.... and how to fix them!
Mistake 1: Moms go it alone
Solution: Get out of the house -- fast
Clowes was reluctant to join -- let alone start -- a support group. "I hate that kind of thing," she says. But she did so out of desperation, and found the technical advice (how to latch on, how to deal with nipple pain) and emotional support indispensable.
Anthropologist Katherine Dettwyler, who studies breast-feeding, isn't surprised that women often fail at breast-feeding when they're left alone at home to raise a new baby. "Humans are very social creatures, and most of the world lives in extended families," says Dettwyler, an adjunct professor at the University of Delaware. "You have mothers and grandmothers around who knew everything about breast-feeding. You're not isolated at home for eight or 10 hours a day."
In addition to the Booby Brigade, Clowes joined a support group at The Pump Station, a local store that sells nursing pumps. La Leche League also has support groups. If you don't find a group, start your own, Clowes suggests. "I walked around my neighborhood and would just hand out a card with my name and phone number on it to other moms," Clowes says.
Mistake 2: Moms forget about their successful breast-feeding friends
Solution: Invite one over
While lactation consultants can be wonderful, they can also be expensive -- a visit from one in the Los Angeles area costs $200-$300 an hour, according to lactation consultant Harvey. Amanda Corbin, a mom who started a support group called "Got Milk?" in Tampa, Florida, says sometimes help can be free. She suggests inviting over a friend who's breast-fed successfully, and show her your attempts at nursing. It might be embarrassing to reveal all to your friend, Corbin says, but "we lay down our dignity during labor, so go ahead and lay down your dignity when it comes to the health of your baby."
Mistake 3: Moms assume they don't have enough milk
Solution: Rethink your baby's nursing behavior
Many times, new moms think if baby won't stop nursing, he must not be getting enough milk, so they give him formula. "Sometimes babies just nurse and nurse and nurse -- that's just what babies do," says Harvey. "It doesn't mean you don't have enough milk. It just means you should keep nursing."
Mistake 4: Moms get intimidated breast-feeding in public
Solution: Have snappy comebacks at the ready
Clowes says occasionally mothers in her group reported getting nasty comments when they've breast-fed in public. She suggests having a few retorts at the ready. On her Web site, crankylittleman.com, she has these two suggestions: "If you're uncomfortable seeing my baby eat, you are welcome to cover yourself with this baby blanket. I'll let you know when we're done," and "You think this is something? You oughtta see where he came out!"
Mistake 5: Moms panic when milk doesn't gush out
Solution: Realize that at the very beginning, you're not going to see a lot of milk
Through her work at the Booby Brigade, Clowes found some moms were expecting torrents of milk from the very beginning, and when they didn't get it, they'd give baby a bottle. They didn't understand that right after birth, moms produce small amounts of colostrum, a concentrated, nutrient rich liquid that's measured in teaspoons, not ounces, and is the perfect food for newborns.
The rest of the article is located here:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/08
/09/ep.breastfeeding/index.html#cnnSTCText
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