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AIBU?

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Original poster

Demonisation of formula!!!

996 replies

Summertimehaze · 31/07/2018 09:52

Don’t know if anyone watched the Dispatches programme last night on breastfeeding? The more I think about that programme the more annoyed I’m getting!!! The demonisation of formula really doesn’t help mothers who struggle to breastfeed and have to start using formula or even as a top up!! Most mothers want to do what’s right for their babies and know that breast is best. But some mums just can’t do it and so formula literally becomes a lifesaver. I’m sick of seeing mums feel so guilty about it and letting their children bloody starve because they surely can’t give them the evil formula!!!!!! The programme basically tells a new mum that it’s really tough to breastfeed, there is no support, they will be judged BUT formula is not an option!!! Grrrrrrrrr 😡. AIBU

OP posts:
PasstheStarmix · 03/08/2018 10:05

And lucky you to have strong enough mental health to do that, are you condemning those women that don’t?

Detention49 · 03/08/2018 10:09

Teateaandmoretea Thanks for that one of my children is lucky to be alive.

Sockwomble · 03/08/2018 10:10

A coherent argument works better than insulting people.

Sockwomble · 03/08/2018 10:13

Mine is alive due to formula milk.

Sockwomble · 03/08/2018 10:15

Having given birth to one dead baby I didn't want to risk the other one dying in the first few days after birth because I couldn't produce enough milk by expressing.

Teateaandmoretea · 03/08/2018 10:16

Yep and so are mine, they are alive only because of formula milk.

PasstheStarmix · 03/08/2018 10:17

And mine.

Detention49 · 03/08/2018 10:18

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

BuntyII · 03/08/2018 10:22

Those bloody formula feeders are so sensitive, won't even let me criticise them as much as I want. Rude.

Sandstormbrewing · 03/08/2018 10:22

Don't feed it people.

Please continue to have an open debate about why breastfeeding rates are so low and what can be and needs to be done about this (if anything). Until now there has been very very little demonising of formula users. Lets keep it that way.

Sockwomble · 03/08/2018 10:22

With last comment it has got to be trolling.

McTufty · 03/08/2018 10:23

@detention49 I’m not a formula feeder but your posts are ignorant and unpleasant. No one is impressed by you being out and out nasty and then calling people who don’t like it ‘sensitive’.

Detention49 · 03/08/2018 10:25

I did not even say my kids are alive because of breast feeding. I said i managed to breast feed despite them having health conditions. Im not allowed to feel any pride for that as formula feeders get pissed.

Detention49 · 03/08/2018 10:28

Maybe unpleasent but it is true. Your nation does have the highest rate of child obesity and childhood illness and like I said wtf would you do if the news broke that formula was contaminated which as we have seen with other food scandals is possible.

Sockwomble · 03/08/2018 10:30

New poster or name changing coward.

Detention49 · 03/08/2018 10:30

If formula is so demonised why do we have all the adverts for it and why do we need breastfeeding covers and facebook censors breastfeeding photos. But oh no formula is demonised I forgot. I think it is the other way around

Detention49 · 03/08/2018 10:31

Uk loves it formula.

CardinalCat · 03/08/2018 10:33

On the topic of women in Britain seemingly not being able to produce milk, as being a reason for the low BFing rates, one of the things that came as a bit of a shock to me, and made me wonder if other mothers were the same, was the realisation that your boobs don't suddenly start gushing with milk the second you give birth. For me it was day 3 before I got any colostrum out at all (from pumping- my dc was in NICU) and it was day 4 before there was any volume at all, and day 5 before it truly resembled 'milk'. Apparently, healthy full term babies are born with a 'picnic', i.e. enough to fat stores to sustain them for a few days until the milk came in. I was an inpatient and had HCPs on hand to reassure me re this, but I wonder how many women go home on day one and give up on day 2 or 3 because they think they're not producing milk, because it isn't gushing out of their mouths for their babies to gulp, like it would form a bottle teat. When in truth very few women are producing milk at that stage (unless they have been expressing pre birth to stimulate colostrum.)

I've always wondered if educating women about what to expect in those first few days might stop people from stopping trying because they think their boobs aren't working (when in fact they are working perfectly- it just takes some time). And to reassure and give women faith that their babies will not starve in the early days while waiting for that volume of milk to arrive (assuming no health problems and that baby is full term).

PasstheStarmix · 03/08/2018 10:36

‘one of the things that came as a bit of a shock to me, and made me wonder if other mothers were the same, was the realisation that your boobs don't suddenly start gushing with milk the second you give birth’

I ageee cardinal as i’d heard of women leaking milk during pregnancy and I thought something was wrong that I had no milk until over a week after birth. I was induced due to being overdue so I don’t know if this has a part to play.

PasstheStarmix · 03/08/2018 10:36

had*

Firsttimemum892 · 03/08/2018 10:36

@cardinalcat completely agree my milk didn’t come in until day 4 yet so many people say to me they couldn’t bf because their milk didn’t come in and it makes me wonder how long they waited , luckily I did attend a class before giving birth that explained to me the milk won’t come in straight away.

PasstheStarmix · 03/08/2018 10:37

I agree that hat education would help however the staff at the hospital didn’t help in my case and made me feel abnormal for the fact my milk ‘still hasn’t come in.’ Maybe some education for medical staff too required.

PasstheStarmix · 03/08/2018 10:38

some*

Teateaandmoretea · 03/08/2018 10:46

Detention you are allowed to have pride. I also think censorship is wrong and agree with you there. What is mildly unpleasant is your implication that ff children will be fat and unhealthy, even though the biggest influence on obesity by a country mile is parental weight not breastfeeding and it isn't true at individual level, mine are neither fat or unhealthy but that's individual. I accept that breastmilk is better for babies though and have no issue with the truth.

What is foul is your wish for some kind of scandal around baby milk. I mean wtaf...?

McTufty · 03/08/2018 10:48

Perhaps also advice on introducing bottles of expressed milk - I know of a couple of people scared to end in case they ended up with a baby who wouldn’t take a bottle.

Information on how long it is likely to hurt for. People need to know it will probably only smart like that for a couple of weeks if the latch is correct (obviously for some people sadly it doesn’t stop hurting)

Wider dissemination of BF helpline numbers. I did NCT and they have a helpline which is available to everyone I think but I only knew as I did the very expensive course.