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| Lorraine and newborn Olivier work as a team to figure out breastfeeding |
Many Parents-in-France members have experienced a lack of support with breastfeeding, especially
from hospital midwives whose advice is often contradictory or even detrimental to a good start for the nursing couple. A good
source of breastfeeding support is the French La Leche League. You can even call them for telephone advice from the hospital.
They are reputed to be totally practical and very supportive. Their French website has more details: http://www.lalecheleague.org/France In addition, for personalised online help, the American Babycenter site ( http://www.babycenter.com) has several breastfeeding bulletin boards, and is unbeatable for their extremely supportive and dedicated posters, helping
mothers succeed in nursing.
If you are determined to nurse and worried that (particularly as a first-time mother) you might be persuaded wrongly
by an ill-informed nurse, pregnancy is not too soon to research! Read everything you can about breastfeeding so that you feel
strong enough in your convictions to be firm in the clinic or hospital. So that you can be prepared (rather than with the
purpose of scaring you!), here are some examples of what our mothers were told.
The baby isn't putting on enough weight - here is some formula!
Breastfed babies have their own weight-gain patterns, but they are rarely based on anything that couldn't be
fixed with help in a better latch position and more intensive and longer nursing sessions. As long as you can, resist that
awfully tempting little bottle! In the long term, nursing is far less work and far more rewarding. It just takes some effort
to figure it out in the beginning.
The baby woke up while in the nursery, so we gave her/him some formula to let you sleep longer.
You will need to be VERY clear (and preferably have the instructions in writing on your chart) that your baby is to be
given NOTHING (neither formula nor sweetened or plain water) other than breastmilk. When in doubt, keep baby in your room
at all times!
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| 14 months later, Ollie is still a happy nurser! |
Some Opinions about Breastfeeding in France
There ARE pro-breast doctors in France and we have had more than one! Our PMI ("service de protection maternelle et infantile")
really is great when it comes to breastfeeding. We've been to two different PMIs, and have had 4 or 5 doctors over the last
3 years, and I have NEVER once been told to wean either baby. I breastfed my daughter until 13 months with the doctors' positive
encouragement, as she is cows' milk-allergic and the doctor very correctly did not want her to have soya milk before the age
of a year. I am still nursing my son at 15 months with the pediatre's blessing (not that I need it)!
Both my children have had a classic breastfed baby weight gain pattern - extremely rapid weight gain in the first 3-4
months followed by a pronounced levelling off. The PMI doctors were not at all phased by the rapid weight gain and correctly
ascribed it to succesful breastfeeding (my daughter went from 25th to 75th percentile for weight in this time, my son went
from 75th to way off the top of the chart). The doctors were also not at all phased by their subsequent very slow weight gain,
again correctly ascribing it to a normal pattern for babies who are breastfed throughout their first year and beyond. (Breastfed
babies are typically 2.5 times their birthweight at one year, compared to 3x for bottlefed babies.) So, if your doctor insists
on weaning or is less than supportive of breastfeeding - vote with your feet. I find that there is a very considerable correlation
between doctors who over-prescribe antibiotics and doctors who are anti-breastfeeding!
Article contributed by Ally
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