Michelle Tant

I haven't updated this blog for a little while but it seems fitting to break the fast with the wonderful news today that NICE guidance has finally been updated to reflect the evidence surrounding birthing at home, one to one midwifery care, delayed cord clamping and minimising separation of mother and baby. You can view the updated guidance here: http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/CG190 While I am over the moon at the update I can't help the feeling that this is a little like teaching Grandma to suck eggs and actually most of this is good old fashioned excellent midwifery philosophy already but it would seem churlish to point this out at length. What is key however is that while much of it is midwifery wisdom - what midwife will argue that one to one care and keeping mother and baby together needs new research and evidence to inform our practice with this - it is not yet in the public forum. Women have been scared out of having their babies at home and this latest guidance...

Mothers milk is the gold standard in infant nutrition. It provides absolutely everything a child needs in order to survive and thrive. It is food and drink. It continually adapts in order to pass on mothers antibodies and immunities. We know that it literally saves lives, reduces chances of illnesses such as gastroenteritis, ear infections and more. There is evidence to suggest that colostrum actually lines and seals the babies immature gut to help prevent infections. We know that it also reduces the incidence of obesity. We know that in mothers that it reduces the risk of ovarian and breast cancer, diabetes and helps you to lose weight as an added bonus. These things are just the tip of the iceberg. We know that artificial milk, or breastmilk substitute does not even come close. Try as they might, the manufacturers cannot perfectly imitate mothers milk. It is unable to support the babies immature immune system in the same way that mothers milk can. However we (breastfeeding ...

Background... I saw an article today in a newspaper about a hospital trust which has been forced to take down a picture of a little girl pretending to breastfeed her dolly. There were complaints along the lines that the poster is inappropriate, crude and disgusting. The hospital responded by saying that the poster was part of a wider campaign to promote breastfeeding and specifically to say that its normal, and that children will ultimately copy their parents, so its part of trying to help create a 'normalized' breastfeeding culture. A 39 year old grandmother asked for it to be removed, saying that its not normal and that little girls shouldn't be breastfeeding their dolls. So theres the context of this blog. Breastfeeding is a highly emotive subject. Statistics show that most women who give up breastfeeding for one reason and another, wish they had carried on for longer. Wrapped up in there is a whole raft of emotions and so it is easy to see why when it co...