Countries failing to stop harmful marketing of breast-milk substitutes, warn WHO and UNICEF **Title edited by MNHQ**

[Horehound]

www.who.int/news-room/detail/27-05-2020-countries-failing-to-stop-harmful-marketing-of-breast-milk-substitutes-warn-who-and-unicef

If anyone wants to read. WHO are not happy with countries be blazé about breastmilk substitutes

I was quite alarmed by the statement in the title of this thread which is within the link.

I want to see the source for this study.

Statistically, worldwide, I’m sure that is true. You have sanitation, clean drinking water, formula supply, quality of formula to consider.

I think in more developed countries where we can get top quality brand formula pretty much 24/7, have clean drinking water, health care and benefit systems, it’s not going to be accurate.

The headline should be less sensational and clearly isn’t applicable across the board.

Please do understand that half of my relatives come from a developing country and the amount of pressure and blame i received to stop breastfeeding my child and give him formula becshse apparently I’m to blame if he doesn’t grow enough... I’ve been called selfish and all sorts..

I then tandem fed and I was spoken to like I was harming my toddler who was under2..

I was following my instincts but the pressure from around you really eats at you, and I’m a science researcher.

I do think many mothers needed to see this statement by WHO.. it’s not their to shame formula feeders but it’s there to highlight the significance of breastfeeding. Especially in that part of the world where there is little to no monitoring of health products and perhaps low awareness and ability to be critical of ingredients and so on.

Thanks for sharing OP.

@Felicitycity

and that s not meant to undrmermine or shame mum's who bottle feed. It s just a fact.

No, it isn't. You said you 'believed I've read that... ' just because you think you might have read something, does not make it a fact. And I don't believe for one moment that stating that isn't intended to undermine mothers who ff. I don't mind a proper, balanced discussion about feeding babies, but I get very fed up with claims that a post is not intended to upset one side or the other. People choose how they're their baby or a multitude of reasons and as long as the baby is fed and is thriving, it's not anybody else's business. At least one poster on this thread has been made to feel bad because for reasons outside her control, she's switched to formula. Those responsible for doing that to a new mum should feel ashamed of themselves.

I wish people would think before posting. New mothers who may be struggling with breastfeeding right now are not getting the support they would usually because of the current pandemic. No family, friends and I imagine limited support from health visitors and midwives unless they really pushed for it. Those with pnd are not getting support. The last thing they need is to then feel guilty about potentially using formula after reading the thread title, with no context.

Thanks for the support and thank you to @mylittlesandwich for the kind offer. We were actually planning on combo feeding within the next month or two because pumping has been really difficult to maintain, so I think we will be alright.

It was upsetting to have my pump break suddenly but I was starting to feel good about my decision. This thread did give me a little wobble, but I think it's the right decision for us.

I just wish I had been one of those ladies who had no trouble breastfeeding!

I have asked @mnhq to change the title

@Lockheart

I like the way you think!

Do you think the WHO is wrong? (I guess you are in good company if you do...)

@Silvercatowner the WHO aren't claiming the figures relate to the UK. The original study was done in low income countries and compared breastfed babies to undernourished babies. It's also 12 years old so hardly news. Its neither representative of, nor applicable to the UK

@Veterinari I am quoting the WHO article which was posted today. Didn't know there was a study 12 years ago.

Bloody hell people are rude

Stats are developing countries

Reviews of studies from developing countries show that infants who are not breastfed are 6 (19) to 10 times (20) more likely to die in the first months of life than infants who are breastfed.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK148967/

And likely linked to hygiene issues.
But 14 x what?

FED IS BEST.

Nah, not buying that excuse. Your OP could have said 'WHO global study says...'.

It didn't.

I could title a thread saying 'infant mortality in the first 12 months is 29 per thousand of live births'.

Those are WHO global statitics after all. Not reflective of the risk to most MNetters but hey, just saying what WHO says. Don't get defensive ]

@Horehound

The statistic in the report that you've so gleefully published is taken from that 12 year old study done in low income countries and comparing breastfed babies to undernourished ones. It's not new it's simply rehashed.

I'd suggest that before you attempt to shame vast numbers of UK mums you engage your brain and check the sources for your unsupportive thread title. This is a parenting forum - not a 'shame new mums by misquoting old data from developing countries and pretending it applies to UK mums forum'.

@GrumpyHoonMain
Just googled that study and it's fascinating: www.ucsf.edu/news/2016/07/403606/early-exclusive-breastfeeding-associated-longer-telomeres-latino-preschoolers

The lead researcher Dr Janet Wojcicki is actually the sister of Susan Wojcicki, CEO of Youtube. The third sister Anne is CEO of a biotech company and married to one of the founders of Google. Insane family (would be interesting to know if they were BF or FF!)

I don't get the hatred towards formula companies.

Yes they're interested in the ££ but if they are providing me with baby milk that my baby will grow and thrive on I couldn't give a shit

Ah so now the title has changed...

Try to be less goady next time, OP.

@EsmeeMerlin couldn't agree more I am currently in this situation. My newborn has tongue tie so couldn't BF - when I asked if he could have it snipped I was told the clinics aren't running at the moment. Posts like this make me feel like shit .

You're right @Horehound people are rude.

People who come on to a forum full of parents, many of whom are formula feeding their babies for a while host of reasons, and post a click bait thread title with an out of context scary "fact". Are in fact very rude.

@BeingonFBdoesntmakeittrue yeh I should have said that as the title and originally I did but then changed it because what I read really shocked me. Although pps are right in saying 14 X what. It's true and there is no link to the source/study on the WHO article.

I mean I don't have anything against formula since my baby survived on formula in the first weeks of his life when he had lost too much weight and we were readmitted to hospital. I pumped what I could and topped up with formula and then when we got home we continued in that plan for a further two weeks.

@CoffeeDay - it is right? Telomeres can be shortened and lengthened in other ways but it’s wonderful how breastfeeding may do it automatically - I really want to see more studies here because there is clearly something in breastmilk which doesn’t exist in formula (yet). It made me feel really happy for persisting with bf (been feeling down lately so I needed something to cheer me up).

@Horehound your thread title is inaccurate - it should read breastfed babies are 14 times more likely to die than undernourished babies in developing countries.

Also your OP is inaccurate the WHO are not upset about countries that are blasé about breast milk substitutes but about mothers who are being discouraged from breastfeeding due to perceived COVID 19 transmission risks - that's the entire reason the report has been published

I heard that SIDS is pretty much unheard of in breast fed babies and there has never been a case of a sleeping mother smothering her baby in bed when the baby is breastfed.
It was in a doc called the milky-way. Not sure how accurate the info is.

I think we all really know breast is best - which is why those who didn't breast feed get so defensive. If they genuinely didn't think formula was a sub par option, they wouldn't care when people say breast is best. I say that as someone that couldn't bf my first child due to his health issues.

You're feeding your baby processed food, we all know processed food is not good for you. Breast milk is baby whole food.

It's an acceptable substitute if you can't breastfeed, but breast is the best option for all that can.

this has been going on for years -
the issue with formula is hygiene & water & cost & literacy & comprehension of instructions which may not be in their language
the baby milk companies advertise formula as being better than bm - people may use the formula incorrectly - diluting it more or less according to beliefs or their level of poverty - which can cause kidney damage (more) or starvation (less)
However - never forget that in the case of AIDS & some other diseases bf is not advised & bottle feeding is essential
Nestle was the demonic enemy decades ago for (over) selling of fomula