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1.
Many women do not produce enough milk.
Not true! The vast majority of women produce more than enough
milk. Indeed, an overabundance of milk is common. Most babies that gain
too slowly, or lose weight, do so not because the mother does not have enough
milk, but because the baby does not get the milk that the mother has.
The usual reason that the baby does not get the milk that is available is that
he is poorly latched onto the breast. This is why it is so important that the
mother be shown, on the first day, how to latch a baby on properly, by
someone who knows what they are doing.
2. It
is normal for breastfeeding to hurt.
Not true! Though some tenderness during the first few days is
relatively common, this should be a temporary situation which lasts only a few
days and should never be so bad that the mother dreads nursing. Any pain that is
more than mild is abnormal and is almost always due to the baby latching on
poorly. Any nipple pain that is not getting better by day 3 or 4 or lasts beyond
5 or 6 days should not be ignored. A new onset of pain when things have been
going well for a while may be due to a yeast infection of the nipples. Limiting
feeding time does not prevent soreness.
(See Sore Nipples).
3.
There is no (not enough) milk during the first 3 or 4 days after birth.
Not true! It often seems like that because the baby is not latched on
properly and therefore is unable to get the milk. Once the mother's milk is
abundant, a baby can latch on poorly and still may get plenty of milk. However,
during the first few days, the baby who is latched on poorly cannot get milk.
This accounts for "but he's been on the breast for 2 hours and is still hungry
when I take him off". By not latching on well, the baby is unable to get the
mother's first milk, called colostrum. Anyone who suggests you pump your milk to
know how much colostrum there is, does not understand breastfeeding, and should
be politely ignored.
4. A
baby should be on the breast 20 (10, 15, 7.6) minutes on each side.
Not true! However, a distinction needs to be made between "being
on the breast" and "breastfeeding". If a baby is actually drinking
for most of 15-20 minutes on the first side, he may not want to take the second
side at all. If he drinks only a minute on the first side, and then nibbles or
sleeps, and does the same on the other, no amount of time will be enough. The
baby will breastfeed better and longer if he is latched on properly. He
can also be helped to breastfeed longer if the mother compresses the breast to
keep the flow of milk going, once he no longer swallows on his own (Breast Compression).
Thus it is obvious that the rule of thumb that "the baby gets 90% of the milk in
the breast in the first 10 minutes" is equally hopelessly wrong.
5. A
breastfeeding baby needs extra water in hot weather.
Not true! Breastmilk contains all the water a baby needs.
6.
Breastfeeding babies need extra vitamin D.
Not true! Except in extraordinary circumstances (for example, if the
mother herself was vitamin D deficient during the pregnancy). The baby stores
vitamin D during the pregnancy, and a little outside exposure, on a regular
basis, gives the baby all the vitamin D he needs.
7. A
mother should wash her nipples each time before feeding the baby.
Not true! Formula feeding requires careful attention to cleanliness
because formula not only does not protect the baby against infection, but also
is actually a good breeding ground for bacteria and can also be easily
contaminated. On the other hand, breastmilk protects the baby against infection.
Washing nipples before each feeding makes breastfeeding unnecessarily
complicated and washes away protective oils from the nipple.
8.
Pumping is a good way of knowing how much milk the mother has.
Not true! How much milk can be pumped depends on many factors,
including the mother's stress level. The baby who nurses well can get
much more milk than his mother can pump. Pumping only tells you have much you
can pump.
9.
Breastmilk does not contain enough iron for the baby's needs.
Not true! Breastmilk contains just enough iron for the baby's needs.
If the baby is full term he will get enough iron from breastmilk to last him at
least the first 6 months. Formulas contain too much iron, but this
quantity may be necessary to ensure the baby absorbs enough to prevent
iron deficiency. The iron in formula is poorly absorbed, and most of it,
the baby poops out. Generally, there is no need to add other foods to breastmilk
before about 6 months of age.
10. It
is easier to bottle feed than to breastfeed.
Not true! Or, this should not be true. However, breastfeeding
is made difficult because women often do not receive the help they should to get
started properly. A poor start can indeed make breastfeeding difficult. But a
poor start can also be overcome. Breastfeeding is often more difficult at first,
due to a poor start, but usually becomes easier later.
11.
