Gransnet forums

Grandparenting

Too many "expert" theories

(124 Posts)
Choxaway Sun 02-Apr-23 16:33:21

I feel sorry for my son and partner who are new parents in their early 40's. Everywhere you look there is some *ING expert laying down the law. Little GD not sucking well from the breast - must be tongue tie, out come the scissors, screaming baby, no difference. Lovely DIL has little milk, baby hungry and thirsty, BUT MUST BREASTFEED and never mind the mastitis she's suffering. Then there are all the rules about sleeping position, tummy-time, how long to cry, no baby soap in bath, only lie on flat surfaces, mustn't sleep in a pram blah blah blah. I do everything the way the tell me to do as I want their trust and good relationship. I shut my mouth when I dying to ask them to use their own common sense. Do other grannies find it's all very didactic these days?

lyleLyle Thu 13-Apr-23 18:13:51

Is there is need for phony, holier than thou attitudes when one ignores one form of rudeness and goes on and on when they feel they are personally on the receiving end?

Care less, Doodledog. It’s healthier.

Mollygo Thu 13-Apr-23 18:44:00

DD
Yes, all opinions are welcomed, but is there a need for posters like lyleLyle to shoot down others in such a cruel manner?

Evidently they feel that need. Some posters do.
Thankfully, most posters don’t.

Doodledog Thu 13-Apr-23 20:08:40

Thanks, Molly.

I would love to know how you think you can tell a phoney attitude or a pearl clutch, or a bruised ego, or any of the other things you accuse people of, lyleLyle?

I don't feel on the receiving end of your nastiness - I am not a gran, and all I have said about experts is that I don't trust the ones who are selling things to new and worried mums, so how you read any of that into my posts is beyond me.

lyleLyle Thu 13-Apr-23 20:20:33

Keep reaffirming how my comments hit home for you! I’m very amused at how truthful they must have been since you are clearly imagining me directly addressing my initial post to you. Thanks for obviously being the example I addressed, gran or not. smile. And don’t worry, I’m sure you were a good mum even if a young mum doesn’t raise her child whatever way you did. It’s okay.

Mollygo Thu 13-Apr-23 21:24:55

Actually, lL, I’m amused at how your continued defensive posts show how the identification of your rudeness have hit home with you.
You evidently picture all other grandmothers in a very negative way compared with your supposed superiority.

Since it gives you such pleasure, go ahead.

choughdancer Thu 13-Apr-23 23:02:39

My poor mum was also told not to feed me on demand or pick me up when crying. Fortunately for me she went with her instincts. I think it must have been hard in those days when doctors were supreme beings, not to be questioned!

lyleLyle Fri 14-Apr-23 14:00:53

Mollygo

Actually, lL, I’m amused at how your continued defensive posts show how the identification of your rudeness have hit home with you.
You evidently picture all other grandmothers in a very negative way compared with your supposed superiority.

Since it gives you such pleasure, go ahead.

I’m unbothered by the silliness of what you posted. Have a nice day! smile

Mollygo Fri 14-Apr-23 14:46:17

And go ahead you did so it obviously got to you! 🤣🤣🤣 That’s nice.

I’m equally unbothered by the silliness of what you posted.

lyleLyle Fri 14-Apr-23 17:45:04

No clue what that first sentence means lol. But have a nice day! smile

Ali08 Mon 17-Apr-23 20:06:16

Both my DDs have tried breastfeeding their babies and pumping but youngest found she just wasn't producing enough milk, even tho the 'experts' pushed her to try harder. Sometimes, these 'experts' need to back off a bit as they push far too hard on new parents to do the right thing BUT is it the right thing or just their thing?
With my eldest DD we were told to lay her on her side to sleep. But DD had her own thoughts on that & no matter how much we tried that child preferred being on her back!
I've always said to my lot, and others, I will give advice/tell you how we did it, but it is up to you which advice you take as this is YOUR child and you have to learn what is best for you and your child!!!

