Breast Feeding Support
Why use Breast feeding tops?
Breast Feeding Myths and Legends
Getting Started
Your thoughts
www.breastfeeding.co.uk
Although the web address may not be the most imaginative (!) this site does exactly what it says on the tin. A fantastic one stop shop for everything the nursing mother could need by way of advice, news and support.
www.breastfeeding.nhs.uk
The governmental website with facts and information for breastfeeding mothers
www.abm.me.uk
The association of breastfeeding mothers. The patron of this site is breastfeeding mother of four Janey Lee Grace, and this site aims to provide women with a huge library of information and support in the form of help-lines, training, links and downloads.
www.Lalecheleague.org
With information on local support groups and professional lactation consultants, La Leche League have years of experience of helping breastfeeding women
www.nct.org.uk
The NCT offers help in all aspects of pregnancy and birth - from ante natal classes that deal with birth scenarios and offering women more choice and knowledge to ensure they get the birth they want, right the way through to a national network of trained breast feeding counsellors and post natal support groups. Very useful for finding groups in your local area of breast feeding mothers or people at the same stage of pregnancy as you.
www.thebreastfeedingmanifesto.org.uk
This is the site for breastfeeding wom
en who want to learn more about what is being done to try and change society’s attitude to breastfeeding and make every woman aware of the health benefits and the support available.
www.breastfeeding.com
American website devoted to supporting breast feeding mothers with video links and real life accounts, plus input from experts and lots of useful articles.
www.breastfeeding network.org.uk
With links to leaflets and Breastfeeding Support centres this site is administered by an independent Scottish charity and has lots of useful information on getting started and problem solving when breastfeeding.
Why Use Breastfeeding Tops? [top]
It is true that you don't need specialist clothes in order to breastfeed successfully - in exactly the same way that you don't need specialist maternity clothes for all of your pregnancy....It is perfectly possible to breastfeed wearing anything comfortable, roomy and "easy access". Everyone on the team at Mummy Looks Fab HQ had exactly that - a series of faithful (slightly stained!), very comfortable clothes that served us well during our months of breastfeeding.
The snag is this doesn't always work when you have to go out for lunch with friends, or meet up with old work colleagues, or attend a wedding - or even just get up in the morning and get dressed without feeling like you are a cross between a rugby player, a milk bar and a bag lady! (We are speaking for ourselves here obviously!!)
That's where specialist breast feeding tops come in. They can afford you extra modesty at a time when you might not want your boss to see your stretch marks! They can give you back a beautiful silhouette at a time when you want to feel like your old self again with your pre-baby friends. They can also help you look absolutely fabulous for every breast feeding minute of the day without costing you the earth or requiring you to re-stock your whole wardrobe!
Most of the clothes on Mummy Looks Fab can be worn during early pregnancy; post partum and even long after you give up breastfeeding. Not only is this a fantastic way to feel lovely at a time when most shop-bought "normal" tops don't fit well on nursing breasts, it can also make for fantastically good value for money.
If you want to be scientific about it (we love the Money Saving Expert here at MLF) then simply divide the cost of the top by the number of months it will be useful to you. Most people will try and breastfeed for 6 weeks, some may do three months, some will go to a year and some two years and beyond. These tops are classically and resiliently designed to last throughout that time! This could mean you buy a top for £21.00 and wear it through your pregnancy, post partum and then whilst you breastfeed - say eight times a month for a year. That’s only 20p a wear. There were plenty of items in our post pregnancy wardrobes that got worn once and then left to one side as they weren't right for breast feeding- that’s £20 a wear!!
Breastfeeding tops are certainly not a requirement for successful breastfeeding, and at a time when money can be tight and the last person who gets any attention is mummy, then it’s no wonder that most women don't feel they should spend money on something that could be perceived as surplus to requirements. They key thing to remember is that anything that helps you to breast feed more confidently, comfortably or even for longer, is good for you and therefore good for baby too!
Breastfeeding Myths and Legends [top]
Have a look at the list of claims below and see which ones you thought were true or false in relation to successful breastfeeding. There might be a few in there that surprise you! Feel free to contact us with your own breastfeeding myths and legends and join us in the fight to ensure that any woman that wants to breastfeed feels supported to do so – without having to find her way through a sea of mis-information and ill-conceived advice!!
“Breastfeeding makes your boobs sag!”
Nope! The only thing that makes breasts sag is allowing the ligaments that support them to become stretched. For most women this process starts with the on-set of pregnancy as this is when most women’s breasts increase in size. It is crucial at this point to make sure you are professionally fitted for a bra and that it provides the required support. This will go a long way to ensuring your breasts are not rendered saggy! It’s not the breastfeeding that is to blame, as usually by then the damage is already done!
