To all parents! (Breastfeeding Peer Support Counsellors)

[helena handbasket]

Gwod I felt exactly the same way. It shouldn't be like that.

[anna75]

Gwod and HH, yes I quite agree. THere are a lot of peopel - me included - who will be reluctant to do the thing being forced upon us!

[Moos]

Gwod, excellent post - a very good point.

[Belle]

That is so true. I must say I found my midwife (from the lanes) v comforting when I finally called it a day on trying with the bf, I was scared to tell her but she was v reassuring. But yes I wish it wasn't so much about one camp or the other but more of a middle way.

[GinaG3]

gwod Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I think that I would have maybe succeeded with

> b/feeding the two (of my four) children that I

> ended up bottlefeeding had there been feeding

> consultants as opposed to breastfeeding

> consultants. When things arent quite going to

> plan you have advice from either the hardcore "you

> must breastfeed or be deemed evil" or from the

> formula advertisers. I remember feeling that once

> I was considering offering a bottle, I could not

> consult with the midwives/hospital/la leche/nct

> any more and would have to take future information

> from the back of a packet. From this position its

> very hard get help or support to go back to mixed

> feeding, expressing and feeding or indeed to get

> back to fully breastfeeding. It feels like youve

> chosen to go to the dark side and therfore you're

> on you own.

>

> Support for new mothers is the way forward - not

> doctrine.

Hey all, yet again thanks for all your input. Glad to see varied opinions, it helps give a wider perspective. Were not here to preach our beliefs on breastfeeding, the feeding of a baby is entirely a mothers personal choice. As regards to gwods post, although I myself am training to become a Peer Counsellor, I do still agree with your post. Personally I love breastfeeding and would not of picked anything else for my child, but that is my personal opinion I would never leap on someone with the hardcore breastfeeding act. If somebody needed advice, or wanted to chat with me about what they can expect from breastfeeding I would try to support and advise them the best I can. Unfortunately this said, some people do as you would say 'practice what they preach' and let their beliefs cloud judgement over another mothers choice of feeding. Although they may not mean to offend the mother the sad fact is sometimes they do without realising this. This may then have an unprofound effect on the mothers breastfeeding attempts. Health visitors and midwives should be able to help with information on both bottle and breastfeeding. Bottle feeding also is sometimes confusing to a new parent, most of the advice needed can be sought on products, sterilising instructions and the correct measure's for formula are normally clearly set out on product labelling. Any additional advice should be available through a number of health professionals. Whereas when it comes to breastfeeding, the problems entailed are more often than not very specific and hard to advise on from afar and through product advice (given that breastfeeding contains no packaging).

I believe breastfeeding counselling is not about making a change for right now, but helping to educate parents and support them through breastfeeding when needed, this may well help future generations have the knowledge on breastfeeding to make an educated choice before choosing breastfeeding or bottle feeding. If this has a knock on effect on the normalisation of breastfeeding, and the countries breastfeeding rates, surely this cant be a bad thing. There are alot of benefits to breastfeeding, we would just like to give the public as much information on these benefits.

Thanks for your time.

Georgina.

[gwod]

Hope I did'nt sound too vitriolic! - I do think what you are doing is really worthwhile and I wish you the best of luck with it, we rarely get to discuss this openly and the last thing I would like to do is divide the "camps" further.

Having said that (!!) Please do bear in mind that comments like

"Personally I love breastfeeding and would not of picked anything else for my child" are difficult to hear when you have bottle fed - surely there are circumstances where you too would have considered something else....

Only meant as positive input - genuinely not a critisism as I do understand your sentiment.

Also - if you ever had any use for someone with very mixed experiences of feeding as I do (One b/fed for 2 weeks and then fed expressed for 1 month and then bottle fed, No 2 entirely bottlefed, number 3 lived her whole life in intensive care so never fed but I did express 7 times a day for her, No4 breastfed for 3 months, no 5 breastfed for 10 months) and a open view to feeding choices I would be very happy to hear from you.

[GinaG3]

I dont mean for my comments to offend, thats the last thing I want. After having a child of my own, struggling with breastfeeding and my daughter not gaining weight, I did have to substitute with small amounts of formula top ups for weeks. So I do have experinece of not only breastfeeding but bottle feeding too. There were many times where I felt I could give up breastfeeding very easily, being vunerable as to which HV were correct about my efforts to breastfeed. I doubted myself many times, but I think the perserverence with breastfeeding definately caused me to appreciate that my body knows what my baby needs. It has gone onto a passion to help women, within the community. Breastfeeding cafe's were a godsend to me, I wish to give back what I was given when I was a visitor at the cafe.

Thank you also for the luck wishes and offer of an open view, its much appreciated. Im only on my first child, I will probably experience many more difficults with feeding along with parenthood. Right now my 14 month old daughter is on hunger strike... pfft