No support from MCHN to continue BF

[CherishS2]

I'm feeling slightly annoyed after just visiting the MCHN....

She asked how long i plan on breastfeeding for and when i told her i plan to breastfeed for 2 years (10 months so far & providing al continues to go well) and her response was quite unsupportive & seemed completely unaware of WHO breastfeeding recommendations and she simply said "well the longer you keep breastfeeding, the harder it will be to wean" and suggested i should be giving cows milk and only occasional BF after 12mths.

Is it any wonder so few women continue BF after 6mths given the lack of support?! I have often asked my MCHN questions about number of feeds i should be offering, etc assuming she would be knowledgable on the topic & now question whether she knows much about BF at all.

An article in Body & Soul liftout in Sunday's Herald Sun says Australia has one of highest BF initialisation rates (attempts to BF from birth) at 92%. And that figure rapidly declines and by 4 months only around 50% are BF and by 6 months only 14%.

We need more support in Australia to encourage women to continue BF until 2 years!

[Lil Bugs Mummy]

I had this attitude from my nurse also when i was still feeding dd at 13 months, they also told me she was underweight until the 18 month check when they finally admitted she was the correct weight for her height she is very small, and she was a 9 pound 1 baby but stopped gaining around 12 months, they said that was due too too much breastfeeding i stopped at 15 months due to being pregnant and wanting a break and until this day she has only put on 400 grams and eats like a pig so you know what feel is right so just go with that and ignore ignorant people like that.

[Benji]

I was hospitalised when DS was 13 months with mastitis and a doctor came to check on me and literally laughed in my face because I was "still" breastfeeding. Another told me it wasn't necessary and I wasn't feeding him properly because he was "small" (she actually freaked me out so badly as soon as I was better I took DS to GP to be weighed and he was in fact "chubby").

I'm appalled at the health "experts" in this country. When I was hospitalised I only had ONE supportive nurse and she was a student nurse from an Islamic country (I assume, she was wearing a burqua and had an accent).

[CherishS2]

In addition to that, she also made a flippant comment about the fact my supply is probably low which is why my DD is on the 25 percentile for weight. She was born on that percentile and has pretty much followed it all along (now 10mths) and i am sure my supply is not low as she is always satisfied after feeds & a very contented baby & sleeps through the night.

So many women give up BF because they think their supply has dropped and a MCHN making random comments like this without even discussing my BF in depth doesn't help. If i wasn't very knowledgable on BF i might have assumed she was right & given up!

Grrr.... getting more annoyed the more i think about it!

[peanutbutter&jelly]

At least you're getting angry rather than upset :)
I was made out like I was in the wrong for taking my DS off of dairy, when he power chucks when he has it (he was 18 months at the time, 2 1/2 now). I was asked "but what does he have then? He NEEDS cows milk" :confused: :laughing:
Very odd. Calcium fortified soy + greens + BM would do just fine actually, thanks for the concern :D

[Thermolicious]

I'm not surprised :o

Not a very constructive comment I know but I'm not a big fan of MCHN due to my own negative experiences.

[BabushkaMumma]

After my last visit I decided I'm never going back! She told me that breastfeeding my DD still at 14 mths was 'a problem' and that I shouldn't be feeding her overnight...then she asked me how much longer I was going to BF for! She shouldve said keep going!!! So useless!!! So I ain't going back! I was so angry that I was planning on making a complaint!!

[sunnymummy]

I had a GP tell me that I needed to wean DS when he was 9 months because I have ONE case of mastitis. :rolleyes:

I just smiled and said ok and then carried on BF. DS is 20 months are we are still going strong! :D

It is very frustrating and intimidating especially for mothers who are less confident in their BF. I know several women who gave up before they wanted to. :thumbsdown:

[JabberJaw]

:rolleyes: you should hear what they say when i tell them i am still breastfeeding my 2.5 year old.


Meh, lots of people have problems with CHN's, the ones i had were all good. I probably would have ignored them if they said anything negative about breast feeding anyhow.

Ask your questions to the ABA instead, i am sure they will be happy to provide you with whatever info you are after.

[Bubmum]

I wouldn't be going back..although, I filter everything I hear, and only heed positive advice when it comes to bfing.
Do you have a local ABA group? It is lovely to surround yourself with women in a similar position. I am very blessed to hang out with women who are still bfing their beautiful babes past 2 (that is in my playgroup as well, we're a complete bunch of weirdos up here). I wonder if DD will ever wean, but I am sure she will. In her own good time.

[CherishS2]

Good idea about the ABA- i hadn't really looked into it much yet as there seemed to be so much support when you first start breastfeeding that i have been pretty confident with it so far. But it seems that once you hit the 6 month mark the support seems to drop away.

I think i am one of the last ones in my mums group (of 15) to still be BF so it's hard to get support & advice from there now too. Thank goodness for bubhub!! But i think i'll look into joining the ABA now too. :yes: