Breastfeeding Myths Revisited
In a previous article, we dismantled four common breastfeeding myths. In this article, we'll bring you abreast of the truth about several more.
As we mentioned in our earlier article, breastfeeding myths are common -- indeed, there are so many that we decided to revisit the issue. Previously, we discussed (among other things) the beliefs that breastfeeding should hurt, that bottle-feeding is easier, and that babies with diarrhea shouldn't breastfeed.
All of which are wrong, by the way. In this article, we'll take a look at four more misconceptions about the ancient practice of breastfeeding, and unmask the facts. These are just a few of many myths, by the way -- we may just have to do another article on the subject.
Myth 1: Many women don't produce enough milk, especially for the first three or four days after birth.
Although this can happen in isolated cases, for most women this is little more than a breastfeeding myth -- in fact, most women produce more milk than baby needs. If baby seems not to be getting enough milk or seems to be growing too slowly, it may be because she's not getting the milk Mom's producing.
If this is the case, the baby may not be "latching on" and suckling properly. The mother may need to be shown by someone with experience how to help the baby latch on and suckle the right way. Only if this doesn't seem to work, only then should you assume that Mom isn't producing enough milk.
Myth 2: Breast milk lacks enough iron/Vitamin D/water for baby's needs.
These are all breastfeeding myths. Breast milk is the perfect food for baby, at least until she graduates to other foods at about six months of age. All the iron and water baby needs are there, though Vitamin D should be supplemented by a little exposure to the sun (it's made in the skin from sunlight and cholesterol).
Myth 3: Pregnant women shouldn't breastfeed.
You don't need to stop breastfeeding a child just because you've become pregnant; in fact, in the past women often became pregnant almost immediately after giving birth, so it wouldn't make sense to put a baby on other foods while they're still a few months old.
You can even keep breastfeeding an older child once the new baby comes. The truth about this breastfeeding myth is that feeding can continue as long as the woman and child like. After all, most women produce significantly more milk than they need for one child, so there's no reason why they can't handle two.
Myth 4: Babies who are fed formula sleep better.
Not really; however, they may sleep longer before they wake up hungry. This results from the simple biological fact that formula takes longer to digest than breast milk does. There's no nutritional benefit to sleeping longer between feedings, though the parents may appreciate it.
In any case, by the age of one month a breastfed baby will be sleeping as long as a formula-fed baby. Plus, because formula stays in baby's system longer, it has time to ferment -- which results in, ahem, particularly aromatic diapers. Now, that's a huge downside to this breastfeeding myth!
