Six months. Thatβs how long the NHS recommends exclusive breastfeeding for, and it looks like we might have made it.
Next week Littlest B will turn six months old, and it dawned on me that sheβs had absolutely nothing but breastmilk since the day she was born.
BB and Little B were also exclusively breastfed and also had nothing but breastmilk until they started eating food, but I didnβt really think anything of it at the time. I had been so determined to breastfeed I just did it β it seemed normal.
But when you look at the current UK breastfeeding rates breastfeeding a baby exclusively for the first six months of their life is anything but normal.
According to a study in the Lancet 81% of UK mothers try breastfeeding at some point, but by six months only 34% are still breastfeeding and by the time a baby is 12 months old that figure drops to 0.5% – or one in 200 women.
Of course there are a whole host of reasons for these statistics β many absolutely nothing to do with the parents in question – but that isnβt what this post is about.
Itβs about the fact you donβt tend to see many positive breastfeeding stories.
Iβm proud that Iβve managed to exclusively breastfeed all of my babies, but I often feel itβs not something I ought to shout about because I know Iβm in the minority.
Breastfeeding came easily to me and Iβve loved it, but I donβt want to sound boastful or gloaty when I know it doesnβt come easily for so many mums and many mums donβt love it.
Donβt get me wrong, it hasnβt all been a walk in the park β there was Little Bβs tongue tie to contend with, I gave up my dream job for the simple reason I couldnβt hack sitting on a closed toilet seat pumping milk all day and of course thereβs the crippling tiredness β but on the whole the benefits have outweighed the costs.
I know I can’t be the only one who feels this way because Iβm one of the 34% of mums who are still feeding at six months β so why donβt we hear more about their stories?
To mark World Breastfeeding Week β which is all about raising awareness of all aspects of breastfeeding – I thought Iβd share a little more about my story, and 6 things Iβve learnt in six months of exclusive breastfeeding.
6 things Iβve learnt in six months of exclusive breastfeeding
1. Youβre quite literally eating for two. Not only have you grown a human being, youβre now keeping their body as well as your own functioning. Which means you need lots of fuel – so make the most of it!
2. Ignore anyone who tells you not to feed your baby to sleep. In my experience this is in fact the best way to get them to sleep.
3. Never underestimate the power of good nursing wear. Nursing clothes have come a loooong way since I first started breastfeeding BB in 2011, and itβs no longer a case of only being able to find boring snoring comfort-over-style kind of garb. My latest find is organic cotton brand Frugi who have launched a brand new collection of nursing clothes to coincide with World Breastfeeding Week.
They very kindly sent me this bandeau dress (Β£60) to try out and I love it! With a meadow print design featuring toadstools the dress has a panel at the front to lift up for boob access, while skimming nicely over my three-times-mum-tum thanks to a nifty bit of pleating, making it stylish yet practical at the same time.
4. Invest in a good breast pump β itβs worth it. There are all sorts out there, at all sorts of prices and with all sorts of results. Medelaβs double swing pump (Β£239.99) is one of the pricier options on the market but itβs worth every single penny β itβs so gentle, so efficient and the best electric pump Iβve come across (and I’m not just saying that because I’m a #Medela Mum!) Watch this space for a full review coming later this month…
5. Donβt be afraid to whip them out in public. The media might be filled with negative stories about mums breastfeeding in public but in the UK itβs against the law to prevent a nursing mum from feeding her baby in a public place. And the majority of the great British public will support you, as was proved when I went on This Morning to talk about why Iβm proud to feed my baby in the pub.
6. Buy the biggest muslins you can get your hands on. A big muslin is among my top newborn essentials because the bigger the muslin the more versatile it is, and perfect for breastfeeding in public. My current faves are from Mama Rules (Β£24-Β£25) because of the gorgeous patterns, and in honour of World Breastfeeding Week theyβve given me a discount code so you can get one too! For 15% off any of Mama Rules muslins just enter the code CRUMMY at the checkout. Isn’t this flamingo print absolutely gorgeous?
Did you breastfeed your baby in the first six months of their life? How did you find it and what did you learn?
Big thanks to Frugi for sending me one of their gorgeous nursing dresses, and to Mama Rules for offering a very generous discount code for their muslins. As always all opinions are my own and based on my own honest experience, and I would never recommend products I donβt truly believe in.
I fed my twins for 17 months although not exclusively but I completely agree with getting yourself some nice nursing clothes. I also used reusable breast pads which were super soft and just chucked in the washing machine. A bargain off of eBay. #postsfromtheheart
Well done. Breastfeeding for 6 months is a great achievement. I find it so interesting to read about breastfeeding. I didn’t manage it with my two girls. #TwinklyTuesday
You should be really proud! My mummy made it to six months with me too – but it was a hard old slog! Popping over from #TwinklyTuesday
My double electric pump was my best friends when the twins were wee babes.
#twinklytues
Really interesting read. Well done for reaching six months! I had no idea Frugi was doing nursing wear, must check that out! Agree on the nursing tips too! Great post x #twinklytuesday
I am actually quite jealous, I never really got the hang of breast feeding, the support that is available now wasn’t then#blogginggoodtime@_karendennis
Well done for exclusively breastfeeding for 6 months – that’s an achievement that shouldn’t be underestimated! I am breastfeeding my 8 week old baby and did my eldest daughter for over a year (though we did combination feeding, so not exclusively). I’m also loving the new range from Frugi – so many pretty pieces π #ablogginggoodtime
Six months is an amazing achievement, well done you! #ablogginggoodtime
Great advice as always lovely and I love that flamingo print muslim. I want one too! Thank you for linking up to #ablogginggoodtime
Fabulous advice lovely and well done for getting to 6 months. I am about to hit 11 months (eeeek!) although I have cheated with the odd bottle of formula during those really testing times! I adore the Frugi Mother clothes – have two in the wardrobe which are just lush – I feel totes gorg in them whilst easily able to feed π Thanks for linking up with #TwinklyTuesday
I did 5 months and then moved over to introducing bottles. I am uber proud of myself and never had
any negative comments. To be honest if anyone did want to comment i would have squirted them π #postsfromtheheart
Great post and great advice for new mums. I breastfed each of my 4 for varying lengths. My first born was 7 months, my 2nd only 8 weeks (bitterly regretted this decision, I gave in to pressure to bottle feed), my 3rd was 7 months and my 4th and last baby until she self weaned at around 18 months. Well done mumma, you are doing a fantastic thing x
#PostsFromTheHeart
I did but not exclusively breastfeeding, I was mixing feeding which is what worked best for us #TwinklyTuesday
[…] you a little something I prepared earlier: BB’s sixth birthday cake! In the same week Littlest B turned six months old BB turned six years old and requested none other than a Trolls extravaganza. Owing to the small […]
I’m exclusively breastfeeding my daughter and she’s gone from 9lb4 when she was born to 13lb5 in 6 weeks. I feel so proud that my milk has done that. With our son I breastfed but gave one bottle a day – which started as expressed and became formula because i thought it would make him sleep more, it didn’t! Think time, she’s had 3 bottles of expressed in her 6 weeks of life and thats only because i have theatre tickets in march so need to make sure she’ll take a bottle then. I am loving breastfeeding her and feel proud that i’m doing it.
PS I’d love to be a Medela Mum! I have a Medela Swing pump and we’re using the calm teets with Melela bottles so would be a good person for it!
[…] knew keeping you at home with me when I went back to work so we could exclusively breastfeed was going to be a challenge, but what I didn’t bank on was how much fun it was going to be […]