To think that it's a bit stupid to make breastfeeding compulsory?

[puntasticusername]

I mean, really, WTAF?

Breastfeeding made compulsory by UAE

Though I do have to grudgingly admire Lenore Skenazy for coming up with the phrase "sucking the choice out of parenting" to describe these sorts of initiatives.

[justmethanks]

Theo. That is truly shocking and disgusting. I'm speechless.

[edamsavestheday]

wtf theo, that is astonishing and outrageous! You mention a legal case - was the order to starve the baby part of the legal case? Was any action taken against the trust?

[squoosh]

They wouldn't allow formula in the unit? How the fuck are they allowed to impose that rule?

[pointythings]

Theodorous that is appalling and just as bad as this proposed legislation. I think we should be more generally up in arms about anything that takes self-determination away from women, no matter where it happens.

The only way you'll get breastfeeding rates up is by properly supporting women. The majority want to bf but give up because it is actually not easy. The pro-bf propaganda paints far too rosy a picture. Women deserve help to make it work, and to be left the hell alone if they can't.

And I say this as someone who only had a couple of tough weeks with DD1 plus a bout or two of mastitis, otherwise found it a doddle and bf for 13 months each time. I found it hard and was lucky to have a brilliant clued-up community midwife to help me. I can only imagine how much harder many other women have found it.

[GoldiChops]

Well I wouldn't be alive we're this the law here in the 80s. My mum physically couldn't have bf me, she's still upset about it now.

This law is sickening, reducing a human being to a mere reproduction and feeding machine.

[ISBN1966]

"because they wouldn't allow formula in the unit"

What - despite the fact that at least 2 in 10 women who give birth in that hospital will not initiate breastfeeding?

So women who have chosen not to breastfeed are forced to breastfeed, or to starve their babies?

Can you name the hospital please?

[ISBN1966]

"Well I wouldn't be alive we're this the law here in the 80s."

Working on the assumption that mothers who can't breastfeed in the UAE and who are unwilling to use a wet nurse will have to watch their babies starve to death?

[brettgirl2]

I thinkits interesting that miaow mentions the catholic contraception nonsense. What is more controlling to women than preaching they must 'honour their husband' without being allowed to use contraception? Now I realise in reality few people actually agree/ take any notice but the principle of it is appalling.

[anothernumberone]

PMSL at the breat feeding movement. Up to 100, 000 years of years of breastfeeding knocked out in 100 years and it is breastfeeding that is a movement. The law is nonsense though.

[kali110]

Wow theo that has shocked me. Your poor poor sister. Thank god for her and her baby she had you and her you and family there.

[ISBN1966]

"The only way you'll get breastfeeding rates up is by properly supporting women. The majority want to bf but give up because it is actually not easy. The pro-bf propaganda paints far too rosy a picture. Women deserve help to make it work, and to be left the hell alone if they can't."

IMO, in an economically pinched UK where there's still a healthy market for ready peeled and chopped carrots costing 10 times as much as unchopped carrots, nobody will ever make breastfeeding easy and convenient enough to make formula a less attractive option to UK mothers.

[CakePunch]

Can women in the UAE breastfeed in public?

[ISBN1966]

"Wow theo that has shocked me"

It's shocked me because I think it's bollocks.

There is no maternity unit in the UK where formula is 'banned'.

There are many maternity units where they're not supposed to hand it out free to women who have never had any intention of breastfeeding (they are supposed to bring their own formula in). But even in these units formula is kept in stock to give to the small percentage of babies who need early supplementation because of issues surrounding low blood sugar, or when a mother is too ill to breastfeed or express.

Maybe Theo could come back and tell us the name of the unit.

[ouryve]

I was going to say, whoa, the thread title is rather strong, isn't it? I have, however, been "lucky" enough to read a report from the UAE as a precursor to this which says that breastfeeding is important in prevention of autism. All I can say is, I must have been doing it wrong, with my boys, for a whole 4 years, between them.

It's pure control. Breastfeeding is great for mothers and babies. Breastmilk is pretty fabulous stuff. This law has nothing to do with what's best for mothers and babies, though.

[ISBN1966]

"Up to 100, 000 years of years of breastfeeding knocked out in 100 years"

Yes - the baby-milk industry has been the single most commercially successful and radical development in the history of human nutrition. The saturation of the media and women's consciousness with sophisticated marketing, the invisibility of public breastfeeding. And yet people will bloody well bleat on about lactivism and how oppressed bottle-feeding mums are. It gives total life to the concept that 'fish can't see the water'.

[WitchWay]

I do wish more women would at least try breastfeeding, even if for just the few days of colostrum. I'm a GP & have heard young women say things like "Well that's not really what breasts are for these days" when I discuss feeding the baby during pregnancy & at the postnatal check. Making it compulsory is just daft however.

[Catsize]

I am very pro-breast feeding, but my son stopped of his own accord at ten months. There must be a lot of children like that.

[Theodorous]

Yes after a court case and settlement, I am really going to name it. As I said, a midwife was sacked for "taking things too far". Luckily I have a thick skin and donn't care about being called a liar on such a deeply personal thing. I also think that quite a lot of the declarations on this thread are bollocks, especially the Alpha Parent "defensiveness" utter bullshit.

[LurcioLovesFrankie]

ISBN - you wrote "


It's interesting how people on this thread will extrapolate in relation to this issue. It sort of goes - if you're unreasonable enough to try to compel women into breastfeeding using legislation, it goes without saying that you're also stoopid enough to insist on following this law to the letter even when it's clearly resulting in severe medical problems or even death in a mum or a baby.

I think this law is completely wrong. I don't think that those who are responsible for seeing it's adhered to will, on the whole, want to see babies dying or ending up in hospital as a result. Because you know, most people, even hard-line Muslims, don't hate babies."

Touching as your faith in the underlying good nature of the men who rule extreme theocracies is, unfortunately it is not borne out by the evidence from other parts of the world. To make an analogy with another extreme attempt to control women's bodily autonomy, namely Nicaragua's complete ban on abortion, there have been documented cases of women being refused treatment for ectopic pregnancy:
news article

The sort of evil bastards who put this sort of law on the statute books don't care about the collateral damage.

[StarlightMcKingsThree]

I reckon you gave the first feed from the wrong breast ouryve.

[ISBN1966]

But nationally nearly 80% of women do try to breastfeed.

Most have stopped within about 2 to 3 weeks.

[Theodorous]

The midwife also said to my mum that "people who are a bit mental should be sterilised". She admitted saying that in court explaining that if people are not prepared to bf they shouldn't get pregnant.

[ISBN1966]

Lurcio - you don't need to go as far as Nicaragua. Last year a woman died in Ireland after being refused an abortion.

So yes - there will be cases where utter thick-headedness will result in a tragedy. But these cases are very rare - which is why they make headlines around the world.

[pointythings]

I don't think it's at all implausible that there could have been a midwife who was completely unfit to practice who took it upon herself to bully and coerce a vulnerable new mother. Not at all. My experience of midwives and HV's has been uniformly positive, but that has very much not been so for many of my friends.

at 'that isn't what breasts are for these days'. Well, we'll soon see them evolve away just like wisdom teeth then, won't we? Shame about the lingerie industry of the future.

[brettgirl2]

but its ok for people who are a bit mental to be midwives .