...to ask what you think of this new breastfeeding video?

[clitorisorclitoraint]

I found it a tadge patronising.

You?

Riiiiight. Off to bed to breastfeed my baby and then have sex with my husband

Dont forget the corset crazycatlady.......

And the cow!

I think I might draw the line at the cabbage leaves though...

Blimey. Corsets, cabbage leaves and cows. And this video was intended to encourage young women to breastfeed .

Cripes I can hardly tear myself away. Even to breastfeed. Or have sex. Or both...

where did all these "xxx" posters appear from?

"vulnerable young women"
"silly attitude" - presume that by that the poster means formula feeding mums?

charming.

"It was shot on a shoe-string and I am pleased that so many people like it, but there are a lot of haters ripping us up on the web for being too fat, too rubbish, overtly sexual (I really cannot see that) and a disgrace to feminism. What do you think?"

and that's the professional response from Virginia Howes!

nothing like bit of sensible debate, eh?

At least shes getting some traffic for her website, donations dont donate themselves you know!

I like how its 'her' idea, 'her' video, 'her' cause on the website and on other forums its people hating on 'us'.

i'm becoming more and more cynical of the whole thing. didn't like the film or its message to start with. i'm now beginning to think the whole thing is just a controversial little marketing campaign by Virginia Howes to raise the profile of her business and supporting/celebrating breastfeeding is just a handy hook to hang it all on.

I really hope Virginia takes on board all the constructive (and unconstructive) criticism this video has received both on here and elsewhere. After ignoring all the warning messages on here when she was recruiting participants for the video, she's ended up with a really negative situation on her hands and a campaign that is doomed to do more harm than good.

She is clearly a woman who is motivated (for whatever reason) to do to some lengths to promote breastfeeding. I really hope her next campaign learns some lessons from this one and is better researched and executed.

I really am off now...

I wouldnt mind but can anyone actually find any breastfeeding information on the website?

nope. there isn't any.

you can visit a private midwifery service if you like though...

i'd be intrigued to seen the NCT's official stance on the film. can't see they've promoted it anywhere...

My exp: It blardy hurts to bf for the first 6 weeks. It's a chore for the next 6 weeks. By one year it's easy. If only more women knew this. My mother claimed she didn't have the right shaped nipples to b/f me. Nonsense. (Acknowledge the rare cases where women can't.)
I think those of us who b/f often just put up with the terrible pain and the initial hideous-ness (maybe that's why it sometimes sounds like we want medals).
In our culture, it can also be embarrasing to b/f in public. Also to have to defend what you're doing (notably to family members) when you don't really want to draw attention to what you're doing. I am quite a shy person. Actually,
very shy about my body.

It's hard to get an advert to promote something that hurts so much (at the start).

However, I don't think the sexy dancing helps to promote it to the non-b/f brigade. This film would NOT have made me think 'oooh I must b/f' pre-baby; and in the early weeks would prob have made me feel worse (since I wasn't having as much fun as them).

That said, one year down the line and it did make me smile.

Get some celebs to breast feed, that would be the best way to re-normalise it to the masses.

Have the same shaped everything. She did b/f for 6 weeks to be fair, but gave it up because - .....
it hurt.
Too right it hurt.

Breastfeeding never hurt me. Not once.

It doesn't hurt everybody and not everyone finds it a chore.

I certainly never found it hideous

Worzel - you are lucky then. And note - I said 'my experience'. I love it now, btw. Best thing ever. Easy, clean, healthy, links me to the one year old, makes him relaxed, soothes him, I could go on.
BUT YES, it was f'ing awful to begin with. 5 hours of hideous feeding.
Women sd know that soemtimes it is awful, but soon it's ok, and then it's great.

But actually, it means I can never have in the day. So for that I do deserve a .

I agree with prettyprudence. I'm not into lactivism just common sense education and investment to support new mothers to breastfeed without guilting those who struggle. I found the most compelling part of this video was when the mother kissed her blissed out, recently breastfed baby. All we need to say really is 'what are breasts really for?' This video just adds to the confusion.

Just a post to big up Virginia Howes! She's an amazing midwife and has done a brilliant job with this video, obviously noy everyone's going to like it but her intention was good all the same, think some of you may be missing that point.... Am really suprised at how much effort so many of you have put into your negative comments. Think you should lighten up and just take it or leave it, but either way watch it!

If only more women were fortunate enough to have a midwife like Virginia, breast feeding rates would be much higher.

Looking forward to the next video!

Why is it that nearly everything a woman does have to be sexy? And as for sexy sassy breastfeeding I could actually puke, fair enough breast feeding is a good thing and they are trying to make it look better but really burlesque dancers?
I ff all the way does that make me one of the evil cows lurking in the background ? Am I not sexy or sassy now? (weeps into pillow)

Oh mrsw, I so agree.

I just don't think bf is about being sexy or sassy. Actually, not much about having a very small baby is about either of those things.

And, also, pre baby I used to think b/f turned women into cows. I had such a generally neg view of bf I'm amazed I'm doing it at all.

One year on, this vid simply makes me smile, but it wouldn't make a jot of difference if I was contemplating whether to b/f or not.

I like that simple NHS vid someone posted earlier. We should have such ads shown on mainstream TV (sorry don't watch tv so if they already are then apols).

My mother (incidentally, about as middle class as you can get) often calls me up to say she's seen a formula ad, and sdn't I be giving junior formula, since it's oh so good and - oh - is he getting enough calcium otherwise.

Yup.