# Silly things you've been told about breastfeeding?



## ian'smommaya (Jun 7, 2004)

I would love to know the little rumors and tales you've been told about breastfeeding! I want a list of the silly things someone told you, with their good intentions I am sure, about breastfeeding. A good laugh might get me out of these winter doldrums.


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## tracyamber (May 26, 2011)

" how long you gonna breastfeed that baby?" This was my mom, my son was only 5 months! Jeez


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## HannahJ (Oct 30, 2010)

This is so bizarre, that it must be shared...

A stranger in a store once told me that it's best to not get a baby too dependent on breast milk (and to do formula instead) just in case something happens to the mom.

???

with that logic, I assume it is also best to, you know, not hug your child too much because if you're killed tragically then at least the kid isn't dependent on all that snuggling... and therefore adjusts to your death much easier! It's always best to plan ahead for the worst, you know!

I was so struck by the comment that I literally couldn't even respond.

I am still laughing, just thinking back to this


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## AllyFolsom (May 21, 2013)

I was told that by breastfeeding in public, I am trying to force everyone to be ok with it. I don't even know how to respond to that ridiculousness haha!

Not exactly on topic, but I did chat with a lady while shopping once. My kids are 15 months apart and my older one is a chunk, my younger one has a leaner body. The lady said that my daughter is probably stealing my sons bottles. I said we don't use bottles. She looked confused and said, "Not at all?!" I said nope. I swear, the lady sat there for a sec just trying to figure it out. Thank God she finally did hahaha! She was a sweet lady and said how lucky I was that I can breastfeed. I said thanks, even though I know 99% of women can but oh well!

Edited to clarify that all I said was thanks, but I was thinking that luck isn't the reason I breastfeed.


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## fruitfulmomma (Jun 8, 2002)

An ER doctor told me that there was no advantage to breastfeeding after six months, basically she had gotten everything she could from it by then. (I was nursing my then not quite 2 year old and he didn't want to be bothered to come up with a bf'ing friendly medication for me.)


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## AllyFolsom (May 21, 2013)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fruitfulmomma*
> 
> An ER doctor told me that there was no advantage to breastfeeding after six months, basically she had gotten everything she could from it by then. (I was nursing my then not quite 2 year old and he didn't want to be bothered to come up with a bf'ing friendly medication for me.)


This reminds me of what our pediatrician said. She said that after 6 months there's no need to eat at night. I basically told her I don't need her bad parenting advice.


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## incredikat (Jan 23, 2014)

These were not specifically said to me but:

My SIL's husband said that after 3 months, there's no advantage to bfeeding.

And regarding their DS, if I remember correctly: Because he's a big baby (he's maybe in the 75th percentile), they needed to start solid foods early. Because mom can only produce a limited amount of milk and he was *so* big, he just needed more calories. BUT, being that he was only 4 months at this point, they had to supplement with formula because he's digestive system was not mature yet. But at 5 months it was and finally they could give him solids, as he must have been so hungry at this point!

Something like that. It didn't make any sense and it made me sad because they are probably getting this from their ped... It made me sad because SIL started supplementing with their older DD because a ped said she needed to. This led to her supply dropping and she eventually stopped bfeeding. She mentionned at a family dinner that she had been dissapointed with this (she wasn't expecting her supply to drop), and her husband basically said that it was better that way. She could sleep more now! He basically told her not to be sad about it. I don't like SIL much, but that time really made me sad.

Anyways, sorry I got a bit OT!


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## marilyn612 (Feb 11, 2014)

My stepmom told me my teeth would fall out


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## stormborn (Dec 8, 2001)

I was told my teeth would fall out too! It was in the context of my dds' dentist telling me that her cavity was not due to night nursing because "it's more likely to damage Mom's teeth, all that nursing". I just let it go because I was happy to have a breastfeeding friendly dentist..now I wish I'd asked what that was supposed to mean.


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## fruitfulmomma (Jun 8, 2002)

I have heard the tooth thing too, just in relation to childbearing in general - my mil says she lost a tooth for every child she had.


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## marilyn612 (Feb 11, 2014)

She told me making milk sucks all the calcium out of your teeth! lol


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## 3lilchunklins (Feb 22, 2012)

A ped told me after the colostrum is gone, there's no real benefit.

My pastor's wife asked "When you gonna quit nursing that baby, she's gonna dry you up!"

My DH's grandma told me you aren't *supposed to* continue nursing after 9 months!

My grandmother says she couldn't breast feed because she was too skinny..... ?? I don't get it!

You have to wean once the teeth come in.

You have to give BF babies bottles of water... I don't see the logic there at all, but I've heard more times than I can remember!

And yea my MIL claims that she lost a tooth for each baby she had. And the longest she BF any of hers was 4 months!


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## Dia (Nov 23, 2006)

That in order to make milk, I needed to drink milk. (Cow's milk presumably).
I'm a vegan.


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## TrishWSU (Oct 19, 2003)

The ignorant and completely uninformed comments from doctors are just scary. I dont think I've really gotten any about breastfeeding specifically, but when my DP's parents came to visit baby girl was about 2 weeks old and nursing all the time. His mom made sure to tell me that she "had" to put rice cereal in DP's bottles starting at ten days old or else he'd just want to eat every 2-3 hours. Then she told me this again when we saw a month later.

I've heard the tooth thing but in relation to pregnancy, because your body will take calcium from wherever it can get it when the baby's bones are forming.


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## katelove (Apr 28, 2009)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Dia*
> 
> That in order to make milk, I needed to drink milk. (Cow's milk presumably).
> I'm a vegan.


Ha ha! That reminds me of the episode of the Vicar of Dibley after Alice has her first baby. The vicar asks her how the BFing is going. She says "oh it's lovely! Especially now that I know I don't actually have to eat grass to make milk."


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## Dia (Nov 23, 2006)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *katelove*
> 
> Ha ha! That reminds me of the episode of the Vicar of Dibley after Alice has her first baby. The vicar asks her how the BFing is going. She says "oh it's lovely! Especially now that I know I don't actually have to eat grass to make milk."


