Breast is not best, language, guilt and lactivism musings

[SnuggleMum]

I agree something has to change - see how many people chose a certain brand because it is 'closest to breastmilk' - a powerful marketing phrase that has been banned for a long time, but myths stick around.

It is hard to educate without offending, I agree it needs to be done before it becomes an emotive issue (so during pregbancy or before).

The integration of formula as 'normal' is so deep - bottles to represent babies, formula advertisements, gifts to health care professionals, gifts to Mums, TV adverts, bottle feeding in every soap, bottles for sale everywhere.

Another big issue I see is the spreading of misinformation. It happens for a couple of reasons - women genuinely believe it, or they don't want to be judged. Very few would judge someone who says 'I didn't want to breastfeed' but a lot instead say 'I couldn't breastfeed' - which makes it seem like bfing is more exclusive and difficult than it is. I can understand why but it has consquences. HCPs and other often mention having no milk (which is really, really rare) and baby not latching (which is horrid but almost always overcomable with the right support).

 

[MikaylasMummy]

1. I honestly don't care how other women feed their babies.it is sad that the information readily available is not correct and is biased,however if a woman truly cared like the op(I think) they would do their own research and see for themselves.I'm from aus and everyone here knows breast is best.the advertising and information on formula is so so strict that I have never in my life hear someone say it's as good as breast milk.so honestly here I feel the information is not a reason for peoples choices
2.I feel very bad for the women who desperately wanted to breastfeeding and suffered by not being able to..I have conflicting feelins on this honestly though as I think a lot of the time some actually could do it if they kept it up(not saying all I agree there is a lot of issues that could make it impossible)I really wanted to bf and I did..despite losing 2 liters of blood at birth,not being able to sit for 4 days and being hooked up to blood transfusions for four days.followed by an extremely low(if not non existent) supply due to the fact that I had mostly someone elses blood circulating my body instead of my hormone filled blood.my daughter got so dehydrated she was admitted to special care nursery with fevers.due to the lack of supply my poor baby sucked non stop causing my nipple(no joke)to actually almost come off it was flapping it was so cut up.I used nipple shields and expressing and managed to breast feed for the time I had chosen way previously(6 months)I just wanted to do it.stopping wasn't an option.
Of course there is lots of women who have much more serious issues with them and baby which prevents bf.but I so often hear women say they couldn't bf cos of this or that and I feel that THEIR excuse is a cop out.they could have if they wanted to.
Once again please don't shoot me down I'm talking about people and situations I know personally and I am not saying anyone here is like this

 

[katiekittykat]

from hospital to be weighed (it was over Christmas and they didn't do home
I think what I'm trying to say is, I seriously doubt whether there is anyone out there who doesn't believe 'breast is best'. So I felt the articles were argumentative, provocative and entirely unnecessary.

Oh there are I met them, even I thought formula was better as thats how I was raised. breastfeeding is not supported really where I am and has the lowest rates in the UK. There really are people out there who are drowned in formula company advertising not knowing any different. I still havnt met another breastfeeding mum from my area.

Obviously it does vary from area to area - I wasn't sure.

 

[MikaylasMummy]

In aus they aren't even allowed to advertise formula on tv.the only formula ads we have are for toddler formula and even those are laser with a disclaimer that babies should be bf til so and so age.it really is quite a different culture here I think.I often see teen threads especially saying they would be too embarrassed to feed in public.here you would just get complete praise and admiration for bfing at a young age.I used to bf walking through the shops and the only time anyone ever looked twice was some teens having a giggle cos there was a boob.lucky they didn't comment cos oh was with me and would have flattened them.lol.I only ever got smiles and nods of acknowledgement when feeding in public

 

[katiekittykat]

I don't know whether it varies from Health Authority to Health Authority in the UK, but in mine BF, and the risks of FF, were rammed down my throat from the booking in appt with the midwife onwards. Which was fine, I had planned to do it anyway. But I mean, literally, rammed. I had to take LO to the clinic the day after we came out from hospital to be weighed (it was over Christmas and they didn't do home visits) and a BF support worker greeted me and watched me feed him while we were there - the same woman came to my house 3 times over the next week.

Which was brilliant - the support is definitely out there if you need it. But all throughout my pregnancy and for 3 weeks after Niall was born, I was led to believe that formula was the worst thing I could do. So, after 3 weeks when I 'failed' at BF (for reasons which I won't go into here), this is where my guilt came from.

I think what I'm trying to say is, I seriously doubt whether there is anyone out there who doesn't believe 'breast is best'. So I felt the articles were argumentative, provocative and entirely unnecessary.

