I voted lack of education, specifically about artificial milk. For one, formula should be know as just that..artificial milk. Does it say that on the tin?
I HATE going to the supermarket/chemist and seeing tins and tins on this stuff in the baby section. It totally normalises artificial milk. It makes mothers-to-be think there's two options for feeding thier unborn babies, an either/or, a simple choice. Like they're both good choices and you must pick one!
I had one young mum tell my mums group she tried bfeeding for a day or so with her 'fantastic milk supply' but then switched to, get this, 'normal milk' as it was too hard. I would have ripped her head off but I hardly knew her and so held my tongue.
The fact that formula is in our faces, and breastfeeding women and ads aren't, leads a lot of young mums to think that it's absolutely fine to use, IMO.
And a close second would be all the different opinions of midwives. I think even if they were trained up in the same way, they'd still pull you aside and give you thier own differing opinions. It was never pointed out to me that I had flat nipples (yeah, I didn't know either!) and I was sent home before my milk came in......lucky for me I scored a very pro-bfeeding visiting health nurse who sorted me out with shields and advice.
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