To be really annoyed you can't get points on formula?

[Jengnr]

Due to 'Government legislation'

How about the Government fuck off? I've made the decision (actually, it was made for me but that's neither here nor there), I'm spending the bloody money, why should I not be able to collect advantage points on that?

Wankers.

Within the adult cohort there is a big impact on rates of obesity, for example. At the population level - not wee Johnny down the road who was ff and is fine.

In the infant cohort, there is a big impact on gastroenteritis. Statistically, a ff baby is more likely to suffer.

I ff but I know it was a second best, adequate choice.

If it was free maybe she would have no need to lie however if she was paid she would.I'd want diet sheets and any drug or supplement listed,just not sure every woman would be happy to do that if they were tied up bfing and expressing.

Yabu. Its a small expense. No one gives you anything for bfing. Why do you need it for formula feeding?

Stargirl it is so eye opening, isn't it? I remember reading it and just thinking "How the HELL did I not know about this!".

Formula companies do not care about your baby, they do not care about your bank balance. They are ripping everyone off to make a huge profit. No one except those reaping the rewards at the top benefits from the outrageous over pricing.

MooMoo, no one is saying that formula shouldn't exist, or that an alternative should not be available for those that either can't or choose not to breastfeed. But that doesn't change the fact that the companies are bastards.

There should be an alternative where the focus is on what actually goes into it (it is only in the last 15 years that companies have had to start declaring what formula is made out of. Think about that for a second...), with sufficient explanation of how to use it safely, and no marketing. There is no need posters and billboards and TV commercials to be screaming at us everywhere we turn.

To those saying that it's not fair, do have a read of The Politics Of Breastfeeding. It's not a breastfeeding book in the sense of explaining about breastfeeding, and doesn't make you feel bad if you chose not to. But it explains in a much better way why things like the WHO code have to be in action.

Great post by sirboobalot

Bfing does not protect you from obesity that claim has been discounted.

However a crap childhood diet and lifestyle will cause obesity-something far bigger to worry about.

Re gastro if prepared properly there are no risks. The amount of babies whose mothers chose not to read instructions on the tin hospitalised in a year from gastro were less than the amount of bottles I prepared for 1 of my babies.The amount of bottles prepared yearly in this country must run into billions-any risk is tiny.

The community on facebook is completely free, no one buys the milk. I think it is fucking incredible that women do that for each other. That is how it should be (in my opinion).

I do agree about diet to a certain extent, but only with regards to milk and caffeine, as my son was very sensitive to both. Other than that I wouldn't care. Heck I pretty much exclusively ate cake in the early days!

I always find it slightly amusing at how women who ff are so desperate to refute how superior Breastmilk is... As many others have pointed out, the fact it is designed perfectly for a baby with antibodies etc CANNOT be ignored however much some may try...

Yes I remember those heady eat as much cake as you like and bfing days! 'Twas about the only thing I enjoyed re bfing.

gimme I agree and I have bfed and formula fed, I am under no illusions however that it would have been better for ds4 and dd to have been ebf as the other three boys were.

'Twas about the only thing I enjoyed re bfing.

I think here is the reason why you have such a huge chip on your shoulder about BFing. You clearly have a problem with the idea of it.

I certainly don't ignore that however they are really in the big parenting picture not something I would stress or even worry about.

Polkadot can you link to the research which has discounted the links between FF and obesity please ? Thanks.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/why-breastfeed.aspx

NHS site re benefits of bfeeding and formula fed babies are more likely to get tummy bugs even if milk is made up properly.

As I said I have done both but I am aware that human milk is better for babies.

Yes links re obesity and also a link to the source that says its better NOT to bfeed if you have a history of eczema as I have been googling and cannot find this.

Right .......... I don't have a chip far from it,if. I was prone to chips they would be from screen time,how much veg my kids eat,how much extra school,work I don't make them do,exercise,me as a role model etc as they all pretty much have a far bigger impact.

I make parenting choices every day,some good and some less good, I'd have a fresh new chip,every day if prone to them.

Anyhoooo if the rather childish chip thing is going rear it's rather ugly and predictable head I'm off to bed.

"If it was free maybe she would have no need to lie however if she was paid she would.I'd want diet sheets and any drug or supplement listed,just not sure every woman would be happy to do that if they were tied up bfing and expressing. "

I didn't do diet sheets when I was expressing for seriously ill premies.

For premies in neotnatal intensive human mik makes a real difference. Breastmilk has anti bacterial properties and a weak or under developed gut can cope with breastmilk more easily than formula. Using breastmilk instead of formula increases the chances of surival.

However the risks of donated breastmilk are a bit like a blood transfusion. The benefits are worth the risk for a sick premie, but not a healthy older baby. I would not express breastmilk for someone else's healthy baby.

Some of the milk I expressed was sold to formula companies for research.

No links then Polkadot ? Perhaps you can post your research tomorrow ? Sleep well.

Thanks 5madthings, at last someone without the chip on thier shoulder! :-)

It really makes me hmmm how desperate some people about breastmilk. Formula never will be anywhere near as good as breastmilk but some who ff just don't want to hear that and get very snidey and snotty even though it is true.

And cases of gastroenteritis are not just due to how bottles are made up. An ff baby is much more likely to get it. If I remember correctly, over 90% of babies who go to hospital with gastroenteritis are ff.

I would happily donate milk to a healthy baby if the mother could not feed. I really wish I had done.

Pickled I wish you could've donated to my dd

Tbh, I didn't know anything about bf or ff till I started relactating. Each book I've read has led me to another. I would think the vast majority of new mums would be the same. I knew bf was better but not really any detail.

I don't understand why people get so defensive about it tbj, we all as parents try and do our best and sometimes it doesn't work out. Trying to deny that breast milk is better for babies seems a bit odd to me at least. I don't feel guilty that bfeeding didn't work out for two of my children, sad maybe but not guilty.

Human milk is best for human babies and if people are annoyed about the legislation regarding formula and the prices of it then complain to the formula companies who are the unethical arseholes who made it necessary.

pickled I tried to donate as I always had oversupply issues but there is no milk bank local to me :(

I suspect it's related to feeling like you've failed. I felt like that. After all this reading, I feel more angry than guilty though. There isn't the level of support needed when things go wrong.

"If I remember correctly, over 90% of babies who go to hospital with gastroenteritis are ff. "

Erm... I suspect that over 90% of ALL babies are formula fed.

Yes I guess it is that star and maybe it helps to convince yourself that bfeeding is not better than formula.

Angry at lack of support is true for me also, that and sadness but non point dwelling on the past :)

It doesn't promote Breastfeeding it just penalises formula feeders. I say this as a breastfeeder!!