LOL


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## pamelaRRRR (May 27, 2013)

I was told by a postpartum nurse at the hospital after my first was born that my breasts were probably too big to do it.

To be fair , they're huge and it was a steep learning curve to maneuver a tiny baby around them, but we went 2.5 years.

My second was just born and I find them more of an asset than a liability now . They're like go go gadget boobs!

My elderly great aunt was awesome, too. She told me to do it for at least three years -- that's how you have nicely spaced babies. She criticized my grandma (her youngest sister ) for not bf her kids and said that's why she had six babies in 10 years.


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## tinuviel_k (Apr 29, 2004)

Lady: "Look at the baby, she is so nice and chunky! She must be a GOOD eater!"
Me: "Oh, she's only five months and she hasn't started solids yet. But yes, she sure does breastfeed a lot!"
Lady: "You mean she doesn't gat any food or formula bottles?"
Me: "None."
Lady: "Well, that's why she's so chunky! She's so hungry! You need to start feeding her food right now or she's going to starve."
Me: ????????


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## 3lilchunklins (Feb 22, 2012)

LMBO!! I love this thread!

What the heck happened to common sense!??


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## CLplus1 (Jan 31, 2013)

My son was 5 hours old and my mom told me he was using me as his pacifier, and argued with me when I wanted to nurse him.

She also says he's not gaining weight because he's not on a feeding schedule, as in I should be feeding him every 3 hours and distracting him when it hasn't been 3 hours yet so he would be hungry and eat better...even though I feed on demand and it still works out to be about every 3 hours. We eat when we're hungry at my house.

She said I should nurse for 10 minutes on one side, burp, 10 minutes on the other side. I don't know how damaging this actually is, but from my knowledge it could effect milk supply because an empty boob makes more milk faster, and also baby might get too much foremilk and not enough fatty milk because they are switching sides too early.

Surprisingly she breastfed me and my sister for 6 months, but I doubt she liked it much.

My MIL acted surprised when she was looking at the baby pictures and I was nursing him within 30 minutes of birth. She didn't know they wanted to nurse that soon. To be fair, she had struggles and had to supplement in the hospital, then went on to breastfeed my husband for 9 months. She always tells me how much she enjoyed it.


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## tracyamber (May 26, 2011)

@CLplus1 thanks for that laugh. Every thing your wrote just tickled me.


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## CLplus1 (Jan 31, 2013)

This whole thread is making me laugh.

Although the advice given to me really made me think. I'm educated about breastfeeding, but part of me still believed I was doing something wrong. :'(


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## 3lilchunklins (Feb 22, 2012)

I hate it when the naysayers are so loud it makes you truly worry. It sounds to me like you are doing wonderfully CLplus1!

And its totally fine if a newborn is using mama as a pacifier! So so so many benefits!!
Building milk supply, colostrum, skin to skin, bonding, keeping baby body temp regulated, I think there are hormonal benefits for mama too!


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## Harebell (Sep 30, 2013)

My midwife actually told me she quit nursing after 18 months, since her daughter kept biting and her nipples were bleeding. Left me scared until the teeth came and I realized SHE must have done something wrong.

She also told me nursing while lying down prevents hanging boobs - I wish :-D


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## lalabigbrain (Mar 5, 2014)

I have seven sisters, six of whom breasted their children...I was the last to have babies and had the benefit of tons of solid experience. The great thing is that I have no doubt that had I chosen not to bf not one of
them would have judged me. BFing was just something they DID. They didn't talk endlessly about it or care if others did it or let it define them or their parenting. Ahem.


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## erigeron (Oct 29, 2010)

The handout we got at our doc's office said to feed for 10 minutes on the first side and as long as baby wants on the second.







And our doc is pretty bfing-friendly too. They got this handout from somewhere and it's general stuff about infant care, not just bfing. Maybe I should say something. I'm glad they didn't give me that handout with my first; by now I know enough to ignore that 'advice'.

I haven't gotten too many stupid comments, though I did get a little of the "you're still nursing her?" from my parents when I went past a year with my daughter. The longest my mom nursed was 6 months with me and I think they thought a year was plenty long enough.


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## simonzkedge (Feb 18, 2013)

When my oldest son was about 9 months old, my mom asked what I would do if he started walking before he turned a year, in referrence to BFing. I just looked at her crazy and asked what feet had to do with nursing??? Also, I was aiming for at LEAST a year, but was following his lead.


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## Irielyn (Aug 23, 2013)

I had the flu when my daughter was just a mth old, my Mom said, "Isnt your milk contaminated now?" Of course my milk did exactly as it should, protected her and she never got the flu!


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## apeydef (Mar 16, 2013)

I was told by a nurse my baby was big and basically she though she needed a bottle. She was 8lbs 15 oz. wonder what she would have trout about my 9.5 pounder!!

Then the pump and dump thing where people think you if you drink you just pump and dump and your good to go!!


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## evmadi (Sep 2, 2012)

Many people have said to me "if they are old enough to ask for it they are too old to be getting it". She is not yet two. I say " she has always asked for it, she just didn't use words.


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## Mama505 (Jan 7, 2012)

"You're spoilin' him rotten!" <by allowing my baby to nurse whenever he's hungry. So bizarre to me!


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## inconditus (Oct 1, 2012)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *tinuviel_k*
> 
> Lady: "Look at the baby, she is so nice and chunky! She must be a GOOD eater!"
> Me: "Oh, she's only five months and she hasn't started solids yet. But yes, she sure does breastfeed a lot!"
> ...


My MIL said something similar to this too. She would ALWAYS ask me if my daughter is "nursing less yet." At 6 weeks she said I needed to start giving her rice cereal because she's not getting enough and that she's starving that's why she's not STTN. Meanwhile I am engorged all the time still and DD is choking because my letdown is so fast. Yup, definitely not getting enough.

Also, not said to me but when my SIL was holding my fussy niece (not her kid, other SIL's kid) she said "Nobody likes a snacker. We need to wait till you are really hungry to give you back to mama." I was thinking :NOOOO!! She's a flipping NEWBORN and other SIL always worried that her milk production was low with her first kid:

That's another thing that baffles me. Only let them on your boob when they are really hungry. No using mama as a binkie or comfort nursing. That's how our bodies produce milk!!