But this is the problem - breast isn't 'best', breast is normal. Formula is a substitute which carries risks. Breastfeeding isn't some nice bonus for you and baby, it's the biologically normal way to feed a human being.

This is semantics....it's a handy slogan which essentially says 'breastmilk is better than formula'. Which is true. So what's the problem? It's arguing for arguing's sake. Would you prefer that there was no campaign to promote breastmilk, and just hope that women make their own choices? Formula is available, and that's not going to change.

 

[patch2006uk]

I don't know whether it varies from Health Authority to Health Authority in the UK, but in mine BF, and the risks of FF, were rammed down my throat from the booking in appt with the midwife onwards. Which was fine, I had planned to do it anyway. But I mean, literally, rammed. I had to take LO to the clinic the day after we came out from hospital to be weighed (it was over Christmas and they didn't do home visits) and a BF support worker greeted me and watched me feed him while we were there - the same woman came to my house 3 times over the next week.

Which was brilliant - the support is definitely out there if you need it. But all throughout my pregnancy and for 3 weeks after Niall was born, I was led to believe that formula was the worst thing I could do. So, after 3 weeks when I 'failed' at BF (for reasons which I won't go into here), this is where my guilt came from.

I think what I'm trying to say is, I seriously doubt whether there is anyone out there who doesn't believe 'breast is best'. So I felt the articles were argumentative, provocative and entirely unnecessary.

But this is the problem - breast isn't 'best', breast is normal. Formula is a substitute which carries risks. Breastfeeding isn't some nice bonus for you and baby, it's the biologically normal way to feed a human being.

This is semantics....it's a handy slogan which essentially says 'breastmilk is better than formula'. Which is true. So what's the problem? It's arguing for arguing's sake. Would you prefer that there was no campaign to promote breastmilk, and just hope that women make their own choices? Formula is available, and that's not going to change.

The whole point of this thread is how language affects the perception of breastfeeding. If studies were reported as 'risks of formula' instead of 'benefits of BFing', then the perception would change. The phrase 'breast is best' is perhaps the best marketing slogan for formula that there is!

 

[Dragonfly]

Formula company advertising breastfeeding is like cigarette companies helping you to stop smoking. *no I am not saying its like smoking*

But formula companies are not wanting mums to succeed at breastfeeding the whole breast is best was them that done that and they do flog that for their image, you think they are nice enough to help mums with breastfeeding while they loose your money?have you see the underhand things they have done to promote their formula and still do ? Its well documented!

 

[Super G]

I don't know whether it varies from Health Authority to Health Authority in the UK, but in mine BF, and the risks of FF, were rammed down my throat from the booking in appt with the midwife onwards. Which was fine, I had planned to do it anyway. But I mean, literally, rammed. I had to take LO to the clinic the day after we came out from hospital to be weighed (it was over Christmas and they didn't do home visits) and a BF support worker greeted me and watched me feed him while we were there - the same woman came to my house 3 times over the next week.

Which was brilliant - the support is definitely out there if you need it. But all throughout my pregnancy and for 3 weeks after Niall was born, I was led to believe that formula was the worst thing I could do. So, after 3 weeks when I 'failed' at BF (for reasons which I won't go into here), this is where my guilt came from.

I think what I'm trying to say is, I seriously doubt whether there is anyone out there who doesn't believe 'breast is best'. So I felt the articles were argumentative, provocative and entirely unnecessary.

But this is the problem - breast isn't 'best', breast is normal. Formula is a substitute which carries risks. Breastfeeding isn't some nice bonus for you and baby, it's the biologically normal way to feed a human being.

This is semantics....it's a handy slogan which essentially says 'breastmilk is better than formula'. Which is true. So what's the problem? It's arguing for arguing's sake. Would you prefer that there was no campaign to promote breastmilk, and just hope that women make their own choices? Formula is available, and that's not going to change.

Yes it is semantics and what the original articles are saying is that semantics make a difference. By saying 'breast is best' it makes it sound ideal, perfect, when actually its just ordinary, nothing special. It's just the biologically normal way to feed. By saying its best elevates it to be something aspirational, and so some people won't bother, because its alright to not do the 'perfect' thing.

 

[Liesje]

In aus they aren't even allowed to advertise formula on tv.the only formula ads we have are for toddler formula and even those are laser with a disclaimer that babies should be bf til so and so age.it really is quite a different culture here I think.I often see teen threads especially saying they would be too embarrassed to feed in public.here you would just get complete praise and admiration for bfing at a young age.I used to bf walking through the shops and the only time anyone ever looked twice was some teens having a giggle cos there was a boob.lucky they didn't comment cos oh was with me and would have flattened them.lol.I only ever got smiles and nods of acknowledgement when feeding in public

I'm in Canada and I too have never heard of anyone who didn't know breastmilk is better. I even have people coming up to me all the time in public when I feed from a bottle tell me, because they seem to have nothing better going on in their lives.

