The attitude of "breastmilk isn't enough" is everywhere!

[Ammaarah]

My MIL in Bangladesh got worried about our 7-month-old, who is breastfed and probably eats an ounce of solids over the course of a whole week. (That's counting carpet lint and kitchen floor mystery dirt.) She says the baby needs cow milk too because breastmilk isn't enough. I knew she intro'd milk to my DH and his sibs early but yikes! I could see it if she were a low-supply mama (and maybe she was, I don't have enough language to discuss it with her) but worrying that I don't have enough milk too...aw dang.

Anyway, I'm sure the latest batch of pictures of our roly-poly girl will ease her mind. And I love my MIL, too, and I'm not griping about her, just kinda bummed.

[Tapioca]

That is disappointing. Better get those pictures to her quick and set her mind at rest!

[Tapioca]

Oh, I meant to add a wink smilie to that post.

:

[Jade2561]

Isn't that so weird. People in my family were the same way when I had dd. My MIL insisted dd nursed all the time at 2 weeks because my milk wasn't rich enough. C'mon the kiddo gained 8 pounds in 4 months! I also think people assume that if your bfing you're not giving any solids (I'm talking at 18 months old). People are weird. It's a shame so many people doubt the body's ability to nourish babies.

[gabysmom617]

Yes, I've heard of this A LOT.

So many people come and say to me "I wish I could have bf'ed, but my milk was too thin." Or, "He got too greedy."

I think several factors play into it:

1) Doctors look at formula fed babies as a guide to growth standards (at least they do over here in the U.S.) and breastfed babies rate of growth is different from the way that formula babies growth pattern. So therefore a mom with a normal healthy breastfed baby who is not as fat as a formula baby at that same age would be thinks that maybe her milk is not enough, and that her baby needs to gain more weight.

2) Misunderstanding of growth spurts. Mom's don't understand how their bodies work, and think that because baby hit's a stage when the are marathon nursing, that they have suddenly stopped making enough, and feel the need to add supplements.--Not understanding that this is your baby's way of telling your body to make more.

3) Expressed breastmilk looks different from formula and cows milk. It looks thinner and they think that since their milk looks thinner, and their baby is not growing as fast as other (formula fed) babies, and since their babies are suddenly nursing, like ALL the time, then something must be going wrong, so they introduce that first bottle of formula.

So sad.

[Baby Makes 4]

I've gotten some comments like this lately too.

"Oh, he hasn't grown much lately maybe it's time to do formula"

And the they always give you that "sisterhood" look and confide that their milk "wasn't enough either" so you shouldn't feel bad.

For the record he has only gained 1/2 a pound in the past 3 months but he's 25 1/2 pounds and almost walking at 9 months. He's not exactly starving!

[mommabean3]

Oh yeah! We were living in England when I had DS1 and the doctors there told me that there was NO MEDICAL BENEFIT to breastfeeding after 3 months! I was like "Ok, yeah right" and kept nursing him anyway. Sad, but true!