to think MN shouldn't support boots co-advertising newborn bottle sets and "follow on" milk

[ICBINEG]

when there's a national campaign on to promote BF?

Presumably this advert passes the letter of the law regarding the non-advertising/non-special offers on formula for new born's but it defies the spirit in every way possible.

AIBU to expect a little more social responsibility from MN?

FairyJen your HV is wrong.

Your son may well have done better on Aptamil - different formulas suit different babies - but it is not the closest to breastmilk. Aptamil invest heavily in advertising to HVs/midwives/doctors to try and give that impression, and they market as a premium product - hence the scientific claims, medical looking packaging, and higher price point. Its an effective strategy but doesn't make their claims true.

Some way of finding out exactly what is in each formula, what it does, what side effects it might have, how different formulas compare, and so on, would be far more useful to anyone looking to make a choice than the wooly and unscientific claims in adverts.

OP
I see you are unable to retract your statement that you don't care how others feed their babies.

strikes me as massively patronising toward women, guided by this idea that we're too stupid to know what's best for us.

yy to this. As choosing how to feed is 99% of the time down to the woman, I sometimes ponder if we would have the ban on advertising infant milk if it was something that men tended to decide on.

jump you don't seem like the sort of person who would make their personal feeding choice in order to spite someone on the internet to be honest. I think you aren't being entirely honest there.

Oh my actual God OP.

Formula isn't:

a) Illegal
b) Poison

And

c) adults can do what the fuck they want - they can listen or ignore advertising and they can use their breasts to feed their children or use formula milk from bottles without having to feel guilty or judged or looked down upon.

What's next? Attacking the nhs for prescribing formula?

sock I don't care on an individual level at all. I don't think of you any differently if you tell me your feeding choice. I am not interested in whether you made a choice or if it was forced on you.

Actually that is a lie. Something I care about far more than this little thread is how many women are not given the right support in hospital to follow their feeding choice. Makes me bonkers mad that people who want to BF and could BF if given the right support are forced out of their choice.

So fine I do care, in that specific case.

bela indeed - thank god noone here is doing that!

Fgs there is nothing wrong with ff, not all of us can or want to bf.
Feeding is a choice, everyone has their own mind-Advertising either ff or bf is never going to change a womans mind!

I've tried with 3 out of 4 of my dc to give them the best start, but my nipples just weren't up to it, they were cracked and sore & bf tbh wasn't for me. I bonded with all my babies & i don't think ff them was a crime & yes ff should be advertised so us that choose it can make a more informed choice in which milk is better.

Pickled - do you not see this part?

'It is important that, in preparation for and during breastfeeding, you eat a healthy, balanced diet.'

This is bullshit, and a subtle, subliminal message to make women think 'oh FFS I still can't have a glass of wine and a tub of brie'. And also to think that if they do have wine and brie, that their milk will be of reduced quality - and therefore why not just FF because then your baby will get lovely formula, you can have wine and shovel crisps and it won't affect your baby at all.

It is all advertising, and I cannot believe that people are so blind that they can't see it.

I found the lack of formula information incredibly frustrating at making an informed decision. The information should be available, not suppressed.

Jump it does. In increased ear infections, gastro problems that BFing is shown to help prevent.

Again, I have no issue with people choosing to FF, but be clear on your reasons.

According to Unicef (who reference their figures as coming from the DoH), a 'moderate increase' in BF rates would save the NHS £40 million every year.

I agree OP. Advertising newborn formula is illegal for a very good reason and MN should be careful not to take part in formula companies' attempts to make formula the default option for newborns. I think MN posters generally lean towards agreeing with that, so I am surprised at this thread.

Cognac and given how easy it was to pick up on, I doubt it's a massive influence.

"FF costs the NHS millions every year". How exactly? DS was started on formula by a nurse in an NHS hospital. Because he wouldn't take to BF and I was exhausted and upset.

And I didn;t want to get into posting a lot of figures as I know it annoys people, but if posters are going to be reported for stating a fact then its only fair to give a reference for it.

So what if it is subliminal messaging tho. I'm sick of hearing "breast is best" I don't believe that true and no matter how many times I hear it I will not change my mind on the matter.

It should be down to the choice of the mother/parents how they feed their babies and that's that as far as I'm concerned!

jump feel free to report but it is a fact widely reported in the media and the basis of the whole campaign to increase BF rates.

The NHS don't fund campaigns for the fun of it, they do it because it will save them money in the long run.

grumpy - the formula companies advertise heavily to HCPs, especially neonatal ones. Who better to be the introducer of formula that someone that the parents will trust?

Why does it cost the NHS anything?
They don't even give out formula in hospitals anymore, you have to bring in your own!

cant couldnt agree more.

More information about FF should be supplied by the NHS. But advertising should be banned.

Yes I agree can'tbelieve but in what way does advertising disseminate correct unbiased factual information?

The information parents need to be able to make informed decisions about formula is actually pretty hard to come by and that's not right. It should be widely available from a trusted source.