How to show you don’t understand how breastfeeding works or what not to say to a breastfeeding mother.

Avoid these 10 unhelpful things that people often do say and which may be damaging, particularly when a mother is still struggling to learn how to breastfeed.

1. Is she feeding again?
2. She’s using you as a dummy.
3. Let me give the baby a bottle so you can get some housework done.
4. You will wear yourself out, let daddy give her a bottle.
5. Don’t keep picking her up every time she cries.
6. Don’t let her fall asleep at the breast—she’ll never learn to do it by herself. 
7. I think she has a tongue-tie.
8. Shouldn’t she get used to having a bottle?
9. I’d prefer you not to breastfeed in public.
10. Mothers in our family have never been able to make enough milk.

 

And the acceptable alternatives? See the next post here.

Alternatives To What Not To Say To A Breastfeeding Mother

Photo credit: Amber Jones At First Sight Birth Photography