What do you think is the biggest barrier to breastfeeding In Australia?

Jelvie - I was talking about attitudes and that there can be an in-between attitude. I mean an attitude of "well, you have tried and tried because you know that the benefits are plentiful, but now we need to look at plan B". The WHO has this sort of attitude - Plan A is to BF, plan B is wet-nurse, plan c is EBM (have I got that mixed up?), plan D is formula, or something to that effect. Whilst 'last resort' is the best term I can think of, when other people use it, it tends to have a slightly negative connotation. Maybe that's just me. It concerns me that the term infuses a mother, who is already feeling guilty, with feelings of ineptitude.
So, Jelvie, I'm not sticking my head in the sand, I realise that in our society it's a BM or formula dichotomy (not always, though - as someone else said, they comp feed, and that's possible for many women, too), it's the ATTITUDE I'm referring to. We don't have to be 'nipple nazis' and we don't have to be the women who say 'look, it's just easier to FF'. We can be women who are empowered with knowledge, and then act according to our own circumstances, or advise with consideration for someone else's circumstances. Even the ABA is curerntly trying to tackle the false image that is out there portraying a bunch of women saying 'you HAVE to BF, no matter what'. Both extremes concern me.
KWIM?
ETA I'm probably not explaining myself well, but let me stress that my post was referring to attitudes, not actual feeding practices
Nixonsmama - your lactation consultant did the right thing by you! She can't control the fact that you will want to beat yourself up about it - she recognised that the best thing for your baby was to comp feed and was helping you to accept that. It's not a reflection of her professionalism or skill that you didn't want to accept her acceptance. All I can say is that I hope you feel better about it now or very soon - there is plenty more about your baby's life that you will beat yourself up about, let go of something you really tried hard to 'fix' :hugs:

I feel the continuity of care for new mothers albeit 1st or subsequent births in Australia is dire considering all pregnancies and babies are different!! As a new mum - to my 3rd - in the UK, the midwife visited me at home everyday for 10 consecutive days enabling me to ascertain a routine, heal, milk come in, deal with my emotions and other issues thrown at me and have the support of a team of midwife's to answer innumerable questions, weigh my baby and HELP with breastfeeding. With my 4th baby born in Australia I was on my own. On day 5 having to make my way to the community centre for her heal ***** test whilst dealing with terrible problems feeding thus amounting in 3 courses of antibiotics and visits to the dr. and Ob.whilst dragging a 20month with me between feeds and sleeps.....not to mention the soreness of giving birth, um the last thing i wanted to do!

I think that makes a small point -

Good luck!!

YummyMummuy xx

I really think that intervention at birth has a huge impact on the breast feeding relationship. DS1 was not given to me until 24 hours after his birth, because of emergency c/sec. I only bf for 4 months, his attachment was poor so I started to dry up. A scheduled c/sec with DS2 and he was not given to me to feed for 48+ hours due to being put in to a humidycrib. I bf him for 8 months but he also had poor attachment and was a lazy sucker. But I made specfic requests to feed my 3rd son very soon after birth, and within 2 hours of my 3rd c/sec I was feeding him. He had a great suck and excellent attachment. I think the time between birth and the 1st breastfeed has a significant effect on how well the breastfeeding will go for you. Granted breastfeeding is usually introduced quickly with natural births but c/secs are a different matter. The faster a baby and mother are reunited after the surgery really helps in my experience.

For me I also had supply issues. My Bubs was 8 weeks prem so i expressed for 7 weeks as bubs had to be tube feed she also had alot of trouble attaching to me while in the hospital.I bf untill she was close to 5mths (3mths corrected), and at that stage she was bf every 1.5 -2hrs apart,including nights. For me complications at birth,affordability/availabilty of support and education were what i think were my main concerns.

This is a hard one for me, since I didn't have too many problems and had access to an abundance of education, etc.

I chose Going back to work with a lack of bf support. I think many of the comments on here relate to why women don't bf soon after the birth, in the first few months, which I think is hard pin down (society?). But from the figures I've read, Australia also has a shocking record of bfing to 6 mths and as for getting to 12 mths...! IMO the reason for that is that so many Mums have to go back to work. There aren't a lot of expressing facilities in most workplaces, it's considered a bit 'odd' and childcare centres don't seem to be geared around using expressed bm. While I didn't have to go back to work, since I work from home, I had to organise times to be at clients' offices around Lucy's feeding times (certainly can't whip out a pump in the middle of a meeting!), and OMG that's a challenge! In countries where there is paid maternity leave the bf rate is much higher.

My second choice would be a lack of good education. Some of the stories I've heard from others and what they've been told (by health professionals, which is scary) is totally contradictory to what I read from reliable sources and found to be true.

