A wake-up call, and campaign idea.

I was waiting in line for my baby’s fortnightly weight check at the local Children’s Centre, chatting to another mum in the queue when the subject of breastfeeding came up.

“I’m really struggling, but I’m absolutely determined to do it” she said. “I’m pumping 6 times a day to boost my supply, and using nipple shields as I can’t get him to latch properly”.

Crikey that sounds tough.

Then she said “The rates are so low. Did you know only 1% are still going at 6 months?”

I started at her in disbelief. Did I hear that right? Only 1% of women in the UK still (exclusively) breastfeeding when their baby is 6 months old? I’d seen friends struggle through some difficult times trying to breastfeed their babies, I had breastfed two of my own, but still I would have never imagined breastfeeding rates in the UK were anything near this low.

I did some searching online when I got home that confirmed the stats (some figures here), and a quick look on Netmums brought up some pretty grim reading. Stories of pain, problems and women feeling they had ‘failed’. One post even described part of her nipple “falling off”. I’m glad I didn’t do this search before I had my first baby…

Then I came across an old post.

“I have been reading up on breastfeeding, but the general consensus seems to be that ladies have a really hard time with bleeding, sore, cracked nipples, feeding non stop etc. and it’s really beginning to worry me. Is it always so hard in the beginning or do some people just take to it? Any positive stories/experiences would be so much appreciated”

As I read this post I felt so sad for this mum-to-be, searching for a positive story amongst all the misery (OK a bit dramatic I admit, there may have been some additional hormones and sleep deprivation involved here…). Where were all the success stories? I knew plenty of women who had happily breastfed their babies without any major issues. Maybe they were too busy breastfeeding to be writing about it online!

The reality is, according to Dr Amy Brown’s recently published (excellent) book Breastfeeding Uncovered, the UK has recently been shown to have the lowest breastfeeding rates in the entire world! According to the Infant Feeding Survey 2010, Over 90% of women in the UK want to breastfeed but less than half are doing so by the time their baby is six weeks old.

Is breastfeeding easy? Celebrity Chef Jamie Oliver made the mistake of describing it as such once during a radio interview while trying to promote breastfeeding, and opened a whole can of worms (sorry Jamie, I’m sure you meant well…). I would not describe breastfeeding as easy, particularly for the first 4–6 weeks while you and your baby get the hang of it with support. Once I got past that stage it worked really well for me, although I know others who had to battle with ongoing challenges. Health benefits aside, I loved the convenience of breastfeeding, the freedom to go anywhere and have milk on tap, ready to go.

Should every woman who wants to breastfeed be supported to do so? Absolutely. And this is where my idea for a local community campaign called Milk, mash and more came from. I want to highlight the support available, share real experiences of breastfeeding to give prospective parents an idea of what to expect, and provide tips and encouragement to those who are already breastfeeding. I’ll also be sharing ideas for local activities and places to go with your little ones, and the messy adventure known as ‘baby-led weaning’ I am currently embarking on with my youngest.

So I’ll start the ball rolling with my top tip for couples expecting a baby who are interested in breastfeeding. I would suggest finding out as much as you can about breastfeeding before your baby arrives. I thought I did this by attending a special 1 hour session (1 whole hour!) all about breastfeeding. We sat in a circle looking at laminated pictures laid out on the floor of smiling women breastfeeding their babies. We were asked to choose a couple of pictures we ‘connected’ with. I chose a women sitting in a field in the sun, serenely watching her baby suckle. ‘That looks nice’ I thought, ‘like a milky picnic’. I also skim read a short book of breastfeeding tips. I patted myself on the back and thought, ‘I’ve got this covered’.
Turns out reading and talking about breastfeeding is quite different to actually breastfeeding… I know they meant well with their laminated pictures, but I could have done with a brown envelope on the way out that said ‘break open in a breastfeeding emergency’. It would have had a travel sized tube of Lansinoh cream, and a stack of handy advice if things didn’t quite to plan.

Issue — My breasts have quadrupled in size and feel like hot rocks
Advice- Don’t worry, it’s normal, your milk has come in. Get some cabbage leaves out of the fridge and insert them in to your bra. It will get better.

Issue- All my baby seems to do is feed. The couch has moulded to the shape of my body. I’m worried I will never get off this couch again.
Advice — Don’t worry, it’s normal, newborn babies feed a lot. It will get better.

Issue- This whole milk producing thing is out of control. I finish each feed looking like the front of my body has been sprayed with a milky firehose.
Advice — Don’t worry, it’s normal. Try using some breast pads. It will get better.

Of course there are more serious challenges when breastfeeding than a wet shirt, such as tongue-tie and mastitis, which brings me on to the need to find really good local support.

If I could rewind and do it again, I would definitely go to a breastfeeding support meeting while still pregnant. I would ask if I could watch someone latch their baby on, and have a load of questions ready. Have you had any issues? How did you resolve them? How did you get breastfeeding established? Do you have any advice for me? I think you would find most people are more than willing to share their experience and help where they can. You are also building relationships with your local support group in advance, so should you need it, you know exactly who to contact and how best to get support. In my local area we are really lucky to have excellent breastfeeding support. Between the Children’s Centres’ in Chorleywood, Rickmansworth and Croxley Green, and the fantastic Mother to Mother support group called the West Herts Breastfeeders, there are regular meet up’s where you can get excellent (free) advice and support. If you live in Hertfordshire you can use this website to locate the closest group to you.

Finally, I’ve listed a few more places below that offer breastfeeding support.

National Breastfeeding Helpline
0300 100 0212
Lines open 9.30am — 9.30pm every day of the year. Online support available through a webchat service.
www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/chat

La Leche League GB
www.laleche.org.uk

The Association of Breastfeeding Mothers
www.abm.me.uk

National Childbirth Trust
www.nct.org.uk/parenting/feeding

Drugs in Breastmilk Helpline
This used to be a number you could phone, however due to funding pressure and changes in the way people contact them, they have now dropped the phone line, and ask you email instead or contact them on their Facebook page — information below:
Email adress: druginformation@breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk https://www.facebook.com/BfNDrugsinBreastmilkinformation/

If you would like to follow my campaign and hopefully share some of your own experience and ideas, I will be posting on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram — see links below.

Follow me on Twitter

Follow me on Facebook

Follow me on Instagram

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