GMTV a Midwife says "promoting Breast Feeding is bad"

[sparkswillfly]

I thought what she was saying was completely valid. Mothers arent told how to make up bottles safely. And they probably wouldnt feel comfortable asking.

I didnt know that the powder wasnt sterile until someone mentioned on here and then I went and looked at the department of health leaflet on making up bottles. Its awful that this information isnt given out to mothers who choose to bottlefeed.

 

[FierceAngel]

i didnt see it but agree with what has been said..

wen i switched from bf to ff i wasnt given any advice or help on making bottles ect

i went on advice from my mum and mil xxx

 

[ellismum]

I got a huge pile of info in my discharge papers in which there was leaflets on how to make up bottles safely. Also, there was ready made formula available (I came home with some) It seems consistancy across the country in the advice given is also a problem.

 

[lesleyann]

when i went to my pre baby classes we got told they was not alollowed to tell us about FF apart from that it is another way to feed a baby but we had awhole class on BF, i think there should be equal help and advice on both.. other wise there just trying to force one onto you and push the other out which can make people feel bad about wanting to FF or those people who tryied to BF.

 

[FierceAngel]

when i went to my pre baby classes we got told they was not alollowed to tell us about FF apart from that it is another way to feed a baby but we had awhole class on BF, i think there should be equal help and advice on both.. other wise there just trying to force one onto you and push the other out which can make people feel bad about wanting to FF or those people who tryied to BF.

def hun i think this makes people fear ff and feel bad about it

i think this was one of the reasons my pnd got so bad

xx

 

[whiby]

I didn't see it but from what people have said it sounds like a valid point - Ethan point blank refused to bf - there was a ton of pressure on me to BF him, the bfing midwife said he is the only baby she has never been able to get to latch on in her whole career (that made me feel like a complete failure!). Anyway - in hospital and at clinics they kept trying to put him on the breast and he kept on screaming, so I was having to express but when I couldnt produce enough for him NOBODY told me how to make up formula properly etc. It probably explains why there are so many questions on how to make up bottles etc. When I said I didn't want to keep on trying to BF (after 3 weeks) and that I would just keep expressing they just said "oh just don't come to the clinic then". That was it, no support or follow up or anything. I definately felt like I was pressured into BFing but the fact is it wasn't an option for us. FF is definately not as acceptable as BFing, which is ridiculous because without it my baby would have been seriously ill.

Also - my GP told me his wife was so adamant to breastfeed their baby she nearly caused him to be really ill. She couldn't produce enough and he was losing weight rapidly but because of the stigma of formula she kept persisting. I think this is probably what the lady on TV was talking about.

 

[asacia]

Doesn't every carton and tin of formula have instruction on? Is that not enough information?

 

[whiby]

Instructions don't explain things like ensuring you hold the bottle so the teat is filled so baby doesn't take air in and get colic, or that sometimes there can be a build up of pressure in a bottle which can also lead to colic so quickly unscrew the ring before you give a feed etc. It's these little things that I had to find out by trial and error but could have saved a lot of pain for my LO and listening to hours of crying if someone had just told me to do it from the start.

 

[asacia]

Instructions don't explain things like ensuring you hold the bottle so the teat is filled so baby doesn't take air in and get colic, or that sometimes there can be a build up of pressure in a bottle which can also lead to colic so quickly unscrew the ring before you give a feed etc. It's these little things that I had to find out by trial and error but could have saved a lot of pain for my LO and listening to hours of crying if someone had just told me to do it from the start.

Thanks for that, I didn't know about the build up of pressure.

 

[whiby]

Neither did I lol! Soon worked it out though ;-)

 

[sparkswillfly]

The tubs of formula dont tell you the formula isnt sterile and thats why you need to put it into hot water.

The amounts that the tubs say the 'average' baby will drink are sometimes way off what they do drink so people are going to think something is wrong with their baby by the instructions on the tub.

 

[purple_socks]

Instructions don't explain things like ensuring you hold the bottle so the teat is filled so baby doesn't take air in and get colic, or that sometimes there can be a build up of pressure in a bottle which can also lead to colic so quickly unscrew the ring before you give a feed etc. It's these little things that I had to find out by trial and error but could have saved a lot of pain for my LO and listening to hours of crying if someone had just told me to do it from the start.

so true...when i switched to ff in hospital no1 gave me any advice at all...i used the tin to work it all out but slowly have found other things out like holding LO more upright helps him take in less wind and stopping part way thro a bottle to wind him stps him gobbling it all down the throwing up straight after. I remember hearing a nurse telling off a woman on my ward one morning for having filled a full bottle of formula then using it throughout the night to feed her son small amounts instead of making up a new bottle each time. i remember thinking they should have asked her if she knew how to ff beforehand rather than leaving her to it and telling her off after making a mistake!