I haven't voted. I can't really say what is the single biggest barrier for breastfeeding in this country is...they are all very valid reasons.

A big one I think is women being discharged too early from hospital, before their milk has come in and without any real knowledge of what to expect, and how to deal with difficulties. So I suppose that could be classed as lack of eduction.

I don't think that getting rid of formula is the answer. That is like saying because we have an obesity problem in this country we should get rid of all takeway shops, or get rid of all high fat foods in supermarkets. Or because cars contribute to pollution that we should ban them. It implies that we are not smart enough or too ignorant of the issues to be able to make our own decision.

I think at the heart of it is lack of support - in the home, in society and at work. Not just for breastfeeding either but for parenting in general.

Then there is the fact that, no matter what you are told or taught about breastfeeding, no matter if you have all the support in the world - there are those who just don't want to do it. Purely and simply, they don't want to do it, and there is nothing that will change that. In the past, those women who didn't want to breastfeed (usually those in a higher socio-economic class) got a wet nurse. That is not an option these days, at least in this country, so those who don't want to breastfeed use formula.

Yep, Jennifer - good education, the right kind of education, helpful education! Good point :)
ETA - but Bon, why don't they want to breastfeed? I really do believe that if many of these women who 'don't want to breastfeed' were given a sound, balanced education about the ups and downs of BFing, that many would then give it a go.
It IS a lot like labour and birth - you know that the benefits far outweigh the hassles of it. With me when I first started BFing, I had the education about why I was persevering with it, because I knew that once I'd gotten past the initial period of learning to BF, I would be richly rewarded. I can now say that I had no idea just HOW richly rewarding my BFing experience would be, so I am especially glad that I had the support from friends and, most of all, DP. Yes, non-BFing mothers DO miss out on the unique aspects of an infant-mother bond that come with BFing - for the ones who needn't miss out on that (that is, the ones who don't have physiological or medication issues), this should be a reason to persevere, the rewards are great and very much worth the initial attachment period, because it DOES get better :)

OK, I wanna change my vote to whichever category this comes under:

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A big one I think is women being discharged too early from hospital... before their milk has come in and without any real knowledge of what to expect, and how to deal with difficulties.

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Bon reminded me of the other thing the midwives when I had DS told me Women should have the choice to stay in hospital until their milk comes in and b/f is established. I guess a budget surplus is more important.

hello kelly and fellow mums!

i voted for 'interventions at birth'...

if policy-makers want to know why there is big barriers to breastfeeding they MUST first recognise the great disadvantage most mothers begin with... many women are captive consumers to a health care system that does not make it easy for their bodies to transition into motherhood...

hospital protocol calls for a cascade of interventions that severly hinder the mother- infant bond as well as a mothers body's ability to provide the necessary hormone triggers that make breastfeeding 'natural' and enjoyable

even a 'natural' birth comes with sintocin injected after the head crowns, premature clamping and cutting of the cord and a vitamin K injection (and hep B vaccination) for bub... and that's if everything 'goes well'!... our health care system needs to re-think its policies regarding birth and care for all mum's and bubs.

i strongly believe by simply letting women be during and immediatly following the birth of their babies (rather then the unnessesary poking and prodding and injections that often go on) the rate of breastfeeding would increase! the transition into motherhood and also breastfeeding would be smoother and more rewarding for thousands of mothers in the australian system...

i also think the other options mentioned are definately contributing factors, however many of these could be avoided with some preparation and information gathering on behalf of the mother. i hate to sound cold but each of us as parents are responsible for our choices and experiences in regard to our babies. at the end of the day, it's not the midwife (with his/her discouraging words) whose baby gets formula over breastmilk- it's yours- so if it's not what you want for your child- then dismiss their negativity and get a second opinion. :)

*food for thought*: a lactation consultant is going to work out to be alot cheaper then infant formula in the long run; and also going to cost you alot less emotionally knowing your giving your baby the best...

there is a plethora of positive information out there (in the form of books, pamphlets, mothers groups and on the web) that can both educate and inspire mums to commence and persist with breastfeeding- but you have to get out there and look for it (and honestly- you don't have to dig deep to find it).

after arming myself with a range of positive information there was not a single advertisment or negative comment from health care workers that could deter me from breastfeeding after the birth of my son. i had sourced mothers groups toward the end of my pregnancy that supported my ideas and was ready to turn to them for support if needed. i began planning soon after i found out i was pregnant how to adjust my work and financial situation because i knew i would not be returning to work for 6 years after having a baby so we downsized to make that possible.

it is so important that every parent set goals and then place ourselves in a position that gives us the best chance to succeed :angel2:

I chose conflicting advice after the birth but I also think lack of education is a big factor. I am still BF my 11 month old - only because I was absolutely determined to do it. I had the bleeding, pus-oozing, infected, cracked nipples until DD was over 3 months old. I have large, gaping scars in my nipples where the cracks were.

