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Breastfeeding in public in Hull
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Myths about Breastfeeding
ALL of the statements below are NOT TRUE... They are common myths that often put women off breastfeeding, unfortunately. Click on each myth below to find out why they are NOT TRUE:
- Some women do not produce enough breast milk to feed their baby
- Breastfeeding hurts
- A breastfeeding baby needs extra water in hot weather
- Mums should wash their nipples before breastfeeding
- Expressing breast milk will give a good idea of how much milk a mum has
- Breast milk does not contain enough iron
- It is easier to bottle feed than breastfeed
- Breastfeeding ties women down
- Formulas contain the same nutrients as breast milk
- Women should stop breastfeeding if they have an infection
- Women should stop breastfeeding if their baby has sickness or diarrhoea
- Women should stop breastfeeding if taking medication
- Women who breastfeed must eat a restricted diet
- Women who breastfeed should eat and drink more in order to produce enough milk
- Women who smoke should not breastfeed
- Women who have had breast augmentation surgery should not breastfeed
- Women who have had breast reduction surgery should not breastfeed
- Premature babies should not be breastfed
- Babies with a cleft lip should not breastfeed
- Women with small breasts produce less milk than women with large breasts
- Women who breastfeed cannot take the contraceptive pill
- Babies need other types of milk after six months
- Women who have had X-rays should not breastfeed
- Breast milk can dry up
- A baby shouldn’t be fed both breast milk and formula
- There is no such thing as nipple confusion
- Women with flat or inverted nipples cannot breastfeed
- A woman who becomes pregnant must stop breastfeeding
- Breastfeeding twins is too difficult to manage
- Women whose breasts do not grow during pregnancy will not produce enough milk
- Women should not breastfeed a baby older than 12 months
- If a woman takes a break from breastfeeding, the milk will turn sour
- Women should not breastfeed after exercise
- Women should not get a perm or dye her hair whilst breastfeeding
- Breastfeeding makes your breasts saggy
NOT TRUE
This is a common concern, because it seems like the baby isn’t being fed properly. But actually, if a baby loses weight, or gains weight too slowly, it is most likely because they are not properly attached to the breast while feeding. Most women produce more than enough milk to breastfeed their baby, but sometimes the baby just can’t get it. This is why it is so important to learn how to breastfeed properly as soon as possible.
NOT TRUE
It is normal to feel tender for the first few days of breastfeeding, but this should go away. If breastfeeding does hurt, it is usually because the baby is not properly attached to the breast. Any pain that lasts after day 4 or 5 should be discussed with a midwife. Similarly, see a medical professional if breastfeeding goes well for some time, but then starts to hurt, as this could be a yeast infection.
A breastfeeding baby needs extra water in hot weather
NOT TRUE
Breast milk contains all the water a baby needs.
Mums should wash their nipples before breastfeeding
NOT TRUE
This will wash the protective oils away from the nipple and make feeding unnecessarily complicated. Bottle-feeding requires extra attention to cleanliness, as bottles can become easily contaminated and formula does not protect a baby from infection. Breast milk does.
Expressing breast milk will give a good idea of how much milk a mum has
NOT TRUE
Expressing breast milk will only give an idea of how much milk can be expressed. A properly attached baby will be able to get much more milk than a mother can express.
Breast milk does not contain enough iron
NOT TRUE
Formulas include added iron to make sure babies get enough. But this is because iron in formula is poorly absorbed and most gets lost. The iron in breast milk however, is absorbed more easily. This means that babies get enough iron from breast milk alone, to last the first six months with no need to add any other foods.
It is easier to bottle feed than breastfeed
NOT TRUE
Breastfeeding may be difficult at first, but it becomes easier, especially with the right support. Bottle-feeding requires sterilising, measuring, heating and washing, taking much more time and effort than breastfeeding. Once women have the hang of it, most find breastfeeding a lot easier.
NOT TRUE
Breastfeeding allows babies to be fed anywhere, at any time, without the need to carry bottles and formula around. And there is no need to find somewhere to warm the milk or sterilise the bottle.
Formulas contain the same nutrients as breast milk
NOT TRUE
Although iron, vitamins and other nutrients are added to formulas, they do not contain any antibodies, living cells, enzymes or hormones – they simply cannot compare to breast milk. Formulas are made to suit all babies, but each mum’s breast milk is produced especially to suit their baby’s needs. Formulas do not vary, but breast milk does – the milk produced at the start of a feed is different to that at the end; similarly, the milk produced in the first few days (colostrum) is different to that produced by day 7, or by day 30.
Women should stop breastfeeding if they have an infection
NOT TRUE
By the time a mother shows symptoms, her baby may already be infected, so by continuing to breastfeed, all of mum’s antibodies to fight the infection will be passed onto her baby.
Women should stop breastfeeding if their baby has sickness or diarrhea
NOT TRUE
Breast milk contains all of the nutrients, enzymes and antibodies a baby need to fight infection, so continuing to breastfeed is the best way to settle an upset tummy.
Women should stop breastfeeding if she is taking medication
NOT TRUE
Most medicines can be taken safely while breastfeeding with no need for concern, as only the tiniest amount of medicine will be passed from mother to baby through breastfeeding. However, always check with your doctor that it is safe to continue breastfeeding when taking any new medication.
Women who breastfeed must eat a restricted diet
NOT TRUE
A breastfeeding mother does not need to eat any special foods, or avoid any spicy foods or alcohol – although these should only be consumed as part of a healthy, balanced diet.
Women who breastfeed should eat and drink more in order to produce enough milk
NOT TRUE
Some women eat and drink more than usual when they are breastfeeding; some women eat and drink the same amount; some women eat and drink even less than usual – it doesn’t matter. Breastfeeding mothers should follow a healthy, balanced diet dictated by their appetite and thirst, as the amount of food and drink consumed will not make a difference to the amount of milk that is produced.
