Paid to breastfeed

[LegoHouse]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-24900650

Would you switch from bottle to breast for £200?

I personally think this is ridiculous. No one makes their decision based on their financial gain, surely? And this is just more pressure?

 

[Quackquack99]

No money shouldn't be used to make women breastfeed, instead that money should be used to improve breastfeeding services. I didn't breastfeed summer for many reason and would be offended if anyone thought a monetary gain might have changed my mind at that time.

 

[LegoHouse]

Yes! Paying businesses to openly support breast feeding and getting more hands on support if requested would be much better IMO x

 

[AngelofTroy]

This is sick. I already felt under enormous pressure to keep exclusively breastfeeding my son, despite his poor weight gain and both of our misery. Turned out he wasn't able to breastfeed correctly due to tongue and lip ties. In my experience it's not motivation to breastfeed that's lacking in new mums, it's proper support from trained professionals. I went out of my way to seek help from health visitors and attended a group every week but nobody spotted the problems. I finally saw a lactation consultant after weeks of waiting but it was too late and even she suggested formula 'top ups'. Once we introduced formula (on top of breastfeeding) he thrived! I realised how miserable he'd been before. Imagine if I was relying on that money, I'd have avoided giving him formula even longer. Use the money to employ more lactation consultants and train midwives to check for tongue and lip ties in hospital as part of the newborn checks.

 

[Bex84]

Its silly and puts extra pressure on mums. I breast fed lo for 22 months and was lucky enough to be able to. Some people cant so will they still be excluded and for some people it doesent fit in with life style. I would have liked more support and would have like health visitors to be educated after been told my lo was nsughty at 6 months for feeding often when she thought she should only be fed twice a day, luckily i knew she was talking tosh

 

[Pearls18]

No I don't think it's a good idea. Women should BF for their child, not because there is some kind of financial incentive. I BF because of the incredible things breast milk does that money CAN'T buy, it's shallow and I find it a tad insulting that they think women would make their choice based on material gain to them not because of what is best for their child. It's almost like the NHS thinks BF doesn't sell itself when it should if people looked at the amazing science. However, that said it doesn't anger me because I do think it is good when BF gets this kind of publicity to show that people should be doing it, but I don't think it's the way to go about it and it's the kind of scheme that makes pro-BFers look crazy and pushy rather than sensible.

The real issue is why people aren't BF and why they aren't doing it for very long, the money would be better spent finding the answers to these questions and putting support systems in place to resolve it.

 

[emyandpotato]

Waste of money. It's so sad. The focus seems to be on people who don't want to BF, which is fine, rather than on people who do who don't have the support or knowledge. The amount of doctors and midwives who know not a thing about it is insane! This is insulting not only to mothers who make the decision to formula feed, but also to those who desperately want to BF but cannot without help- money isn't gonna fix it, a decent lactation consultant might though!

 

[vaniilla]

I don't understand the reasoning behind the money, if people chose a feeding method based on cost then surely they would pick bf anyway as formula is expensive? I agree that money into improving facilities and support is a better (and much needed) thing.

 

[kerrie24]

A ridiculous waste of money.It should be spent on better help for women who are trying to bf and not as a bribe for women who dont want to.People can easily lie about it too,I never saw my hv when lo was small so other than each mum sitting and bf infront of these people,how can they prove people are bf?

 

[MommyJogger]

I agree there are better ways the money could be spent to increase bf rates. Currently only 15% of women meet the bf goals they set for themselves. It's a wiser move to improve that, rather than focusing on the population that doesn't care to do it.
That said, everyone saying how financial incentive won't cause people to switch are underestimating how many women are of the mindset "why would I bf when I can get free formula?". Currently, the system "pays" some number of women to ff. Formula has successfully been depicted as the easier option, so to get this subset of women on board, you have to give them a material incentive. Non-altruistic incentive to bf probably would increase bf rates by some percent, but it leaves women who want to, try to, and don't receive sufficient knowledgeable support out in the cold.

 

[lindseymw]

Damn it...I could have got £200.....