I put my problems down to a few things:
1 - DD was attaching incorrectly from the start. I asked a midwife at hospital if I was 'doing it right' since it was hurting a LOT. She said - without even looking - 'Oh yes, it's normal for it to hurt.' When I saw a LC about a week later she told me 'If it hurts, you're doing it wrong - take her off and reposition.' So much conflicting advice. There should be LCs there at the hospital who can talk you through it and give you strategies for coping.
2 - I saw the LC at my child health clinic every couple of days for the first 6 weeks. It was just getting worse and worse. It was only when I went to the doctor for my post-partum check up and was prescribed antibiotics for the infection that things finally started to improve. The LC was wonderful - BUT she should have known that it was infected and sent me to a doctor earlier. Better training/standards for LCs would definitely help.
3 - I knew that people got 'cracked nipples' from breastfeeding. I had NO IDEA it could last 3-4 months like mine did or that it would be so very excruciatingly painful. In my antenatal classes cracked nipples were talked about as though it was a problem that lasted a day or 2. You just lathered on some lanolin and gritted your teeth and it would go away.

sorry - hugely long!

So many good arguments. i have to say lack of continuity of care. i had the 'problem' of having way too much milk and aside from that i couldnt understand why, after being told that evie was attached perfectly, had a good strong suck and was positioned well that it was so incredibly painful. i had massive blisters on my nipples, they were cracked and bleeding so badly that i couldnt wear any clothes over top of them. when i rang the hospital at 9 at night for help in tears i was told the next available appointment was 3 days away. So there i was crying in pain and distress that my baby was vomiting up my blood just when i am trying to feed her, my toes curled the second she attached from the pain and i am being told my only option was to wait to see a LC in 3 days and then dismissed with 'have a good night'.
I was totally ready to give up until someone said 'it hurts because your nipples need to get used to it' and that was all i needed. why couldnt someone have told me that from the beginning. it took 10 days for the pain to stop and my nipples to heal but i kept feeding and still am but i was really disappointed that help wasnt really there when i needed it.
So i support LC checkups every week for the first 6 weeks, in the home if necessary and i agree that women (mostly 1st time mums) not be discharged until the milk has come in and b/f'ing is established to the point where the mother is capable to do it on her own with total confidence.

These are my top three:

Interventions at birth
Lack of continuity of care
Conflicting advice after birth

This is what I think impacts the establishment of breastfeeding initially:

- high rates of intervention which undermine women's self confidence and
instinct

- failure to protect the initial bonding time after a baby is born - during
the first 15 minutes.

We should promote and respect:
* undisturbed skin to skin contact
* delay routine measuring and examination, except for life-saving measures.
* keep as quiet as possible
* leave the couple and baby alone, don't talk to them unless absolutely
necessary
* quiet, soft lighting, warmth

I don't see the bonding window really respected in many institutions. Sometimes they leave parents & babe for an hour or two to 'bond', which is good - but it's the first 15 minutes when the oxytocin helpers are there, that needs special regard - as well.

I think we need to look at another way to handle third stage. Directed pushing leads to lots of chatter during (often) a managed third stage, then comes clean-up and suturing .... somewhere in the bustle, the critical bonding moments are just lost.

Undisturbed birth leads to undisturbed bonding, which paves the ways for successful breastfeeding.

Undermining confidence in our bodies' ability to breastfeed I think is a
continuum of undermining our bodies' ability to birth.

Sweeping generalisations I know - but them's my thoughts.

I think as a society we don't have that much respect for and confidence in
womanly knowledge, intuition and arts. Because it is not a precise science.
But powerful and valid, nevertheless.

I really like the idea of an introduction to birth & breastfeeding education as part of reproductive health education in high schools - for BOTH genders!

Good point, Amy&rafi, there is definitely a level of responsibility that a lot of women abdicate. Others just don't have the exposure to BFing, though - how do you find out about something no-one around you values? Some women don't have basic research skills to seek out resources. I often get frustrated when a woman tells me she didn't know about such and such, because if they had just asked around they would have known sooner. It's easy to say it is their fault for not investigating it themselves, but women have become so disempowered in this society of advertising saturation, images of babies=bottles, hospitals comp feeding babies etc, that it is no wonder that, realistically, women just don't know better. Ideally, they should be more instinctive and questioning, but it's just not as simple as that anymore.

I haven't voted. I can't really say what is the single biggest barrier for breastfeeding in this country is...they are all very valid reasons.