 

[Missy86]

O a bf v ff debate, havent seen one of these in a while

I am not even gonna read the articles in the op because they will piss me off but to compare my healthy as a ox 2 year old to a malnourished chicken just cos he was ff from 5 days is total bullshit.

I wish people would not use such blanket statements (o you ff, that means your child is gonna be ill all its life and have a lower iq) come and get to know my child and then tell me the same thing

 

[patch2006uk]

O a bf v ff debate, havent seen one of these in a while

I am not even gonna read the articles in the op because they will piss me off but to compare my healthy as a ox 2 year old to a malnourished chicken just cos he was ff from 5 days is total bullshit.

I wish people would not use such blanket statements (o you ff, that means your child is gonna be ill all its life and have a lower iq) come and get to know my child and then tell me the same thing

I think you might have missed the point a little.

 

[MommaAlexis]

Language is so much more important then people understand. Being a telemarketer showed a big difference in how things were presented and how they can be taken. I actually tested out a theory, I introduced myself as Alex on a few calls, and introduced myself as Alexandra on others. I made more sales if I used my full name as it's a more appealing name. So if a name change can affect my sales, I see how sentences made by formula companies would have the same effect.

 

[Dragonfly]

O a bf v ff debate, havent seen one of these in a while

I am not even gonna read the articles in the op because they will piss me off but to compare my healthy as a ox 2 year old to a malnourished chicken just cos he was ff from 5 days is total bullshit.

I wish people would not use such blanket statements (o you ff, that means your child is gonna be ill all its life and have a lower iq) come and get to know my child and then tell me the same thing

I think you might have missed the point a little.

This isnt a ff vs bf thread it was started for a totally different reason and no one has said any ones child has lower iqs etc. Its not an attack yet it always gets turned that way anyway.

And so the cycle continues.

 

[Missy86]

O a bf v ff debate, havent seen one of these in a while

I am not even gonna read the articles in the op because they will piss me off but to compare my healthy as a ox 2 year old to a malnourished chicken just cos he was ff from 5 days is total bullshit.

I wish people would not use such blanket statements (o you ff, that means your child is gonna be ill all its life and have a lower iq) come and get to know my child and then tell me the same thing

I think you might have missed the point a little.

This isnt a ff vs bf thread it was started for a totally different reason and no one has said any ones child has lower iqs etc. Its not an attack yet it always gets turned that way anyway.

And so the cycle continues.

Why do you keep saying the risk of ff then, I talked about the risks and how they do not apply to my child

 

[SnuggleMum]

Why do you keep saying the risk of ff then, I talked about the risks and how they do not apply to my child

Using formula increases the risks of certain things, but that doesn't mean that all children who have formula will suffer some/all of those things, or that no breastfed children are affected - just that observing people over a life time (some things don't show up at first), it has been seen that formula-fed babies are more likely to suffer certain issues.

 

[Pramaholic86]

I think using the word 'risk' to describe parenting choices is a little provocative, it's going to get people's backs up.

 

[Missy86]

I think using the word 'risk' to describe parenting choices is a little provocative, it's going to get people's backs up.

I totally agree, even "if" this wasnt meant to be a debate (and to be honest anyone could see it was gonna turn into one) the language used agaianst ff was gonna get peoples backs up

 

[patch2006uk]

But formula carries risks. That's the whole point. Breastfeeding is the normal way to feed a baby, and deviating from that norm can be dangerous.

Not telling people the risks in order to protect their feelings, or to avoid causing guilt, helps who? The mother who thinks she is making an informed choice to formula feed, when in fact she's been lied to? The baby who grows up with an allergy or eczema that may not have been there if they were breastfed? The baby hospitalised with diarrhoea?

If they developed artificial blood that they could give instead of people donating, but the artificial blood carried higher risks of death, of illnesses, would you choose it? What about if human blood was marketed as 'best'? Doesn't it imply that the alternative is also pretty good? When, in fact, one is natural and one is not. The natural is not 'best', simply 'normal'

 

[Missy86]

You are preaching to the wrong people, I would bet my bottom dollar anyone on this forum has made an informed choice so telling people here these facts is just gonna get peoples backs up

And FYI I made an informed choice, I am not stupid

 

[Pramaholic86]

I agree that breast is normal, but using words such as risk is undoubtedly going to offend women who are *already* FF. I think mothers in general should be given a little more credit over their ability to make informed parenting choices, not all mothers decide to forfeit the breast after being brainwashed in to FF by marketing techniques or advertising, we all make decisions based upon the best interests of our families, do we not?