There are so many breastfeeding myths out there, I could end up writing for a VERY long time!

So here are my top 5 that me, my sister and my friends wish we would have know before we started feeding!

1. Breastfeeding is a GREAT contraceptive.

Firstly yes, breastfeeding can act as a contraceptive, but there is a lot of 'criteria' that you have to meet. The 3 main things are; you're baby needs to be less than 6 months old, you're periods should not have returned and you should be breast feeding on demand with at least 6 long feeds in 24 hours with gaps no longer than 4 hours in the day and 6 hours at night. The other part of this myth, is that even if you have met all 3 of the criteria, you can still get pregnant., but like any contraceptive it is not 100% effective. I know many people who have became pregnant while breastfeeding some who knew the above information and some who just believed that breastfeeding would work alone.

2. Breastfeeding makes your boobs go saggy!

When I was first pregnant and announced to my friends that I would be breastfeeding, one of the main reactions I got back was 'your boobs will go saggy'. I still laugh that my friends who dislike breastfeeding or are against it will use that excuse and I know that its not true! Scientist have done experiments which have proven that its not breastfeeding that makes your boobs saggy, its the pregnancy itself. So it didn't matter whether I breast fed or not, if the pregnancy was going to make me saggy anyway, I may as well do what’s best for my baby!

3. You baby will only go on the breast when she/he wants to feed.

Babies suck for many reasons, sometimes they want to feed, other times they are stimulating your milk supply to build it up for their growth spurt and sometimes they just want to use you for comfort. It may take a while, but eventually just like you will understand the different cries of your babies, you will also know when you baby is feeding or sucking for comfort and at that point you will know to offer a hug, toy or dummy.

4. Formula fed babies sleep much better than Breastfed babies.

Formula fed babies may sleep longer than breastfed babies but only if they are over full. When you eat a meal and are totally 'stuffed' you will sleep for longer as you are overfull. In the first few days when a baby is born their stomach is the size of a marble. When a baby is breastfed in those days, he/she will take the perfect amount of milk for their stomach. In the case of bottle fed babies the bottle could have 4/5oz of milk inside it, which means that the babies marble size stomach will be overfull and they will probably sleep for longer. 

5. All babies instinctively know what to do.

 So you were told that your baby would know exactly what do when it came to breastfeeding, everyone made it seam extremely easy and you believed that all you had to do was 'get your boob out' and you would both feed perfectly together. 6. Now although breastfeeding is very natural, it is a learning experience for both you and baby. You may need to learn placement and attachment. For some babies, they would need a little helping hand when being encouraged to feed. Sometimes you may need to express into a cup and cup feed and other times they may need to be taught to suck. (A friend had to use a finger pushed against her baby's palate before he/she would successfully latch on.

Don't forget to enter the competition!

5 Great Blogs to read; Oh So Amelia, Smiling Like Sunshine, Pobbing Along, Breast 4 Babies, Natural Mamas.

5 Awesome company's you should check out; Breast Vest, Monkey Mama Necklaces, Lactivist, Breast Milk Keep Sakes, Truly Hooked

And don't forget to enter our Breast Vest giveaway here too.