A big one I think is women being discharged too early from hospital, before their milk has come in and without any real knowledge of what to expect, and how to deal with difficulties. So I suppose that could be classed as lack of eduction.

I don't think that getting rid of formula is the answer. That is like saying because we have an obesity problem in this country we should get rid of all takeway shops, or get rid of all high fat foods in supermarkets. Or because cars contribute to pollution that we should ban them. It implies that we are not smart enough or too ignorant of the issues to be able to make our own decision.

I think at the heart of it is lack of support - in the home, in society and at work. Not just for breastfeeding either but for parenting in general.

Then there is the fact that, no matter what you are told or taught about breastfeeding, no matter if you have all the support in the world - there are those who just don't want to do it. Purely and simply, they don't want to do it, and there is nothing that will change that. In the past, those women who didn't want to breastfeed (usually those in a higher socio-economic class) got a wet nurse. That is not an option these days, at least in this country, so those who don't want to breastfeed use formula.

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Ideally, (women) should be more instinctive and questioning, but it's just not as simple as that anymore.

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I agree totally.

I'm also with rayray and after reading all these brilliant comments I could almost change my vote. I still don't know whether education is a "cure all" but it certainly would help more than silencing the formula companies I guess. I like the comment about getting a script for formula, maybe for babies younger than 6 months so that some professional counselling could be provided.

I also really agree with the comments about being discharged from hospital before your milk comes in... infact it almost seems like they want you out of there before that happens because all of a sudden you will become too demanding/needy at that point...well that's just how I felt when I had my 2nd child. I knew that I would want extra help when my milk came in but they kept saying to me "Oh it'd be much more comfortable for you at home wouldn't you think?" A total fob off! But it was only because I was a 2nd time mum that I new what was coming...

I also enjoyed reading Jennifer's comments about countries that have paid maternity leave usually have high BF rates... fortunately I've never had to juggle work and BFing but I can't imagine that it would be easy!

Really enjoying reading all the comments... it's interesting how my initial ideas have changed a bit since reading the entire thread too.

Another conflicting advice vote here - the midwives in the private hospital I was at ALL had different views. You'd think in a ward they would have a uniform policy. Can you push for that Kelly?

I was really lucky to have a fantastic MCHN who got me onto an equally fantastic LC - and we're still going today. I battled with cracks, mastitis, huge flow, non sucking, bad latching, PND, a MIL who told me I was undernourishing my baby (WTF?!?!) but I kept going with my DH, LCs and Mum's support. However I do believe that inital consistent education would have been a better start.

JMO, but if there was more education I think conflicting advice wouldn't be as much of an issue. I had lots of conflicting advice but saw it all as a variety of options to choose that were right for me and my bub, rather than the right vs the wrong way to do something, IYKWIM....

But Kim I know what you mean about the need for a uniform policy

i voted lack of education, cos though all the other factors are totally significant, with enough education (and then support) one can trump them all

I think that uniform policy is a great idea.
At Westmead the midwives who had extra training in lactation (and other issues) had it on thier badges under thier names so they were easy to identify.
I think hospitals need more LCs on staff and I think that a LC should visit each Mum and Bub the same way that the paed, physio and hearing people do. It's silly that the pead comes to you but the LC doesn't.
Maybe if they did this they could identify the women who genuinly can't BF quickly so that they can move onto plan B (expressing &/or formula) ASAP with a minimum of pain, fuss and guilt.

I'm a bit of a lurker.. and haven't read this post through but I just wanted to put my 2-cents in. I hope that I'm not too bold in saying this.

But other than the lack of knowledge and the publics view of public breastfeeding.. I think a huge part is how every tries to be PC... so as not to offend anyone we don't always push the benefits of breastfeeding. We *know* that Breast is Best but often when said in a group of mothers, we're met with scowls, or "you're only saying that because you can do it" etc. It sucks that, in our efforts to keep everyone happy, we have to keep quiet all the benefits because people who didn't breastfeed get upset. :rolleyes:
Lest we remind people that breastfeeding is what the boobs were made for.

I hear so many women saying they wanted their babies to sleep through the night so they switched to formula :( It's such a myth too as my fully breastfed baby slept 12 hours a niight from 2 months old. The problem is that there are a lot of well meaning family and friends out there spreading this myth further and further.

Please don't be afraid of being honest, I am specifically after everyone's personal opinions of their own experiences not a debate or discussion over what someone else has said, and that will be removed if it happens.

I would love to be able to go to parliament and say, 'this is what is happening, this is how they feel, this is what they want.'

There is no right or wrong, what you feel is the key thing here because they want to know what they can do to help, so they need to know the problems you are facing. I really appreciate your open honesty and I will protect that.

