Breastfeeding Myths

Breastfeeding Myths
Busted

When it comes to breastfeeding this is the number 1 hot topic that people can't stop talking, because there are still a number of myths that continue to circulate around the globe. Here are few of the myths that I have collected.

	TRUE	FALSE
Many women do not produce enough milk. According to Gina Yong, "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 she is doing."
It is normal for breastfeeding to hurt Breast are sensitive for about two weeks after you give birth because you might experience an engorgement of the breast (read here for more), but anything that feels more painful than a gentle tug indicates that the baby is not latched onto the breasts correctly. Try to break the latch and start to position your baby again
There is no (not enough) milk during the first 3 or 4 days after birth.  When you give birth, don't expect milk to be dripping from your breasts. In fact, that isn't even normal. Mature milk comes anywhere between 3-5 days. What do you do? Just let your baby latch and latch and latch. Colostrum is being produced from about 16-22 weeks of pregnancy. Colostrum is the early, concentrated milk that is full of nutrients and disease-fighting antibodies. Do not ever think that simply because milk is not dripping from your breasts it already means you do not have milk (even if you squeeze it). that because your baby won't go to the number of hours between feeds that you read or your mother tells you they should already means that you do not have milk. that you have low milk supply because your breast feel softer than they used to.
A baby should be on the breast 20 (10, 5,7.5) minutes on each side Remember to watch your baby, not the clock! Some babies need to nurse for a few minutes, others for more than 30. Sometimes babies go long stretches between feeds (3 or more hours). Sometimes they nurse frequently in the space of one hour-- called "cluster feeding".
A breastfeeding baby needs extra water in hot weather (read more)
Breastfeeding babies need extra vitamin D
A mother should wash her nipples each time before feeding the baby
Pumping is a good way of knowing how much milk the mother has. Many moms don't respond well to pumps, and a baby who is able to nurse effectively is far more efficient than any pump
Breastmilk does not contain enough iron for the baby's needs
It is easier to bottle feed than to breastfeed. Read here Breastfeeding versus Bottle-fed
Women with small breasts produce less milk than those with large breasts Large breasts are a combination of fatty tissue and glandular tissue. You cannot tell much about someone's milk production by the size of the breasts.
Breastfeeding ties the mother down.
There is no way to know how much breastmilk the baby is getting. If you can't tell how much milk your baby gets, you can always check his diapers. If your baby has 6-8 wet diapers and at least 1-2 dirty diapers per day (depends on each babies), he's getting plenty of milk. Weight gain is also a good indicator.
Modern formulas are almost the same as breastmilk. According to Gina Yong, "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 bay. 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." UNICEF state that: Formula is not an acceptable substitute for breast milk because formula, at its best, only replaces most of the nutritional components of breast milk: it is just a food, whereas breast milk is a complex living nutritional fluid containing anti-bodies, enzymes, long chain fatty acids and hormones, many of which simply cannot be included in formula. Furthermore, in the first few months, it is hard for the baby’s gut to absorb anything other than breast milk. Even one feeding of formula or other foods can cause injuries to the gut, taking weeks for the baby to recover (UNICEF, 2005).
If the mother has an infection she should stop breastfeeding
A mother should not drink alcohol while breastfeeding According to Gina Yong, "Reasonable alcohol intake should not be discouraged at all. As is the case with most drugs, very little alcohol comes out in the milk. THe mother can take some alcohol and continue breastfeeding as she normally does. Prohibiting alcohol is another way we make life unnecessarily restrictive for nursing mothers." Alcohol leaves your breastmilk just as quickly as it gets there. Alcohol does not accumulate in your breatmilk either. Also the alcohol content that you drink is not what the alcohol content of your breastmilk will be.
Premature babies need to learn to take bottles before they can start breastfeeding
If the baby has diarrhea or vomiting, the mother should stop breastfeeding. A babies saliva "communicates" with the breast to tell it what kind of milk to make. According to Gina Yong, "The best time 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 circumtances. The push to us "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."
If the mother is taking medicine she should not breastfeed
A breastfeeding mother has to be obsessive about what she eats. According to Gina Yong, "A breastfeeding mother should try to eat a balanced diet, but neither needs to eat any special foods nor avoid certain foods. A breastfeeding mother does not need to drink milk in order to make milk. A breastfeeding mother does not need to avoid spicy foods, garlic, cabbage or alcohol. A breastfeeding mother should eat a normal healthful diet. Although there are situations when the mother eats may affect the baby, this is unusual. Most commonly, "colic", "gassiness" and crying can be improved by changing breastfeeding techniques, rather than changing the mother's diet." Though some babies do react to spicy foods, cruciferous vegetables, or dairy products. Spicy foods change the taste of your milk, raw cruciferous veggies such as cabbage can give your baby gas, or your baby could be allergic to dairy products, each baby is different. Remember eliminate these foods from your diet only if you notice that your baby refuses to feed or becomes colicky after a feeding when you have eaten any of these.
A breastfeeding mother has to drink lots of fluids
A breastfeeding mother has to eat more in order to make enough milk.
