Sadly these often lead to new mothers being so worried that they don’t breastfeed at all, or to them suffering through breastfeeding unnecessarily, fearing that they’re hurting their baby.
Those are just a couple of the many questions and concerns that I hear from mothers who are considering breastfeeding their little one.
Many of these are a result of old wives tales and long-held beliefs that have since been dispelled or disproven.
To help make the decision and the process a little easier for you I'm going to break down some of the most common myths that still exist around breastfeeding.
This isn’t about convincing you one way or the other - it’s not a pro-breastfeeding article, nor is it an anti-breastfeeding article.
The goal is to simply present you with information to help you make the best decision for you and your baby.
8 Harmful Breastfeeding Beliefs You Need to Ignore
If You Breastfeed You Will Get Less Sleep?
Deciding whether or not to breastfeed is an important decision for any new mom that's considering the best option for them and their baby.
If you are in a position where you're trying to make that decision, there are lots of things you might be considering.
And it's really important that you make your decision based on the best information possible.
Unfortunately, there's still a few commonly held beliefs that exist around breastfeeding that despite us now knowing aren't true, continue to persist.
And sadly, these often lead to mums being so worried that they don't start breastfeeding at all, or they suffer through the breastfeeding experience unnecessarily, fearing that they're actually hurting their baby, as well as having lots of other concerns.
So in this article, I'm going to break down some of the most common myths that still exist around breastfeeding.
This isn't about convincing you one way or another.
It's not a pro-breastfeeding article nor is it an anti-breastfeeding article.
The goal is to simply present you with information to help you make the best decision for you and your baby.
Let's start with the common belief that breastfeeding mums get less sleep than those who formula feed.
This one is extremely common.
But research completed by Doan and her team in 2014 actually showed the complete opposite.
In this study, they analyzed the sleep duration and quality of 120 first time mothers one month after giving birth.
And they found that the women who breastfed exclusively actually slept for an average of 30 minutes more at night than women who use formula at night.
The idea that breastfeeding leads to less sleep is one I often hear mentioned as a deterrent for new mums when it comes to breastfeeding.
So it's really interesting to see this data actually shows the opposite.
If You Have Small Breasts, Large Breasts, Flat Nipples Or Inverted Nipples You Can't Breastfeed.
Another reasons mums skip breastfeeding, go straight to formula is because they've heard that if you have small breasts, large breasts, inverted nipples, or flat nipples, you simply cannot breastfeed.
Now, it is true that having large breasts, or flat, or inverted nipples can create some extra challenges when breastfeeding, but not everyone experiences these challenges.
For example, for some people who have flat or inverted nipples, nursing itself may be more challenging because the baby may have difficulty latching.
But for other mothers with flat or inverted nipples, their nipple may actually come out on its own once the baby starts breastfeeding, and they don't have any issues or experience any challenges.
It is also important to note that with proper guidance from a speech pathologist specializing in infant feeding, or a lactation consultant, there are certain positions and techniques which moms can use to overcome these challenges and breastfeed successfully.
In regards to the belief that those with small breasts are unable to successfully breastfeed, this is based on the assumption that if you have a small breast, you're unable to produce enough milk for your baby.
However, the size of one's breast has nothing to do with the amount of milk that you can produce.
The size of your breast depends on how much fatty tissue you have, but fatty tissue itself does not produce milk.
In fact, it's the glandular or the milk producing tissues in your breast that produce milk.
And your milk supply is determined by how much and how often your baby feeds and not by the size or shape of your breasts.
When your baby sucks at your breast, a message is sent to the brain, and the brain then signals the hormones prolactin and oxytocin to be released.
And prolactin causes the milk-making tissues to begin making milk, building up your milk supply.
And oxytocin causes muscles around the milk-making tissues to push out or release the milk that's already there.
Basically, the more milk your baby drinks, the more milk your body will make.
You Won't Produce Enough Breast Milk.
This leads me on to the next potential barrier to breastfeeding, which is the belief that many mothers can't produce enough milk.
Many mothers feel that they have a low milk supply or their milk is simply not good enough when their baby becomes unsettled.
