AIBU to want free delivery on formula

[Tangoandcreditcards]

I'm ffing my 2 month-old. (From birth, I've had a double mastectomy) I've been stewing about this for a month.

I ordered a load of formula to be delivered to my local Boots (5 doors down, as opposed to "the high street" which is further away, it's a tiny Boots, so doesn't stock the formula I'm using in the quantity I need (hence the order).

If you spend over £20 online for store delivery online you get free delivery. So I ordered a little over £20 worth. When the transaction went through I got charged for delivery. I contacted them for a delivery refund and was told that because it was formula, they legally can't have any offers on it, and I would have to be charged (£3.95!).

I do appreciate why it's illegal advertise/promote formula for newborns, and why breastfeeding is encouraged by HCPs because I do actually understand that some women might want/need some encouragement and education to choose BFing.

However... BFing is free, FFing is not, and NO-ONE is going to switch to formula because they can get free blooming delivery on it (or loyalty points, for that matter). I feel cheated. Maybe I am just being precious about 4 quid because I'm overly sensitive about the subject. I'll obviously just get off my bum and go somewhere else to get it, but I'm enraged at the fact that I have to, it just seems like legislation taken a bit too far to me! Who can I complain to? Is it poor interpretation of the law or just that the rules don't make sense? AIBU to think that economic sanctions (!!) on FFing parents are unfair?

It's a consumer minefield, which is why it is an important part of every HCP's job to understand the different types and brands, so they can advise parents. I sometimes wonder if the ones who say 'oooooh, we are not allowed to' are just indolent about this, or perhaps badly trained.

Yes - I also totally agree with this. There is a huge difference between neutrally discussing facts and recommending things

Obviously, I need bottles to feed the expressed milk. But I was told by the health visitor that she could not discuss various types AT ALL. I hadn't looked in to anything pre birth as assumed I would be able to breast feed the traditional way . So, DH had to race out and buy bottles once we had stopped the cup feeding as the paedwas so worried about DS' weight loss on just the cup and spoon feeding.

Thankfully, the paed gave us a pointer to Dr Brown's after DS screaming in agony with trapped wind with tommee tippee and the HV smugly saying she couldn't discuss bottles at all - even as a receptacle to feed breast milk only! Q

Sorry for the cross post Tiktok. You obviously know masses and masses more than me about this.

The whole Aptamil 'closest to breastmilk' thing gives me the rage. There was a thread not that long ago (I think on this forum) where someone on a tight budget was worrying about whether they should make cuts elsewhere to afford 'the best' for their baby. Thankfully they were told in no uncertain terms that whilst some babies might prefer the taste of a particular brand, or it might 'agree' with them better, there was no formula that was any closer to breastmilk than any other, and no formula was nutritionally 'better'. It makes me so cross that they got away with peddling that for so long as the 'premium' priced product.

Oh - but the HV did offer to show us how to make up formula feeds as apparently I wouldn't be able to do the expressing!

Honestly?

I have a couple of friends who used to work for Boots. Both complained that the computer system that the company used on the tills (and presumably would be linked to their online business) was fucking shite and they were forever having to manually override what it said on the til, particularly with regard to promotions of any kind.

I suspect that they give have a "no promotions" category which covers a range of things because their system is so old and in need of a major overhaul. And they are too cheap to add a separate classification (and of course they are making money from it too).

I think its clear as day that in this case, you are paying for the product and you also pay for delivery. Delivery is not part of the product.

As for this crap:
I've pointed out a blinding truth - that most babies in human history have been adequately nurtured at the breast without the need for breastfeeding equipment, other than breasts.

I will simply point out under 5s mortality rates and leave it at that.

"I will simply point out under 5s mortality rates and leave it at that."

????

In history? Or now, in other parts of the world? Or both?

I am genuinely unsure about what this means. It can't possibly mean you think that breastfeeding was/is responsible for high rates of infant mortality, can it? Not when we know that in history, it was babies who were not (or not fully) breastfed who were more likely to die, and that in other parts of the world this is still true?

If it is that, it's called 'shroud waving' and is not a helpful element of any discussion.

Or did you just want to throw in something, to see what happened, and 'leave it at that'?

Please explain :)

I'm interested in this. Surely the invention of formula helped babies such as mine who cannot breast feed?

There wouldn't have been pumps (or as effective ones) previously so unless I'd found a wet nurse, presumably they would have died? I could not have hand expressed 1.5 litres a day or anything near that

On the bra issue and necessity thereof - I could not use an expressing bra. But it's quite hard work sitting five times a day clutching a double pump to yourself. The bra lets you do other things, such a feeding DD mumsnetting so I'd say it's a bit of a necessity

Gobbolino with dd1 without formula I truly believe she would have died I just wasn't producing enough , I only wish I had used formula earlier

Yes, in individual cases, a safe formula, safely produced is literally a life-saver for babies who cannot be breastfed, for whatever reason.

But on a population level, breastfeeding cannot be blamed for infant/child mortality. Quite the opposite. I don't want to derail the thread, and if anyone is interested, you can PM me, or start a new thread about it, and I can recommend some reading

Before formula, babies in the UK who were not fully breastfed were given diluted cows milk, with sugar added - this was very common right up to the 1960s. Most babies were ok, once people knew about not giving raw milk from diseased cows, and how to keep milk clean and cool. The infection risk went right down.

Formula is better than diluted, sweetened cows milk, for sure - I'm not recommending the bad old days :)

Crikes - what about the poor ones with CMPI!

Seriously, you've made me feel better, tiktok. Thanks for answering my question. I felt a bit tearful earlier worrying about what would have happened to DS and DD a hundred years ago slaps self