Avoiding Bad Breastfeeding Advice: There Are Good And Bad Tips Out There

Essentially, not all advice is good advice. There are plenty of folks out there more than willing to give you some half-baked opinion that has nothing to do with reality.

If you’re going to be the best parent you can be, it will involve learning to separate good advice from bad advice. With that in mind, let’s explore a few examples of bad advice.

1. Not Breastfeeding

Some mothers have this strange idea that breastfeeding isn’t good. That’s not true. Breastfeeding is healthy for you, it’s healthy for your child, and it’s one of the most healthy things you can do for the first two years of your infant’s life.

Any mother or other person who says breastfeeding is bad is either comforting their own inability to breastfeed, or spreading disinformation. Whatever the case, they’re not giving you good advice; so don’t take it.

2. Breastfeeding The Baby Upside-Down

No. Just…don’t do that. There’s the classic cradle, the football hold, and side-lying breastfeeding positions. These are all fine. But breastfeeding the child upside-down is going to result in a strange latch, possibly blocked milk ducts, discomfort, and difficulty in suckling for the baby.

3. Baby Formula Is Just As Good As Breast Milk

It most certainly is not. Baby formula will likely have a negative impact on your child’s overall development. Accordingly, if you can’t breastfeed, you should pump your milk or acquire breast milk from somewhere whenever possible. Breast milk from your own body will be best for your baby. Formula is better than nothing, but it’s generally not going to do the trick.

4. Supplementing Breastmilk For Water

If the baby is under six months old, it’s a bad idea to supplement breastmilk with water. Basically, breastmilk is 85% water and 15% nutrients. So they’re getting the hydration they need whenever they feed. Until your baby’s body has developed enough, you want to keep them on breastmilk. It’s not a bad idea to keep breastfeeding for up to two years.

5. The Size Of Your Breasts May Inhibit Milk Production

Some mothers think if your breasts aren’t large enough, you have to get formula. No, that’s simply not true. It’s your feminine qualities that facilitate your nourishing ability, not how buxom you may or may not be. So don’t let that sort of thinking cause you to worry.

6. Drinking Lots Of Water To Maintain Breast Milk Supply

If you drink a bunch of water, it’s not going to maintain your milk supply, it’s just going to make it so you have to go to the bathroom. What keeps milk supply up are whole grains like barley and rye. Fenugreek, fennel, barley-malt—these things will expand breastmilk supply. But you could chug four gallons of water a day, and all it would do in reality is stress your bladder.

Plans Fail For Lack Of Counsel Or Bad Counsel

Drinking lots of water won’t maintain your milk supply, breast size doesn’t play into your ability to produce milk, water shouldn’t be supplemented for breastmilk when your baby is hungry or thirsty, baby formula is not as good as breast milk, upside-down breastfeeding isn’t a good idea, and it’s a really bad plan to avoid breastfeeding.

If you don’t get the right counsel, or you follow bad counsel, it’s going to ruin your plans. That’s true in business, employment, artistic creation, and parenthood. When it comes to raising your children, there are common misconceptions about things like breastfeeding that you definitely want to avoid as much as you can.