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## farmermomma (Oct 30, 2012)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *evmadi*
> 
> Many people have said to me "if they are old enough to ask for it they are too old to be getting it". She is not yet two. I say " she has always asked for it, she just didn't use words.


Yes this. Congratulations on your language skills. Sorry baby no more nursing for you. What???


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## preemieprincess (Oct 21, 2011)

"If you're doing it right, it won't hurt." BULL! I'm not about to get into detail about nursing up to 18 times a day and spending 3 hours a day on the pump for my daughter's first 3 months of life. I was doing everything right, and it hurt like heck those first three months. Bloody nipples and bruised breasts, a little milk vampire, and spending every free moment feeling like a dairy cow... yeah.

"If you're doing it right, it's as effective as birth control in the first 6 months." HAHAHAAHAAAAA! I started my period before my 6 week check-up. (So did my mom, with all of her pregnancies). Generally, if you've got a cycle, you're probably ovulating, and therefore fertile. I am living proof that this is absolutely a myth-- I was conceived while my mother was breastfeeding my older sibling.


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## preemieprincess (Oct 21, 2011)

Let's not forget, "You have to give her a bottle sometimes, or else she won't bond with her father." LOL wut? She's bonded just fine with all the people who love her! K? thanks!

I'm still occasionally nursing her, and she's 3yo! I could type up three pages of the ignorant stuff people have said about that. "You need to wean her before she's old enough to remember it, or she'll develop boob issues." I'm not exactly sure what "boob issues" are, but I love breasts as much as your average heterosexual male, and I was weaned right around 12 months. I've heard the "boob issues" comment at least half a dozen times.


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## CLplus1 (Jan 31, 2013)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *preemieprincess*
> 
> Let's not forget, "You have to give her a bottle sometimes, or else she won't bond with her father." LOL wut? She's bonded just fine with all the people who love her! K? thanks!


Yes, that too. I'm like "well, he didn't get to carry baby in his belly for 9 months either."


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## inconditus (Oct 1, 2012)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *CLplus1*
> 
> Yes, that too. I'm like "well, he didn't get to carry baby in his belly for 9 months either."


If only! Why can't we be sea horses


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## UPmomma (Mar 1, 2014)

Oh these made me laugh so hard! I was the only person at my work to nurse, out of 3 mommas who had babies around when I did. I got so many strange looks and awkward questions from people. I don't judge mommas who don't want to nurse, my daughter had colic and issues, I felt like giving up every day. DH would tell me to just feed her formula, honestly I think it was only my stubbornness that kept me going.


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## Asiago (Jul 1, 2009)

These are funny, okay I have one.
How much longer are you going to nurse him? You don't want to be nursing a six month old baby. That's a big baby to be nursing. That was said to me when he was four months old. If she only knew, he is still nursing. For this I am grateful (he is four years now).


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## crayfishgirl (May 26, 2009)

When my daughter was 5 days old I couldn't get her to stop crying, and my MIL told me that mt milk must have gone bad. ???!


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## farmermomma (Oct 30, 2012)

My 6 year old tells me "rotten milk" when the baby spits up.


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## tracyamber (May 26, 2011)

This is the best thread. It is keeping me laughing these days!!


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## EvaL (Mar 11, 2014)

I have 6 children and nursed each for three years so I've had a bit of experience and have heard things about nursing through three decades. I've heard most of the ones posted but here are a few more:

You need to eat/drink white things to make milk.

Eating tomatoes will poison your milk.

You need to drink beer to make your milk come in.

If you nurse, the weight you gained while you were pregnant will become permanent and you will never be able to lose it.

Nursing your son too long will make him gay.

After giving birth to a 10 lb. baby - doctor says "He will starve if you only BF him." Same doctor 2 weeks later after a 2 pound weight gain "You are overfeeding him. You must be forcing him to nurse." Did he think I was supergluing him to my breast?

A nurse said as I sat in the hospital bed nursing my 2 1/2 year old on one side and my newborn on the other, "You can't do that!"

Well, obviously, I am doing it. lol

It's been an adventure but I don't regret a single second of it.


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## VocalMinority (Apr 8, 2009)

"Go to sleep in your nursing bra, with a cabbage leaf spread out in each cup. When you wake up, you'll no longer be engorged and in pain."

Silly as it sounded, it was TRUE. (And you know I was miserable, to have tried something that I thought sounded so ridiculous.)


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## DBassett (May 15, 2007)

I've heard some doozies over the years.

From a postpartum nurse with DS2 (my first BF child) : "squirt some formula on your nipples so he'll smell the food and know what to do."

From a lady at the WIC office: "He NEEDS milk", when I told her DS2 was allergic to milk and was still breastfeeding and therefore did not require any other kind of milk besides human milk, she said, "I've never heard that before!"

From our old "doctor" (read:idiot): "You need to stop feeding him (DS3) so much!" He was an exclusively breastfed 5 month old baby who was fed on demand...but he was "too big".

I'm sure I have more but that's all my preggo brain will allow me to remember right now.


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## jmjames234 (Mar 11, 2014)

My daughter was born 6 weeks early and spend some time in the ICN. When a nurse there found out that I was also nursing my 18 month old son (who was over the moon with how much milk there was all of a sudden!) she said "You have to be very careful that he doesn't drink all the milk and there's none left for the baby!" I just looked at her. She paused for a minute and to her credit said "Oh, it doesn't really work that way, does it? Nevermind."

Jennifer


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## Backroads (May 4, 2013)

~Don't eat pizza, the baby will have an allergic reaction (????)

~I will have to wash my nipples with anti-bacterial soap

And, not quite on breastfeeding, but...

My mom assumed I would take after the women in her family and have small breasts. Wound up going quite large like my dad's female relatives. So, for much of my teen years, my mom kept talking about how ridiculously huge I would be once I started breastfeeding future babies.


