Why is it often hard to find the support and encouragement you hope for from your babyâs grandparents?
At La Leche League Canada meetings, families often talk about the challenges of responding to comments or advice from grandparents. Often grandparents raised their babies at a time when breastfeeding was much less common, and when the advice they were given was designed to fit babies that were formula fed.
You may be able to take some steps to help bridge the gap.
Listen for the message behind the not-so-helpful advice.
The grandparent who suggests cereal for a two-month-old doesnât know about the new research showing the risks of too-early solids. The concern may be about you and how tired you must be getting up in the night. If you keep that in mind, itâs easier to thank them for their concern and then perhaps share some of the information you have about the value of waiting until the middle of the first year to start solids.
Make it clear that you appreciate their parenting choices too.
Your enthusiasm for breastfeeding might seem like a criticism to the mother who opted to formula-feed you. But you can let her know that it was the way she raised you that encouraged you to look at the research, seek out a good midwife or doctor, and make choices that work for you and for the baby. While you might not do everything quite the way she did, you can let her know you value what she did for you.
Share information that may be new to them.
For example, the grandparents may not realize that breasts donât work like bottles. Waiting for them to âfill upâ before you feed the baby will just lead to a lowered milk supply. Itâs frequent feeding that leads to an abundance of milk. They probably also donât know that night feedings produce higher levels of prolactin than daytime feedings. This is important again for maintaining milk production, and also for suppressing ovulation, so that your fertility doesnât return too quickly.
Knowing breastfeeding facts may help them understand why continuing to breastfeed is important to you.
A generation ago most parents were told there was very little difference between formula and human milk, so the grandparents may not know about the stacks of studies that show short-term and long-term health risks for babies who are not breastfed. Theyâll likely be surprised to hear that formula feeding is linked to lower intelligence â an average of eight points lower on IQ tests according to several studies.
Education can often help them understand you are doing the best for your baby.
Send them La Leche League Canada information sheets, or posts on social media. Buy The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding for them, or mention something interesting and cool that you heard at your La Leche League meeting.
Help them find a way to connect with the baby.
Grandma and Grandpa may have envisioned themselves happily bottle-feeding their new grandchild and perhaps having overnight visits by the time he was a few months old. Now he seems to be always breastfeeding and only attached to you. They might need some help from you to find a way to build their own relationships with the baby. Maybe Grandma could show off her burping techniques once baby is fed, or Grandpa could put on the sling and take the little guy for a walk around the house. You could ask your mother to sing some of the lullabies she once sang to you, or help with bath time. There are many ways to connect without bottles.
Bring them to a La Leche League Meeting!
Many times new parents bring along a grandparent for support and also so the grandparent can get information from a La Leche League Leader.
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Updated July 2022