WITH THE WORLD AND HIS WIFE QUEUING UP TO OFFER YOU THEIR ADVICE AS SOON AS THEY FIND OUT YOU ARE PREGNANT (AND EVERYONE SEEMINGLY HAVING A DIFFERENT OPINION!), IT CAN BE HARD TO SORT THE FACTS FROM THE FICTION. HERE AT TOMMEE TIPPEE, WE HAVE PROVIDED YOU WITH SOME OF THE MOST COMMONΒ BREASTFEEDING MYTHSΒ THAT YOU MIGHT HEAR AND THE FACTS BEHIND THEM:
βYOUR MILK IS EITHER TOO WEAK OR TOO STRONGβ
Mother Nature is a genius and breast milk is always just right. It changes as the nursing session progresses, from watery, thirst-quenching foremilk at the beginning to rich, nutritious hindmilk as the feeding goes on. Donβt worry about what it looks like β just trust itβs perfectly balanced for your baby.
βYOUR BABY IS FEEDING SO OFTEN, YOU CANβT HAVE ENOUGH MILKβ
Your newbornβs stomach is only the size of its fist, so they need to fill up little and often and sometimes they just need a drink rather than a full meal. If your feeding position is right and your baby is settled after eating, then frequent feeding is good β itβs stimulating plenty of milk for the future.
βYOU SHOULD FEED EVERY 4 HOURS AND FOR 20 MINUTES AT A TIMEβ
Forget the clock and feed on demand when your baby is showing signs of being hungry. Their appetite will vary from one meal to the next and one day to the next, so donβt expect any pattern or routine in the first few weeks.
βYOU NEED TO DRINK LOTS OF MILK TO MAKE MILKβΒ
A healthy diet of vegetables, fruits, grains and proteins is all that a mother needs to provide the proper nutrients to produce milk. Calcium can be obtained from a variety of non-dairy foods, such as dark green vegetables, seeds, nuts and bony fish. After all, do you see any other mammal drinking milk??
βSOME BABIES ARE ALLERGIC TO THEIR MOTHERβS MILKβ –Β
Donβt worry β you cannot be allergic to breast milk. But your baby CAN be allergic to something you are eating (most commonly cowβs milk or soy!) If you find this is the case, then removing the suspected food from your diet usually solves the problem.
βTHERE IS NO SUCH THING AS NIPPLE CONFUSIONβ
It can be confusing for little mouths switching between breast and bottle and sometimes this leads to them using the wrong suckling technique at the breast. TheΒ right baby bottleΒ can help but it is not always unavoidable.
βTHERE IS NO BENEFIT IN BREASTFEEDING A BABY OVER THE AGE OF ONEβ
Breast milk is a fantastic supplement to solid food and continues to boost the immune system for as long as it is offered.
βYOU SHOULD ALWAYS USE BOTH BREASTS AT EACH FEEDINGβΒ
In order to ensure your baby gets a good mix ofΒ foremilk and hindmilk, it is important to let your baby finish the first breast first β even if he or she doesnβt take the second breast.
βBABIES GET ALL THE MILK THEY NEED IN THE FIRST FIVE MINUTESβ
Now wouldnβt that be handy! But while this is true for many older babies, it is best to allow your baby to suckle until they show signs of being finished β such as relaxed hands and arms or detaching themselves.
βTOO MUCH BREAST MILK CAN MAKE YOUR BABY FATβ
Who makes this stuff up? Breast milk is nutritionally perfect. Its composition changes over the weeks and months to maintain a balanced diet, constantly suited to your growing baby.
βYOU CANβT GET PREGNANT WHILE YOUβRE STILL BREASTFEEDINGβ
Good to get the facts straight on this one. Whilst exclusively breastfeeding every four hours with no use of soother can help suppress your ovulation for the first six months, it is not a reliable method of contraception so itβs best to speak to your doctor about suitable methods.
βSOUR MUMS MAKE SOUR MILKβ
Getting angry or upset will not affect the quality of your milk! If youβve had a difficult feeding session and your baby seems unsettled, they are may just be picking up on your tension.
βBREASTFEEDING MAKES YOUR BREASTS SAGβ
Sadly for all of us tends to happen with age whether you breastfeed or not. Anyone found that eternal youth potion yet??
βA BREASTFEEDING BABY NEEDS EXTRA WATER IN HOT WEATHERβ
Breast milk contains all the water a baby needs.
βEXPRESSING IS A GOOD WAY OF KNOWING HOW MUCH MILK YOU HAVEβ
A baby will always be able to suckle more milk than you can express. Expressing only tells you how much you can express and how much milk can be expressed each time depends on many factors, including your stress level!