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## Backroads (May 4, 2013)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *preemieprincess*
> 
> "If you're doing it right, it won't hurt." BULL! I'm not about to get into detail about nursing up to 18 times a day and spending 3 hours a day on the pump for my daughter's first 3 months of life. I was doing everything right, and it hurt like heck those first three months. Bloody nipples and bruised breasts, a little milk vampire, and spending every free moment feeling like a dairy cow... yeah.
> 
> "If you're doing it right, it's as effective as birth control in the first 6 months." HAHAHAAHAAAAA! I started my period before my 6 week check-up. (So did my mom, with all of her pregnancies). Generally, if you've got a cycle, you're probably ovulating, and therefore fertile. I am living proof that this is absolutely a myth-- I was conceived while my mother was breastfeeding my older sibling.


Comment on both of these:

I heard the "it won't hurt" too. And, for me, I did exactly what the lactation consultant and the blog instructions said to, and sure enough, it didn't hurt.

I was the ONLY person of all the other new mommies I knew where it didn't hurt. I eventually decided it was more of me being a freak than "doing it right."

On the second one...

Friend bought into the nursing=birth control thing and now has Irish twins.


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## number1mommy (Mar 12, 2014)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ian'smommaya*
> 
> I would love to know the little rumors and tales you've been told about breastfeeding! I want a list of the silly things someone told you, with their good intentions I am sure, about breastfeeding. A good laugh might get me out of these winter doldrums.


my son had bad jondice about a week after birth and had to be admitted to the hospital for light therapy, they wanted to supliment with formula I am very pro bf and asked if I could get donor milk to supliment, the attending infant dr. Said that there was no way I could do that a womans milk is only for her child. So sad that someone that educated could be so uneducated


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## AnnIsabel (Jan 31, 2002)

From a psychiatrist... It's better for a mom who is taking medication not to breastfeed in case there is something wrong with the child later and she will feel guilty for causing it.

Seems even crazier when I write it out.


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## middlemamma (Nov 11, 2004)

My mother wanted to know if I was going to have my milk tested before I gave it to the baby to make sure it was ok.


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## mollyfrench (Aug 7, 2013)

haha! my aunt told me this same thing. I was a little disturbed. Didn't stop me from breastfeeding dd til she was 3!


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## LauraN (May 18, 2004)

I live in the UAE--remember that country that passed the law where you HAVE to breastfeed for two years? So I was nursing dd (3 mths old) at a cafè and an American woman came up to me to say I should be careful about NIP because they'd put me in jail in this country???!!!

Also, a friend of mine said she had only bf one month because nursimg made her so hot that she felt her hot milk would hurt the baby's tummy. And her doctor agreed.


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## befair (Mar 12, 2014)

In reference to the post saying her midwife had to stop BFing due to her baby biting: Why assume she did something wrong. Let's not shame people who are unable to bf. Sometimes BFing hurts like hell.


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## Kate&Joey (Sep 8, 2006)

When DD was a few months old, FIL asked when I was going to stop BFing and switch to formula. Not in a nasty way; more like an honest question.

I looked at DH for help and he replied, "Hopefully, never!"

FIL's response was something like "I'm not used to these new ways of doing things."

Right...because BFing is this new invention that all the cool kids are doing these days. ;-)


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## girligoddess (Jul 31, 2010)

A friend told me I would have to get rid of my cats because they would attack me for my milk. I couldn't stop laughing. I have to admit though that in my postpartum haze I did look sideways at the cats a few times.

This one wasn't funny at the time but in retrospect was hilarious. I brought my 2 1/2 year old who was still nursing to the E.R. for dehydration from severe nausea and diarrhea. When I explained to the physicians that she was still nursing and that breastmilk was the only thing she could keep down they went in another room to discuss and came back to tell me that they were really concerned as she should really be on solid food by now!


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## fruitfulmomma (Jun 8, 2002)

Quote:


> A friend told me I would have to get rid of my cats because they would attack me for my milk. I couldn't stop laughing. I have to admit though that in my postpartum haze I did look sideways at the cats a few times.


That is pretty funny. I have actually hand pumped for a kitten and not even he showed the least bit interest in my breasts.


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## girligoddess (Jul 31, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *fruitfulmomma*
> 
> That is pretty funny. I have actually hand pumped for a kitten and not even he showed the least bit interest in my breasts.


Yeah, I couldn't imagine, but the image of it was hilarious in my mind. I love that you pumped for a kitten, probably better than the commercial kitten formula out there.


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## Ertanoel (Mar 12, 2014)

I love these! I had to join the site just to contribute to this thread.

My grandma was told by her doctor not to even try to breastfeed because she was a redhead and redheads can't nurse.

This same grandma asks me every time I see her if my son is "just nursing" or if I have started him on "real food" yet. He is 2 months old... and the first time she asked me, he was 2 weeks old.

This isn't bad or weird, but I thought it was funny... my 11 year old and 8 year old sons were making a list of their baby brother's favorite things... milk, Mama, his Boppy pillow... when my 11 year old, says, "Hey! We forgot his very favorite thing... boobies!" I love that my older boys are so comfortable with breastfeeding, even though I am the only person they've ever known to do it.


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## 3lilchunklins (Feb 22, 2012)

Welcome to MDC ertanoel!
Thats so adorable about your sons!


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## Mollystork (Feb 20, 2014)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *AllyFolsom*
> 
> This reminds me of what our pediatrician said. She said that after 6 months there's no need to eat at night. I basically told her I don't need her bad parenting advice.


Heck, I still need to eat at night. No wonder my 11 month old son does too! I don't why people think all babies can go that long without eating. Not all Moms can . . .


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## Mollystork (Feb 20, 2014)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *tinuviel_k*
> 
> Lady: "Look at the baby, she is so nice and chunky! She must be a GOOD eater!"
> Me: "Oh, she's only five months and she hasn't started solids yet. But yes, she sure does breastfeed a lot!"
> ...


OMG!


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## farmermomma (Oct 30, 2012)

I did have a cat that thought he was a lactation consultant. Really trying to get all up in there between me and baby. I put that cat out many-a-times. Lol.

I have a picture of me wearing baby with cat on my lap, me sitting on toilet. No wonder I was going nuts.