“If you let your baby feed for a long time you will run out of milk!” Nope! Your baby cannot use up your milk as it is continuously produced as soon as it is removed. Your breasts may feel less “full” and solid as a feed goes on, or even as the months of successful breast feeding continue, but this is simply your supply adjusting to meet demand.
“Breastfeeding hurts!”
Unfortunately, its yes and no on this one! Breastfeeding can feel tender for the first week or so until you find the right latch for you and the baby and your nipples are used to it! (Breastfeeding can be quite a change from the activities your nipples experienced previously!) However, once the baby is feeding well and you are settled in to a good routine, breastfeeding should NOT hurt! If it does, seek support from your health visitor or local support groups (see links pages). It could mean you have thrush, mastitis or even just need to improve your latch, and you should not be suffering in silence!
“You’ll need to drink more milk in order to be able to produce more milk”
Nope – otherwise the herds of dairy cows roaming the plains of England would have tubes running from their udders in to their mouths! No other mammal needs to drink milk to make milk, so why should we? However, it is important to make sure your diet is as balanced and healthy as possible – not least because having a new baby can be exhausting and keeping yourself well can make things a lot less stressful!
“Giving your baby occasional formula cancels out the benefits of breastfeeding”
Nope! Obviously we live in the real world and sometimes it may not be possible to solely breastfeed your baby. It is usually worth waiting a few weeks if you have to introduce a bottle as this can reduce your milk supply (remember the supply and demand – you will only produce what your baby needs so if they don’t drink as much, your “production” will go down. ) Research shows that the more breast milk a baby gets, the better, so even if this has to be augmented with formula they will still feel the benefit. (This is not true in the case of asthma and eczema as the same research shows that the longer babies can avoid breast milk substitutes the less likely they are to develop these conditions.) One way to avoid having to mix breast with other milks is to express breast milk and administer it like formula (E.g If you have to return to work). This will stimulate supply and make sure you keep producing the required amount, and also ensures your baby is getting the best of both worlds - even if they can’t enjoy skin to skin contact with you, they are at least drinking the best possible milk!
“Cabbage leaves in your bra are all you’ll need to avoid cracked nipples!”
Yes and No....if only it were that simple for all women! Cabbage leaves (Savoy only) have been proven to soothe sore nipples as they contain a healing enzyme – they are also usually deliciously cool and soft straight from the fridge so they can certainly help. Some women recommend putting pure lanolin cream on your nipples before and after every feed. Some women just tough it out! An important note it to make sure you keep your nipples scrupulously dry and clean between feeds as this will also help the healing process and guard against infection. It is also perfectly possible to breastfeed with bleeding nipples (although the baby may spit up slightly more often), but if your nipples bleed for more than a few days then seek help from a lactation consultant or other professional to ensure your latch is good.
“If a baby feeds for more than ten minutes he is comfort feeding and will end up spoilt”
Nope! Human milk changes during the course of a feed - the initial gulps are a thirst quencher which is then followed up by more fat rich milk as the feed develops. This is why there is no need to switch breasts during a feed, unless the baby finishes with one and then still seems to be “rooting” for more. It is very important that the baby feeds for long enough to get the fat rich “hind milk” during every feed. It is also important not to rigorously time feeds so that you can let your baby can tell you when he/she has had enough. Babies have been breastfeeding for centuries without the benefits of health professionals, watches and websites! Most babies will go through the odd phase of staying on and suckling for comfort after they have finished their main feed, but as you become familiar with your child’s routine, so will you be able to tell when they are full & happy even if they haven’t quite let go yet! As for “spoiling” them – babies have one way of communicating and that is to cry – think of it as their way of talking! They feel the same strong, base emotions that we do and have an innate sense of what they need to thrive – if they are hungry, scared, cold, lonely or just plain bored, they will tell you by crying. You are not spoiling them by responding to these needs. No baby has it in their arsenal to manipulate you – that is a special treat for mummies that comes later with toddler hood!
“Women with fair skin are more likely to get sore nipples”
Nope! And that’s that.
“You need to prepare your nipples for breastfeeding”
Nope! We suspect the local nipple clamp shop may be behind this particular myth. It will make no difference to your experience of breastfeeding to “prepare” your nipples and realistically nothing can prepare you for a half hour feed every two hours from a tiny, hungry sucking machine! If you want to prepare for breastfeeding then prepare your brain and let your nipples take care of themselves!
“Breastfeeding can help you lose weight!”
FACT!! Yay! Some women find breastfeeding is a very effective method of shifting the pregnancy “fat-stores” laid down by your body. Some women find that these stores remain during breastfeeding to support the production of milk, but often they find when they give up breast-feeding, the weight is easy to lose. Anyway, if mummy wants cake then who are we to deny her....?
