Breastfeeding and Diet Culture
Diet culture touches EVERYTHING. And it makes me so angry that that is true. However, if you haven’t caught on yet, let me just share that what makes me the most angry is that diet culture attacks women when they are their most vulnerable…in the postpartum period. I have a whole post on that here, but today I wanted to focus on the specific ways diet culture impacts breastfeeding.
What’s particularly frustrating in this instance is that breastfeeding is a time when you’re often already confused and overwhelmed, and there is such a huge learning curve. You just want to do what’s best for your baby while at the same time trying to adjust to your new normal. I know it’s so, so difficult. I’m hoping that by clearing up some of what I would consider “twisted truths” around breastfeeding, I can help you become more confident in your breastfeeding journey.
Twisted truths of diet culture:
Note: I am generalizing here. There are definitely instances where these things may be TRUE for you. I am just trying to call out the myths that I’ve heard circling the breastfeeding community, and hopefully empower you to decipher if it really is true for you or not. The choice to breastfeed or not should be YOUR choice and your choice alone, and it’s hard to make a choice for yourself when you have diet culture, breastfeeding culture, and social culture narratives circling in your head.
Having a low breastmilk supply happens to a lot of moms and isn’t something you can fix.
There are certainly a lot of reasons why a mom may feel she has a low supply, or why she may really struggle to produce enough milk. The issue of low supply or perceived low supply is a huge topic that honestly warrants its own blog post. Today, I specifically am hoping to shed light on the fact that I often see a low milk supply as a result of inadequate nutrition, not a physiological issue going on with mom. Therefore, moms may stop breastfeeding thinking that there is nothing they can do about their supply, when really it may be as simple as eating more calories. I say “simple” knowing that this is a very nuanced issue.
Mamas, hear me well. I know having a low supply is SO FRUSTRATING. I want you to know that I know you’re likely doing everything you can specifically revolving around breastfeeding – increasing stimulation, replacing pump parts, taking supplements, power pumping…but I want you to look at the bigger picture. Sometimes, what’s really going on is simply a lack of adequate calories. Your body is your protector. It’s going to take care of you first. So, if it detects that producing breastmilk is just too much on top of all the other day to day needs your body has, it’s going to let go of producing breastmilk in order to save you. It is estimated (although, I acknowledge that this study is outdated and has some controversy around it) that only 1-5% of breastfeeding moms actually have the inability to produce enough breastmilk. I gently encourage to make sure that you are following your hunger cues when breastfeeding. It’s so so important for you to eat when you’re hungry (and drink when you’re thirsty!). Push through the discomfort of sitting with an unrecognizable body. Give yourself some grace. Your only job is to take care of yourself and take care of that baby. Give your body what it needs. This is a precious and sacred time, and it’s so important that you feed yourself. Remember the oxygen mask analogy – you need to put yours on first. You need to feed yourself so that you can feed that baby.
2. Breastfeeding causes weight loss.
This one has gotta be the most untrue yet most talked about myth. What upsets me about this myth is that it hijacks a really really sacred thing. In my work with breastfeeding moms, I have found that this myth alone is sometimes why moms choose to breastfeed. I have seen this myth used as incentive to persuade moms into breastfeeding. Seriously??
This is incredibly harmful. What I have witnessed is:
1. Moms forcing themselves to continue breastfeeding even when it is negatively impacting their mental health or their baby’s physical health
2. Moms thinking that something may be wrong with their body because they aren’t losing weight, or are gaining weight
3. Moms resenting breastfeeding because they were told it would be a “win win” situation for them, and it’s turning out to not be satisfying or fulfilling for them and they are left confused
Research on the weight loss powers of breastfeeding has deemed said powers negligible. Yup. Nothing crazy going on here. I would love to see this myth stop circulating the breastfeeding world. Your body is creating life-sustaining milk for a tiny human – what your body needs to eat, gain, lose, or do to continue to produce that milk is completely individual.
3. Eliminate foods during breastfeeding if your baby is fussy.
I just want to reiterate again – I know that this is an extremely frustrating situation. It is so hard to feel like your baby is in pain or may be bothered by something in your diet. Like I’ve said previously, I know that this may be true in your situation – your baby may have been diagnosed with a food allergy. I am not referring to those situations here. I want to talk about the half-hazard advice that is thrown around regarding food allergies in babies, and I want to share with you what the research actually says.
Oftentimes, I see the advice for any mentions of a fussy baby to be to cut out xyz, without really gathering any information from the mom (is baby crying all day or just in evenings, what is mom eating, family history of allergies, etc).
It’s true - some moms may not be affected by cutting out a food group. They may be able to do that and continue eating in a way that supports them. But for other moms who may have a history of disordered eating or have other factors that put them at risk, this could be the trigger that ends up putting them in a not-so-good place with their eating. Cutting out an entire food group can feel restrictive, which as we know, restriction often leads to binges. This can start the restrict-binge cycle, which is usually what causes the “out of control” feeling that people have around food. This then can lead to cutting out even more foods (because diet culture tells us that’s what we are supposed to do when we feel out of control around food), which then puts this fragile mama in a dark place when it comes to her eating habits. Cutting out food groups can also lead to losing weight in some people, which often leads to compliments (because we are a culture that values thinness), and where does that leave that mama? Cutting out x food has helped her lose weight, which has given her a lot of attention…do you think she’s going to want to incorporate that food group back in? Probably not! It feels good to get praised for weight loss. Sorry, I know that was a total run-on…but cutting out a food group may seem harmless when really it is the beginning of a spiral.
Not to mention, this can be distracting you from figuring out what’s really going on with your baby. As a mom of a newborn, you’re already not getting enough sleep. To add not getting enough nutrition on top of that is dangerous. Talk to your pediatrician or lactation consultant about what may be really going on with your baby – colic, overtiredness, tongue tie, or an actual food allergy…there are so many things you can try before cutting out food groups willy nilly.
Any other ways that you felt your breastfeeding journey was hit hard by diet culture? I know it hits the formula-feeding world just as hard. No one is safe! I’m hoping that by opening this discussion today, you can critically think when these situations arise in your own feeding journey. As mentioned previously, this is all individual and heavily nuanced. I am only addressing the areas of these topics that I see being affected by diet culture. The breastfeeding relationship between mama and baby is so, so sacred, and decision-making should be between you, your baby, and no one else (except your partner who is grabbing you midnight snacks and keeping your water bottle full 😉).