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## agentisis (May 15, 2010)

By a lactation consultant when my son was a few weeks old "You have to get your supply up because it's set at 6 weeks because that's when your supply is fixed and that's all the milk you're ever going to make"

It's a gland people! Which is like saying you had better sweat buckets when you're a baby or you'll never learn to sweat.

Nursing my 18-month old son exclusively for several days through a nasty stomach virus I can attest to how much my body was able to produce.


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## Asiago (Jul 1, 2009)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *FarmerMomma*
> 
> I have a picture of me wearing baby with cat on my lap, me sitting on toilet. No wonder I was going nuts.


Love this!!


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## wildmansmom (Feb 9, 2012)

"He's as big as you, he will suck you dry" from an older co worker about DS.

"You shouldn't let him pacify at the breast" from the hospital lactation consultant about my 2 day old.

"Don't you want to pump so that her brother can give her a bottle?" From my very supportive MIL. ?! What?! DS was not quite 3 when DD was born.

"Well I guess she'll just wean early" from my mother regarding my daughter's love of rabbit food. And I'm still not sure what "early" means to her. DD is 12 months, DS was 27 months when he weaned and my 3yo nephew is still nursing.


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## wildmansmom (Feb 9, 2012)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *middlemamma*
> 
> My mother wanted to know if I was going to have my milk tested before I gave it to the baby to make sure it was ok.


A relative is always telling me stories about the women she knows who couldn't breastfeed. interesting since she never tried and I've been bf for over 3 years....(tangent) the best story was "a friend if mine had her milk tested and they told her it had no vitamins so she needed to switch to formula or the baby would starve. . is that even a thing?


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## farmermomma (Oct 30, 2012)

I thought test for diseases ...maybe. But test for vitamins? give me a break.


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## stormborn (Dec 8, 2001)

My GMIL had that happen...she said the Doc looked at her (expressed?) milk and said it wasn't good enough.







I'm guessing it was thin foremilk. I wanted to tell her the Doc was wrong but she looked like she was trying not to cry when she told me and I couldn't decide if it would make her feel better or worse, KWIM?


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## farmermomma (Oct 30, 2012)

Poor thing. My SO's grandmother looked so sad too when she said she couldn't bf because "she didn't drink milk". I just don't argue/debate, even inform the over 80 crowd. Only want to make her feel better about her life. As it is an awesome one.


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## fisherfamily (Dec 29, 2013)

Both my grandma and dh's grandma expressed regret about not being able to bf their babies. They each had 5! When they were having babies, the nurses would come in after the birth and tightly bind the mom's chest. Crazy, huh? Dh's grandma tried to nurse anyway, but could never get up a full supply, and had less than zero support from people around her.

I love her and dh's grandpa. They were/are always making comments about how "its just right to hold them all the time like that." Or, "good for you for nursing so long. I was so disappointed I couldn't. It just seems.like that's what you ought to do.".


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## apeydef (Mar 16, 2013)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *FisherFamily*
> 
> Both my grandma and dh's grandma expressed regret about not being able to bf their babies. They each had 5! When they were having babies, the nurses would come in after the birth and tightly bind the mom's chest. Crazy, huh? Dh's grandma tried to nurse anyway, but could never get up a full supply, and had less than zero support from people around her.
> 
> I love her and dh's grandpa. They were/are always making comments about how "its just right to hold them all the time like that." Or, "good for you for nursing so long. I was so disappointed I couldn't. It just seems.like that's what you ought to do.".


I don't know the age of your grandmas but bothy Granada didn't nurse either, formula was relatively new and people just didn't se to bf back then! I don't even think they thoughtuvh about it.


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## marilyn612 (Feb 11, 2014)

My mom told me she was given milk with honey as a baby!!


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## 3lilchunklins (Feb 22, 2012)

My older bro was born in the 70s and my mom BF him. He got up to 20 pounds by 4 months so the Dr had my mom wean him and put him on SKIM milk! Just nuts!


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## fruitfulmomma (Jun 8, 2002)

Quote:


> "a friend if mine had her milk tested and they told her it had no vitamins so she needed to switch to formula or the baby would starve. . is that even a thing?


They can test it for nutritional content though I have never heard of anyone actually doing that other than for research purposes. I wonder why they went to the trouble of testing and then didn't bother to tell her how to improve her diet instead of switching to formula?


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## stormborn (Dec 8, 2001)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *FisherFamily*
> 
> Both my grandma and dh's grandma expressed regret about not being able to bf their babies. They each had 5! When they were having babies, the nurses would come in after the birth and tightly bind the mom's chest. Crazy, huh? Dh's grandma tried to nurse anyway, but could never get up a full supply, and had less than zero support from people around her.
> 
> I love her and dh's grandpa. They were/are always making comments about how "its just right to hold them all the time like that." Or, "good for you for nursing so long. I was so disappointed I couldn't. It just seems.like that's what you ought to do.".


Aw that's nice to hear; they sound so sweet. I think there was a "nice things people say" thread awhile back, I'll see if I can find it.


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## erigeron (Oct 29, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *stormborn*
> 
> My GMIL had that happen...she said the Doc looked at her (expressed?) milk and said it wasn't good enough.
> 
> ...


Based on my mom's stories about nursing me, I don't think I really did self-wean at 6 months. I think I was distracted like 6-month-olds are, and she was fed up with me being on and off the boob, so she'd give a bottle, and that killed her supply, and then I was less interested, lather rinse repeat. But I haven't pointed that out to her because I don't see any point. It's not like she can go back and do it over.


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## stormborn (Dec 8, 2001)

Yeah, it's a moot point now, for sure! I feel awful for her though, she had at least nine losses (my MIL is her only living child) and all her life wanted a huge family. Being told her milk was "defective" on top of that must have been horrible.


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## EineMutti (Oct 22, 2013)

My granny tried to bf when my dad was born. Nurses told her "it's just water, you need to switch to bottles."

Fifties, Poland.


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## baileyb (Dec 22, 2010)

My GMIL also said that she had to start giving her son rice cereal at 2 weeks old because he was so big and my other GMIL said the doctors always told her to bf for a year but to put them on a schedule right away.

