The baby arrives, and suddenly everyone becomes an expert.
Your mother-in-law has one rule, your own mother has another, the neighbour aunty who raised four kids has a third, and the WhatsApp group your cousin added you to has a fourth. Everyone means well.
But by day three, you are sitting with a crying newborn, sore and exhausted, wondering why something as natural as feeding your baby feels so confusing.
Here is the thing.
A lot of what you are being told is not medical advice. It is habit, dressed up as wisdom, passed down through generations without anyone ever stopping to ask if it is actually true. And some of these myths can make a new mother feel guilty, anxious, or like she is failing, when she is doing everything right.
So let us sit down and go through the common ones, calmly, the way a good doctor would explain over a cup of chai.
“Your breasts are too small, beta. Milk kahaan se aayega?”
Fact: Breast size has absolutely nothing to do with milk.
This one gets repeated in so many homes, and it worries young mothers for no reason. The size of your breasts comes from fatty tissue.
The milk is made by glands that every woman has, big frame or small. What actually decides your supply is how often your baby feeds.
The more the baby suckles, the more milk your body makes. It is demand and supply, nothing to do with your figure.
“If you breastfeed, your body shape will go”
Fact: It is pregnancy that changes your body, not feeding.
Let us be honest, this fear is real and nobody talks about it openly.
But the changes to your breasts happen during pregnancy itself, because of hormones and weight gain.
Whether you feed the baby or not, some change will come.
Blaming breastfeeding is unfair, and skipping it to “save your figure” only means your baby misses out on the one thing made perfectly for them.
“Milk powder is the same thing, na?”
Fact: Formula has its place, but it is not the same as your milk.
Formula milk can help in situations where a mother genuinely cannot feed, and there is no shame in using it when needed. But it cannot copy what your body does.
Your milk actually changes day by day according to your baby’s needs, and it carries antibodies that shield your baby from infections.
The World Health Organization recommends only breast milk for the first six months, no water, no honey, no ghutti, nothing else.
That living protection is something no tin can offer.
“You have a cold, stop feeding at once”
Fact: A normal cold or fever is not a reason to stop.
In fact, the opposite is true. When you catch a common bug, your body builds antibodies and passes them straight to the baby through your milk.
So you are actually protecting your child by continuing.
The only time to pause and check is if you are on strong medication or have a serious infection, and even then, ask your doctor before stopping.
Do not wean your baby over a sneeze.
“Eat this, drink that, only then milk will come”
Fact: Your regular ghar ka khana is enough.
You will be handed lists of special foods, costly health drinks, and endless dry fruits, and told your milk depends on them.
The truth is simpler and kinder to your budget. Normal home food, dal, roti, sabzi, rice, a little ghee, some fruit, works beautifully.
Panjiri, gond ke laddoo, and ajwaani water are lovely for helping you regain strength, and there is no harm in them. But no single food decides whether your milk is “good.”
Just eat well and drink enough water.
“Baby is crying after feeding, means your milk is not enough”
Fact: Babies cry for a hundred reasons, and hunger is only one.
This is the myth that pushes so many mothers towards unnecessary formula.
A baby cries because…
the nappy is wet
it wants to be held
the room is too warm
it is simply tired
Crying is a newborn’s only language. Instead of doubting yourself, look at the real signs that feeding is going well, steady weight gain and enough wet nappies through the day.
That tells you far more than the crying does.
“Six months done, now stop the milk”
Fact: Breast milk stays valuable well past six months.
Yes, solid food starts around six months. But that is in addition to your milk, not a replacement for it.
Breast milk keeps giving nutrition and protection long after solids begin. Feeding your baby up to two years, or even longer, is completely healthy and encouraged the world over. There is no rush to stop.
“Feeding is natural, it should just happen easily”
Fact: It is natural, but that does not mean it is easy at first.
Nobody warns you about this one, and it breaks so many mothers a little.
Breastfeeding is a skill that you and your baby learn together, and the first two weeks can be genuinely hard. Sore nipples, a baby that will not latch, sleepless nights, tears. This is not you failing. This is the normal, messy beginning, and it settles with a little support and the right guidance.
When it is time to see your doctor
Most of these worries fade once you have the correct information and a bit of time.
But please do reach out for help
if feeding is constantly painful
if your baby is not putting on weight
if you truly feel your supply is low
if you are feeling low and overwhelmed in yourself
That last one matters just as much as the rest, and too many mothers stay quiet about it.
A simple check-up can catch small issues early and, honestly, just give you peace of mind.
If you are looking for a gynecologist in Borivali or Kandivali in Mumbai, Dr. Gargi Pal can guide you through feeding, recovery, and your baby’s early weeks.
One last thing
Every mother’s journey is her own. What worked for your sister may not work for you, and that is perfectly fine.
The kindest thing you can do for yourself is to trust good information over the loudest voice in the room.
Do not let old myths steal the quiet, bonding moments this time is meant to hold. When you are unsure, ask a gynecologist nearby, not the group chat. You are doing better than you think.