Even tho i originally planned to BF i still found it weird that my nct classes offered a BF session but nothing on FF....i thought they should have run a feeding session that covered both.

 

[sparkswillfly]

I dont think hospitals should run FF classes but they should atleast give information in the hospital when the mother says she chooses to FF.

 

[aimee-lou]

I think she had a valid point too but i'm going to play devil's advocate here.

I'd always maintained an open mind - and wanted to research both sides, both BF and FF from all angles. We eventually fell on the sife of FF but I've still got all the information about BF because it's given as par for the course. I had to ask for the FF information and the MW and HV were both really good but I do think a little pro-activity wouldn't go amiss.

Of course no-one plans for their baby to reject BF or anything, but there is always that possibility. My MW told me that 5% of women have problems actually BFing at all, with another 10% unable to fully BF from the start so having to top up....that means that 3 in 20 women could NEED to FF their newborn.....those odds seem quite high to me so why shouldn't every woman ask the questions about both, get to know, plan for both and then opt for their first choice to begin with.

I think most of this problem is due to the government 'breast is best' push which my HV was telling me they have a certain target to reach and points for each mother who takes up BFing.....surely anything like that, that is targetted by the government, when it might not be right for everyone, can only put bias and pressure in the wrong place. We, as new mothers, need to show that we want to make the 'informed choices' that this MW on GMTV was talking about and we therefore need both sets of information, not just the 'party line'. By god ask the authorities, get the information and then we wont be putting any of our children at risk at any point!

My geography teacher at school put it best IMO......One should never be complacent enough to think that the lord or the universe will let things go our way all of the time. Therefore, be prepared for every eventuality, even if you don't like to think about it.

EDIT: Sorry if you don't agree....that's just my opinion.

 

[Blah11]

I think breastfeeding should be treated like the norm, and everyone should be assumed to be breastfeeding unless stated otherwise. However, if the baby is FF then yes, they should be told how to make up bottles etc etc.
I was given leaflets on formula feeding and breastfeeding when I was pregnant

 

[Fossey]

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!

I agree, I was given some ready made formula in hospital as I was combination feeding but I wasn't told anything on what to do with making up bottles etc read it all on the net and from the Qs I asked the MW/HV when they came around but no one sat me down and said do this that and the other.

 

[Blah11]

I dont think hospitals should run FF classes but they should atleast give information in the hospital when the mother says she chooses to FF.

No, I don't either and I agree. Promoting BF and not FF is the best way to go about things I think. I think 'lessons' on FF should be aimed at mothers who already have babies and have chosen to FF, not the pregnant women.

 

[Blah11]

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.

They'll provide it if there's an emergency or a situation where you can't BF but intended to so didn't bring any formula in with you. They won't be providing it as routine just because you chose to FF and tbh, I don't see why they should. People take in their own nappies, they should take in formula too

 

[asacia]

I think breastfeeding should be treated like the norm, and everyone should be assumed to be breastfeeding unless stated otherwise. However, if the baby is FF then yes, they should be told how to make up bottles etc etc.
I was given leaflets on formula feeding and breastfeeding when I was pregnant

I agree with that. I think we have shockingly low rates of BF'ing in this country, and if BF'ing was more the norm, we'd have higher rates.

There are many problems that can occur, but most are overcomable with the right support.

I think that FF'ing information should be available at request, but shouldn't be handed out or promoted 'just in case'.

 

[aimee-lou]

I dont think hospitals should run FF classes but they should atleast give information in the hospital when the mother says she chooses to FF.

No, I don't either and I agree. Promoting BF and not FF is the best way to go about things I think. I think 'lessons' on FF should be aimed at mothers who already have babies and have chosen to FF, not the pregnant women.

Just a quick question.....what if you can't BF for some reason, and literally you're sent home 12 hours after you give birth with no knowledge whatsoever of how to FF? Surely that's dangerous for LO and for Mum & Dad....wouldn't it be better for all parents to be offered the information during ante-natal care? If they choose not to take it that's their decision but I for one would want to know all about it, hence why I asked.

I do SCUBA diving (obviously not at the moment) but one thing that's always touted is 'increased redundancy'. You take more information and equipment than you normally need, but in that remote chance you may need it, it's there and ready to help you to survive.