I wanted to add that I also expressed milk for rural outdoor cats that came around to our house occasionally. Our first child was stillborn and I asked my doctor about donating my milk (cuz I had so freaking much!!) and she basically told me that she didnt think it was a good idea for me, for whatever reason. Anyway, I had to pump because I was so engorged for quite a while


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## baileyb (Dec 22, 2010)

(sorry, stupid phone issues) I think we started out putting it outside the back door for one sickly little cat and ended up having 3 or 4 that heard the rumors of fresh milk at the back door at one point. lol! It was like the one little thing we could find humorous at such a sad time in our lives.


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## erigeron (Oct 29, 2010)

My grandmother was told to give my aunt rice cereal at something like 2 weeks too. My aunt was premature and my grandmother responded "She's not even supposed to BE here yet!"


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## baileyb (Dec 22, 2010)

Wow, cereal to baby whose adjusted age would basically be 0 months! Good for your grandma.


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## erigeron (Oct 29, 2010)

Yeah, I think that was the same doctor who gave her rather brilliant counsel earlier in her pregnancy, when she was throwing up all the time and losing weight. My grandmother asked if she should be taking vitamins and the doc replied that she didn't need them because she'd get all the vitamins she needed from her food. To which she responded "WHAT food?" At least I hope this was the same doc both times, because I hate to think she saw two different docs who were both that stupid.


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## 3lilchunklins (Feb 22, 2012)

Lol


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## CLplus1 (Jan 31, 2013)

I saw my grandma yesterday. I was nursing my son and she asked if there were things I couldn't have. I told her I couldn't have milk anymore because it makes him constipated, she said that's why they put Karo syrup in baby's bottle. I wasn't surprised since it wasn't the first time I heard that, she probably knows they don't do that anymore since she babysat me and my sister. She had her babies between 1953-1963 so I'm guessing she didn't breastfeed at all, she's a really small lady so they probably told her she couldn't or something.


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## EineMutti (Oct 22, 2013)

Went to my GP for a checkup and had her look at this inflamed banana that is in my boob. Literally feels like a banana, red, hot and sore. All she did was give me some antibiotics and said: "Well, as you know, there are all kinds of problems you can have when you breastfeed..."

VERY encouraging. No wonder we have the lowest rate in the world here.

Ask my LC friend and she recommended dangle nursing. Banana is mush now and the antibiotics are still in the drawer, untouched.


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## Backroads (May 4, 2013)

My daughter's first birthday is today, and that's when the n.p. and all other sources said we could start introducing cow's milk, which I'm for.

The other night, my mom says "Make sure you buy her whole milk because it has more fat than your milk."

Yes, because I lactate 1%.


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## baileyb (Dec 22, 2010)

lol!


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## farmermomma (Oct 30, 2012)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EineMutti*
> 
> Went to my GP for a checkup and had her look at this inflamed banana that is in my boob. Literally feels like a banana, red, hot and sore. All she did was give me some antibiotics and said: "Well, as you know, there are all kinds of problems you can have when you breastfeed..."
> 
> ...


What's dangle nursing?


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## EineMutti (Oct 22, 2013)

A nursing position to resolve mastitis. Basically, you dangle the boob on top of baby, jaw pointed to the sore bit. Works a treat! The theory is that the gravity helps clear the plugged duct.

(seems a little rude though...)


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## girligoddess (Jul 31, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Backroads*
> 
> My daughter's first birthday is today, and that's when the n.p. and all other sources said we could start introducing cow's milk, which I'm for.
> 
> ...


Hah, I had someone tell me my bf only baby was too fat, because she only had breastmilk!


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## farmermomma (Oct 30, 2012)

Of
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EineMutti*
> 
> A nursing position to resolve mastitis. Basically, you dangle the boob on top of baby, jaw pointed to the sore bit. Works a treat! The theory is that the gravity helps clear the plugged duct.
> 
> ...


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## Asiago (Jul 1, 2009)

This is a good thread.


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## ashersmommy514 (Dec 31, 2010)

That if I ate pizza, my milk would be greasy. That one was a gem. Lol.


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## EineMutti (Oct 22, 2013)

That breastfeeding isn't good for babies, as you never know how much they take... (that was from a mum of a newborn)


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## EnviroBecca (Jun 5, 2002)

Eine Mutti wrote:

Quote:


> Went to my GP for a checkup and had her look at this inflamed banana that is in my boob.










For a moment I thought you meant that literally, and were going to tell us that your stupid doctor had told you to put a banana in there to...hmm...for some reason so silly I can't even guess at it!

When my son was 2 months old, I went to an all-day meeting without him and used my manual pump in the "lounge" area of the restroom. A lady asked me a lot of nosy questions about the age of my baby and my plans for going back to work and so forth, and then told me, "You don't have to keep pumping! Just give him formula while you're away and nurse while you're home. Don't listen to the doctors; trust your body!" As if my body might be telling me something other than that it was making milk and I would be more comfortable getting it out of me....


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## kittymommy1974 (Mar 24, 2014)

My mom told me to make a slurry of Rice cereal, whole milk and corn syrup to feed my 5 week old. To fatten him up because he isn't getting enough milk.

Love this board but I have no idea what all the abbreviations are. Any cheat sheets out there?


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## Mama505 (Jan 7, 2012)

I had someone today tell me that I traumatized their 15yo. I was speechless. Still kind of am.


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## pokeyac (Apr 1, 2011)

Welcome to Mothering kittymommy1974! Here is a link to the abbreviations. I hope this helps.
http://www.mothering.com/community/a/abbreviations-and-acronyms


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## sammy45146 (Apr 16, 2014)

Well I told my husband that if he did not leave the air on my milk would spoil so I could sit in a nice cold house lol it did not work


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## mommy2k&k (Apr 21, 2005)

Lol, love this thread! I so needed a good laugh today!









My youngest DD was a preemie and I constantly heard how I needed to put cereal in a bottle to fatten her up.
Also how that if I continued to BF her that she would never get enough to eat because I couldn't see how much she was eating.. Hmmm I though she would stop eating when she was full?!? Lol
I love reading all these stories.


