I don't agree with this ....

[ispeakinsongs]

agreed xx

 

[staybeautiful]

I think it really depends on where you live as to what your experience 'in real life' will be with regards to people thinking you're weird for breastfeeding or formula feeding. Where I'm from, I'm very nervous about reactions to breastfeeding - it's kind of expected that you'll formula feed so that you can get your life back, so to speak. While it's something I've never agreed with, so therefore haven't taken part in unless I have specifically been asked to do it, the amount of people who think that visiting a new mum means you get a turn at feeding the baby. My 16 year old SIL has already offered to babysit LO when he's a couple of days old so that me and OH can go out - while it's sweet that she offered to do this, it's something that she has offered to do because she's used to a culture where babies of any age can be dropped off with whoever and not need to have their mum there to feed them. If my friends have offered similarly, I've been made to feel bad for 'hogging the baby' when he shows up. It just isn't normal here for babies to be breastfed, or being so reliant on one specific person. This is why it's so important that breastfeeding is promoted here, and formula isn't.

I've been asked 3 times how I'm planning on feeding LO, as soon as I say "I'm wanting to breastfeed" not a single word more is said about it. I've had one leaflet and a DVD which shows the basic mechanics behind it. Everything else I know about breastfeeding I've had to go out and find out by myself, mostly online and largely from BnB!

The NHS Ready Steady Baby pack I got at my booking in has 2 pages on BF and 2 on FF - and beyond knowing the basic safety rules behind formula feeding there really isn't much more that can go wrong that a generalised advice leaflet can help with. A leaflet isn't going to know what bottles or teats will work best for your baby, nor will it know if any given formula will not be compatible with your own specific baby. If a formula isn't compatible it is, at that point, a medical issue and your GP or HV will advise you best if it seems like your baby will need a specialised formula for reflux, lactose intolerance etc. With BF a bad latch or other such issues often aren't a medical issue that a GP should be helping with but one that community support would be best suited to helping with. The vast majority of anecdotal evidence that I've seen online since researching my own choice tells of GPs and HVs recommend switching to formula rather than finding a way to work through an issue.

At the end of the day, I personally will never judge a mum for how she chooses to feed her baby. While I hope myself to successfully breastfeed for at least 6 months, if it doesn't work out and I know I've given it my best shot, I see no reason for me to feel guilty.

 

[bubbles]

Just a couple of the names I have encountered as a breastfeeder are "Breastfeeding Nazi" and "breastapo" both used in real life, online and worse still in the media! When was the last time you heard a mum who chooses to formula feed be likened to an organisation who commited mass murder?

Breast is best is an awful slogan, I believe it was actually coined by a formula company as a marketing thing. All it says to me is "breast IS best but formula is just as good" when in actual fact it isn't. Breast shouldn't be seen as the best it should be seen normal, because it is normal for human babies to consume human milk. The more promotion done the better IMO it saves money for parents and the ever struggling NHS

 

[NaturalMomma]

Everyone, everywhere says that 'the breast is best' so why did they bother to even INTRODUCE formula milk if its 'not as good'? i myself wanted to breast feed although my daughter wouldnt latch on, and i was happy enough to give her formula, although i dont understand it either! if formula is so bad for babies and not as good as breast milk, why did they bother to invent it?! x

So that babies (i.e. orphans and foundlings at the turn of the 20th century) who couldn't be breastfed at all wouldn't starve? Just because it was invented doesn't mean it's equal.

That's actually not why it was invented. It was invented by some one who fully believed that women's breastmilk was inadequete. The history behind formula is not pretty and sadly to this day formula companies still spread around lies and myths in order to push their product. It is very rare for women not to be able to breastfeed their baby. Around 1% of women truly have a low milk supply and need to supplement. Then if you add the women who can't nurse due to surgery or illness it only ups that number to 5%. So again, rare no matter what. However, Doctors and formula would have us believe that it's common when it's really not. It is also rare to need to have to supplement.

 

[Dragonfly]

Just a couple of the names I have encountered as a breastfeeder are "Breastfeeding Nazi" and "breastapo" both used in real life, online and worse still in the media! When was the last time you heard a mum who chooses to formula feed be likened to an organisation who commited mass murder?

Breast is best is an awful slogan, I believe it was actually coined by a formula company as a marketing thing. All it says to me is "breast IS best but formula is just as good" when in actual fact it isn't. Breast shouldn't be seen as the best it should be seen normal, because it is normal for human babies to consume human milk. The more promotion done the better IMO it saves money for parents and the ever struggling NHS

This ! the media should not be allowed to use terms like this at all. It breeds more hate. Morning tv programs area always negative on the subject, Especially the wright stuff. Dam they hate mums that dont beat and neglect their kids in general.

 

[chineyjn]

The restrictions against formula in terms of advertising, supermarket loyalty schemes and antenatal information exist to promote breast milk as being the most nutritionally perfect food for your baby, because it is. This is why new mums are encouraged by health professionals to breastfeed - and why shouldn't they be? It would be counter-productive to do so while also offering detailed instructions on how to use formula.

In my view this amounts to a sensible attempt by the government to change the culture - not a conspiracy or serious suppression of information. If you use formula, be it through choice or medical need, information about how to do it is there - it's online, it's on the side of the tin, it's very straightforward and if you have any questions (to help you make an informed choice) then just ask.

Some ladies feel that the breastfeeding encouragement amounts to pressure which later causes them to feel guilty about choosing formula - but surely the guilt is a natural response rather than something to be blamed on the nanny state? Your body produces a baby - and the milk to feed the baby - so it makes sense for there to be an emotional reaction on some level when the milk is discarded.

I don't see why resources should be diverted from the promotion of breastfeeding to the unprompted offering of information on formula feeding - especially if it's only to prevent new mums from feeling guilty! If anything, I think more resources should be put into practical post-natal support for new mums who are struggling to breastfeed to help them succeed and turn it into a positive experience.