Breastfeeding ties the mother down.
Not true! But it depends how you look at it. A baby can be nursed
anywhere, anytime, and thus breastfeeding is liberating for the mother.
No need to drag around bottles or formula. No need to worry about where to warm
up the milk. No need to worry about sterility. No need to worry about how your
baby is, because he is with you.
12.
There is no way to know how much breastmilk the baby is getting.
Not true! There is no easy way to measure how much the baby is
getting, but this does not mean that you cannot know if the baby is getting
enough. The best way to know is that the baby actually drinks at the breast for
several minutes at each feeding (open - pause - close type of suck).
Other ways also help show that the baby is getting plenty (Is my Baby getting enough
milk?).
13.
Modern formulas are almost the same as breastmilk.
Not true! The same claim was made in 1900 and before. Modern formulas
are only superficially similar to breastmilk. Every correction of a
deficiency in formulas is advertised as an advance. Fundamentally formulas
are inexact copies based on outdated and incomplete knowledge of what
breastmilk is. Formulas contain no antibodies, no living cells, no enzymes, no
hormones. They contain much more aluminum, manganese, cadmium and iron than
breastmilk. They contain significantly more protein than breastmilk. The
proteins and fats are fundamentally different from those in breastmilk. Formulas
do not vary from the beginning of the feed to the end of the feed, or from day 1
to day 7 to day 30, or from woman to woman, or from baby to baby. Your
breastmilk is made as required to suit your baby. Formulas are made to
suit every baby, and thus no baby. Formulas succeed only at making babies
grow well, usually, but there is more to breastfeeding than getting the baby to
grow quickly.
14. If
the mother has an infection she should stop breastfeeding.
Not true! With very, very few exceptions, the mother’s continuing to
breastfeed will protect the baby. By the time the mother has fever (or cough,
vomiting, diarrhea, rash, etc) she has already given the baby the infection,
since she has been infectious for several days before she even knew she was
sick. The baby's best protection against getting the infection is for the mother
to continue breastfeeding. If the baby does get sick, he will be less sick if
the mother continues breastfeeding. Besides, maybe it was the baby who gave the
infection to the mother, but the baby did not show signs of illness because he
was breastfeeding. Also, breast infections, including breast abscess,
though painful, are not reasons to stop breastfeeding. Indeed, the infection is
likely to settle more quickly if the mother continues breastfeeding on the
affected side. (You can still
breastfeed).
15. If
the baby has diarrhea or vomiting, the mother should stop breastfeeding.
Not true! The best medicine for a baby's gut infection is
breastfeeding. Stop other foods for a short time, but continue breastfeeding.
Breastmilk is the only fluid your baby requires when he has diarrhea
and/or vomiting, except under exceptional circumstances. The push to use "oral
rehydrating solutions" is mainly a push by the formula manufacturers (who also
make oral rehydrating solutions) to make even more money. The baby is comforted
by the breastfeeding, and the mother is comforted by the baby's breastfeeding. (You can still breastfeed).
16. If
the mother is taking medicine she should not breastfeed.
Not true! There are very very few medicines that a mother cannot take
safely while breastfeeding. A very small amount of most medicines appears in the
milk, but usually in such small quantities that there is no concern. If a
medicine is truly of concern, there are usually equally effective, alternative
medicines that are safe. The loss of benefit of breastfeeding for both the
mother and the baby must be taken into account when weighing if breastfeeding
should be continued (You can
still breastfeed).
About The Author: Dr. Jack Newman is a Toronto
pediatrician who has practiced medicine since 1970. In 1984 he established the
first hospital based breastfeeding clinic in Canada, at the Hospital for Sick
Children in Toronto. He now holds breastfeeding clinics in several Toronto area
hospitals. Jack has been a consultant with UNICEF's Baby Friendly Hospital
Initiative and has spoken at conferences around the world. He is the father of
three children, all breastfed.
Dr. Newman is the author of
"The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers"
NOTE: The article above titled "Some
Breastfeeding Myths" was written by Dr. Jack Newman and is the opinion of its author. "The New Parents Guide" does not guarantee the information to
be factual. Always use the guidance of your personal
doctor or your child's doctor over information you read on this site or elsewhere; your doctors know what is
best for you and your baby.
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