Aibu? to be pissed off at this: "The cost and social implications of using an infant milk should be considered when deciding how to feed your baby."

[Selyna]

WTF do Hipp mean by social implications?

Both methods of feeding a baby are acceptable so fuck off with the whole acting like ff is poison! my dd is perfectly fine but i hate this constant making me feel like a failure because i failed to bf although i tried so so hard!

Is that the case though? Is there usually someone who wants to sit down Amd watch v? I was on mat leave for a year so the vast majority of feeds were down to me. Had I been ff, it would have been the same plus sterilizing and making hem up

I read it as "formula costs money, and some people in your family will probably judge, whichever one you choose. Plus, you'll have to cart this carton home if you buy me, and ff equipment can be awkward".

Last time there was a thread about that warning, someone posted, all outraged, to say that no-one needs to consider the financial cost of formula! Rich lady, eh...

well this is how you would work it out in theory. In reality, you put the baby in its carseat, prop the bottle up against the upright handle, teat aiming down, and hope for the best!

I think the point was whoever is doing the childcare, feeding (however its done), bathing, cleaning is an economic activity and if you are going to weigh in the balance the cost of one element of it you have to be even handed and look at all of it. It's a way of saying - look, this is work. It's productive work. You might love it, it might be marvellous and wonderful but it's not free, provided by angels, at no cost to anyone's time, sanity, purse, whatever.

I think the point was whoever is doing the childcare, feeding (however its done), bathing, cleaning is an economic activity and if you are going to weigh in the balance the cost of one element of it you have to be even handed and look at all of it.

Agree - as I pointed out earlier, 500 baby-feeding calories per day poured into you aren't free - it averages at about £7/week (less if you do it with coke and crisps, more with organic veggies) vs c £9 for a tin of formula for a week.

Then you have to add time into the equation - time is "free" if you are not worjking, if you are it has a real cost. I'd bet you'd find that FF is the economic choice for anyone working, BF for anyone not working.

Depends whether you want to lose weight, how much, and how fast of course.

"Then you have to add time into the equation "

No you don't. As I said someone has to feed the baby however you choose to do so.

I don't believe many people consciously eat more when bf

I breastfeed. My shopping bills hasn't gone up but then I'm frugal. I also bought discounted SMA yesterday for DD to go to the childminder for a few hours. I pointed that out to Tesco's they weren't aware of it but was 'follow on' so maybe that's why. Anyway, the fact the DD doesn't really like SMA (or any FF) and still wants BM is a social implication.

I dont think if you bfing or ffing you eat more to busy sorting everyone else out! However bfing is making me very thirsty I want one of those novelty hats you put the cans in and straws come to your mouth. They need to marketed to bfing women

Then you have to add time into the equation but FF also takes time. The time for a feed may be a bit less, but then it takes much less time for me to pull up my top than it does for me to wash up bottles, sterilise, boil the kettle etc.

And whilst I know there is an argument that others can do it to, I would wager that for the majority in first 6 months, when BF is at it's most time intensive, it is the mother doing the work involved with the FFing.

With dd1 dh did 50% of the ffs for the first few months, so it was easier in that sense.

With dd2 bfing is easy as say just then I bfed dd on way to pick dd up from preschool in sling so just wap them out and sorted.

Both have their plus points.

Hmm I read it as cost = bad but social implications = good as there's no breastfeeding in public issues, or issues with having alcohol. But then I don't live somewhere where breastfeeding is widespread.

Interesting that everyone has different views on what "social implications" means - someone ought to write to Hipp and tell them that it's confusing.

I wondered if perhaps it meant "environmental implications", ie there's an environmental cost with bottles, boiling water, sterilising equipment etc, which there isn't with bf. But then if they meant that they should have said it.

Ohandanotherone Follow on milk can be sold at offer prices. Most of the supermarkets take turns to have follow on milk reduced.

Spirt - I don't think the issues you mention are issues actually but then I live in an area where bf is pretty normal. After all, even if you FF you wouldn't really drink alcohol and still be able to care for a baby safely. If BF you can always express and another carer cup feed the baby, so not really an issue, exactly the same in fact.

SpiritOfTheSite yes it's very socially important to keep BFing mothers out of the public eye and ensure that all mothers can drink as much as they like

Wigglesworth cheers, though that might be the case but wasn't sure.

ohanotheron - You can definitely drink more if ffing most mums I know are out in first few weeks that I know, you definitely cant do that when bfing. Bfing isnt common here though

"I'd bet you'd find that FF is the economic choice for anyone working, BF for anyone not working"

The areas where most women breastfeed world wide also happen to be the areas where women usually have no external financial support after birth and therefore HAVE to work.

And in developed countries those women who are least likely to ever have worked are also those women most likely to ff from birth.

Those women from social class 1 (doctors, lawyers, professionals) are also those who are most likely to breastfeed, and are most likely to breastfeed longest.

Go figure!

(on a personal note, I went back to work when my eldest was a few weeks old but still continued to bf for 18 months. These days most women go back to work after 6 months. There is no reason not to continue bf if you want to with a baby of this age. It's perfectly possible for most people, even if they are separated from their baby for 10 hours a day or more).

I take it as icost = formula has to be bought whereas bm is made. Social implications = world health policy is to promote bf and ff doesn't do this.

Should add, that when they are calculating the costs to the individual and society of not breastfeeding, they factor in days at work lost through caring for sick babies and children. FF babies as a group have more doctor and hospital visits than bf babies.

"You can definitely drink more if ffing most mums I know are out in first few weeks that I know, you definitely cant do that when bfing"

Bf mothers can 'pump and dump' if they want to get completely shit-faced.

Otherwise they can just drink within the governments recommended limits and not worry about it.

How many women in the UK go back to work full-time these days with a baby much under 6 months?

Anyone know?

I know you can go drink still but a lot of people drink very early on so you couldnt do that when bfing is what I mean. For instance my friend had her ds 2 weeks ago but went out on a mental one last saturday night that wouldnt happen if you bfed. I think it depends on what you see around you