“Breastfeeding is an effective form of birth control”
Well, some might say having a child is the most effective form of birth control! Sadly, this particular breastfeeding legend is not true for all women. Breastfeeding delays the return of your periods however, when your cycle begins again, you will ovulate before your first period starts which would make you fertile before you were aware you could conceive again. Most women find this method to be 98% effective if they breastfeed on demand for at least 6 long or ten short breast feeds in every 24 hour period, and their baby is still less than 6 months old. However this is not fool proof and if you are unsure you should always supplement with another method of birth control!
“You cannot breastfeed with pierced nipples!”
Nope! It is worth removing the jewellery before trying as this can damage your baby’s soft palate and interfere with breastfeeding, but a pierced nipple can take as long as six months to start healing and a professional piercer can help ensure the holes do not close, so having a pierced nipple should not hinder breastfeeding!
“Women with smaller breasts produce less milk than those with large ones!”
Beyond nonsense! We shouldn’t even dignify this with a response...
“If you eat garlic your milk will taste of it”
Well, some women report this to be true (how do they know?!?), but the fact remains that breast fed babies from all cultures and backgrounds drink breast milk having never tasted anything else and love it! Don’t waste time worrying about “tainting” your milk with strong flavours. If you like something then chances are it will be to your babies taste as well – they were eating the same as you for nine months after all...
“You must feed your baby every three hours for ten minutes at each breast”
There are plenty of “formulas” and plans for ensuring “accurate” feeding and for a lot of women this provides a reassurance that trusting your instincts does not! Remember your child is not all that dissimilar to you in that sometimes they may feel like a snack, sometimes they may feel like a full three courses and sometimes they may not be hungry at all! As long as your baby seems healthy and alert (you will be able to tell this better than anyone), as long as they are producing at least 6/8 wet nappies and 4/6 soiled ones, and as long as her poo is yellow, sweet smelling and the consistency of scrambled eggs (ie Not green and watery which can be a sign of something else), then you and the baby are doing fine!
Those few hours post-birth can often be over whelming. You may be utterly high on natural endorphins or feeling that if you start crying you may never stop....You will have all of the initial thoughts on the birth to digest.....You might have flocks of visitors desperate to cuddle the new addition to the family, or a conked-out-partner desperate for a sandwich having been up all night as well..... You may feel rotten, you may feel fabulous but most people feel a mixture of elation and trepidation at the next part.... You spent nine months preparing studiously for the birth but nobody was able to help you fully prepare for the next part.....what do you do now the baby is finally here....!?!?
If you can manage to feed in the first few hours after the birth this can get you and the baby off to a great start, and more often than not, a few feeds is all it takes to become experts! Try and arrange things so you get some initial skin to skin contact. The baby may be sleeping (the birth was tiring for him as well!), but just holding him close to you can stimulate your milk supply.
If he is awake, his sucking instinct will be strong and he may be “rooting” – looking for your breast - with his chin pushed forward and a wide open mouth. This is the perfect latch position as he is aiming to get a big mouthful of breast with his bottom lip positioned to massage the nipple to stimulate milk flow. The end of the nipple will be right back in this mouth near his soft palate and his perfectly designed nose will allow him to breathe even when pressed against your breast. (Incidentally, if he can’t breathe he will let you know by popping off the breast and trying again – if necessary, move your breast tissue aside to give him a gap and then gently release it when he is sucking)
You will need to take some of the initiative from him as he is born with a perfect instinct for feeding. Cuddle him in a way that feels comfortable and don’t try and push him on to your breast. Just draw him close to you with his head supported and his back cradled (nose to nipple is a good positioning guide) and then let him tip back his head, take a big mouthful and suckle away!
(Top tip alert! If you ever need to take him off the nipple, insert your little finger gently in to the corner of his mouth and break the “seal” he has formed, before drawing him away. Trust us – you will not forget to do this more than once!)
At first he will feed little and often as his stomach is only the size of a walnut and he may even need to be woken to feed if he is sleeping a lot (There can be many reasons for this – the after affects of pethidine, jaundice, or just plain tiredness after a long birth)
The important thing is for both of you to feel relaxed, comfortable and safe enough to try different holds, different ways of supporting his head, different sides, and to get to know each other’s “preferences” without pressure or unnecessary interference. If at any point you don’t feel it is going well, seek help, ask questions and share your concerns.
Some Examples of Different Holds:
Any woman who feels guilty or disappointed about giving up breastfeeding sooner than she planned, SHOULD NOT – she has obviously been let down by a lack of professional help. Luckily things are changing on that front and there are so many organisations that can offer advice and support. If you are convinced of the health benefits, don’t even think about giving up until you have got some support from an external source, and keep asking until you get the help you need! It’s much easier to sort a problem in the early days than it is to revert to breast feeding after being forced to turn to alternatives when the going gets tough!
We are always interested in hearing your breastfeeding stories – especially those related to breastfeeding in public! If you would like to share a piece of advice, a funny story or a top tip, please contact us and we will share your breastfeeding gems with other fab mummies!