Breastmilk given with formula may cause problems for the baby.
A mother who smokes is better not to breastfeed
A mother who bleeds from her nipples should not breastfeed
A woman who has had breast augmentation surgery cannot breastfeed. According to Gina Yong, "There is no evidence that breastfeeding with silicone implants is harmful to the baby. Occasionally this operation is done through the areola. These women do have problems with milk supply, as does any woman who has an incision around the areolar line."
A woman who has had breast reduction surgery cannot breastfeed According to Gina Yong, "Breast reduction surgery does decrease the mother's capacity to produce milk, but since many mothers produce more than enough milk, mothers who have had breast reduction surgery sometimes manage very well to breastfeed exclusively. In such a situation, the establishment of breastfeeding should be done with special care to the principles."
Babies with cleft lip and/or palate cannot breastfeed
Breastfeeding does not provide any protection against becoming pregnant. According to Gina Yong, "It almost as good as the pill if the baby is under 6 months of age, if breastfeeding is exclusive, and if the mother has not yet had a normal menstrual period after giving birth. After the first six months, the protection is less, but still present, and on average, women breastfeeding into the second year of life will have a baby every 2-3 years even without any artificial method of contraception."
Breastfeeding women cannot take the birth control.
Breastfeeding babies need other types of milk after 6 months According to Gina Yong, "Breastmilk gives the baby everything there is in other milks and more. Babies older than 6 months should be started on solids mainly so that they learn how to eat and so that they begin to get another source of iron, which by 7-9 months, is not supplied in sufficient quantities from breastmilk alone. Thus cow's milk or formula will not be necessary as long as the baby is breastfeeding. However, if the mother wishes to give milk after 6 months, there is no reason that the baby cannot get cow's milk, as long as the baby is still breastfeeding a few times a day, and is also getting a wide variety of solid foods in more than minimal amounts. Most babies older than 6 months who have never had formula will not accept it, because of the taste."
Nursing mothers cannot breastfeed if they have had x-rays
Breastfeeding moms need to drink milk in order to produce more breastmilk
There is no such thing as nipple confusion According to Gina Yong, "A baby who is only bottle fed for the first two weeks of life, for example, will usually refuse to take the breast, even if the mother has an abundant supply. A baby who has had only the breast for 3 or 4 months is unlikely to take the bottle. Some babies prefer the right or left breast to the other. Bottle-fed babies often prefer one artificial nipple to another. So there is such a thing as preferring one nipple to another. The only question is how quickly it can occur. Given the right set of circumstances, the preference can occur after one or two bottles. The baby having difficulties latching on may never have had an artificial nipple, but the introduction of an artificial nipple rarely improves the situation, and often makes it much worse. Note that many who say there is no such thing as nipple confusion also advise the mother to start a bottle early so that the baby will not refuse it."
If the baby is off the breast for a few days (weeks), the mother should not restart breastfeeding because the milk taste sour According to Gina Yong, "The milk is as good as it ever was. Breastmilk in the breast  is not milk or formula in a bottle." According to DOH, "Breast do not produce sour or spoiled milk. Breastmilk is always safe and will never get spoiled in the breast"
A breastfeeding mother cannot get a permanent or dye her hair There is no evidence that hair care products used by a breastfeeding mom have any effect on her breastfeeding baby
A breastfeeding mother cannot get a tattoo
Breastfeeding moms can nurse their baby even if your milk supply has dried up completely. It's called relactation.
Breastfeeding cause my breasts to sag Weight gain and loss, smoking history and number of pregnancies are factors which increase the likelihood of your breasts sagging. According to DOH, "Breasts sag because of poor physical support during pregnancy and lactation. To prevent breasts from sagging, mothers can do breast exercises, and use a firm but comfortable brassiere such as a nursing brassiere."
If I sleep with my arms upward my breastmilk supply will reduced
A mother can breastfeed even when she is sick or tired. According to DOH, "Whenever the mother is exposed to an illness or infection, her body makes the anti-bodies, and her milk contains antibodies to protect the baby." By the time you are feeling symptoms of the cold, flu or other sickness you have already exposed others. Don't keep your distance from your baby. By breastfeeding you are passing important antibodies through your breastmilk, and most breastfed children never catch the sickness because of this!
Breastfeeding exposes your baby to many different tastes. Formula has one taste, while your breast milk gets a slight taste of whatever you eat. This will make introducing solid food easier.
A breastfeeding mother should space her feedings so that her breasts will have time to refill.
The emptier the breast, the faster the body makes milk to replace it; the fuller the breast, the more production of milk slows down. If a mother consistency waits until her breasts "fill up" before she nurses, her body may get the message that it is making too much and may reduce total production.
Babies who are frequently breastfeed grow into obese children. Babies who are weaned from breastfeeding early and fed formula over-enthusiastically are more likely to be obese later in life. Breastfed babies learn to regulate their own feeding pattern and stop eating when they are full and have consumed all they need.

Source: 

• Gina Yong, Breastfeeding Counselor - https://web.facebook.com/ginayongBFC/?fref=photo
• Breastfeeding Tsek by DOH