Ugh, this is mostly a vent but it does fall under the lactivism challenge.
My family has breastfeed forever (never stopped for formula-feeding). So we got a lot of really good information about how to breastfeed, how important it is, etc. My sisters and I have all breastfed (despite some real struggles amongst us, including my kids having multiple food allergies).
And yet ....! There is a lot of misinformation given out about how breastfeeding works, etc. at the same time and I get so very frustrated trying to be polite and yet help give the "actual factual" information at the same time.
My older sister (RN) seriously thought that the fatty milk came out first when a baby was nursing, and the later milk was just 'like water,' so that she thought very short feeds were best for babies who were low weight. She knows better now ....
One of my sisters just had a baby. She has an open wound on her nipple (obviously some sort of a latch issue). Baby is gaining fine. My Mom told her, "Well, sometimes that happens, I bled for months with one of your siblings while she nursed, you just have to tough it out, there's nothing that can be done." My sister the speech pathologist gave good suggestions of different positions to try, but told sister over the phone, "It sounds like your latch is fine, there's no reason to go see an LC." And my sister the RN chimed in with, "There isn't anything that can be done about the latch, the LCs will be worthless, they don't know much anyway --- but at least get the wound checked out (since it's been a month now)."
:
So, of course, my suggestion that this really actually isn't normal, that there might possibly still be a latch issue or different position to try to help this heal faster -- was a bit dismissed since the other three nursing moms in the family had all told her differently.
**
I know this is bigger than just my little family microcosm, although the fact that it's my own family whom I love and respect giving out misinformation within our own family does make it more challenging to address on some personal level ....
The thing is, things like this happen to breastfeeding moms all the time - from other breastfeeding mothers - some who even consider themselves lactivists, I know (since a couple of my sisters are). It ranges from "just give a bottle of formula once a day so you can have a break," to "nipple confusion doesn't exist," to "don't let her comfort nurse," to "LCs are worthless, you'll have to grit your teeth and get over it" and more .....
What do we do to combat this?
What I've been doing is the "Well, from what I've read" or "My friend had that problem and this is what solved it for her," or "X is a great book about this." But when people think that they have the Real World Experience to *know* what to do/say, suggesting reading a book I think can be off-putting .....
My family has breastfeed forever (never stopped for formula-feeding). So we got a lot of really good information about how to breastfeed, how important it is, etc. My sisters and I have all breastfed (despite some real struggles amongst us, including my kids having multiple food allergies).
And yet ....! There is a lot of misinformation given out about how breastfeeding works, etc. at the same time and I get so very frustrated trying to be polite and yet help give the "actual factual" information at the same time.
My older sister (RN) seriously thought that the fatty milk came out first when a baby was nursing, and the later milk was just 'like water,' so that she thought very short feeds were best for babies who were low weight. She knows better now ....
One of my sisters just had a baby. She has an open wound on her nipple (obviously some sort of a latch issue). Baby is gaining fine. My Mom told her, "Well, sometimes that happens, I bled for months with one of your siblings while she nursed, you just have to tough it out, there's nothing that can be done." My sister the speech pathologist gave good suggestions of different positions to try, but told sister over the phone, "It sounds like your latch is fine, there's no reason to go see an LC." And my sister the RN chimed in with, "There isn't anything that can be done about the latch, the LCs will be worthless, they don't know much anyway --- but at least get the wound checked out (since it's been a month now)."
:So, of course, my suggestion that this really actually isn't normal, that there might possibly still be a latch issue or different position to try to help this heal faster -- was a bit dismissed since the other three nursing moms in the family had all told her differently.
**
I know this is bigger than just my little family microcosm, although the fact that it's my own family whom I love and respect giving out misinformation within our own family does make it more challenging to address on some personal level ....
The thing is, things like this happen to breastfeeding moms all the time - from other breastfeeding mothers - some who even consider themselves lactivists, I know (since a couple of my sisters are). It ranges from "just give a bottle of formula once a day so you can have a break," to "nipple confusion doesn't exist," to "don't let her comfort nurse," to "LCs are worthless, you'll have to grit your teeth and get over it" and more .....
What do we do to combat this?
What I've been doing is the "Well, from what I've read" or "My friend had that problem and this is what solved it for her," or "X is a great book about this." But when people think that they have the Real World Experience to *know* what to do/say, suggesting reading a book I think can be off-putting .....
