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15 Breast-Feeding Myths Explained
It seems just uttering the word “breastfeeding” and emotions flare. When should you stop? How much is too much? What will it do to your breasts? Whether you’re staunchly pro BF’n or think the boob is getting pushed a little hard, it doesn’t hurt to clear up the misconceptions with help from Cookie Magazine.
MYTH #1: Breast-feeding is easy. FALSE
According to expert Suzanne Schlosberg: It’s true that for many women, breast-feeding is a breeze and a joy from the get-go; their babies latch on within minutes of birth, and a calmness fills the mother and seems to flow into the baby. But for others, those first few weeks, maybe even more, can be a maddening struggle. A newborn might fall asleep on the job, lick your nipple instead of suck, or clamp her mouth shut. Ouch! Almost all of the time, things will work out, but Mom may have to get help from a lactation consultant and be persistent and patient. It took my twin boys six weeks to get the hang of it, and I wanted to quit several times.
MYTH #9: Breast-feeding can cause premature labor. TRUE
Expert Suzanne Fredregill: Nipple stimulation can cause contractions in later pregnancy. If a mom-to-be is at higher risk of early labor or is having contractions, it is best to follow the advice of her midwife or ob-gyn.
MYTH #8: Mothers with postpartum depression have emotional trouble with breast-feeding. RARELY TRUE
Fredregill: Much research shows breast-feeding actually decreases the incidence of postpartum depression. The hormone prolactin, produced in Mom’s body when baby nurses, acts like a natural tranquilizer. That’s why for some women, postpartum depression doesn’t become an issue until weaning. However, there are some who are diagnosed with [postpartum depression] who may have to take an antidepressant. Talk to your doctor about safe medications.
Check out the rest here.
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0 Comments
gregor commented on Aug 26 09 at 12:58 pm“A newborn might fall asleep on the job, lick your nipple instead of suck, or clamp her mouth shut. Ouch! Almost all of the time, things will work out, but Mom may have to get help from a lactation consultant and be persistent and patient. It took my twin boys six weeks to get the hang of it, and I wanted to quit several times.”
Wow, you make it sound like that’s the extent of it! What about mastitis? What about the emotional agony that comes from an underfed baby crying constantly?
patricia commented on Aug 26 09 at 2:38 pmThe article also perpetuates the “breastfeeding doesn’t hurt” thing. The author is like, “It might be a little uncomfortable.” Every single person I know who has breastfed has experienced major pain at the beginning, myself included. As in, I couldn’t face the water in the shower, because the spray hurt my nipples. As in the agony of scabbed over nipples sticking to my bra or shirt. It was only about two weeks, but for those two weeks, I needed my husband’s help in putting the baby to breast, because I was unconsciously flinching back every time I tried to do it, causing the baby to get a bad latch and further mutiliate my nipples.
I am a big breastfeeding proponent, and am a happy breastfeeding mom today, but I really wish the pro-breastfeeding press would just own up that it often hurts at the beginning. Screw the “uncomfortable” euphemisms. If you’re afraid that women won’t breastfeed because they are afraid to, do you really think the best way to win them over is to lie to them about it? For me, the saving grace was knowing that it was short lived. I could hang on for two weeks.
Shana commented on Aug 26 09 at 3:20 pmBreastfeeding was only uncomfortable in the beginning for me. So it is not total pain for all women. I had mastitis just last week. Boy did that suck. On the upside, it made me finally start making an effort to pump for just in case and did I ever get a lot of milk out of that. Now to just get my son to realize the bottle is not the worst thing in the world.
Ali commented on Aug 26 09 at 3:29 pmMyth # 22 So-called experts on breastfeeding will try to make you feel like a failure if you disagree with any of these fore mentioned myths. Breastfeeding does hurt sometimes even when the child latched securely. I had horrible pain, not discomfort, everytime my child latched for 8 weeks. I had to take pain relievers just to nurse her. She latched so well in fact breaking the seal was a gargatuan effort. She was fat, well fed and happy though. Breast is also not always best. Lack of Vit D and iron makes it the imperfect food. You still need to supplement.
patricia commented on Aug 26 09 at 3:40 pm@Shana, to be clear, I do know it’s not painful for everyone, and I apologize if I came across that way. It’s just a pet peeve of mine that the official BF word is that it doesn’t hurt, ever. After those two weeks, it’s never hurt for me unless something were wrong (clogged ducts, thrush). But those two weeks were awful- beyond “uncomfortable.”
Mistress_Scorpio commented on Aug 26 09 at 5:11 pmIt hurt like hell in the beginning. And then again when he would have a growth spurt and go on a feeding frenzy. And then again when he was teething. But seriously, I wish women would go through the trouble of finding a lactation consultant they trust before they have the baby, rather than ending up with someone out of desperation. It’s as though they spend more time planning the nursery and their registry than educating themselves to the care and feeding of their child.
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