Any positive breastfeeding stories here?

Since this board is funded by the International Formula Council, I think it's obvious that the only positive stories (which don't contain misinformation which serves their own purposes), will come from those posts made in this forum, or in the blog comments.

If truthful, helpful information were posted (say, showing where HCP advice sabotaged a mother's breastfeeding relationship), then they wouldn't be accomplishing their goal, which is to divide women into camps and fight amongst ourselves while they continue to make profits by helping all those "unfortunate women who are unable to breastfeed" by providing their substandard product.

Wow - I guess the two things that I have found really amazing on the site are: 1) the "holier than thou" mentality that some of the posters have and 2) just how mean and nasty some of those same people get when they hide behind the web.

The reality is that we live in a country dedicated to principle of freedom – freedom of speech, freedom of choice. When my children were born, I choose to bottle feed them. The reasons are not important. What is important is that I made the decision – yes me.

Anyone else think that ChrisT is a formula company sock puppet? Same two comments posted all over this site, give me a break!

And I agree, the stories are disgustingly fake and so full of misinformation it makes my head spin!

As for me, I gave up with my first because I was young and uneducated. I regret still, 6 years later. My second was severely brain damaged and spent 2 weeks in the NICU. She's never had a drop of formula and is still nursing strong at 23 months! We had a rocky start but my determination and LLL made all the difference in the world. I have had multiple doctors tell me that they firmly believe she's doing so well thanks in no small part to my determination to breastfeed her!

"However, it is true that the basic structure of this website, since it is funded by the formula industry for the sole purpose of defending the unethical and greed-driven practice of marketing formula through hospitals..."

Well said.

I had a wonderful breastfeeding experience, and still am nursing my 17 month old son. I have had difficulties throughout from time to time... but I made a commitment to feed my son the way nature intended until as long as mutually desired... for his health. Despite a few issues... such as sore and cracked nipples in the first couple of weeks... and a couple of cases of mastitis... my son is thriving and I've been very happy with my experience. He's only had one, mild, cold in 17 months! I know it's because of breastfeeding.

Thank you, ChrisT -- it was kind of you to read through this thread again and respond with civility.

Can we have a conversation about the issue of formula advertising bags in hospitals and their detrimental effect on breastfeeding? I'm interested to hear your take on that issue, and I hope that you will listen to ours with an open mind.

Let's talk about formula marketing -- and also about how to change the system so that every mom who wants to breastfeed has the best possible chance of success.

Bags are only one (very important!) barrier to mothers who want to breastfeed. Formula companies court doctors and nurses, literally buying their loyalty with free gifts, meals, and medical books. Hospitals separate moms and babies for no reason, supplement without a medical indication, give pacifiers, and fail to connect mothers with resources when they go home. Insurance companies don't cover lactation consultants. Pediatricians and obstetricians don't know how to help nursing moms, and tell them "just give the baby a bottle." Grandmothers who bottle-fed their own babies tell their daughters / daughters-in-law, "Why don't you give the baby a bottle? He's hungry." Employers don't support moms to nurse when they go back to work.

The formula industry has no interest in fixing these problems -- because every time a mom successfully nurses her baby, they lose a sale. This web site has been carefully crafted to convince struggling moms that breastfeeding is just too difficult, messy, primitive, and inconvenient for them to bother -- and the solution is to give it up, and start using formula.

It's clear from the passion of the women who are posting here that they struggled against much more than formula company propaganda when they wanted to breastfeed. Rather than argue about whether people tried hard enough, let's harness that anger and disappointment to change the system. Then, we can transform our culture so that mothers who want to breastfeed can breastfeed, period.

For starters, write to your local hospital and tell them you want them to stop marketing infant formula to patients. For a sample letter, see www.banthebags.org. There's no shortage of information on infant formula available online, in magazines, and in the cases of formula that get shipped to new mothers without any request from them. If your pediatrician or OB gives out formula samples, ask why they are undermining breastfeeding. That's step one.

Then, write your U.S. Congressperson and tell them to support Carolyn Maloney's HR 2122, which would protect nursing moms from workplace discrimination: http://maloney.house.gov/index.php?option=com_issues&task=view_issue&issue=262&Itemid=35

If you work outside the home, work with human resources at your office to develop a lactation policy. Even if your kids are weaned and well-into elementary school, there are women having babies right now who would benefit if they came back to work knowing they could pump without a fight.

