To Ask what is the Point of NHS policy to get more Mums BF if women who are doing it are still being embarrased in public?

[BeyondRepair]

What is the point? There is no joined up thinking?

Wasting money on literature, groups, advisors, help lines, and so on, and yet when the mum goes out and about and does it, she is still allowed by our laws to be embarrassed or shamed into stopping by being asked to move or cover up or stop?

As far as I am aware DC has never publicly spoken out about it?

Now Farage is wading into Claridges row?
Does the law uphold the right to BF or not?

Is it an empty useless piece of rubbish?

Does the government want us to BF or not? It came out today how much the NHS could save if more mothers BF?

I want clear government support or it should forget about it. New mothers are already nervous about trying it, faffing roud until you get the hang of it, are we going to support them or not?

I want the government to do more to support them if they want it.

hiddenhome Fri 05-Dec-14 22:24:02

for the first year or so I was also painfully embarrased when out, and faffing round, never had the right tops, to do one up and one down, I usually latched her on under something I didnt care if I looked silly, then threw a cloth over my shoulder.

Now two years on, I am an old hand at it and care v little if I am exposing which I am usually not, but couldnt care less now.

That video did not show the woman with particularly suitable clothing got discrete breast feeding. Ok I get it's limiting having to consider what to wear but please....... It is not ok to show it all, when a shawl or large wrap may be employed to ensure discretion.

YABU if you're expecting policies to encourage BF to work overnight.

It takes a long long time to change attitudes. Policies like breast feeding friendly places are great but only a small part of it. Its so important that people start to see bf as just normal, and realise breasts are meant for providing nutrition to infants, there's nothing "rude" about that.

Unfortunately its a complex issue and as fast as the NHS can try an educate people on the benefits- and maybe more people are realising bf is a good thing- at the same time the objectification and sexualisation of womens bodies, is probably getting worse.

Jane are you seriously shocked or offended by the clothing the women were wearing in the video?

The rest of the UK need to implement similar measures to The Breastfeeding Act (2005) (Scotland). It is a criminal offence to harass or stop a woman from breastfeeding.

www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2005/1/section/1/enacted

Transcript of parliamentary debate.

www.govanlc.com/stage1_breastefeeding_bill

Interesting read stargirl!

jane you slightly missed the point if the video no?

I wasn't shocked or offended by the clothing on the video, and yes I may have missed the point.

Brilliant video!! Hilarious.

Jane are you suggesting a wrap or shawl could be worn over the head of those offended? Great idea.

Agree that well publicised stories are off-putting to some people, but the reality is that many women would never encounter any negative reaction in real life and there are others who have been given a hard time for ff. People can be rude, interfering douche nozzels whatever you're doing in public

Never had trouble here, just got on with it - no one asked me to move, go to a toilet, whatever... Trouble is the 99% of people going about their business, breastfeeding wherever does not get reported.

We very unfortunately have a ukip councillor in the town where I live. Its also perfectly normal for men to walk around in summer with their t shirts off, even when they are shopping, sitting in cafes etc, and yet the ukip councillor has never said how perhaps they could be more discrete or sit in a corner etc, double standards at their best. Somehow a womans boob when breastfeeding is more offensive than a mans bare chest, or his underpants when they walk around with their trousers practically around their knees.

I don't think the nhs provides enough support post birth ime.

Pre birth is all breast is best, promoting bf etc.

On the post natal ward the m/w were so overworked and so short staffed it was all they could do to keep on top of obs and basic medical care. The extent of feeding help was to offer to go get formula.

Any difficulties, or prolonged feeding was dealt with by offering formula. Crying babies - do you want some formula, give yourself a break.

It's simply all they can do. They don't have time to sit and explain constant feeding is normal, check positioning etc.

If I had been less confident I would have left hospital formula feeding with the message that I didn't have enough milk- evidenced by the constant feeding.

Get proper breastfeeding support on post natal wards, get more women breastfeeding, dispel myths like waking in the night/frequent feeding=low milk supply and you can't breastfeed large babies, stop focussing on weight gain in hv clinics.

More women breastfeeding, the more public breastfeeding and the more normal it will become.

My mother was a 70's bottle feeder and thinks every 4 hours, sleeping through by 6 weeks is "normal". She though I was starving dc, and made many many comments about my milk not being good enough or rich enough, because they weren't going 4 hours between feeds. Plus apparently they were taught breastfeeding is "unhygienic" compared to sterilised bottles.

That's the generation that have the issues with bf. And those are the mums that dd's are taking advice from.