Some common misconceptions about breastfeeding.
I've been told that breast milk contains toxins.
Errrr, yes it possibly does. But those toxins are the ones all around us, in the air we breath, the food we eat, the surfaces we sit on, etc etc etc. Our babies have already been exposed to them before they were born and will be exposed to them through life in the same way as we ourselves are. The only way we can eliminate such toxins is to eliminate the toxins from the world.
But surely that means feeding with formula must be better as it doesn't contain the toxins?
Formula may not contain exactly the same toxins but it contains toxins nonetheless. The ingredients in formula are all subject to being exposed to toxins in the environment just as any other food stuff is. Even if the formula milk powder could be guaranteed free of toxins (which it can't be any more than any other food stuff) the water we mix it up with contains it's own toxins. Babies are exposed to them before birth, after birth and lifelong. Breast milk is still the best option as it's helps baby's immune system which is responsible for dealing with the toxins and flushing them out.
My partner wants to be able to help feed the baby and he wont be able to if I breastfeed.
Actually he will. There's no reason a breast fed baby can't have a bottle as well. The general advise is to not give a bottle until breastfeeding is established but even until then there are a lot of other things he can do to help - bathing, nappy changing, making mum loads of cuppas . . . Some breast fed babies do not take to a bottle immediately - but almost all will take one - it's just a matter of trial and error to find the right one for them, for instance sometimes they don't like normal teats but do like a cup, sometimes they will not feed if they have even an inkling mum is anywhere around but will happily bottle feed if convinced she's not. There's tricks to it if you do get a baby who initially shows reluctance to use a bottle - we'll have loads of them on site soon and you can always ask in the forums. You an express your own milk or give formula in a bottle. And not feeding the baby himself for the first little while will not affect his bonding with the baby at all - bonding comes through much more than just feeding.
If I breastfeed I wont be go out without my baby.
Nobody else will be able to feed the baby for me.
Pretty much the same as before - yes you can and yes they can.
Breast fed babies feed all day and all night!
No they don't. Generally they do feed slightly more frequently than formula fed babies because breast milk is so much easier to digest so doesn't sit in their stomachs as long as formula does but the difference is not huge. Breast fed or formula fed babies can want feeding every couple of hours. or every 5 hours. It depends on the baby. Night feeds are the same - some babies wake a lot, some don't. A breast fed baby who is apparently constantly asking to feed probably isn't - s/he's probably comfort sucking. And babies do cry for many reasons other than hunger, many new mums are often drawn into the mistake of believing that baby is crying so therefore baby is hungry - it's not always the case though.
Ah, so this comfort sucking is something I wont get if i feed my baby formula?
A baby who likes to suck likes to suck regardless of feeding method. But if baby isn't breast fed then mum wont notice it in the same way because the baby wont be rooting for her and wont be seeming to be demanding the breast. Formula fed babies do comfort suck - they just tend to get given dummies earlier.
But surely I can't give a breast fed baby a dummy so I just have to let him comfort suck?
Not at all. Some experts do advise not to give a breast fed baby a dummy as the sucking action is different for a dummy to that they use on the breast - however thousands upon thousands of mums have done and it's not caused any problems. There are alternatives though - fingers, baby's own thumb/fingers or baby comforter dolls.
I'll have to feed on demand.
Yes, that is the best way to do it. Your baby knows when it is hungry and when it is hungry is the right time to feed it so don't be clock watching and forcing fixed routines on a tiny baby that has no idea of time or even night and day. But since a baby needs feeding when it's hungry even formula babies are fed on demand and don't conform to the nice 4 hourly pattern talked about in the manufacturers 'how to' literature. A hungry baby will scream the place down until it is fed (in fact even babies that are not hungry can do that so screaming does not necessarily indicate hunger). In the early days your baby is very likely to feed frequently but this all part of the way your supply is established. Little and often is the natural way for a tiny baby to feed. the frequent stimulation your body receives sends al the messages to get the milk flowing. This frequent feeding wont last for ever though. it wont even last for very long. Even breast fed babies go around 3-4 (and sometimes more) hours between feeds after a few weeks of their own accord. And they work out night from day in the same way formula fed babies do so start lengthening the gap between the last and first feeds of the day over time.
So even though you are feeding on demand the demand is not constant.
Breast fed babies don't sleep through the night.
Some don't. Some do. Some formula fed babies don't. Some do. Notice a pattern? All babies are different - some babies sleep through the night early on some don't - regardless of method of feeding. This one is more down to luck of the draw - sorry!
But at least if I formula feed my partner can help out by doing some of the night feeds.
Why can't he help with them if you breastfeed? Same applies as for going out without baby and partner just wanting to feed baby (and who can blame him after all?). Though to be honest no matter how you fed we've yet to meet a dad who actually can wake up in the night and feed a baby without waking mum up so mum end sup getting up anyway. Even if you are breastfeeding dad can wake up with you and help out - fetch you a drink, change nappy, wind baby after etc if he wants to help. And breastfeeding has advantages over bottle feeding (ebm or formula) in the night - you don't need to even get out of bed, you can breastfeed lying down and dozing, it's instant so no wailing baby while bottle is warming up!
At least on formula I can be sure my baby is getting enough milk.
How much is enough? Surely enough is as much as the baby wants? Baby will take what s/he wants while breastfeeding. There's no need to count the ounces - counting only came about with the popularity of formula. So long as baby is content and producing plenaty of wet nappies then s/he is getting enough milk.
So if I have a grizzly discontented baby who is breast fed then they are not getting enough milk?
Okay, yep, we can see where that comes from, and yes it does appear to be a logical conclusion from the contented and wet nappies means getting enough milk comment granted. However, it isn't true. Many, many other things cause a discontented baby and so formula is not the answer to all discontented baby woes. See above re baby being attached to mum all day and night. and here (link to page).
Breast fed babies don't get colic.
The incidence of colic is lower in breast fed babies - but breastfeeding does not eliminate it. So it would be more true to say that less breast fed babies get colic than formula fed babies.
Breast fed baby poo is foul to clean up.
All baby poo is foul to clean up - let nobody kid you otherwise. Breast fed babies however tend to have less poos, because there is less waste to poo out so you get less nappies to clean up.
But when they do it leaks everywhere!
Errr, only if you've got a nappy that doesn't fit correctly on. Finding a perfectly fitting nappy is another matter and not one we can really help with. But if anybody finds the answer then please let us know. Please, please do, because we all want to know it too. There'll be a prize.
It hurts!
So does giving birth - but it's one of the things you have to do if you want a baby. Actually, we have to be honest it can hurt - at first! But it shouldn't, and if the hurt does continue then something isn't quite right, but it's invariably something that can be fixed - and that's where your friendly neighbourhood breastfeeding counselors come in (link) - they are the ones who can help and make it stop hurting. Sadly all too many midwifes are not that knowledgeable about it and even if you do get a good one she's off to pastures new at 10 days old and you're left with the health visitor. If you're lucky (very very lucky?) you'll get one who can really help, but breastfeeding support on the NHS in this country at the moment is sadly very lacking and all too often the advise is little more use than a chocolate fireguard and mums give up firmly convinced they could not breastfeed when they actually could have done with the right help and support. All hail the good and wonderful breastfeeding counselors - now can we make them easier to find? Breastfeeding is a skill that needs to be learnt by mum and baby - yet we are all too often just left to learn it alone. Nobody would trust a self taught neurosurgeon would they?
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