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When I mention that Oscar can feed for as long as he likes, some people say "what if you fall pregnant again?", and they are confused when I reiterate "for as long as he likes", because they are under the impression that feeding must cease when pregnant. That's an education issue.

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Not to mention that people are shocked that you CAN fall pregnant whilst breastfeeding! When will people learn that it's not an effective contraceptive?? LOL

But I completely agree. I'm facing this almost every day, and it's tiring :( Everyone is expecting me to wean, and are shocked when I say he can feed until he doesn't want it anymore. Mum is slowly putting the pressure on, I think she can't fathom the whole tandem feeding thing. Personally, I'd love Tallon to keep feeding beyond the pregnancy, I'd love for the both of them to share feeding together. If anything I think it would REDUCE jealousy issues, coz he CAN have booby as well as the baby!

Education and just general awareness of these things is crucial. I don't want to sound like I'm blowing my own trumpet, but sometimes I feel like a bit of a pioneer amongst our peers, because I was determined not to have pain relief in labour (nobody believed that was possible and thought I was kidding myself), I KNEW I was going to breastfeed come hell or highwater (but received the "but don't worry if you can't, formula is ok" comments) I even got scoffed at for wanting to use cloth nappies! However, I have achieved each of these things, and seeing our friends and family realise oh, it CAN be done is just a great feeling. Now of course I'm copping it for feeding during a pregnancy. I must admit I put pressure on myself not to fail at these things, coz I know that my doing these things is "educating" my friends, and hopefully they'll stop blurting things out like "oh you can't feed through pregnancy" coz they'll now know someone who has and that it's possible iykwim. Of course if Tallon weans during the pg well, nothing I can do about that! LOL. But I feel like I'm doing my bit by making things work, and helping my friends see that it's possible.

Gosh I hope that didn't all just come across wrong. I'd like to make it clear that none of it has been that easy, and that I'm continually learning.. but I'm proud that we've fed as successfully as we have, and that my being open about it with friends is helping them too. My biggest hope is that all the horrible discouraging comments that they made to me during my pregnancy, won't be in their vocab anymore when it's time for their daughters to have babies.

I think it is the fact that women think it will all happen within the first couple of days...(i actually thought the first couple of hours ) and when it doesnt they feel as though they have failed (i know i did).
I got so stressed that i couldnt breastfeed i was a hysterical mess and gave up after 2 weeks because DS wasnt latching on correctly and i had terribly cracked nipples.
Having only 4 weeks to go with DD i have done alot more research and asked for refferals to breastfeed clinics and lactation consultants.

My daughter(baby #3) turns 2 months old today. And I am a membe of another online community which isgrouped by birth month, so I am presently privy to several "new mums" and their journeys with breastfeeding experiences, plus myown experiences and general awareness since I became a Mum in 1999. With the "other forum" I participate in (March 2007) I am surprised/saddened at the number of Mums giving/given up feeding already.

I had various signicant early feeding difficulties with my 1st baby (recently turned 8) and despite the advice of midwives to bottle feed (while still in hospital) I refused to supplement with formula and went on to breastfeed him for 2.5 years, and he gained weight beautifully too. I think what got me through the early weeks of difficuly was my absolute desire to breastfeed because I knew if was best - by far. I had had a difficult birth, and there was no way I was going to muck up breastfeeding as well.

So I would have to nominate lack of education, purely because I think just about all women are aware "breast is best", but despite this awareness many, many women also believe that artificial feeding is also 'fine'/'almost as good'/'better for their sanity'/'beats sleeplessness'/'okay to do when breastfeeding is hard'. We often hear "I was bottlefed and I'm fine" etc. And, "He had three days/weeks/months of breastmilk, so that's better than nothing." And while it is better than nothing, it would be great if mothers were highly motivated to breastfeed long term.

I also think that health professionals, when faced with a tired, tearful, sick (mastitis the third time) mothers often 'take pity' despite their training. Goodness only knows I probably would too. It must be hard to say "Yes, I know, but in three more weeks everything will be fine, these days of cracked nipples/poor weight gain/bouts of mastitis will be a fading memory" to a woman presenting sick/tearful/afraid/exhuasted.

Here's my list of reasons in order...

Lack of education (inspiration)
Health professionals
Accessibility of artificial milk
Family and friends advice (esp grandmothers and partners)
Conficting Advice/Lack of continuity of care (though this may be a blessing depending on care)
Lack of availability/affordabiilty of support
Interventions at birth
Going back to work bf support
Marketing fo artificial milk

Thanks for the opportunity to contribute.

Regards - Jo
Mother of three, long-term breastfeeder and since March '07, a homebirther too!