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## tracyamber (May 26, 2011)

Love this thread too!


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## CLplus1 (Jan 31, 2013)

From my Grandpa yesterday, "shouldn't you give him more bottles? He's having to work too hard." Meaning my son's had weight gain issues recently and he thought me pumping milk for him would be better. Lol, he got along fine without any bottles and got his first at four months old.

And before we went out to eat "Are you bringing a bottle of pumped milk?" I think he was hinting that nursing in the restaurant would be weird. I ended up having to comfort nurse him to sleep, but we were the only people there and our waitress was pregnant.

I've had my struggles and worked hard to keep going, making people uncomfortable isn't something I worry about anymore.


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## 3lilchunklins (Feb 22, 2012)

Speaking of resturants, we were at a chinese buffet and I needed to nurse DS, and my sister was like "aren't you going to cover up??!!?!" I was just like "At this age, he ends up exposing me more with the cover than just nursing him normal" She says OK sarcastically and rolls her eyes.


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## 2Roses (Apr 16, 2014)

What a great thread! These are hilarious and sad too that people are so misinformed.

My husband and I were at his parents for some holiday and our daughter was less than a year old. I heard his sister say "She's not still nursing is she?"
my dh just glared at her and she shut up pretty quick. Then one time I was sitting in my car in the grocery store parking lot nursing with a cover on. This old man

walks over and asks me what I'm doing. I told him I was feeding her and he was like "oh... don't you think it's weird when women nurse

their babies up to two years? There's something wrong with that". Rather than get in an argument I was like Oh yeah.. sure. Thankfully right at this moment

my dh came out of the store. People are so dang weird. I should have told him that babies who are breastfed longer are proven healthier and smarter.


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## Backroads (May 4, 2013)

My mom is starting to get weird about my continued (though somewhat ebbing) breastfeeding. I casually mentioned that every woman about my age (and even some older moms) in her church seem to be nursing their toddlers. She had no response to that.


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## tracyamber (May 26, 2011)

Oh please more stories. I looked forward to reading these every morning for good laughs


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## my3beasties (Feb 10, 2012)

OK here goes! I've heard some pretty silly things, the worst of which was from a pediatrician - I'm convinced he was poorly educated to begin with, and had started going senile.


DS1 was about 18 months, first visit with this Dr. He asked me if DS had been breastfed, when I said he was still nursing the Dr. replied "Oh NO, you should stop...there's no nutritional benefit to breastfeeding after 12 months." Like my breastmilk just turned to water on his first birthday?! 


Then there are the comments like "Aren't you uncomfortable nursing around people?" My reply is: "Nope - if someone is bothered by seeing a breast perform its naturally intended function, then they need to see more of it."


And of course, who could forget all the stupid advice like "You've got to drink milk to make milk"....."Don't let them nurse too long, you'll spoil them"......"Oh he needs a bottle with cereal mixed in (at 3 mos)"......"You need to give them infant vitamin drops to make sure they're getting enough (from a NICU nurse?!)"......"You should stop around 6 months and just switch to formula, it's such a hassle to breastfeed (because buying, mixing formula & sterilizing bottles is so much easier??)".


The real prizewinner? From my nearly 98-yr-old grandmother: "You should do what my mother used to - give the babies Borden sweetened condensed milk. My little brother was so chubby, once I stuck his diaper pin right through his fat roll, and he didn't even notice." Words fail me.


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## OklaFarmMama (Aug 31, 2013)

Haha, this is pretty amusing.
Nothing too extreme here, just the silly "your STILL breast feeding?" From DH's step family. They all BF, but not past 6 months, or first teeth. But DD is only my first and only 10 months old so I'm sure more silly advice will be given. Although I tend to focus on the positive like...

My dad's parents are always delighted when I nurses DD. My grandpa will still start laughing over the one time DD was routing around like "a little piggy" while I was holding her because I was trying to wait a few minutes because I was distracted.


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## sidrajedi (Apr 10, 2014)

"Only nurse twenty minutes on each side or they get gassy." Um, I don't know about anyone else but with my O/S that would have made DD's gas worse. Also my IBCLC told me never to limit time at the breast. But this was from someone who last BF in the mid 1980s so there's that.

Also this person told me that I had to quit BF when I wanted to TTC bc it was "bad for the (new) baby". Okay...


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## bayosgirl87 (Dec 6, 2010)

After six months, there's no benefit. :eyeroll:


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## EnviroBecca (Jun 5, 2002)

> "You should do what my mother used to - give the babies Borden sweetened condensed milk. My little brother was so chubby, once I stuck his diaper pin right through his fat roll, and he didn't even notice."


:duh Sweetened condensed milk is what I ate when I was 18 and recovering from mono which had caused me to lose 25 pounds. I can't imagine using it as a food (rather than an ingredient) for any situation other than emergency rapid weight gain. But I guess rapid weight gain is what your great-grandmother thought was healthy??

I may have posted this earlier in the thread...but because my little girl is now going to the same home childcare her big brother did, I was reminded of it just by nursing in the same place again.... When my son was 12 weeks old and I'd just gone back to work, one day I was nursing him at childcare when another mom came to drop off her kids, and she said, "Oh you're still nursing, well I give you credit for that--I quit after a few weeks; they were just so _demanding_." Um, you mean hungry?


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## GaleWinds (Aug 26, 2014)

"Your boobs are so small, your babies will surely starve!" Yes, thank you, I am quite aware of how woefully flat-chested I am. Thanks for bringing up all those hideously painful jr. high and high school memories for me. No really, thank you. 

FTR I breast fed 2 quite successfully, no supplements required, and even banked 8-9 oz per day with second.


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## tracyamber (May 26, 2011)

GaleWinds said:


> "Your boobs are so small, your babies will surely starve!" Yes, thank you, I am quite aware of how woefully flat-chested I am. Thanks for bringing up all those hideously painful jr. high and high school memories for me. No really, thank you.
> 
> FTR I breast fed 2 quite successfully, no supplements required, and even banked 8-9 oz per day with second.


