7 Breastfeeding Myths and Misconceptions
Continuing my breastfeeding/pumping series with a possibly controversial post. I go out of my way to not be confrontational on my blog because I want this to a be a place where all women are welcome. Women who breastfeed or don’t. I shied away from posts regarding breastfeeding as I began my blog, but this go round with breastfeeding I feel like there are so many topics that need to be addressed. It seems to me that you can’t promote breastfeeding, the benefits of breastmilk, or the address the science behind why breastmilk is the best option for both mother and baby without being accused of shaming mothers that use formula, whether it be their choice or necessity. I am not here to shame any mother for her choices, but it seems to be pretty apparent that many women are misled into believing they need formula.
All of this goes back to a societal expectation for secrecy and shame of our bodies. There is an incredible amount of misinformation surrounding women’s reproductive health in general. From our periods, conception, pregnancy, birth, and of course postpartum and breastfeeding. This silence keeps women in the dark, so much so that they don’t know what they don’t know. If I can end that silence with even a whisper I am happy to do so.
Maybe I am inspired by the fact that I am the only breastfeeding mom on staff at my school out of 6 women with children under 2? I never want a mother who uses formula to feel shamed, but I do want women who want to breastfeed to be supported and well informed when it comes to something that can often times be difficult and isolating. Part of feeling supported is knowing you’re not alone, and part of it is being empowered. You can’t be empowered if you are buying into misinformation.
In America we have very low rates of breastfeeding, and we also have a government and medical system that for decades discouraged breastfeeding. Propaganda was spread to new mothers insisting that formula was better than breastmilk. Cultural norms shifted to view breastmilk as low class, and for the poor. It has taken a lot of time to repair that damage. It also created a lot of myths and misconceptions about breastfeeding that are very harmful to new moms as they venture out on this breastfeeding journey because they are still deeply imbedded in our society today.
In order to clear the air I decided to debunk some of those myths. Hopefully this will be helpful to the new moms out there trying to navigate unfamiliar territory.
“I don’t produce anything because I could never get any milk out when I would pump.”
Some women simply do not respond well to a pump. It is really unfortunate, especially for the women who rely on pumping in order to continue breastfeeding. The pump does not move in the same way as a baby’s mouth, tongue and lips in order to stimulate the let down, so it sometimes does not get the same reaction. If you are pumping very little, it may not always be indicative of a low supply, or indicative of the amount of milk your baby is actually receiving. If you are breastfeeding a majority of the time and your baby is gaining weight at a healthy rate and producing enough wet and dirty diaper then your supply is fine. This is not to minimize the struggles of women who actually deal with low supply, or a plethora of other breastfeeding issues. It is just unnecessary to quit breastfeeding based on expressed milk output alone. If you are concerned about your supply seek out advice from an IBCLC or any group like La Leche Leauge.
“My boobs are so small, so I don’t think I can breastfeed.”
BREAST SIZE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH BREASTFEEDING. Yes, you heard me right, none, ziltch, zero. Breast size is dependent upon the amount of fat you store within the breast tissues. More fat does not equal more milk. I have average sized breasts. I can be as small as a B, and as big as a C, but know of women with double Ds who cannot produce much, and women with small A cups who are breastfeeding like crazy. If you have small boobs and are worried about your breastfeeding potential – have no fear! Plus, it is easier to nurse in public with small boobs too, if you are wanting to be more discrete.
“My baby has to eat more often, so I have to supplement with formula.”
Needing to breastfeed more often may just be indicative of having smaller milk ducts, which would lead to a smaller amount of milk being held by the breast therefore a smaller amount of milk being produced at a time. Like I mentioned in my blog, 9 Way to Boost Your Milk Supply, I am pretty sure my milk ducts must be larger because I can go for about 4-5 hours without pumping and sometimes get 10-12 ounces in one pumping session. Some women with smaller ducts cannot go 4-5 hours without pumping without taking a hit to their supply because at that point their milk ducts cannot hold as much milk, and after 4-5 hours are already full. Waiting too long to empty the breast would signal to their body that the milk made isn’t needed as much. Breasts with smaller milk ducts may not hold as much milk at one time, but that doesn’t mean they have a low supply, it just means they need to empty the breast more often because the milk ducts become full of milk faster. This would also lead to a baby eating more often because they may not get as much milk at a time. One is not better or worse, they are just different just like everything else having to do with pregnancy, birth, and motherhood.
“My baby is allergic to breastmilk.”
