Breastfeeding Myths - 5 common myths of breastfeeding

In our latest edition of The Whole Bowl Co. Education Series, friend of the brand, Natalie Spencer has written an article for us on 5 common myths of breastfeeding for us.

Natalie Spencer is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant & Registered Nurse/Midwife.

Five common myths of breastfeeding 

As a lactation consultant, I spend a lot of time with new mothers demystifying common breastfeeding myths that often seem to be the common school of thought when it comes to different breastfeeding ideas, techniques and products. With the rise in “mum-influencers”, breastfeeding education and people sharing their personal experiences with breastfeeding all over social media, breastfeeding myths and misconceptions are spread even faster and can leave a deeper imprint in the mind of a vulnerable new mother. While it is true that breastfeeding support, comradery and a village mentality can be found on social media, it’s still important when seeking lactation and feeding advice to see a professional (such as a lactation consultant) - just like you would for any other health concern. 

Let me give you some insight into five of the most common breastfeeding myths I’m demystifying with new mums today! 

1. “Babies should breastfeed every 3 hours on a schedule” 

This is a common misconception usually stemming from the fact that newborn babies need a minimum of at least 8-12 breastfeeds a day. People often do the calculations out and figure that babies therefore need to feed, or only feed every 3 hours. However, this is not true! Babies are not preprogrammed like this, and just like you and I, we eat when we are hungry! This looks like what we call ‘Demand’ or ‘Responsive’ feeding. Learning to read your baby's hunger cues or behaviors is more important than looking at a clock or an app to tell you when to feed your baby. Feeding them in response to their hunger cues dictates how often and when you feed them. 

2. “I need to buy an electric breast pump before my baby is born”

You actually don’t need to have an electric breast pump at home before your baby is born if you are planning to latch your baby to the breast to feed. It is important in the first 1-2 months for your baby to latch to the breast to feed as much as possible in order to establish a good long term breast milk production and supply - this comes most effectively from direct latching. I like to explain to mums that electric breast pumps are like your “back-up baby”, you use them to do the job (softening your breasts) when your baby is unable to or is not latching at the breast. 

If your baby is latching well to the breast (no pain, softening your breasts, having good output and baby gaining weight etc.) or if you are not planning on giving your baby a bottle, then you may not need to have an electric breast pump at all! 

However, if you are having difficulties latching your baby to the breast at any stage of your breastfeeding journey it is important to seek help from a lactation consultant as soon as possible - they can then assess and advise you if you need to use an electric breast pump or not. 

At the start, if you do need to use a pump and don’t have an electric pump that’s ok - instead of investing in an electric breast pump at the start, you can simply have ready before your baby is born, a silicone milk collector, manual pump or learn how to hand express, in order to soften your breasts if your baby is not able to. This will help to keep telling your body to produce breast milk even if your baby is not latching for the time being at the breast. 

Of course if you are planning to do exclusively pumping, or if you know of a planned separation from your baby before your baby is born, then you should research and plan on buying an electric breast pump before your baby is born.

3. “All babies need to feed from both breasts each time they breastfeed” 

This is not always the case. It is important to soften as much as possible one breast each feed in order to maximize and optimize your breast milk production. Breast milk production works on a supply/demand basis. The more milk you remove from the breast, the more milk your body makes to replace it. So the longer you feed one side, the more milk your body will potentially make. If your baby has fed off one breast and it feels very soft, (meaning that milk was removed) and your baby is still showing hunger cues, then you can offer the other breast. 

This may not always happen with every feed, but will be dictated by your baby’s appetite, and how much milk your breasts have available at that particular feed. (Babies' appetites and a mum’s breast milk supply fluctuate throughout the day). 

If your baby after feeding one side looks content, relaxed and does not show any hunger cues, then at the next feeding session you can offer the breast. (The one previously not fed off of.) Yes, you may feel a little imbalanced up top, but rest assured this is very normal as one breast always makes more milk than the other. Your body will learn to even out over time! 

4. “Nipple shields will protect my nipples from pain, blisters and cracks”

Nipple shields are a silicone nipple shaped covering that goes over a woman’s nipple and areola to use when she is breastfeeding. 

Contrary to what you might see on the shelves and in the marketing, nipple shields do not protect your nipples from pain and/or cracks while you are breastfeeding. They may temporarily give some relief, however, the root cause of the pain, blisters and cracks will not be solved. 

In order to prevent and solve pain, blisters and nipple cracks, the best thing to do is to ensure your baby has an effective latch at the breast from the beginning. (this is often referred to as a “deep latch” - when your baby has a big wide seal of their lips around the breast and there is a tugging or pulling sensation of the nipple in the baby’s mouth without discomfort to the nipple). 

If you start to experience any pain, bleeding or discomfort at the breast or if you are unsure your baby is latched correctly, seek help from your midwife and/or lactation consultant as soon as possible. 

Nipple shields can be helpful in situations such as when a mother has flat nipples or a baby is small for gestational age and needs more shaping of the nipple in order to sustain an effective latch and suck at the breast.

If you think you may require a nipple shield it is also important to seek an assessment and advice from a lactation consultant before initiating the use of one when breastfeeding your baby. 

Using a nipple shield if your situation does not truely warrant one, may impact your baby’s ability to latch long term at the breast, impact your milk production and shorten your overall duration of breastfeeding. 

Nipple shields do have their time and place to be used with ongoing monitoring and assessment from a professional, but if you don’t have to introduce one the better off you and your baby are in the long run of your breastfeeding journey. 

5. “Breastfeeding is natural therefore me and my baby will and should naturally know how to do it”

Although, yes, breastfeeding is a natural, biological and physiological thing, it doesn’t come naturally to some women and their babies. Knowing and acknowledging before you give birth that you may require help and support with breastfeeding is really important. It really does take a village - so reaching out for support and tapping into breastfeeding resources to help you and your baby will be worth the investment.  

Breastfeeding is something you’ve never done before, or with different babies come different feeding issues - so of course it may not feel natural at the start. Just like in life when you’ve attempted a new skill, it most likely felt disjointed and unnatural at the start but like the old saying goes, “practice makes perfect” and with time, the more you latch your baby to the breast, the more it will start to feel more and more natural. 

There you have it, five of the most common myths of breastfeeding I’m demystifying with mums today! If you have any questions following on from any of these myths or information or if you have any questions concerning lactation or breastfeeding, no matter what stage you are at, I’d love to help you and your family!

You can reach out to me at natalwithnat@gmail.com or find me on IG at natalwithnat.