National Breastfeeding Week: Debunking myths, setting the records straight

Age-old myths have influenced the breastfeeding practice for many decades, cutting across generations and continents. Each generation of women believe in the same myths, but medical doctors and reproductive health experts say most of these myths are not scientifically proven .

Every nursing mother knows a handful of dos and don’ts, when it comes to breastfeeding, but do they have a medical backing?

Nursing mums always have people dishing out advice on breastfeeding options, but this rather strengthens their  beliefs in   myths.

Some of the common myths are;
# Nursing hurts the nipples
# Breasts sag after nursing
# Exercise gets milk sour
# Small breasts can’t produce enough milk
# stop breastfeeding when you fall pregnant
# Milk turns sour if you skip a day

The myths surrounding breastfeeding are myriad, but what do the experts say?

Breastfeeding Myths :What the experts say

One of the most common myths women have come to accept is that breastfeeding causes breasts to sag, but Matt R. Schulma, M.D Assistant Professor of Plastic Surgery @ the Mount Sinai school of Medicine in New York says that is not true.

“Droopy breasts are a result of pregnancy because hormonal changes  cause the ligaments underneath them to loosen and stretch. As you gain weight and get heavier, your breasts become larger,and they may begin to sag”.

Some women also believe that the milk turns sour when a woman falls pregnant, and should stop breastfeeding.

Patience Ijang, Reproductive Health Nurse at the Logbaba District hospital says scientifically,pregnancy does no harm to the milk.

“Milk doesn’t get bad because a breastfeeding woman falls pregnant. The quality of the milk remains the same, and she can continue breastfeeding till the arrival of her new baby”.

It is also widely believed that if a woman fails to breastfeed for some days, the milk turns sour and she should stop breastfeeding. Mme Nguemtchueng Monica
Assistant Nursing Cordinator, Chantal Biya Mother and Child Centre says skipping a breastfeeding day is not a good reason to stop breastfeeding.

” A woman can continue breastfeeding even after having stopped for sometime. As long as the milk hasn’t yet ceased , she should continue breastfeeding. However, she could squeeze out the milk from time to time to prevent painful breasts and permit the continuous flow of fresh milk”.

Another worry for a particular group of women is the quantity of milk their bodies can produce a day. Experts say nursing mums are required to consume up to 1800 calories a day. This means eating healthy foods that favor adequate flow of milk.

Myths surrounding breastfeding is a conern to all health care  givers. UNICEF parenting also goes ahead to  also debunks fourteen myths ( hypertext) women have believed for decades.

Dr Michele Griswold further addresses the issue of  myths on a UNICEF Mini Parenting Master Class on breastfeeding click on the following link to watch. https://youtu.be/mTm9zvz5-Dc .

And is it really normal for a breastfeeding to hurt? Not at all, says Dr Jane Morton , clinical Professor of Pediatrics at Stadford University, and Breastfeeding Expert in Meno Park, Carlifornia.
” It’s common to feel discomfort at first, pain is a sign that your baby isn’t latching unto your breasts properly. Instead of focusing only on your nipple, she should open wide and pull nipple and breasts deep into your chest”.
Myths about breastfeeding continue to prevent babies from getting the best of their mums. However, health experts’ greatest wish is that all women will  embrace the scientific truth on breastfeeding in order to improve  this fulfilling experience.