"Attending a breast feeding class at the New Victoria Hospital in Glasgow"

In early autumn 2023, I was offered to attend a free breast feeding class for expectant mothers run by a NHS member of staff at the New Victoria Hospital in Glasgow. 

It has taken me a long time to write to Care Opinion about this but my experience still feels hugely relevant and impactful. 

I was shocked by the messages being given by an NHS service at this class. The moto breast is best was taken to the extreme by providing false (we were told there are no reasons why breast feeding shouldn't work), limited (1. there was no allowance for discussion around the options to breastfeed and express milk, and 2, there was no reassurance that if bottle feeding is the option you have to or chose to go for, that it will be sufficient for your baby, and 3. no information was provided about milk let down, rate and how to manage this) and subjective information (I was told that my partner doesn't need to bond with my baby by helping with feeding). I felt the information was sexist and outrageously outdated with the presumption that everyone present was in a heterosexual relationship. For example, the member of staff, when talking about the benefits of breastfeeding, made a comment about us ladies getting our figures back- I was appalled that weight loss should be heralded as one of the main benefits for breastfeeding. We were also told to relax to allow time to feed your baby, and allow your man to try cleaning or cooking, following up by noting that it's hard to watch men try as it's not what they're is used to. This was not meant as a joke and even if it was, it is entirely inappropriate in a modern health care setting when discussing topics that are so loaded in gender politics and equality. 

I was appalled that this class provided false and potentially harmful rhetoric around something that should be empowering for women. Instead, this class was a clear example of the many reasons so many women end up with deep feelings of shame when breastfeeding doesn't work or presents numerous challenges. So many people in the end give up breastfeeding due to not feeling supported (due to a lack of information) to do it in a way that works for them but also to manage the many challenges it presents for mum and baby. This class requires desperate review