Real Baby Milk is a non judgmental, social enterprise run by mums for mums. Real Baby Milk supports families and professionals across the UK. They aim to help women to get the right support, make informed choices and to help them to succeed in breastfeeding their babies. They offer information on the location of local breastfeeding support groups nationwide, and places that welcome breastfeeding mothers.
Real Baby Milk polled 100 mums with babies and toddlers from all demographics and across the UK about their choices, opinions and experiences – positive and negative – related to breastfeeding.
They were told: ‘Feel free to rant…’ they responded in just 4 days suggesting breastfeeding is perhaps one of the most emotive issues faced by every mother today.
- 9 out of 10 mums had wanted to breastfeed their babies; however 22% give up breastfeeding within the first two weeks because they have found it difficult and did not receive enough support.
- 34% said that they had experienced midwife or other health professional advice that had not been supportive; or may have discouraged them from being able to breastfeed successfully; or had encouraged them to top up with formula milks in order to satisfy the percentile charts.
- 48% said that they thought that parenting magazines didn’t give enough, or they were unsure if article coverage about breastfeeding was sufficient as compared to other parenting topics. Some mums suggested magazines contained too much advertising for formula milk which discouraged strong promotion of breastfeeding.
- Being told that breastfeeding doesn’t hurt if done correctly or having the ‘Breast is best’ mantra drummed home is unhelpful and lead to many mothers feeling under pressure or guilty about failure to breastfeed.
- More than 50% have experienced embarrassment breastfeeding in public, especially as their babies became older, or have received negative or dismissive opinions from the wider community.
- Almost every mum said that positive ‘support’ from breastfeeding counsellors, partners, family and friends and the wider community was what they needed the most.
Areas of the UK where hospitals are going for UNICEF UK Baby friendly Status, the staff are well trained and have the right information to provide really practical breastfeeding support, Real Baby Milk www.realbabymilk.org notices the vast difference in the breastfeeding experience that mothers in ‘Baby Friendly’ areas generally receive.
Finding local breastfeeding groups which offer ‘peer’ group support from other mums is easily one of the most effective ways to help mums through all the trials and tribulations of breastfeeding. Real Baby Milk website enables mothers across the UK to locate local support. The Real Baby Milk Breastfeeding DVD @ £6 demonstrates the keys to successful breastfeeding and the significance of peer group support.
What the mum’s said:-
Jennifer (28), from Nottinghamshire “I found breastfeeding was great though did have a GP who wrote in my “red book” that my breast milk was inadequate and I should use formulas, my son was 3 weeks old at the time. I continued to breastfeed until 10 months and my son never had any health problems.”
Sarah (25), from Colchester “I was only able to breast fed my first through my own stubborn determination. She was tongue tied and we both found it difficult. I got 15mins worth of help from a midwife in hospital until she lost patience and sent me home with 2 syringes and the words ‘good luck’! I struggled through the first 4 months coming down with mastitis 6 times, each time my GP advising me to stop breast feeding. We finally cracked it and she breast fed until she was 14months. It would have been so helpful to be given some proper advice on breast feeding or to have been pointed in the right direction of someone who could help me.”
Hannah (33), from Leicestershire “If you can do it, it really feels like the best thing in the world, I did. However, if you can’t or don’t want to you shouldn’t be made to feel like you’re not doing your best for your baby and you have any less of a bond. “Professionals” shouldn’t rave about how easy or how natural it is to breastfeed………in the beginning it’s NIETHER!”
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