sarahcyn Tue 09-May-23 23:01:30

I’m a doula (birth and postnatal) and I run a course for grandparents so I see a lot of conflict between generations - but also I do see so much conflicting advice and intense pressure on new parents. Especially around breastfeeding…and I mean pressure from
Grandparents.
“Should you be feeding him again?”
“Surely she needs a top-up to help her sleep”
“You can’t do that in public”
Etc
Etc
Etc
It was tough to discover, later in life, that I could have breastfed my babies for longer if I’d had better advice. It was tough to discover that I put them onto solids before
their gut linings were ready for it. But I was doing the best I knew. So were my parents.
Remember that our parents were trying to breastfeed (if they tried) in an era of all-time low breastfeeding rates in the UK plus minimal training of professionals plus an unregulated formula industry all too happy to jump in. So what could our parents possibly know? And what could they pass onto us?
My mother was told to feed me at strict intervals - unsurprisingly got mastitis - so she was told to stop breastfeeding at once - thanks to the cow’s milk based formula, I developed pyloric stenosis which persisted for months - and, I now suspect, cow’s milk allergy. All wrong.
Tongue tie is a real issue. It’s easily dealt with but it’s not always an instant solution as there will certainly be other problems. It’s not just a matter of “get out the scissors”. A proper lactation consultant will look at it very differently.
Putting babies on their back to sleep is a real issue too.
Most of the best-practice things we are shocked to find have been changed are changed because of huge research.
By the way the catchprase now is not “breast is best” but “breastfeeding is normal”.
Because formula companies would like you to think of it as a difficult, tiresome, humiliating thing that some mysterious power is forcing you to do…

Mamasperspective Sat 01-Jul-23 04:25:09

There has been a lot of research into these things so, while it seems like a lot, it’s important to just support and listen to what the parents want for their baby. A lot of this comes from years and years of medical advice and, since certain methods have been implemented, SIDS rates have rapidly dropped.

NanaDana Sat 01-Jul-23 06:10:40

Ongoing "expert" research generally brings about improvement, and has most definitely saved lives. However, let's not forget that they don't always get it right. I'm old enough to remember when, based on expert advice, certain cigarette manufacturers used to advertise that smoking was good for your lungs. Also, do you remember when we were being told that margarine was healthier than butter? Now butter is the preferred healthy choice. Expert opinions do often change, as they become more "informed".

vintage1950 Thu 06-Jul-23 18:29:52

My OH apparently had tongue tie as a baby, and the GP cut it at home. My grandson also had tongue tie but my DD had to pay for the procedure to cut it, after which he breast-fed with no trouble. I don't think that mothers get enough support these days with feeding their babies. Formula feeding is essential for some mothers and babies but it's a pity that it's become the norm, and for several generations.

tapestryfrog Mon 17-Jul-23 00:13:30

Its the bit about not sleeping in a pram that I had never heard of before. How does that work? I always found that the minute you put the baby in the pram and set off out they drop off in minutes. In fact a lot of people would take the baby for a walk round the block to get them to sleep. Are you now supposed to keep poking them awake again?

DiamondLily Tue 18-Jul-23 09:52:51

The trouble is with a lot of "expert advice" is that a lot of them contradict each other, and advice changes constantly.

I feel sorry for some new mums getting themselves into a complete frazzle with all the advice being thrust at them.🙄

LOUISA1523 Tue 18-Jul-23 12:11:24

tapestryfrog

Its the bit about not sleeping in a pram that I had never heard of before. How does that work? I always found that the minute you put the baby in the pram and set off out they drop off in minutes. In fact a lot of people would take the baby for a walk round the block to get them to sleep. Are you now supposed to keep poking them awake again?

Prams are fine for sleep as long as there is a flat firm mattress

Rosiegirl23 Tue 21-Nov-23 22:37:05

No- I trust the experts and know that what was right 20-40 years ago has changed.

Get with the times, Gran.

dragonfly46 Tue 21-Nov-23 22:43:24

Rosie why do you keep resurrecting old threads?

MerylStreep Tue 21-Nov-23 22:51:35

Dragonfly46
I was thinking the same thing. Do they not realise the OP isn’t watching.

Deedaa Tue 21-Nov-23 23:05:25

When DD was born I had a useless health visitor, who had also run our ante natal classes. She had never had a baby herself. I remember one mother to be asking if labour pains were like period pains. "Oh no, they are quite different" she said. Well mine were exactly the same for several hours before things really got going. She also encouraged me to use supplementary bottles when I was trying to breast feed, which meant that my milk dried up in the first month.

With my second baby I went with my own instincts and everything was much easier.

nanna8 Wed 22-Nov-23 07:24:01

Half these babies will have grown up and gone to school by now this thread is so old🫣

brianbrad115 Sat 23-Dec-23 05:24:40

HI, if you are also searching for solution, of various parenting problems or guidance issues, I have the right thing for you. Check Parentology, they are providing research backed guides on these issue . I have benefitted a lot from them I you do to.

Visit:
parentology.co/