Breastfeeding in a digital age

New Indian Express

2 days ago

Becoming a mother often comes with a side of chaos, not just diapers, midnight feeds, or lullabies, but something far less spoken, the sheer overload of advice. From well-meaning relatives to parenting influencers on Instagram, new mothers are constantly surrounded by voices telling them what to do, especially when it comes to breastfeeding.
Instead of feeling relieved that they have people to guide them, often mothers are confused, and in most cases, overwhelmed because today's mothers are raising their babies in the era of Instagram, WhatsApp, and parenting influencers. In a world of overflowing information, what's truly missing is genuine support.
When advice turns into noise
For most mothers, the advice starts pouring even before the baby arrives. 'You must exclusively breastfeed.' 'Don't give water till six months.' 'Use this position.' 'Avoid that food.' There is a barrage of dos and don'ts.
At present, there are also strangers online who have different versions of 'getting it right'. The outcome is mothers begin to doubt themselves. Digital noise forces their instincts into the background. Instead of feeling like they are supported, they often feel judged. Thus, the mothers' instincts are drowned by digital noise, rather than feeling confident and supported, they feel judged.
It is important for mothers to have a break, to reassure that they are doing well, and it's a step-wise process, after all.
Unlearning myths is important since sometimes mothers tend to have already internalised these and accepted these as truths. Some of them are:
The baby is crying because the mother must not have enough milk.
If you give a bottle once, breastfeeding is ruined forever.
Breastfeeding should come naturally. If it's hard, you're doing it wrong.
You need to eat only bland food while nursing.
These myths come from different sources, the problem is not only that they are wrong, but they are delivered so confidently that mothers begin to believe that there is something wrong with their breastfeeding methods. They also feel ashamed for something that may not even be in their control. Worse, they may delay asking for help when it's most needed.