Holistic Babies London

15. Jan, 2021

Breastfeeding: off to the best start!

Like many, you would have heard of many breastfeeding stories, with some stories more positive than others. How is it that something so natural can be so challenging? How did women cope at a time when there were no lactation consultants around and no formula? 

How can I ensure breastfeeding is going to be a success for me? 

Let's start with a positive note: almost everyone can breastfeed; only 1% of women cannot breastfeed. 

However, I know that it is not because you want and can breastfeed that it will necessarily be easy. 

Here is why:

1- The lack of exposure and understanding of breastfeeding: what is instinct without role models? Pregnant women are told to breastfeed. They read about it, take classes, understand the physiology of breastfeeding, but what does this all mean if no one shows us, guide us, empower us, reassure us? 

3- There aren't enough staff on the ward to support mothers: I say it and repeat over and over, the NHS is a great institution, my friends and colleagues who continue to work in the NHS on the busy postnatal wards are doing their very best. However, the budget is tight, staff levels are low, add to this a pandemic, and we end up with the overstretched services, particularly on the postnatal ward! Additionally, we are a population in cities like London who has babies later in life, meaning women are at higher risks due to their maternal ages, leading to needing more care. No matter how good the maternity staff is, how knowledgeable and kind, the postnatal ward is busy and challenging. Midwives feel frustrated that they cannot deliver the standard of care they always aspired to provide due to the current staff- woman ratio. 

4- We are still in a culture of formula feeding. The debate continues, and it can be disempowering. (more on this at a later stage). 

5- Tongue- ties are either over or under-diagnosed: this is a topic all on its own. Some tongue-ties can impact breastfeeding. Not all staff in the ward (including doctors) are trained to diagnose tongue-tie (it is complicated!). More and more hospitals discourage staff from diagnosing babies due to discrepancies in training. (more on tongue-tie in a later blog). 

6- Lack of breastfeeding knowledge from maternity staff: this is not a criticism of maternity staff! Breastfeeding is an area of expertise in midwifery, and, as with every area of expertise, not everyone wishes to undertake further training. Therefore we end up on the ward with some maternity staff who have extensive experience and knowledge-driven by their passion for breastfeeding while others are, well, not that interested. It is unfair to mothers, that is all I can say on the topic! 

What can you do to get off to the best start:

1- Do not wait till your baby is there to gain knowledge and prepare yourself: ask around your circle of friends and family about reputable Doulas, Newborn Care Specialists, Breastfeeding Specialists, and Lactation Consultants who can support you with breastfeeding. 

2- Select your breastfeeding person, meet up antenatally for a workshop, a chat and make a breastfeeding plan. 

3- Harvest colostrum in the last few weeks of your pregnancy (more about Colostrum Harvesting in upcoming blogs).

5- Make it clear in your birth plan that you want uninterrupted skin to skin with your baby unless medically necessary, even if you have a cesarean section. The baby check can wait, the weight can wait, and the vitamin K can be administered when your baby is skin to skin! 

A little bit of anthropology: it takes a village!

Did you know that, in places where people continue to follow the ancestors' hunter-gather model, the adult-child ratio is 4? That's right: 4 adults for one child!  

So you can imagine that, in such a model of society, there is always someone in the entourage who knows: a traditional birth attendant, a midwife, doulas, or grandmothers and aunts who have had and breastfed their babies. The exposure to breastfeeding from childhood has normalised breastfeeding, and women know it is the way it has to be. For those who cannot breastfeed for whatever reason, someone else will breastfeed for them. That is why women who live together synchronise their periods; if we all menstruate together, we all ovulate together. Therefore we are more likely to get pregnant together! So if I have a baby and cannot breastfeed and my best friend has a baby at the same time and breastfeeds successfully, she can feed my baby for me: this ensures the survival of the homo sapiens. Clever mother nature! 

Put your money where your baby's mouth is: 

Pregnancy, birth, babyhood is a very profitable market for companies with ever-growing goods to chose from. It comes, of course, with a price tag. Many parents decide to hold a baby shower where a list of items from the baby section of department stores is shared. While it is a fantastic idea to use this opportunity to receive much needed (and costly) goods, let's ask ourselves what we need and where financial donations are best used.

Rather than yet another set of clothing, bright, loud toys, and teddies, why not ask for vouchers for postnatal support with a Doula or a lactation consultant. Rather than buying bottles, teat, formula, and a steriliser, research hospital-grade pumps in rental or shop around for a decent electric breast pump. 

Babies do not need that much: you are their best nutrition source and their favourite toy! (more on the topic on a later blog). 

If you are on a tight budget, prioritise where your money should go. Postnatal support and your "village" can make a big difference to your postpartum experience. You will not remember what baby grows your baby will have worn, but you will remember how supported, empowered, and cared for you were in those early, daunting weeks. 

In a world of over-consumerism and tons of plastics discarded each year, it may be a good idea to rethink what our babies and we really need. After all, those babies are our future, and what sort of legacies do we want to leave them? 

For more information on Doula support, you can contact Doula UK: Doula UK - The non-profit association of doulas in the UK.

If you are worried about being able to afford goods for your baby or in need of support, Holistic Babies, London can help you towards the cost of breastfeeding support or buying a breast pump. For more info, contact admin@holisticbabies.co.uk.

You can visit Home - Little Village (littlevillagehq.org): it is like a food bank but for baby goods. 

Stephanie is the founder of Holistic Babies London and an International Broad Certified Consultant currently in training, she organises antenatal worships and teaches you how to harvest colostrum to maximise your breastfeeding success. She is a perinatal and child mental health advocate and a mother of 2.