to be absolutely freaking fuming about breastfeeding vouchers! !!!

[harriet247]

Cannot put into words how annoyed I am,have just switched on the news to be told that the government are considering offering breastfeeding vouchers to new mums.
160 quid in shopping vouchers for the first 6 weeks of the babys life and 200 if you go up to 6 months.
Im a ftm and I had crippling horrible guilt that I couldn't breastfeed. I really wanted to but my milk didnt turn up until 9 days after my baby was born. I think was something to do with 44 hour labour which ended in an emc a few weeks before my due date.
I am just furious, furious that women are being treated like foolish little ladies who need a cash incentive to feed their babies in the way the powers that be say is best.

[OHforDUCKScake]

Im on the fence with this one, leaning towards - why not?

I studied low breastfeeding rates during my degree, I did a huge research project on it.

What was starkingly obvious was those who didnt attempt breastfeeding was huge in poverty areas (England). Most women werent attempting and those who did mainly gave up within the first month. Those who fed until 6 months was very low, those who exclusively fed for the first 6 months was shockingly, shockingly low.

The better off, and older the woman is the more likely she is to attempt breastfeeding.

Thats the thing. Attempting.

Theres a whole group that isnt attempting and if money were to persuade them to attempt and to continue then surely lots of people gain?

The mother, financially and health wise, the child health wise enormously and the NHS.

Whats not to like?

[PatoBanton]

How on earth can they verify this anyway? It's bonkers.

I'm also a bit concerned that people who breastfeed for a longer time are going to be viewed as 'doing it for the money' - I fed ds2 till 54 months, but not cos someone paid me to do it.

Very odd dynamic to be setting up imo

[PatoBanton]

x posts, In that case perhaps it is a good idea.

But then - again, how do you police it? Surely everyone would just say 'yay I am breastfeeding' whether or not they were giving formula...and what about mix feeding...banning people from buying formula to top up with, if they needed to etc well it's a minefield.

[mrsjay]

what is 54 months in years

[OvaryAction]

I think it's patronising, the money would be far better spent on more lactation consultants in hospitals and on training midwives and HV to better help women who are struggling to feed.

If you're finding breastfeeding difficult you need support not bloody shopping vouchers! Who fancies retail therapy with bleeding nipples and a screaming baby?

[OHforDUCKScake]

54 months c'mon!

What IS that?

[OHforDUCKScake]

Ovary but no lactation consultant can make a woman try in the first place.

They are there for the women who try to breast feed and need support.

What about the countless women that dont try?

Thats the point isnt it? To get them to try.

[HaroldTheGoat]

I dont think this is a great idea. I am from one of the areas that would be classed as deprived I expect although I dont live there now. My sister told me that it was disgusting and refused to look at me doing it, at first. I had the confidence to tell her to wind her neck in and after a few weeks she could see that it wasnt what she thought it was, much more discreet etc.

I dont think giving £200 vouchers is going to give the targeted mothers extra confidence to come up against this sort of adverse peer pressure personally.

I couldnt not breastfeed my first baby and I can totally understand how seeing things like this in the news can make someone in that position feel.

[mrsjay]

5 years old jings call your child 5 not 54 months or was that a typo

[strawberrypenguin]

Would the promise of £160 have made my boob refusing, low blood auger son bf then? Silly me why didn't I try that before making sure he actually ate something to avoid him going to NICU. OP YANBU it's a bloody stupid idea if that money is available it should go towards giving all parents a better maternity package

[OHforDUCKScake]

But Harold YOU had the confidence to breast feed. So that totally contradicted what you said.

All it takes is one group of women to start, for them to see its not gross or indiscreet and they are more likely to try, others can support them etc.

If you are surrounded by bottle feeders, have never known a friend or relative to breast feed then you are very very likely to bottle feed too.

So lets change that, bring breastfeeding in and make it normal.

Let people like your sister see that its NOT gross and indiscreet. After all, you did exactly that.