It's hard to single out just one - I eventually settled for lack of support going back to work, because that's where a lot of people I know have come unstuck. I think education is important too, and on reflection it's probably the crux of the problem.

For me it's a no-brainer and worth the effort, but some people seem to think it is all too hard.

Oooh no, the night midwives were better - the day midwife was a b*tch though. It was a nighttime midwife who spend a couple of hours sat with me helping to get DS on where everyone else ignored the issue and pushed formula. Everyone told me I was holding DS wrong, so tried to adjust him - he feeds best the way I instinctivly held him, still feeds like that now. He doesn't do the latch-on mouth either, taking him off because he didn't do the mouth was unhelpful - we just needed to trust each other that I'd not mess around with his feeds and he'd feed fine.

I'm very lucky that our special care until were fab too - they promoted expressed milk when DS needed an NG tube and encouraged me to not have him in the nursery when the tube came out - not that I needed encouragement!

I agree with a lot of PPs - why do FF mummies tell BF mummies pre-baby that BF is too hard and discourage us? What if BF mummies told off and mocked FF mummies?

Yep - night time staff were awful. Ringing the buzzer was a waste of time - it was always the temp nurses, not even midwives and lc's! I reported it to my OB who has a large stake in the hospital, dunno if he's done anything about it. Admittedly I could walk down to the nursery and see an LC (well, that's if she was there), but it's much more private to be helped in your own room!

I think there's a definite lack of education of breastfeeding & how to do it!!!!!! Yes, I did attend antenatal classes but the one on breastfeeding was deferred & I'd given birth by then!!!!
I was extremely naive thinking that it was natural & that there was nothing to it at all. Raised on a farm watching calves & lambs & kittens & puppies..............I mean, no one shows them how to do it!!!!! It's completely 100% natural!!!!!
I had the birth from hell................I had PPH [post partum haemorrhage] losing at least 2.5 litres of blood immediately after delivery. I was in no physical condition whatsoever to breastfeed. I was literally unable to even lift my own finger!!!
36 hours later I was given 2 units of blood ie. blood transfusion however I believe I could have done with twice that amount.
Because of everything that had happened I was induced, dd was born 15 days early etc she was also jaundiced & I think around day 4 or 5 had to go into an isolette. I also moved from the birthing hospital back to my 'home' hospital [bad mistake that was].
The midwives at the first hospital gave conflicting advice as to what to do. I had huge probs with dd latching properly. Please also remember I was battling to even hold my own newborn baby!!!!!!
As previously mentioned, moving back to my 'home' hospital was something we really lived to regret. DD wasn't gaining weight & we were having ongoing issues with her latching pretty much refusing my left breast altogether. One '*****' of a midwife kept on giving her water!!!!!!!!!! As if that was helping us!!!!! Later on I told her to stop giving her water & she went off at me saying that as far as she was concerned I was starving my child!!!!!!!!!! And yet she was the ***** giving her water all the time!!!!!
Pretty much everything had gone wrong it really had. For those of you who don't know, aren't aware, after having PPH there IS genuine difficulty re breastfeeding for obvious reasons. Your body has been through hell literally!!!
For us there was lack of sleep, lack of support, lack of care............honestly the midwives/nurses were pretty much no use at all. I loved one of the night nurses though with midwife experience. She was honest & down to earth & said to me during the early hours one morning when I was having probs yet again with Krystalee feeding from the left breast...............that she'd had the same thing with her own son & actually continued to feed from the one breast only. And, it wasn't a problem at all!!! She also said the sooner I could get home to my own routine the better.
I was in 'jail' for 10 days!!!!!!!!! I was that stressed out about my ability to breastfeed at home, alone...........that I even bought gear to express etc. The funny thing was, the minute we were home dd fed from my left breast!!!!!!!!!!
I had midwives grabbing at my nipples...........telling me to do this...........hold dd like that etc etc etc. 99% of them didn't 'consider' what I'd been through & why I was having so many problems & combined with a jaundiced baby [they like to sleep all the time] we of course were having many many issues to deal with. The 1 night nurse whom I did like even said to me, in years gone by, I would have been 1 of those women who actually died from childbirth!!!
I wish 'all' midwives not just some of them, had compassion & understanding. I don't really care that they do this day in & day out. It's their job. I don't care that some women have absolutely no problems breastfeeding & therefore supposedly all women should be the same.........'cos we're not!!!! We're all individuals & we're all unique. We shouldn't be made to feel guilty, like failues, like there's something wrong with us etc if we are experiencing probs with breastfeeding.
BTW, I went on to breastfeed for 18 months!!!! For the first 3 months I felt like quitting every single day. It was painful. It was hard. It was time consuming. I was extremely drained & in poor physical condition. Extremely sleep deprived, in the first few weeks, having to breastfeed 24/7 every single 3 hours 'cos of dd's jaundice.
Without my husband's support, he was actually my carer in hospital I would never have made it!!! He was my rock & my only rock!!!! DD made the decision to wean at 18 months. After everything that I'd been through I would have kept going for much longer if she had wanted it!!!!
I also miss it now!!!! Once she stopped breastfeeding so often & for so long, probably once solids started at 6 months, it was definitely a lot more enjoyable. There is a distinct lack of support & respect towards breastfeeding mothers in society!!!
OK enough from me!!!!!!! I've probably gone off-track a bit here & there, but I suppose the main thing is more education, more 'consistency' with what midwives say & do, more support & more compassion & empathy!!!
Kerry

