To be annoyed at Boots or at least the lady who works there

[Chocoholism]

Buying some cow and gate stage 1 formula for my 6 month old and asked if I could pay with points on my advantage card, her response was no you can't as we like to promote breastfeeding.
Err how does giving points or redeeming points when buying a stage 1 formula affect a decision on whether to breast feed or not? And also I could've adhered to doh guidelines and bf to 6 months and then changed to formula.
Is this a silly rule? The amount of milk we get through, and the money I give to boots makes me feel like I am as entitled to receive points as much as anyone else for any other products.

Not just bottle feeding but caesareans too. When it became apparent I might need an elective one I booked an appointment with my midwife to discuss options and ensure I made a properly informed choice. There was absolutely nothing available and she wasn't allowed to suggest it might be the right choice for me (it was).

If you don't conform with other people's idea of normal you get no help whatsoever. It's wrong.

Great idea fiedermas. It's not like the baby needs feeding in the i terim is it?

*interim

the instructions are on the tub - its not rocket science!

It's not a shit law. It's a good law. It prevents formula companies from making formula feeding ideal to vulnerable new parents who may be struggling with breastfeeding. I come from a country where you are sent free formula samples before you even have the baby, and again when you are in hospital. The breastfeeding rates are abysmal compared to the UK. So I am all for the law.

OP , YABU. Boots is only abiding by the law, not necessarily supporting the reasons behind it.

It's not about whether having 9p off would persuade someone to FF or not.

The law covers ALL promotions and price drops. It's not to prevent this specifically. It just so happens that they have to make it so tight that it covers something which would probably be perfectly reasonable. Because in the past, formula companies have exploited EVERY loophole. They continue to make ads which break the code, because the amount of time that the ad is shown before it is pulled is still valuable to them. They absorb the fine. It's nothing to them.

Ban all formula advertising and you'd lower the cost on formula by a hell of a lot. That's what I'd like to see. It shouldn't be so ridiculously expensive and inflated.

Actually no my midwife would not discuss formula feeding before my baby was born as it was classed as promoting. Why should I be given leaflets of breast feeding and even a breastfeeding workshop but nothing is offered on formula feeding unless asked for and even then you are lucky if you get a midwife who bends the 'rules' and discusses.
I'm the hospital I was told I had to try to breast feed as this was my initial choice , it failed miserably all night despite help from midwives hourly until DH came back in the morning and I felt I had backup to say I wanted to formula feed so I could take dd home.

Digressing from my OP now (I now understand this is law) I'm a new mum and never thought about formula or breast feeding before I found out I was pregnant.
I wouldn't have batted an eyelid to a mother breast feeding or bottle feeding a baby, so who is it judging mothers? Is it other mothers? Health professionals?
When did the controversy over how to feed baby start?

science very patronising. How delightful you are.

Well breast feeding is sucking on a boob in simple terms so why do we need 'lessons' in that then.

Jen - in the interim to what? Most people have internet access, formula tubs have instructions, you could call 111 if you are really confused.

Can't say I have ever found bottles difficult though, it isn't exactly like you have to learn a new skill.

Also, I always think (and I'm not sure if it's the same in other areas) I had no idea how tough breast feeding would be, no one told me before hand. I presumed that baby would come and know exactly what to do and I would produce milk like when I've seen a cow get milked on tv!!
There should be advice given to mums during pregnancy so they can prepare. I stopped bf at 3 months and I tortured
myself over it, I sought help from a breast feeding councillor who was lovely and visited me at home and called me loads but kept telling me what the text book said and I just don't think my boobs or nipples were text book so felt like a failure. Maybe there should be more education and also be told that formula (if chosen or left with no choice) is not failing your baby

To gain "Baby Friendly" status, hospitals/midwives have to give advice on safe formula feeding to formula feeding mothers. If your hospital refused to do that and are "Baby Friendly" I would complain.

What also upset me is that I felt like a statistic, it was like all my drs, HV, midwives just wanted to tick the box that said I was breastfeeding, I remember going and by that time i was mixed feeding and the midwife still ticked breast feeding.
Makes me wonder how true all the stats are

Nineties I think choc but don't quote me - the whole thing gets more and more heated and stoopid year on year

A lot of NHS medicine is now about box tick funding - including vaccinations, smoking levels etc - it means HCPs are under intense pressure to pressure patients, not necessarily in a way that is helpful.

There's probably always been controversy - back in the day it would have been wet nursing vs dry nursing (feeding baby solids) vs feeding them yourself.

fleder The hospital, who were fantastic in every other way, told me they couldn't advise on formula feeding because it could be viewed as promoting it. I knew precisely nothing about looking after a baby because I hadn't intended to have one so soon, so I really could've done with advice on safe formula preparation and sterilising bottles - the little details like never re-boiling water etc - thankfully I had my mum to help me and my OH, others might not be so lucky.

Moomin - the information is on the side of the formula tub though isn't it? And on the NHS website?

It is the law but she could have said that rather than what she did!! I would have been pissed too!!!

Same law applies to staff discounts, my DH works for sainsburys and can't get staff discount on formula. We ff and while I would appreciate the extra saving his discount would give us it doesn't bother me, just like it doesn't bother me that he can't get discount on cigarettes or petrol ok the petrol does bother me but that's because of all the taxes on it

The hospital is wrong - they are allowed to advise on formula feeding, definitely. (although I think they're not allowed to advise before you've switched which I think is totally weird)

Not 100% sure on the law on this but tiktok on the breastfeeding board has posted about it before. They're supposed to be allowed to tell you if you ask. There's not that much information on the tub.

Moomin our hospital has daily demonstrations re current who legislation and procedure regarding ff sterilisation and preperation

My son was born in the 90s. No advice was given re formula and the Internet didn't exist then.

To those of you who say it's all so simple- you are talking about new mothers who have already been judged and found wanting. I expect most of them will want to make sure they get it right.

As for information on bf it was bloody every where (not particularly accurate as it turned out but that's a whole other discussion)

In the hospital the limit of the discussion I had was " you will be bf won't you"?

ilove what a patronising comment. I was deluged with information about bf- why if it's so natural and easy?

I failed at breastfeeding and ended up formula feeding - the info was on the tub and I followed it. BF was not natural or easy for me but I still worked out how to make up a formula feed. (ended up on anti-depressants after the birth of dd in part due to feeling a failure at not being able to bf)