. It's enough to make me sick

She can probably spell without the benefits of a squggly red line too.

[Jellyfish]

Tara's response is brilliant.

[Ginger]

great work Tara

[luna moth]

Be warned...... she's beuatiful as well as clever. It's enough to make me sick

She can probably spell without the benefits of a squggly red line too.

I love that there's a squiggly red line under the word "squggly" You totally did that on purpose, right?

Also, I'd hope Tara could spell and punctuate without relying on a machine. She's a professional writer. Oh, but hang on, what does that make Mia? A professional ****-stirrer?