Babies are not allergic to breastmilk. They may have an intolerance to certain foods you are eating and therefor cannot digest breastmilk properly. If that is the case, it may be a trial and error process of eliminating what they are sensitive to in your diet. Often times that is dairy. Some infants have a milk protein allergy that irritates them, but can easily be fixed by cutting dairy from one’s diet. I honestly don’t know if I could do it, so I commend women who go dairy free for months on end, sometimes years in order to breastfeed. It is just another example of the sacrifices mommas go through for their babies. But your baby isn’t allergic to your milk. A pediatrician that tells you that, and then prescribes an expensive formula is not supporting your breastfeeding relationship, and is supporting formula cooperations.
I know of a woman who was told at her 6 month appointment to start introducing formula in order to help her baby get used to it if needed. Her baby had a bad reaction to the formula and her pediatrician said the formula “brought out a protein allergy,” and recommended she switch to an expensive prescription formula because of this “allergy.” She ended up spending over $2,000 in just six months on formula. Even though her baby breastfed for 6 months with minimal issues, formula was her suggestion for no reason, and the recommendation to treat the allergy? In my mind, that is theft, and it is for sure a scam. Choosing or needing formula is one thing, but being encouraged to use formula under false pretenses, when the mother has a desire to breastfeed is wrong.
“Breastmilk has no nutritional value for your baby after one year.”
This may be the biggest misconception of all. It sets up our society to view breastfeeding beyond a year as weird, or wrong. This leads people to believe that women must be continuing to breastfeed to make a statement, to be controversial, or for their own comfort. This could not be farther from the truth. The World Health Organization (WHO) actually recommends breastfeeding to two years old. Breastmilk has immunity properties protecting toddlers from illnesses, and the more research that is done proves that toddlers who are breastfed are healthier overall. There are benefits for Mom too. A woman’s risk of breast cancer decreases significantly each year of her life that she breastfeeds. A woman who breastfeeds for 8 years over the span of her life has virtually a 0% chance of getting breast cancer. Breastfeeding usually delays the return of your period, which lowers the exposure to the hormone estrogen. Less exposure to estrogen has been linked to a lower risk of breast cancer. For more facts regarding extended breastfeeding check out Kellymom! I weaned Holden at 14 months because my supply had decreased to nothing due to my second pregnancy, but now that I am pumping he is back 100% on breastmilk (in addition to regular food and water). I plan on giving it to him as long as it is available and he accepts it.
“Babies only need to breastfeed every three hours.”
No! I addressed this in my last breastfeeding blog too, but it may be the most commonly believed misconception of all. Babies are not machines and may eat more or less often than other babies. This could be due to your milk duct size, Momma. If you don’t feed your baby when they are hungry you will kill your milk supply. Breastfeeding on demand is the only way to meet your baby’s needs and that may or may not be every three hours. Hospitals and doctors sometimes use this three hour limit as a gage to advise you to not go too long without a feeding. I know I am not hungry at the same exact times every day. I also know that some days I am hungrier than others. Babies may be nursing for comfort, during a growth support, for pain management, for sickness, for thirty minuets or for 5. Please don’t restrict your baby to a three hour schedule.
“Pumping and dumping is always necessary.”
I don’t drink at all, but if you do you need to know when pumping and dumping is needed and when it is not because you could be wasting perfectly good breastmilk. Basically breastmilk is like blood when it comes to alcohol. Once it leaves your blood, it is also out of your milk. If you are drinking lightly, like a glass of wine, or one beer, then your milk is safe- no need to pump and dump. If you are getting drunk then alcohol will be in your breastmilk. Waiting the adequate amount of time will make your breastmilk safe for baby again. Just remember that drugs of any kind, like alcohol, also go into your breastmilk. If you are taking Nyquil or any kind of pill check with your doctor about its safety while nursing. For more information about drinking and breastfeeding check out kellymom of course!
I am not here to knock formula, or moms who ended their breastfeeding relationship for any reason, but there is misinformation in each of these statements that often times leads women to believing they are breastfeeding wrong, which can be detrimental to breastfeeding. Breastfeeding can be hard, painful, exhausting, draining, and frustrating. Without support, it is easy to feel like there isn’t a solution to the problems one may be facing. When I struggled in the early weeks/months of breastfeeding Holden I was often encouraged to “try formula” from my well meaning family members. Thankfully my mom and husband didn’t try to solve problems by taking breastfeeding out of the equation. With the support new moms need breastfeeding can be beautiful, rewarding, peaceful, happy, and even easy.
If you’d like to read more of my breastfeeding series posts they are linked here for you:
9 Ways to Boost Your Milk Supply