You just cracked me up!

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## EnviroBecca (Jun 5, 2002)

GaleWinds, I had a college boyfriend ask me if I would be able to feed a baby! I just said, "Sure, my mom did!" and let it go. But obviously I haven't forgotten. :angry


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## TheCrunchyBrit (Apr 29, 2013)

OMG - this thread! 
DH's gran was told by her doctor that she was unable to breastfeed all her 3 children as after about 2 weeks her milk had 'turned solid in her breasts'! WTF? I'm assuming he meant that she was unlucky enough to get mastitis each time (probably due in no small part to the feeding 'schedules' they recommended back in the day) but hey, why bother explaining things to your patient or advising on treatment? He instead advised her to put them all on good old fashioned sweetened condensed milk. Advice she duly followed. I'm genuinely angry for her about this, she's very pro-breastfeeding and always talks about how much she would have loved feeding her kids.
I'm another one who has been told that I'll make my son gay by continuing to breastfeed him until toddlerhood. That one's always good for a laugh. I just say that surely all this boob exposure will turn him into a breast man! 
I guess the scariest thing I've dealt with recently though was 3 weeks ago. I had a meeting with the Supervisor of Midwives at my hospital over my plans for a home birth and she was gobsmacked that I still fed 2 year old DS. She said I would have to stop before baby number 2 was born because otherwise my body wouldn't make colostrum for the baby if I continued to produce milk.:serious: I had to explain to the Head Midwife of my Unicef Baby Friendly Accredited Hospital that when women breastfeed during pregnancy their milk reverts back to colostrum at about 16 weeks, oh and that DS wouldn't be able to 'steal' all the colostrum either. When I got home I told my mum because my mum is a retired Midwife and she breastfed her children, thinking mum would be just as shocked as I was. Instead my mum said 'Well, what did you expect? She's probably never seen anything like this before. It's (tandem feeding) something that only happens in third world countries now.' :jaw


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## Momma2Merrell (May 14, 2013)

I had a postpartum nurse tell me, as I was struggling to figure out my first experience as a nursing mom..."you really should give her a bottle, I don't think she's getting enough milk." I said, "no thank you, we'll figure it out." She then tells me, "well I'm just going to make you a couple bottles to go home with you." I said, "they are going to be wasted because I am breastfeeding." 

If I wasn't breastfed myself, and had my husband who was breastfed himself and completely supportive, and I educated myself beforehand...I was SET on figuring it out (because at first it takes some getting used to).... If I was just listening to the "educated" hospital staff...I probably would have given my infant the bottle and caused nipple confusion and possible milk supply issues..... 

This thread is funny, yes, because we all obviously know that BFing is way better....
but what if someone doesn't...like a young mom that just had a brand new baby for the first time... and she listens to these people....it sucks!


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## missmelancholy (Jan 10, 2013)

That I would need to give my baby vitamins because I'm breastfeeding. - Pediatrician


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## lanamommyphd07 (Feb 14, 2007)

"you have to wait until she cries before you b/f her or she won't develop her lungs. Something is wrong with her because she never cries!"


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## EnviroBecca (Jun 5, 2002)

I don't know how "silly" this is, but it's kind of weird...

I've been going to a New Moms' Coffee group that is pretty awesome, moderated by an expectant grandma. Almost every time the subject of pumping comes up, she tells us that we can increase milk output by watching porn while pumping. I can believe that it would work physically. What blows my mind is the idea that anybody would feel okay watching porn in the workplace! Even if you are not using your work computer or even your work wifi but using a smartphone with data plan...even if you don't have any kind of zero-tolerance policy in your workplace...wouldn't it just be weird and distracting to watch porn in your office and then try to get right back to work?!


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## pokeyac (Apr 1, 2011)

That is kind of weird, but I took a back to work class with an IBCLC and she said sometimes women read erotica to help get the milk flowing. Oxytocin is released when nursing and when aroused. :innocent I would avoid watching porn in the office personally.


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## LaNiebla (Jun 11, 2014)

My Mexican niece: "I tried breastfeeding, but my daughter didn't like my milk and wanted formula." She said her baby tasted her milk and made a horrible face and tried to spit it out. :eek

"I tried breastfeeding but I didn't have enough milk/my milk dried up." - five of my Mexican SIL's who started supplementing with formula in the hospital for all of their kids :shake One even came to visit me in the hospital (against my wishes) and mentioned that I shouldn't bother breastfeeding because I wouldn't make enough milk anyway. When I said I wasn't worried about it, her husband jumped in to say that most women can't. :rolleyes

I was told that I couldn't eat anything spicy because it would make my milk spicy. :huh

My daughter rarely cried, but I was told to give her bottles of chamomile tea to prevent gas and that I need to give her bottles of water too.

It's a sad state of affairs for breastfeeding here in Mexico. Out of my husband's gigantic family, I don't know anyone who has breastfed successfully and I have never seen any woman breastfeeding in public.  There are babies EVERYWHERE and they are all formula-fed.


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## stormborn (Dec 8, 2001)

When dd1 was little I worked full time and pumped. My stepdad told me that I should play classical music every time because it would help me pump more milk! He said when he was growing up on a dairy farm they used to play it in the barns for that reason. It still makes me smile; he was so earnest about it, trying to be helpful.


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## apeydef (Mar 16, 2013)

At least he was being supportive maybe there is truth to it because it relaxes you or something!


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## stormborn (Dec 8, 2001)

Oh, yeah, he meant well. It was funny, later he mumbled "not that I'm saying you're a cow..." For a guy of his generation (1920's) he was supportive of a lot. Dd2 was born at home while he lived with us and he was super proud of that, too.


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## Taximom5 (Jan 6, 2012)

I think there is actually a kernel of truth behind the idea that breastfeeding will affect the strength of your teeth.

If you are vitamin D-deficient (which is unfortunately quite common), you may or may not be able to produce milk that has all the vitamin D your baby needs, but your own health (including teeth and bones) will suffer.

It's an easy fix, of course (D3 supplements for mom), but not so easy when nobody recognizes it as a problem.


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