This is from the Flintshire Feeders site which is an ever growing resource of good info and proper help but there is one page devoted to the dark side – bad advice given by ‘experts’ on the subject of breastfeeding. I’ve copied and pasted some of it here but for all of it, in it’s gory detail please check out the Flintshire Feeders site. If you see any more terrible advice please let us know.
Webchat advice session on Gurgle.
This “BF expert” has a book and DVD to sell, a fact which is made clear within the very first minute of the session.
Having read the “advice” below, why not compose a note to the Royal College of Midwives? Perhaps asking them to distance themselves from the views of their former colleague, and stating how they would have answered the Q’s on that webchat?
{Of course, proper recognition of roles & qualifications in this area is a whole other topic!}
Alternatives would be to complain directly to the host of the webchat – Gurgle ( link to FB page), and to any other organisations you see asking this person to portray a Breastfeeding Expert.
The very first answer given was to:
any advice? it breaks my heart when i cant provide for him..hes six days old x “
Expert: “Hello Josie, Poor you having such a stressful time. Don’t feel that you are a failure for giving him bottles – your little man will just be very grateful that you are giving him some food rather than leaving him to cry and struggle to latch on. Your baby might find it easier to latch on if you gently squeeze your breast vertically to match the shape of his mouth – more details on this can be found in my book and DVD. If he still can’t manage to latch on easily you could try using a nipple shield but do be aware that it will only work well if you have a good supply of milk which your baby can easily get through the shield. If your baby can’t get enough milk out of your breasts to satisfy him, try using a breast pump so that you can express your own milk and give it to him in a bottle. If you simply can’t provide him with enough of your own milk, please don’t feel bad if you give him formula as well. And finally….. do ask your community midwife to spend some time with you and see if she can help you get the breastfeeding sorted.”
And the final words with which she encourages all the mothers watching the webchat?
Expert: “Hello Laura, you have to stick with the reality here, if your baby always empties both breasts that makes it very difficult if not impossible to express spare milk to give him at your weekly appointment. If you simply cannot express enough breastmilk, you may need to give him formula milk and the advise on how to make up feeds and sterilise bottles is clearly given on the cartons or formula, sterilising units etc”
You can read more on unhelpful online material from this Ffeeders post.
And also on the Flintshire Feeders FaceBook page
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