Countryfile and On The Farm star Helen Skelton has reposted a quote about breastfeeding on her Instagram Stories, which is causing quite a stir.
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Helen, 38, who is mum to children Ernie, six, Louis, four, and three-month-old baby girl Elsie with her England rugby league player husband Richie Myler, shared the quote on Thursday morning – but not everyone agreed with its sentiment.
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The quote, initially posted by clothing brand Hatch on their @hatchgal Instagram page read: "Believing your nipples won't hurt during breastfeeding is basically like still believing in Santa Claus, but nobody broke the news to you gently."
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The quote on breastfeeding
Over on the @hatchgal page, the brand added: "Jokes aside, breastfeeding isn’t always easy. On average, 71% per cent of nursing mothers experience discomfort while breastfeeding—so you’re not alone if you do."
However, there were mixed reactions to the quote, with some of Hatch's followers pointing out that breastfeeding shouldn't hurt if the baby is latched correctly.
One commented: "Mine never did….we are meant to breastfeed. Let’s normalize not scare women into not breastfeeding." While another said: "This is not true. If baby is properly latched, there shouldn’t be any pain."
Helen with baby Elsie
Others were in agreement, as one fan said: "Yesssssss!!!!!!! I HATED 'breastfeeding shouldn’t hurt' because then I felt like I was doing it wrong."
And one follower posted: "I wish ppl would stop saying it won’t hurt and give a better description like in the initial stages of learning to latch and cluster feeding your nipples will be on fire, then with proper latching, there shouldn’t be pain. Especially for 1st time mums."
The NHS website has a section on sore nipples in breastfeeding and states: "When you first start breastfeeding, you may have sore or sensitive nipples. This is very common in the first week of breastfeeding and is usually because your baby is not latching on (positioned or attached) properly. If you do have nipple pain, speak to your midwife, health visitor or breastfeeding specialist as soon as possible – breastfeeding should not be painful!"
Helen feeding her baby
Aside from the debate on this, it sounds like Helen is having a sore time breastfeeding Elsie, who she welcomed in December.
The TV host also shared a photo of herself feeding little Elsie, captioning the snap: "Feeding and sun-soaking – hungry baby." Helen could be seen holding her baby whilst wearing sunglasses and holding her a dummy.