But this is usually not the case.
Almost all mothers produce the right amount of milk for their babies without needing to supplement with a bottle of formula.
There is only a small percentage of women, in fact less than 2%, who have a rare condition where their breasts don't produce enough milk because of insufficient glandular tissue.
Breastfeeding Should Be Painful.
In addition to these beliefs which deter new moms from attempting to breastfeed their little one, there are a few other beliefs that are simply incorrect and can stop new moms from seeking help to make their breastfeeding journey easier, and instead lead to them ceasing breastfeeding because they believe these are just facts.
The first one being breastfeeding should be painful.
During the first few days, while your body and your baby adjusts to nursing, it's common to experience some nipple tenderness or discomfort when your baby first attaches to the breast.
But this sensation should fade and then resolve during the first few minutes of each feed.
Breastfeeding should not be painful.
It's also not normal to experience pain between feedings or have cracked, damaged, or bleeding nipples.
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, it's an indication that something isn't quite right.
For example, your baby may have a poor latch when they are feeding, and this is resulting in pain or nipple damage.
If breastfeeding is painful, or you're experiencing pain in between feedings, or have cracked, damaged, or bleeding nipples, it's important to get in contact with a pediatric speech pathologist who specializes in infant feeding, or a lactation consultant who can work with you to identify what is causing the pain, as well as trial different latching and breastfeeding positions, and hopefully resolve that underlying issue that is causing discomfort while breastfeeding.
Your Baby Will Naturally Know How To Breastfeed.
Now before we cover the next belief which can make that breastfeeding journey a bit more challenging than it needs to be, if you haven't already, make sure you click on the link in the description box below to get the free developmental milestone chart, so you can know exactly what to expect in your baby's first year of life, as well as when to be concerned.
I also hear that babies naturally know how to breastfeed, and it should be easy.
Babies are born with a sucking reflex and a rooting reflex, which can help with breastfeeding, but that doesn't mean that your baby is going to know exactly what to do.
Breastfeeding is something that you and your baby will learn to do together.
Together, you'll figure out which breastfeeding position works best for you and your baby, as well as which latching technique you should use to help your baby correctly attach to the breast.
You Should Cease Breastfeeding When You're Sick.
New moms also believe that you should not breastfeed if you're sick and cease breastfeeding at this point, but continuing to breastfeed your baby when you're unwell is safe and can actually be good for your baby.
And this is for two reasons.
Firstly, it is highly unlikely your baby's actually going to catch the illness through your breast milk.
And secondly, your mature immune system will develop antibodies and white blood cells to fight the illness.
And when you are breastfeeding, you pass along these antibodies to the illness to your baby.
And these antibodies and white blood cells will reduce the risk of your baby getting the same illness.
And if they do get the illness, it will help them to get well faster.
You Should Cease Breastfeeding When You're taking Medication.
Medication is another reason parents feel like they need to stop breastfeeding when they're sick, but the good news is that most medications are safe to take when breastfeeding, or a safe alternative can be substituting.
You just need to make sure that you inform your doctor that you are breastfeeding, and they should be able to provide suitable medication for you to use while breastfeeding.
Biting During Breastfeeding Is Normal.
Many parents are also under the impression that once their baby gets teeth, they need to put up with being bitten by their little one while they are feeding or stop breastfeeding.
But biting should not go hand in hand with breastfeeding.
This is because when a baby is actively breastfeeding, it is physically impossible for them to bite as their tongue actually covers their bottom gum and their teeth.
It's only when your baby isn't actively feeding that they might actually bite.
And if your baby does bite, you may notice that it's either at the beginning or end of a feed and your baby is trying to communicate something to you.
They might be trying to tell you that they're frustrated because the milk isn't coming quickly enough, or they're full and they're just ready to play, or they are teething.
Once you identify what your baby is trying to communicate to you, you can implement strategies to address their needs and stop that biting behavior.
For example, if your baby is teething, you could give your baby something hard or cold to chew on before a feed.
And this will help to alleviate that inflammation, as well as that teething pain they're experiencing, which will stop that biting after a breastfeed.
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