Although breastfeeding is natural this doesn’t mean it will always be easy at first. Some mums find it takes time to learn how to latch their baby on and get used to their baby’s feeding pattern. Asking for lots of support from your health professional, going along to a breastfeeding support group or contacting the National Breastfeeding Helpline for free on 0300 100 0212 with any questions can all help. Most mums find that after they get through the first weeks, breastfeeding is much simpler. After all, you can’t forget to leave it at home and it’s always ready in the middle of the night!
You might find that lots of people try to tell you negative stories about how they couldn’t breastfeed. Often if you really listen to these stories you will find that women weren’t properly supported to breastfeed. Although a small percentage of women will struggle to make enough breastmilk for health reasons, most women with the right support can breastfeed. If you look at other countries around the world, nearly all women start breastfeeding and many continue until their children are toddlers and older.
Unfortunately, our research shows that women can face lots of barriers that stop them from being able to breastfeed. This might include family or friends not supporting them, a lack of professional support, negative public attitudes and pressure to get back to work. Often women worry that how often their baby wakes up or feeds is a sign that something is wrong, but frequent feeding and waking up at night are very normal for all babies regardless of how they feed.
Our research has shown how much of an influence these factors have and we are calling on the government to make changes at a public health level (to services, benefits and laws) that enable women to breastfeed for longer.
This is why it’s really important to try and get as much support as possible from your health professional, breastfeeding peer support groups or contacting the helpline if you have any questions or issues. Being around other women who have breastfed and understand can be a brilliant help.
Find out more:
- Watch our clip on ITV news about the top worries women have when breastfeeding and what you can do about them
- Read our article on the top ten concerns that women have when breastfeeding and how to get support
- You might find out article talking about how breastfeeding is not necessarily ‘easy’ at first but is a skill that you learn with your baby over time useful.
- Have a look at our illustrations and article on the factors that influence breastfeeding drawn by illustrator Kate Evans
- Join our campaign ‘Better breastfeeding’ to call for more support for breastfeeding.
- If you are interested in reading more about the psychological and social barriers women face in breastfeeding, you might like to read our book ‘Breastfeeding Uncovered’ which brings together all the research in this area and calls for more support for breastfeeding mums.