[OHforDUCKScake]

Strawberry I think you have missed the point entirely.

[SoupDragon]

Do low income families get help with the cost of formula milk?

[Pearlsaplenty]

Yabu

They are just trialling this in places with very low bf rates. If it encourages mums to have a go at bf when they wouldnt before that is a good thing as the babies would benefit.

Just because bf doesn't work out for some mums and babies and some mums get quite sensitive about this, doesn't mean that new projects/strategies to encourage bf shouldn't be introduced!

I agree that they should also be spending money on bf support services.

[elskovs]

Honestly if the main reason someone breastfeeds is for the cash incentive then there is not much hope for them anyway.

[HectorVector]

I breastfed my child for 26 months. However for the first 3 months we had to top up with formula on the advice of a consultant paediatrician. Wonder if I'd've got £200?! It's ridiculous to be honest, how would you provide evidence that you were breastfeeding. Would you need a medical assessment to prove you are lactating (sounds quite intrusive). And for how long?! Bizarre.

[tiktok]

elskovs, it would never be the 'main' reason.

It's a pilot study to see if it makes a difference to their stats.

It might (or might not) make some populations feel that there is a value to breastfeeding. In areas where women are 'abnormal' for breastfeeding in the first place, it might (or might not) help.

[strawberrypenguin]

Um no I haven't duck my DS couldn't breast feed so he was ff fed. Why should I be 'punished' for doing the best thing for my child

[HaroldTheGoat]

I dont understand how I have contradicted myself!

[TheFabulousIdiot]

they would be so much better putting formula on free prescription for those who need it and making breastfeeding a more socially acceptable option with all the help and support needed when there are problems.

I imagine that there are many women out there who would just say 'no thanks to the vouchers, I'm going to formula feed because breast feeding is disgusting and anyway my baby will sleep better with formula' because that's how a lot of people think.

[thebody]

it's a waste of money and a bloody cheek to boot.

firstly how women feed their babies is no one else's business but theirs... so fuck off with the judgy ideas.

secondly if you want to up the levels of bf then more help is needed in the wards and early home visits so use this cash to employ more bf councellors.

thirdly how in earth is this to be policed? mind boggies!

has the government actually ASKED women what they think of this bonkers and patronising idea? of course not!!!

if I wish to use my breasts to feed my babies or not that's none of the nanny states business.its mine so fuck off.

[Topseyt]

I think it is an awful idea. I could not breastfeed. I tried, but due to a problematic labour and complicated delivery my milk didn't come in for ages, and I was very ill both mentally and physically after the birth of my eldest child.

If I hadn't formula fed my baby then she simply would not have been fed.

I couldn't face the thought of going through that again with my second and third babies, so all were formula fed and all have survived with no problems.

I think this policy discriminates against those who manage to breastfeed (good on you), and those who for very many reasons don't.

Some of us when we were new mums found all of the pressure on us added to the PND or other problems. I quickly learned to tell over-zealous health care professionals to sod off.

[HaroldTheGoat]

I guess its a pilot scheme to see if it works, none of us KNOW for a fact that it might or might not help.

I suspect not, but I could be wrong.

[MySiamese]

If the massive health benefits and money saving aspect of breastfeeding as it is won't encourage a mum to breastfeed, then £200 won't either. Stupid, they should spend this money providing proper breastfeeding support to the mum's that want to breastfeed and need help and advice.

[Pearlsaplenty]

If you've read the articles about it is says that vouchers would be given to mothers not solely relying on formula (so it includes mixed feeders).

It would be policed by a survey, just like at the moment when the midwives fill in those forms asking how baby is being fed, so no policing .

Also does it really actually matter if the mother lies? A couple of years ago pregnant women used to get some money (can't remember how much as I just missed the cut off) at around 20 weeks or so. They got this one off payment for no reason. So now they get some vouchers if they have a go (or pretend to have a go) at bf.