Breast feeding- were any of you actively discouraged from BF?

Do wonder if in some cultures MiL will discourage b.feeding as it it known that this helps to delay chance of getting pregnant again
Whereas many lactating Mums can and will get pregnant (unless taking precautions), women;s bodies return to 'normal' much quicker if NOT lactating.

As I said, I bottle fed my first, gave birth to my second (full term) exactly eleven months later.

Zoejory

Fleurpepper

Do any of you remember the time when Nestlé and other formula producers would actively get staff to encourage bottle feeding, feeding babies on bottles without asking permission, and would send you home with large samples?

After an emergency C-Section after a very long labour, I discharged myself and went home without any support, as I could not trust staff not to bottle feed my baby, despite requesting that they did not.

Nope. When I had mine breast feeding was always encouraged

Thankfully the midwives were fine with those of us who wanted to bottle feed

I think that may have happened in the 1950s, I remember my SisIL being told bottle feeding was best.

Fleurpepper

Do any of you remember the time when Nestlé and other formula producers would actively get staff to encourage bottle feeding, feeding babies on bottles without asking permission, and would send you home with large samples?

After an emergency C-Section after a very long labour, I discharged myself and went home without any support, as I could not trust staff not to bottle feed my baby, despite requesting that they did not.

Nope. When I had mine breast feeding was always encouraged

Thankfully the midwives were fine with those of us who wanted to bottle feed

My first baby was an emergency Caesarian, born in the late eighties. I was in for 5 days. No, I don’t remember there being any pressure at all to bottle feed, in fact it was the opposite, I got fed up of the breastfeeding specialist midwife appearing at my side what felt like every 10 minutes. There wasn’t any formula milk on display, it was kept in the cupboard in the kitchen. Nor was there any coffee available, which did upset me as I was desperate, I went off it completely when I was pregnant and craved it straight after delivery. My husband had to bring me a cup from the WRVS cafe, as it was tea only on the ward - thankfully times have moved on.

No I was never offered free samples of any baby food when I left hospital. During my 10 day stay I was encouraged to bf, and on the 24 hour stay I was offered a trial pack of . . . disposable nappies.

Do any of you remember the time when Nestlé and other formula producers would actively get staff to encourage bottle feeding, feeding babies on bottles without asking permission, and would send you home with large samples?

After an emergency C-Section after a very long labour, I discharged myself and went home without any support, as I could not trust staff not to bottle feed my baby, despite requesting that they did not.

Fleurpepper

Thank you Sarah 75.

I did expect an apology, but I do not think this will happen, sadly.

A very good friend is a La Lèche advisor in a very multi-cultural town. We were working together when 2 of our colleagues were in tears, because they were not allowed/prevented to BF my their MIL- as they lived together. OH then told us he had come across this many times, again, in multi-extended families with an Asian background. Friend above has seen come across this multiple times, hence my mention. So it seems it is quite common in some cultures.

But both OH and her, currently, not many moons ago- is called to help mothers who want to BF, and their OH, mothers, or Mils, or others- are constantly undermining them, telling them they are doing the baby no good, buying formula and bottles, and handing them to the mother. Usually by those who chose not to BF, or didn't succeed, or by OH's who want their wives to keep breasts for them, perhaps? Or because they have no control. Or ?????

As said, it seems much more common than the other way round. Not just in the 70s, but since then and currently.

Going a bit OT here, but another mother I was friendly with right after my first, was bottle feeding her 2nd, and when he was just a few weeks old (a big, hungry baby) she was sternly told by the health visitor that he was too fat - she must ‘treat him like an alcoholic’ and strictly limit his feeds!
Pleased to say she ignored her - it wasn’t as if he was having anything but baby milk.

My very little Gds, entirely BF, was a real Michelin Man porker at 4 months - and just as well, since during successive bouts of bronchiolitis - the first very severe - he lost a lot of those rolls of fat.
He’s now a wiry, very slim and active 6 year old.

Yes, totally. But for another thread. This one is about having support or not, or in fact, being dissuaded, one way or another.

Trends are important.

Breast feeding- were any of you actively discouraged from BF
No
By mother, MIL, or nursing staff, friends, colleagues, OH, etc?
No

But that is a subjective response.

Were trends and pressures different when we were young mothers than they are now?
Are the pressures changing/have changed over 40 - 50 years?