Utter waste of money imo. The money needs to be spent elsewhere such as breastfeeding support, MW/HV training. I agree something needs to be done to change the general attitude of BFing but I don't think this is the right way to go about it. I was saddened by a HV who when I went to get Jacob weighed just asked me straight away "how many bottles?" No "Are you BFing etc?" first. She was slightly confused when I said none.

The opinion of the general public needs to change as well. How many people have NIP and had a look of disgust off someone? I know I have.

I just don't see how bribing someone with £200 is going to make a difference. It's a bit of a kick in the teeth for those who like to BF but for whatever reason can't surely? & for those who 'heaven forbid' actually chose to FF.

 

[SabrinaKat]

When I saw this on Sky News, I was gobsmacked. I didn't want to breastfeed and couldn't due to taking thyroid meds, but have absolutely no problem with anybody who wishes to (and believe that employeers, public spaces, etc., should have areas for breastfeeding, etc), but this is riduculous! If I lived in the UK, would I have had to wear a sign when giving my baby a bottle saying 'can't breastfeed due to medication'? (that last part was a joke!)....it's hard enough in the early days, let alone to have the 'government' step in with ridiculous ideas!

hugs!

 

[Alyssa Drough]

I know it doesn't make any difference to the principle of the situation but these women aren't being paid actual money - just £200 of shopping vouchers.

 

[bumpy_j]

That is so, so dumb - surely the money saved from not buying formula would be enough of a monetary reason for those who would actually give breastfeeding a shot?

 

[teal]

I think putting the money into breastfeeding support for new mums would make more sense.

 

[JASMAK]

I dont get it really. First, people are saving money by breastfeeding, obviously, as formula is outrageously priced. I don't see how a wee bit of money is going to make a difference or not. I think they should put the money into promoting breastfeeding and educating new moms on breastfeeding. It will go directly to those who want to, and can. If anything, you think the money would be offered to those who CAN'T breastfeed to help with formula.

 

[Kitteh_Kat]

While it's great they're trying to encourage breastfeeding, that is such a horrible way to go about it. That money can be spent for so many better other things!

Honestly, there isn't enough money in the world to convince me to breastfeed. It's my choice and my body, and trying to throw money at the situation just makes it feel... cheap. How about spending that money to assist women that want to breastfeed but are having issues instead of just rewarding the ones that can do it?

Not to mention it's a huge slap in the face to the women that want to do it but truly can't for whatever reason.

*facepalm*

 

[Miss_Cellany]

The money would be better spent elsewhere. I really wanted to breastfeed and at 6 days in I'm already failing as my lo has tongue tie and it's taken a week for the nhs to give us an appointment. Meanwhile he hasn't been latching perfectly and I'm in a lot of pain so we have resorted to a mix of formula, breast and expressed milk. I have spent days crying, feeling like a failure.

My DH had a good idea - perhaps they could give free pumps to everyone instead of the money so that more people can give breast milk in at least some format if they don't want to actually breastfeed or if they have similar difficulties to me.

 

[lhancock90]

If you only want to breastfeed to earn some money, well, that says it all really.

Put the money into improving breastfeeding services!

 

[kerrie24]

The money would be better spent elsewhere. I really wanted to breastfeed and at 6 days in I'm already failing as my lo has tongue tie and it's taken a week for the nhs to give us an appointment. Meanwhile he hasn't been latching perfectly and I'm in a lot of pain so we have resorted to a mix of formula, breast and expressed milk. I have spent days crying, feeling like a failure.

My DH had a good idea - perhaps they could give free pumps to everyone instead of the money so that more people can give breast milk in at least some format if they don't want to actually breastfeed or if they have similar difficulties to me.

I'm sorry to hijack the thread but I hate to think of women suffering and not getting the help they need.Please post in the breastfeeding section,there are lots of experienced bf mums there who can help you.In newcastle where I am a peer supporter,you can lend hospital grade pumps if you are having problems and there is help out there,it makes me so angry that the mums who need it just get ignored.There are bf groups at most childrens centres,sometimes another mum who has been through it can be tge most reassuring.
My son has lip and tongue ties and it was agony for me at first,I asked for it to be snipped but they said it wasn't severe enough and it would stretch.Anyway we stuck it out for 34 months in the end!I really hope you get the help you want and need.