Women who smoke should not breastfeed
NOT TRUE
Breastfeeding has great health benefits for both mum and baby, such as decreasing the negative effects of cigarette smoke on a baby’s lungs. Clearly it is better for babies if mums do not smoke at all, but if a woman cannot quit, it is better to smoke and breastfeed than smoke and formula feed.
Women who have had breast augmentation surgery should not breastfeed
NOT TRUE
There is no evidence to suggest that breastfeeding with silicone implants is harmful to the baby.
Women who have had breast reduction surgery should not breastfeed
NOT TRUE
Although this operation does reduce the woman’s capacity to produce breast milk, there is still enough milk to breastfeed sufficiently – often without the need to alternate between breast milk and formula or solids. Lactation aids can help if breastfeeding is difficult.
Premature babies should not be breastfed
NOT TRUE
A premature baby should be encouraged to breastfeed as soon as possible. Although he/she may not attach to the breast straight away, it is important for the baby to be held while learning to make sucking movements.
Babies with a cleft lip should not breastfeed
NOT TRUE
Starting to breastfeed at birth will encourage all babies to attach properly, regardless of a cleft lip. Bottle-feeding will only undermine the baby’s ability to breastfeed. Most babies with a cleft lip can breastfeed perfectly well, however, babies with a cleft palate may struggle.
Women with small breasts produce less milk than women with large breasts
NOT TRUE
Women produce breast milk on a supply and demand basis determined by their baby’s needs. The majority of women have the ability to produce more than enough milk for their child, whatever the size of her breasts.
Women who breastfeed cannot take the contraceptive pill
NOT TRUE
Taking the pill will not harm your baby while breastfeeding. However, some pills (especially those that contain oestrogen) can decrease the flow of milk, which can confuse a baby and discourage them from breastfeeding, so it is recommended to avoid the combined pill for around 6 months (until the baby is taking other foods alongside breast milk). However, mothers can take the progesterone only contraceptive pill whilst breastfeeding and before 6 months post delivery.
Babies need other types of milk after six months
NOT TRUE
Breast milk gives a baby everything there is in formula or cow’s milk and more. It is recommended to introduce solids around six months to encourage babies to learn how to eat, because at around 7-9 months, the iron from breast milk alone will no longer be sufficient. There is no need, however, to introduce other milks. Many babies will reject formula at six months anyway because of the difference in taste.
Women who have had X-rays should not breastfeed
NOT TRUE
Discuss specific details for each type of scan with a doctor before having any X-rays, just to make sure. However, there is no need to stop breastfeeding for the majority of scans – not even for one feed. In cases where a break is planned from breastfeeding to allow for the X-ray to be taken, enough milk should be expressed beforehand to make sure the baby isn’t disrupted.
NOT TRUE
Sometimes it may seem that the flow of milk is decreasing, but it is most likely that the baby has changed, not the milk. For example, babies who would usually fall asleep at the breast when the flow of milk slowed may start pulling and crying instead at around 6 weeks of age. This is not because the milk has dried up, but because the baby has changed. Compressing the breast by hand may help the baby to get more milk.
A baby shouldn’t be fed both breast milk and formula
NOT TRUE
Although breast milk alone gives a baby all of the nutrients it needs, some mums choose to alternate between breastfeeding and bottle-feeding, because family members can help with feeds. If this is the case, it is much better to express breast milk in advance, which can be given to the baby in a bottle by a family member, but there is no reason why breast milk and formula cannot be given together.
There is no such thing as nipple confusion
NOT TRUE
Many babies have a preference even between left and right breast. Although this is not confusion, it shows that babies are aware of the differences between nipples. The addition of artificial nipples therefore, can be very confusing, which is why some babies refuse bottles. Similarly, breastfeeding may become a lot more difficult after bottle-feeding has been introduced.
Women with flat or inverted nipples cannot breastfeed
NOT TRUE
Although a prominent nipple may make it easier for babies to latch on, it is not a necessity. Babies breastfeed on the breast, not the nipple, so whatever the size or shape, any woman should be able to breastfeed adequately.
A woman who becomes pregnant must stop breastfeeding
NOT TRUE
There is no medical reason to say women cannot breastfeed while pregnant, though many women do stop because their breasts become tender. If both mother and baby choose, breastfeeding can continue. Many women even choose to breastfeed the older child after delivery of the new baby.
Breastfeeding twins is too difficult to manage
NOT TRUE
It is important to start breastfeeding straight away. Breastfeeding twins takes a lot of time, but breastfeeding them is easier than bottle-feeding them.
Women whose breasts do not grow during pregnancy will not produce enough milk
NOT TRUE
The majority of women whose breasts did not grow, or grew very little during pregnancy produce more than enough milk. There are very few women who cannot produce enough breast milk.
Women should not breastfeed a baby older than 12 months
NOT TRUE
Breastfeeding can continue until a child is three or four if mum and baby choose. Some people think breastfeeding until this age makes a child overdependent, but studies have shown that actually, children that are breastfed for longer can often be more secure and independent in later life.
If a woman takes a break from breastfeeding, the milk will turn sour
NOT TRUE
Milk in the breast is not like formula or milk in a bottle – it is as fresh as ever, whenever it is used.
Women should not breastfeed after exercise
NOT TRUE
Women should not get a perm or dye her hair whilst breastfeeding
NOT TRUE
Breastfeeding makes your breasts saggy
NOT TRUE
Any difference in the shape or size of breasts is caused by pregnancy itself, not by breastfeeding. In fact, breastfeeding can help women get back to their pre-pregnancy shape quicker and any pain in the breasts is likely to go away by breastfeeding too.
