The many, many costs of breastfeeding - VOX

The thing about these costs like pumps and such is not just that some women don't need them at all. It's also that in many cases women who are led to believe they need them, probably don't, and could find other solutions. And it's also possible for many to do mixed feeding which avoids some of those costs like expensive pumps and bags while being more flexible than breastfeeding.

Pumping on a regular basis is where a lot of the problem comes in, because it doubles the time investment. The woman-centric approach would really be to avoid the American scenario where there isn't really even time to establish breastfeeding.

I reiterate that this is a useful resource for anyone who wants to read up on the available evidence:

www.unicef.org.uk/babyfriendly/news-and-research/baby-friendly-research/infant-health-research/

Maybe you should read the links you post. Breastfeeding does not “provide our immune system”. In fact there is no difference between the immune system of a non breastfed adult and breastfed adult (all other things being equal).

What is your basis for saying that? Do you work in NHS policy in England?

What did you think was particularly interesting about that article? The trend towards more plant based milks?

It's not NHS policy in any area! You would be entitled to make a complaint, from what you've said.

that would be outing. What area are you in that you think you can confirm that?

Here's an interesting article on growing infant formula markets:

www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/infant-formula-market-101498

my DC were breast-fed (dc1) and mixed (dc2).

with DC1, I read the books & wanted to be good so she was exclusively breast-fed to 6 months. And then I wanted to go back to work but she would not take a bottle. So I was tied to her for another 18 months until she was fully weaned. that was a big burden and life would have been much easier if DH or her nursery could have given her a bottle sometimes.

that is way DC2 got mixed feeding with a bottle-a-day from 7 weeks. because my time is valuable and I needed the flexibility to be away from my baby sometimes.

I think BF can be free and easy, if you are lucky that it comes naturally and you are a SAHM who is able to stick close to baby for 15 months or so. But if those things aren't true, then all other methods of baby feeding have a cost. Either in pumping equipment+time or in formula or some combination. And it is foolish to pretend those costs don't exist.

Assume you are actually referring to "chest feeding "

We are not separating women from their bodies by permitting them the choice to breastfeed. Any more than we separate them from their bodies by allowing them to decide whether to have a c section or even an abortion. Toothache is natural but we don’t expect people to have teeth out without anesthesia.

our bodies, our choices. It’s basic feminism.

Should anyone wish to avail themselves of all of the enormously extensive research carried out on infant feeding, here is a useful resource:

www.unicef.org.uk/babyfriendly/news-and-research/baby-friendly-research/

@BetsHilton sibling studies show no benefits of breastfeeding at all. It’s a correlation rather than a casual link as healthy babies of middle class educated women are far more likely to be breastfed. Sibling studies show a benefit too until you compare like with like (ie babies within same family- one of whom breastfed and one not) and then the difference disappears.

VillageWaspByke, what area are you in, because I can confirm that is absolutely not NHS policy.

It's the kind of feminism that sees its role as separating women from their bodies. Rather than as creating a society that is structured to accommodate the different requirements of women's reproductive role. It sees the male body as normative and the paradigm for human economic life. But it's nothing new so far as that goes.

One thing that's interesting to me is right at the beginning - that some women simply don't want to breastfeed and therefore it shouldn't be suggested as a potential solution. It's such a flat, shallow statement, I really think you could only get away with that level of thinking in a cartoon.

We live in the real world, not some spoiled teenage fantasy land. When we make choices that depend on technology that can fail, on global supply chains, there is a certain amount of vulnerability contained within that. Supply chains do fail. Food security is fundamentally based on local availability. Fractory production of processed foods carries risks of errors. Especially in a global supply chain it can also include the possibility of cut corners.

They may not be huge risks but they are certainly possibilities. Breastfeeding is one way to potentially mitigate that kind of risk. A woman needs to decide whether it's a risk she is comfortable with, or needs to take, based on the facts, not what she would prefer the facts to be. That kind of self-delusion helps no one.

Yes, the UK and Ireland have some of the lowest breastfeeding rates in the world.

Women are not adequately supported - despite (iirc) around 85% wanting and intending to breastfeed, rates drop off quite fast, especially in areas where there's little support for new mothers.

The financial costs of breastfeeding seems to be an odd focus, (especially because they are really negligible) but perhaps coming from a country that is so hugely focussed on monetising everything that makes more sense. I mean, you could say 'children are only free if you don't count the costs to look after them and/or the time to raise them'. It's a really bizarre angle.

Anyway, an awful article that needs to go in the Museum of Neoliberal Agitprop.

Unless you gave birth 30 years ago, NHS policy is to put ridiculous pressure to breastfeed and not to support formula feeding at all. My HV told me she could not discuss feeding with me at all if I was formula feeding and that she wasn’t allowed to.

@Goodskin46 did you miss this bit?

To date, a clear protective effect of breastmilk on allergy development has not been demonstrated

Indeed @BetsHilton also one more thing- you may think “formula milk” is a generic food stuff made by a variety of companies but NO! It’s a global conspiracy!!!!! And all the women who say they can’t breastfeed are brainwashed and/or stupid.

In the UK? Good grief- the pressure to breastfeed was enormous when I had my son.

www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fped.2019.00047/full

Actually I think it is science.

I would say it’s the opposite (although I agree re “birthing parents” language. It’s a cartoon about how breastfeeding is not free in response to this retort to formula feeding mums worried about supply of formula milk.

I don’t know anything about the author but the cartoon makes a number of good feminist points. It’s misogynist to ignore womens struggles with childbirth or breastfeeding because it’s “natural”.

we do need to acknowledge that there are drawbacks with breastfeeding and support both women who choose to do so and those who prefer not to. It’s not acceptable (or realistic) to tell formula feeding mums that they can just not worry about formula shortage because they can “just breastfeed”.

@Villagewaspbyke it’s ok I think I have it now.

The article is a load of crap, you don’t need anything to breastfeed successfully or any help or to spend money at all. If you do then you’ve just been brainwashed by the money grabbing breastfeeding industry ie getting a pump or lactation consultant.. it’s very unethical… but also we should be providing women with support to help them breastfeed as many women can do it with a bit of help so they could get a lactation consultant who might solve tongue tie or latch issues oh but err that’s being brainwashed by the breastfeeding marketers so err I don’t know maybe the magic money tree of the NHS could pay for it for everyone for free. The NHS are super inclusive and helpful to both breastfeeding and formula feeding mothers but Umm the people who the NHS do have there aren’t trained properly so it’s not their fault women have been badly treated and woken every two hours and some places won’t give women formula in the hospital even if their milk hasn’t come in as they’ve nearly died in childbirth but they’re not anti formula feeding so we don’t need any articles like this one providing a non- positive view of breastfeeding.

oh and women who don’t breastfeed aren’t close to their babies and don’t get any benefits out of formula feeding but lots of women here ‘wouldn’t judge’ or ‘would still support’ other women who make the heinous decision to formula feed. They are super noble like that.

phew I’ve learnt so much!

@BetsHilton lol - I’m not going to bother with small minded types. Old or young. It’s not worth it!

The vast majority of women in the uk don’t breastfeed though. I think lots is likely more accurate. But either way, we should give them reliable information and support them if they don’t want to breastfeed.

the infographic is not misleading at all. It’s debunking the “just breast feed” response to formula feeding mums who are worried about the shortage of formula milk.

It’s not supposed to be a list of things that are good about breastfeeding. It’s supposed to be a response to the “just breastfeed” to formula feeding mums.

It’s not that hard - it’s a cartoon.