There will always be mothers who decide, after weighing the science and their own personal circumstances, that breastfeeding cannot work for them. When a mother makes that choice, we all need to respect her decision. Meanwhile, we can work to make sure that public circumstances -- like workplace discrimination, routine medical policies that undermine breastfeeding, deceptive formula marketing, etc -- don't push mothers who would otherwise choose to bresatfeed into the arms of the formula industry.

Here's a positive story: I just saw a new mom, baby is 10 weeks, well established with nursing, who is concerned about her supply, is pumping about 4 times/day in addition to nursing and wants to exclusively breastfeed. I recommended that she"cocoon" with her baby for the next 3-4 days, increase fluids, try fenugreek, and decrease her activity, by trying to rest more. When she said that she gets about 5 ounces in the morning, we talked about how resting at night really helps her produce more in the morning, and to apply the same principle to resting during the day if possible. She had never heard of fenugreek, so maybe that will help. What else would anyone who's reading this recommend for her? What has worked for you or other moms that you know? I'll write a blog about her next.

Happy 4th of July, Barb

First, I would remind her that her baby is much more effective at removing her milk than a pump. I have met many moms who think that, because they can only get 3 oz at a time with a pump, that that's all their baby gets in a feeding as well - not true, and that's a common misconception that would help a lot of moms if they knew.

What makes her think her supply is low? I'd ask her that and try to figure out if it was really low, or if she just had some reason that she felt maybe it was low. If it is only based on that she doesn't get much when pumping, then maybe her supply is fine. But you'd want to ask her exactly what is going on, so if she does have a low supply, it can be helped.

If you can let us know why her supply is low, then maybe people here can offer more specific suggestions. I'd also refer her to an LC who can give her suggestions.

One thing I have heard recommended numerous times is to sleep with her baby - at least with baby in the same room, right next to the bed, if not in it. milk production is highest around 4:00 am or so, and baby's frequent nursing at night (while maybe annoying) is quite helpful in upping the supply... it seems that nature intended it to be that way, that young babies nurse around the clock in order to keep the supply up.

Yes, sleeping with the baby - even just in the same room - is recommended for increasing supply. It is also recommended because children whose crib is in the same room as their parents are 4 times less likely to die from SIDS.

http://www.nd.edu/~jmckenn1/lab/articles/USBC-SIDS-PR-10-17-2005.pdf

Dr. James McKenna has done extensive research on the interconnectedness of mother-baby during sleep.

There is a lot of information on his Univeristy of Notre Dame site.

http://www.nd.edu/~jmckenn1/lab/index.html

When I needed to boost supply, I nursed the baby on demand, sometimes several times in one hour over two or three days. Also, wearing the baby and co-sleeping (in the same room if not necessarily in the same bed) and feeding on demand through the night.

This is what it takes. I don't know if this information is getting out there ahead of time to new mothers, but all new mothers should be educated that babies may need to night feed on demand for at least the first three months. That is what it means to breastfeed. Some babies may sleep through the night, but possibly not until 6-9 months. I know a lot of mothers who were expecting that after the first four weeks, they wouldn't have to breastfeed as often or around the clock. They thought that because they still had to nurse as often at 3 months that they weren't succeeding or that they were doing something wrong. But this is the reality for most of the women I know who were able to breastfeed for longer than just a few weeks.

Also, there are normal growth spurts at specific intervals when baby needs to nurse even more to build supply. Anyone who is trying some sort of Ezzo-like scheduling is, IMO, setting themselves up for failure.

Think of the six months after the birth as the fourth trimester. The baby is out of your body, but your body is still not your own. I honestly have met many, many women who, I think, just had unrealistic expectations when it came to the commitment of time it would take to breastfeed and build supply. But women do it and while taking care of other children.

Also, is supply really low? Count poopy and wet diapers. As long as it's coming out, it's going in. Some lactation consultants will even weigh a baby before and after a feed to determine how much went in.

But again, my best advice is to wear the baby and to nurse on demand. Let the baby use you as a pacifier. Dont look at the clock. Use ice on cracked, bleeding nipples right before latch-on. There is so much more that can be done before supplementing, if that's what a woman wants.

for me i think breastfeeding is still better than formula milk... because in my case i was a breastfed baby... now that i am older i know breast feeding in my childhood makes me healthy and strong...