Mums need to know how to breastfeed– not why!

Whilst government advice says ‘Breast is Best’ and mums should aim to breastfeed their babies exclusively until 6 months of age, the reality is very far from this.  According to the available UK statistics, less than half of mothers are still exclusively breastfeeding their babies just one week after giving birth, and only 21% are still feeding exclusively at 6 weeks.

Most mums get the message that ‘breast is best’, what they don’t always get is much information on ‘how’ to breastfeed successfully. With this week being World Breastfeeding Week, it’s the perfect time to remind mums-to-be that the Boy Scout approach of ‘Be Prepared’ is a sensible one to apply to breastfeeding their new baby.

Baby products company, Bibs and Stuff, who is working with ‘breastfeeding guru to the stars’, Clare Byam-Cook, champions breastfeeding awareness with a slightly different message.  “With the lack of government support on this subject, we’d like to take the opportunity to get across some practical tips and advice for the best possible chance to breastfeed successfully whether at home or in public, comfortably, discreetly and perhaps importantly to many mums today, with a little bit of style too!” says a spokesperson for the company.

According to Mrs Byam-Cook, many midwives attend a three day intensive breastfeeding course where they are taught breastfeeding techniques with the help of a doll and a balloon or even a knitted prop, and without any contact with a real baby or breast!  Without properly mastering the latching on technique, mums often feel excruciating pain having rapidly developed cracked or sore nipples and engorged breasts, and many go on to develop mastitis requiring medical treatment in the form of antibiotics.  No wonder then that more than half have either not even tried or swiftly given up and resorted to the bottle after just one week.

Many experts it seems, do not like to tell mums all about the potential problems they might experience, as they fear it will put off mothers from even trying to breastfeed.  “I totally disagree with this notion” says Clare; “It’s only by preparing mothers fully to know about the possible difficulties that they could encounter and what might help them if they do, that they are well prepared and able to cope if they do end up having problems.”  Clare continues; all too often I get calls from desperate mums who have come out of hospital, find they get engorged breasts, and their baby can’t latch on and they simply don’t know what to do” if these mothers knew in advance that this might happen they would be fully prepared with any equipment such as a breast pump that would help resolve the problem.”

Bibs and Stuff, with the help of Clare, have decided to pull together some alternative information and advice, in the hope that more mums will be encouraged to have a go at breastfeeding, and be successful in their perseverance too!

Technique is one of the most important factors when it comes to establishing successful breastfeeding according to Mrs Byam-Cook who always recommends mums use a pillow to help position the baby correctly.  It’s a simple tip that Clare says can make all the difference for correct positioning and encouraging baby to latch on properly from the word go and feed properly, meaning happy baby and mum!

The animal shaped Floppeze Pillow is an invaluable support for mums while breastfeeding and is the one that Clare recommends in all her Breast Feeding demonstrations. Having helped celebrities including Helena Bonham Carter and ‘Kates’ Winslet and Beckinsale to successfully breastfeed, every mum can get Clare’s help through her book ‘What to expect when you’re breastfeeding… and what if you can’t?’ or  DVD ‘Breastfeeding Without Tears’.

Another barrier to breastfeeding is when mum is away from the comfort of her own home, and finding she needs to feed in public.  With celebrities such as Denise van Outen citing this as an understandable reason not to continue with breastfeeding, there are some great products available for giving the less confident mum her privacy.

Speaking about breastfeeding awareness amongst new mums, Debbie Grant, from Bibs and Stuff said: “We truly believe that some tips from Clare Byam-Cook and a little help from a few essential breastfeeding items can make all the difference between success and failure to keep mums happily breastfeeding for as long as they wish”

For stockist details visit www.bibsandstuff.com or call Bibs and Stuff on 01293 774924.

Floppeze Pillow: retails at £30