“I am a registered midwife and nursing sister. I have worked at the neonatal unit at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa for the last 18 years.
Lucile (Recipeint baby's mother & Neonatal ICU sister) - Cape Town
"It is such a great priviledge and pleasure to be able to give what I can give. It is truly an honour."
Jaclyn, breastmilk donor - Kuils River
"The incredible experience of Gabi’s premature birth gave us the unexpected opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of others by donating breastmilk."
Terri (breastmilk donor) Cape Town
"It felt wonderful to be able to help other moms and babies in the same way that I had been helped. It has been very special to be both a donor and recipient of breastmilk through the milk bank."
Debbie K. (donor and recipient)
Breastfeeding myths
- Myths about the mother's health
- Myths about the newborn
- Myth's about the baby's health
- Myths about "enough milk"
- Myths about surgery
- General myths
Myths about the newborn
Kangaroo mother or father care is only for premature babies - NOT TRUE!
This is defined as immediate skin to skin contact following the birth of a healthy infant. Before birth, hormones prime and trigger the mother. After birth, events are determined not by hormones and not by the mother but by the newborn stimulating the mother. (Rosenblatt 1994) See more on www.kangaroomothercare.com
The attachment process starts immediately after birth, and is easily disturbed by any intervention. (Christenson et al. 1994) See more on www.kangaroomothercare.com
*Premature babies need to learn to take bottles before they can start breastfeeding - NOT TRUE!
Premature babies are less stressed by breastfeeding than by bottle feeding. A baby as small as 1200 grams and even smaller can start at the breast as soon as he is stable, though he may not latch on for several weeks. Still, he is learning and he is being held which is important for his well-being and his mother's. Actually, weight or gestational age do not matter as much as the baby's readiness to suck, as determined by his making sucking movements. There is no more reason to give bottles to premature babies than to full term babies. Any supplementation can be given by cup.
The first milk is 'dirty milk' - NOT TRUE!
Sadly there are cultures all over the world who believe this, consequently many babies do not benefit from nature's wonder-food the first milk, called colostrum.
It is present in small amounts but packed with the antibodies and nutrients that your baby needs. It is like giving your baby his first immunization and he loves it.
If your baby does not breastfeed within the first hour or two of birth it would be hugely beneficial to express a few drops or more, if you can, onto a clean teaspoon and offer it to him.
Should your baby be born premature it is even more essential that he gets his colostrum.
Babies must be bathed at birth soon after birth - NOT TRUE!
It is in fact detrimental to bath a newborn baby.
Healthy, towel dried un-medicated newborn babies when left skin to skin on their mother's chest will instinctively move towards the nipple to breastfeed. This instinct is partially driven by sight, and smell. The darker areola (dark area around the nipple) is easier to see and his hands and his mother's areola have a similar smell. Thus the familiar smell on his hands, also present on the areola leads him in the right direction. Bathing changes the smell of his hands and he consequently looses one of his clues.
Not separating mothers and babies at this crucial time has been shown to play an important role in early successful breastfeeding. Besides babies are likely to get cold when bathed, the right place for a newborn baby is skin to skin on his mother's chest, at least until his first successful breastfeed.
What's more the vernix (fatty substance on a new born baby's skin) is not dirty, it protected his skin for months while he was swimming in the amniotic fluid and will continue to keep his skin soft and subtle until it is gradually absorbed or washed off.
When a newborn baby turns or pushes away from the breast, he does not want to breastfeed - NOT TRUE!
Not all babies want to breastfeed immediately after birth, although most will breastfeed within the first hour. Healthy babies who stay with their mothers, preferably skin to skin, and whose mothers have not had pain relieving drugs during labour, are most likely to breastfeed within this first hour.
If your baby is still very young, and he cries or pulls away when you try and breastfeed him, it is most likely that you and your baby need help with positioning and latching. Get help from an experienced nurse or if possible a lactation consultant (see Position and Latch on Breastfeeding Page)
Never try and force a crying baby to breastfeed. Always calm him down first, express a little milk onto your nipple and try again.
A baby becomes spoiled if he is demand fed - NOT TRUE!
A small baby is totally dependent on his mother. When hungry, he has an overwhelming need to be fed. A baby gets food and comfort at the breast and should not be made to always wait for these basic needs.
A 'good routine" at the start means always a 'good routine' - NOT TRUE!
When newborn babies happen to have regular breastfeeding and sleeping times it is NOT an indication that they have a routine. These times are likely to vary substantially in the weeks and months ahead. (See Breastfeeding Page on Demand Feeding)
*Myths by Dr Jack Newman