I knew I’d been bf and was really keen to do it.
Baby 1 was born by C-section. I lasted for 7 of the 10 day stay: my milk came in late; I was sore and exhausted; baby was constantly demanding; dummies were forbidden; there was an extra hour between feeds if I used formula; I conceded.
Baby 2 was born naturally, home the next day and was easily and happily bf for 6 months. An aunt, also my godmother and a mother of five, greatly approved as did a large number of women in the restaurant of a well-known department store when I very discreetly fed him one afternoon. Lots of them came up to me, smiled, touched my shoulder and praised me. None of the men present noticed or cared it seemed. The in-laws didn’t like it: I had to bf in an unheated bedroom with the windows open at Christmas. At one point the clinic ‘borrowed’ him to demonstrate to mums-to-be how to bath a baby. When I arrived to collect him, it was clear he wanted to be bf. I dithered but thought it a step too far to show exactly how a baby latches on, however I wish someone had shown me.

But there have been / are trends in encouragement or discouragement to breast feed which we are seeing on here,
whether from mothers, family, or in hospital or when coming home.
Looking at the responses on here and the other thread you might see trends about support for breast feeding from when GNs might have been the recipients of such support/discouragement.
The OP asked if
Breast feeding- were any of you actively discouraged from BF
By mother, MIL, or nursing staff, friends, colleagues, OH, etc?
Any answers to that would show a trend /majority either claiming or refuting discouragement.

When my first child was born there was no encouragment, not even the suggestion of breastfeeding from the hospital, and I was there for a week, as most mothers were. All the babies had formula milk, supplied by the hospital. I bought 'Ostermilk' for him when we went home, and was very surprised to see that the recommendation was to put half a teaspoon of sugar in each bottle. Does anyone else remember this? Evidently the theory was that breast milk is sweet, and babies would take it more eagerly. I didn't like the idea and used very little sugar for a very short time.

Fleurpepper

But this discussion is not about 'trends' - it is about support for a mother's choice- whatever the 'trends' are.

Ok, but the views of women, people in the 1950s, 60s, 70s, 80s changed during that time and may well have changed since then.

I would have thought that the experiences of the women you are asking will be different from those of today's young mothers.

Also, whatever choice the mother makes, it should be remembered that formula milk, by its nature, must surely be the most tested food ever as it is for babies.

I had a difficult birth with my oldest, born in 1991 and, despite desperately wanting to breastfeed and trying very hard, it did not work out. My second was born in 1993 and I breastfed him for nine months, although he was a very hungry baby and I could not totally supply enough milk, so I had to top him up with formula until he was three months old and went on to solids (3-4 months for solids was the advice then). My third baby was breastfed for ten months, although I had to top up again at the beginning as I was on antibiotics. The best advice a health visitor gave me was that if I was going to give a bottle, the 6 pm feed was the best time to do it as milk supply is at its lowest at this point and you are busy with older children. My husband generally gave this feed for that reason. The final feed of the day was always from the breast. It worked for me.

But this discussion is not about 'trends' - it is about support for a mother's choice- whatever the 'trends' are.

Trends' Callistemon? Who is talking about 'trends

Me. That's why I said it. There are trends for whatever reason.

academic.oup.com/jn/article/131/2/421S/4686960
www.thelancet.com/journals/lanchi/article/PIIS2352-4642(21)00163-2/fulltext

GagaJo

Germanshepherdsmum

I really don’t understand your concern FP. There is ample evidence here of women having successfully bottle-fed their babies. What’s the problem? So long as the mother is happy and the baby thrives, who cares? Who else’s business is it?

I don't understand why anyone has an issue with this topic of discussion.

It's of interest to some of us.

Thank you Gaga. This discussion was triggered from the other one on bottle feeding. I did not want to derail that one and thought it was better to open a new one. In my experience, more mothers are discouraged or put off from Breast Feeding, than the other way round. Wanted to know if others felt/experienced the same, either for themselves, or DDs, DILs or younger friends/colleagues.

It is not pro Breast or bottle- it is about choice, and support, from mothers, family, or in hospital or when coming home, etc.

In the UK, but from another culture- living in extended families. Very wealthy ones too.

Germanshepherdsmum

I really don’t understand your concern FP. There is ample evidence here of women having successfully bottle-fed their babies. What’s the problem? So long as the mother is happy and the baby thrives, who cares? Who else’s business is it?

I don't understand why anyone has an issue with this topic of discussion.

It's of interest to some of us.

In the cases of younger colleagues, living in extended families, the MIL encouraged Bottle feeding as a method of control, on both DIL, son and baby. OH also had several similar cases.

I don't know anyone who lived in extended families.
Why would MIL want to control?

Was that in the UK or another part of the world where extended families lived together or in close proximity?

'Trends' Callistemon? Who is talking about 'trends'

We are hopefully talking about support for mothers.

And hopefully factual information so they can make an informed choice.

DD wasn't discouraged, but was given no support whatsoever in Spain where DGS was born. And I mean none at all. None in hospital, none once discharged. For a culture that values family so much, I found it very strange.

If I hadn't had a personal contact who knew a doula, it would have been formula for DGS.