Why Are There So Many Breastfeeding Horror Stories?

It hurt so bad. I couldn’t make any milk. My baby just never latched. I tried…but I failed. If any of these statements sound familiar to you, then you’ve probably heard a breastfeeding horror story. Maybe you were even the main character of such a story. But if you’re an expecting parent hoping to successfully breastfeed your baby, stories like this can be scary. And if you’re tired of being scared, this blog is for you. It’s time to change the narrative. So read on.

As a postpartum doula, I hear from so many expecting parents that they hope to breastfeed or that they would like to try to establish breastfeeding or some form of this that highlights a lack of confidence in their ability to meet their feeding goals. Dig a little deeper and it becomes clear this lack of confidence often comes from stories they have heard from other people.

“My mother tried to breastfeed me but it never worked and she switched to formula.”

“My best friend told me that it hurt so bad she just couldn’t take it.”

“I’ve heard how hard breastfeeding can be so I’m just not sure I can do it.”

Why are there so many breastfeeding horror stories???

Why indeed? One thing I do know for sure is that some of the biggest indicators for success with breastfeeding are education and support.

Studies show time and again that good education is one of the most important things for successful breastfeeding. This means taking a class, reading several books, or even meeting prenatally with an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) to put a plan in place for your feeding goals. Knowledge is power when it comes to breastfeeding and the more you acquire before your baby is born, the better equipped you will be to deal with any challenges.

Support is the other key to meeting your breastfeeding goals. Invite your partner to join you at any infant feeding classes and communicate prenatally about your goals so that you are on the same page. Enlisting a postpartum doula to help you with establishing breastfeeding in the early days is another excellent support person to have during postpartum. And once again, finding a good IBCLC to assist you with any major challenges, troubleshoot issues, and work to keep your goals on track can be the biggest help when it comes to support.

So when you hear breastfeeding horror stories, remind yourself that you don’t know the details of this story. What kind of education and support did this person have? If those two things were missing, then of course meeting breastfeeding goals were going to be difficult.

You can stop the breastfeeding horror stories by taking control of your own story. Find an infant feeding class to gain more education on establishing breastfeeding. And definitely bring your partner along to the class. Communicate with your partner about your goals and emphasize how needed their support is. Do your research prenatally to find a local IBCLC - you can probably find one that takes your insurance - and keep their info handy if you experience early challanges.

Let’s retire these scary breastfeeding stories and replace them with positive narratives. Good education and good support increase the rates of breastfeeding success - this is backed by evidence. So take control of your feeding story and you can be the one telling future new parents what it takes to make breastfeeding a success.