To loathe the breastfeeding posters in my Maternity Ward?

[ThinkIveBeenHacked]

Breast milk is best for baby. Most if not all women know this, and I really dont take umbridge with the posters that point this out - just to clarify.

I bfd dd for three days before beginning to dread every feed and switched to ff. I know people who have bfd all the way through, ffd all the way through and who have successfully mix fed. Baby gets milk - that is the aim. Regardless.

However there are some posters in amongst the more sensible ones which really are imo awful and will just make anyone who cant or doesnt want to bf probably feel a bit like shit at a time when they need it least:

"This mum knows best"
"This mum has made the right choice"

So anyone who doesnt bf doesnt know best or has made the wrong choice?

Even if they said "this mum has made the right choice for her and her baby" or "this mum knows breast is best" would be more palatable.

AIBU to find these posters simply too judgemental?

If you want bf to be the norm you need better postnatal support for mums. End of story. Absolutely nothing is going to change without this.

But posters are cheaper than midwives.

You should breastfeed!
Errr it's really hard, I need help...
Um.... Try formula? Oh but by the way bf is best.
Ok....

And the cycle continues.

Also: "The poster about breastfeeding in my GP's office helped me to successfully establish breastfeeding!"

Said no woman ever.

Writer that's because smoking, drinking, exercise etc are choices. in many cases, formula feeding is the only safe and healthy option for mother and baby, so the guilt inducing posters are inexcusable.

You're right zara - I really struggled with BF in hospital and DS was lethargic, had early onset jaundice and lost 9% of his weight in about 36 hours. The staff knew I wanted to BF but instead of helping me with that the doctors who came to see him told me to just give him formula.

This was in a BFI Trust

Yes of course I am suggesting FF is like smoking........sheesh.

Apologies Tethersend - you are right. I think that is awful.

Moomin - you are wrong, formula is not the only choice for 'many'.

Breastfeeding initiation rates of 98% in Norway attest to this. In Norway 80% of babies are still breastfed at 6 months, and this is in a country where formula is affordable, widely available and safe to use.

The situation in the UK is this: formula is as ubiquitous as bread and butter, more heavily marketed, and formula use is utterly entrenched in our culture. No wonder people get so wound up about the whole thing - bottlefeeding is the natural way to go for generations of women. No wonder so many people feel thoroughly hacked off with the 'breast is best' message.

Sorry I refuse to gnash my teeth and best my chest over this.

There are far bigger things to get worked up over as regards the health and well being of many kids in this country.

Ahhh the same old stats are about to be thrown out on this thread I see..

PineneedleSoup Sun 14-Sep-14 07:28:08
Why don't we get guilt inducing posters for everything

Have you not seen the guilt inducing ones for cervical screening?

Or those ones telling you not to assault nhs staff. No shit!

I have the lovely job of putting up these posters in the surgery where I work. I refused to display the "crying child on the stairs" cervical cancer one as I though it was crass and manipulative.

well formula worked for me when DD couldn't latch and the midwives told me expressing wasn't an option. sorry if making sure my daughter gets fed offends you mini I still maintain that it is more important that babies get fed, than whether it's breast milk or formula. if you disagree then clearly you don't have babies best interests at heart.

Moomin I appreciate that this isn't an issue for lots of people but can we agree to differ? My understanding is that breastfeeding saves a good number of babies' lives and some severe ill health in the UK from SIDS reduction and lower incidence of NEC in preterm babies. I have arrived at this conclusion from reading information from the Lullaby Trust (main UK cot death charity), NHS Choices and Royal College of Midwives textbooks.

I do appreciate not everyone thinks this is important though and I'd never try to argue that they should. We all have our own comfort zone when it comes to issues relating to the health of our children.