Yep, night nurses weren't as helpful in my experience either.... that applies to when I was in hospital for other reasons (knee surgery) as well. That was probably a bit off topic but I also just wanted to say that I agree with uniformity of advice as well... I know every mum is different but there should at least be an agreed-upon set of successful strategies to use with mums who are having difficulty with feeding... at the moment it seems like this just doesn't exist.

I'm also really starting to feel curious as to what a full-on BFing education campaign could achieve... you know, with schools/ TV commercials/ popular magazine notices etc... not just the current posters and booklets but a more mass media presence. Would people simply get defensive? Could it really make a difference? Think about other community education campaigns: smoking/drink driving/domestic violence... how effective have they been? I'm not saying they have or have not been effective but how long would it take to make a difference? A generation? I guess incorporating BFing education into the school curriculum would have the greatest chance of success in changing the current trends... (just thinking aloud at this point). What I would love to see also is the de-sexualisation of breasts for the BFing mum... but how on earth can we dismantle generations of voyerism of breasts for a "bit of a thrill".... but I guess I'm just sick of sex being thrust (excuse the pun) at us all the time... it's so damaging for us as a society on so many levels.

My gf's and I had this discussion not long ago. We thought that the reason a lot of 'mummys' dont bf is due to the shortened length of stay in hospital (12 hours in some cases).
eg
When I had NIkolaus I was out within 3 days after having an emergancy c/s after a long 23hour labour. I was confussed, lacked the support of so called health professions and felt very depressed about what had happened. I also had no milk and dint realise that it came in around day 3 -4. Hench, I didnt BF and choice to FF instead.
Wilhelm,...hm I thought, IM not going down the same road again, had loads of milk and yet the nurses failed to help me bf. another ff baby.
Vyolett, I demanded that I got Vy in recovery and put her straight on my boob. I had the best midwife possible. I voiced my concerns about not being able to bf my 2 boys and she helped me all the way. She sat with me for hours and helped me with gentle words and motivating praise. I stayed in hospital for 5 days and the whole time my midwife pushed for me to stay until I could bf Vy correctly and felt comfortable within myself.
I managed to bf Vy for one month when I got mastites in both bb's and decided through lack of community MCHN support that i could no longer do 'this'.
Does that mean im going to not try for my fourth? NO WAY! my goloshies will be hauled out and made to do what the great man invented them to do.
Do you know who has supportived me the whole way through my bf experience with Vy???? All the wonderful girls on Belly belly, thats who.
Mauw

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Does that mean im going to not try for my fourth? NO WAY! my goloshies will be hauled out and made to do what the great man invented them to do.

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LOL Maz that made me laugh out loud :lol:

But your story shows what a difference a committed, supportive midwife providing consistent one-on-one care can make. Kudos to her (and you ;) )

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Oh and the grabbing of my boobs !

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And then the "do you mind?" well, bit late for that one now, darling!

I think all new mums should have a woman who has successfully BFed and knows how to stand up to those evil midwives who seem to want us to all get PND on hand all day! Or maybe a team of us LOL. That would have helped me a lot.

I would have to say lack of education. I always wanted to breast feed because I know that it is the best option for baby. However I was also lucky enough to be aware in advance that not everyone can. At our ante-natal class a whole 2 hour session was dedicated to breastfeeding. This entailed during a breast on an inflated condom complete with milkducts etc. It was emphasised that it was natural and the best thing to do. However at no point was it mentionned that lots of mothers have problems, not every baby gets it straight away, it was just implied that it was easy. When my darling son was born he couldn't attach properly and we had real problems. It turned out that I had flat nipples. I was very lucky that I had some good midwives in hospital but they all had their own ways of doing things. We persevered and I was kept in for 4 days to try and resolve the situation. We were sent home and he still wasn't really getting the hang of it. I had 2 EMS visits from midwives who both helped me with the breast feeding and took the time to help. However from that point on I was on my own, we went backwards because he forgot how to attach and couldn't feed. At this point I phoned my community health centre who told me they could fit me in for an appointment in 8 days. I phoned the maternity ward and explained the situation and was lucky to speak to a lactation consultant who brought me back in and spent 1.5 hours with me showing me and emphasising that the fact that I was still trying to breastfeed after mastitis, cracked and bleeding nipples, flat nipples and no support from the clinic was a real credit to me. Thanks to her help we persevered and have now mastered it - though only by using a nipple sheild. My DS is gaining weight and is happy. We need more lactation consultants in the system and way more support once you get home. It is too easy to quit and switch to formula - which incidentally is exactly what my doctor told me to do after 5 minute consultation. There also needs to be a lot more information about how it is not easy, it doesn't happen overnight and you are not a failure if it doesn't happen immediately. That was how I felt but thankfully I did find good supportive midwives, but they are overworked and underappreciated. More are needed.
Sorry that's me saying my piece!
Joanne

