GMTV a Midwife says "promoting Breast Feeding is bad"

[Logiebear]

On GMTV they have a midwife coming on who is quoted as saying that the obsession with promoting breast feeding is dangerous for some babies!!

I am just about to watch this and see what she says but I cannot imagine liking it at all!

Will post after she has been on too xxx

 

[NatalieW]

This is why I don't watch GMTV! My mum's a midwife and she watches it though.

 

[pinklizzy]

Going to try and record it for my mum-she's a health visitor rather than a midwife but at the moment is away on a breastfeeding course!

 

[Arlandria]

I've not watched it, but how can promoting breastfeeding be bad for babies????

I'm confused!?!

 

[NatalieW]

They've obviously got nothing else to report so they bring that out of the box!

 

[aimee-lou]

I thought that the 'party line' was not to promote either way but to 'encourage' a mother to bf where possible. My health visitor did say there's a points conversion scheme but she personally doesn't believe in it.

What a contentious issue!

 

[krissie1234uk]

When is this on? Have I missed it?

 

[Logiebear]

She is coming on next after the adverts at 8.35 am

 

[baby D]

ok, this i have to see. Now i bottle feed BUT i do think that breast must be benneficial otherwise why would we be 'built' to do it - i def can't imagine it being harmful to babies ---- is that what she is saying?

 

[baby D]

ah so it seems to be about teaching both ways equally?

 

[XKatX]

I'm watching this now and I have to say that it is NOT against breastfeeding. She repeatedly says that breast is best etc, but is stating that fot those who choose to formula feed (or need to), they are not being given the education on how to do this correctly. She is merely stating that mw are not educating people on how to make formula up (i.e what temperature it should be at) and how to ensure bottles are sterilised correctly.

I think she has a point!

 

[aimee-lou]

Ahhh I see.....

She's not saying that BF-ing is bad...it's the lack of information on FF-ing that is available that is making it imbalanced and putting babies of people who have trouble BF-ing at risk.

Personally I've made my choice already and my MW and HV have been fab, although I know it's going to be hard to do it correctly!

 

[Sovereign]

I'm watching this now and I have to say that it is NOT against breastfeeding. She repeatedly says that breast is best etc, but is stating that fot those who choose to formula feed (or need to), they are not being given the education on how to do this correctly. She is merely stating that mw are not educating people on how to make formula up (i.e what temperature it should be at) and how to ensure bottles are sterilised correctly.

I think she has a point!

Me too! x

 

[moomin_troll]

she does have a point, some mums wont even try to bf so they should be tought how to prepare ff so they dont make their babies ill.

when i had zane i wasnt even shown how to bf him let alone ff so i was screwed from the start.

the nhs really should review the after care we get from midwifes (altho i do no that not all hospitals are as terrible as mine lol)

 

[shampain]

Totally valid points she has...and now with hospitals not providing formula its making it even harder for those who choose to formula feed.

 

[Emmylou27]

Hmmmmm.... I missed this but looking through the posts above I think I probably agree with the point being made. I would have loved to have BF Daisy - unfortunatly due to her condition and the fact she was whisked off to another hospital whilst I stayed at the original one meant it didn't really work out.

I expressed for the time she was there and she was 'topped up' with forumla. When she came home I tried to BF but she really wasn't interested, it seemed like I couldn't produce enough either and we were both getting frustrated. Only problem was that I had no clue how to make up formula etc. because it was never going to be an option for me. I do think there needs to be more advice whichever choice the Mum makes and for whatever reason.

 

[keelykat]

I agree that more help and advise should be available if a woman decides to/has to use formula, there is plenty of help for breastfeeding it seems but none on how to make up a bottle safely and sterilising etc. I personally had to ask my sister for advise when i swapped to bottle feeding, as the health visiters and midwives didn't tell me anything even though I was a first time mom and didn't really have a clue about that kind of thing (esp as id planned on bf and that only).

keely.

 

[keelykat]

Totally valid points she has...and now with hospitals not providing formula its making it even harder for those who choose to formula feed.

I didn't know this, is this at all hospitals? I know my friend was given formula for her baby just over a year ago, is it a recent thing?

Do they refuse to give any full stop? This would have stressed me if i was in hospital and for whatever reason needed formula!

keely.

 

[Louisaxx]

She is simply saying what a lot of health visitors and midwives have been scared f saying for a long time. Babies are being put at risk by midwives who are scared/not allowed to give people advice on bottle feeding. People are not being told the basics about sterilisation and even the fact that the water should always be put in the bottle first so the baby does not become constipated or suffer problems with it's digestive system. This should be an informed choice but how can it be when people are not informed???!!!!

 

[BeckaJayne]

Wish i'd watched this now. I had so much help trying to BF the midwives were always with me but as soon as i decided it wasn't working (4 DAYS LATER) and started to FF there wasn't a MW in sight