Lack of education all round.

My experience of starting out in breastfeeding was difficult. My daughter was whisked away to NICU and then special care. No one told me I could breastfeed her (a lady made a comment along the lines of you weren't here so we gave her formula). I was devastated and knew I had to do something. So I initialised breastfeeding and comp fed until day 3 when she was discharged to ante-natal and I weaned her off the bottle, unto the cup, onto the breast using a nipple shield (told I had flat nipples) and then off breast shields. The whole time refusing to be discharged until I felt ready. Amazed when I think back, that we actually acheived a breastfeeding relationship and maintained it until recently.

My experience of the midwifery staff was like most I think; some made sense to me and others gave random advice and didn't look like they even wanted to be there. My head midwife commented on my breastfeeding without having read my file and left me feeling very deflated and lacking in confidence. But she was the only one really, everyone else did their best to help even though it was conflicting advice at times.

im sorry i dont have time to read back through the posts....but has anyone mentioned the lack of public acceptance in regards to breast feeding?

This is a hard decision. Definitely think lack of education, lack of continuity of care and conflicting advice after birth are the main ones and they definitely overlap. The continutity of care got my vote - though I would add that the continuity should be with a known midwife/LC who is educated & skilled at breastfeeding support....not someone who didn't have the training! As a naturopath, I have definitely seen the benefits of women who I have referred to private LCs....providing that wonderful ongoing care and advice over the first few difficult weeks with feeding. I have also seen too many who have stopped breastfeeding due to all sorts of reasons (not enough milk, poor weight gain, pain etc) that I firmly believe more came down to poor education and lack of support from both family/friends and health professionals. The ones who perservere despite enormous difficulties (I can include myself here) are the ones who are educated and passionate about the benefits of breastfeeding for their baby. We need more women in the antenatal setting to get the education because in the postnatal setting it is often too late.
Good luck with the government inquiry! Karen x

Reading some of the other experiences makes me really sad. When I was having the problems with Jack attaching due to his tongue-tie, I was asked if I was ready to go home after 4 nights. At that stage he wouldn't attach (but I was told my nipples were the problem not the tongue-tie) so I was expressing. Then at each feed, with a mw or lc helping, I would try to attach a starving, screaming baby causing him to become more and more distressed. Then I would feed him the EBM in a bottle and express again. I was exhausted and I told them I wanted to stay an extra night to try and get the feeding working. I was obviously very lucky as I was told I could stay, and at midnight on that last night, the mw that delivered Jack finally got him to attach with nipple shields. So at least by the time I went home I was able to bf. As I mentioned in my pp, it was 3 weeks later that I discovered that the tongue-tie was the real problem, got it snipped and went on to successfully feed without nipple shields for 14 months (then he self weaned :( ). The point of this post is that I can't imagine how I could have managed if I'd been sent home before the feeding with nipple shields was established. I can only imagine that despite my determination to bf, I too would quite likely have ended up ffing. It's so easy to see how it happens.

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I think all new mums should have a woman who has successfully BFed and knows how to stand up to those evil midwives who seem to want us to all get PND on hand all day! Or maybe a team of us LOL. That would have helped me a lot.

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Do you know who has supportived me the whole way through my bf experience with Vy???? All the wonderful girls on Belly belly, thats who.

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Maybe we need BB visiting rosters LOL. A few b/f mums go and visit the new BB mums at hossy and help sort through all the nonsense from the midwives, and LC's for that matter too.. they all gave me different advice too.

I agree with the uniformity of advice too. Chopping and changing feeding positions each feed etc coz of different advice doesn't help anyone. At least give one method a good try before trying the next iykwim. Everything needs practice. There's not usually some magic position that will suddenly work.

I loOoooove your ticker pic Liz... I get all warm and fluffy every time I see it. Waaaah I am going to be past that soon!!!!