Mrs Hinch....perfect prep :-(

[caroline161]

I feel so angry with Tommee Tippee that they've "gifted" her a perfect prep machine. Completely undermines her wish if she wants to breast feed. Plus she's such an influencer how much will this reduce our national breast feeding rates? Pregnant women will go and buy one just because she has one and not give themselves a chance to breastfeed

Ah of course I'm 'silly' and I 'don't understand' it all comes round to 'education' and women being 2 fickk

Your stats are odd.

Ethics? I'm in the UK I can't help people in countries with dirty water, unfortunately.

My understanding is absolutely spot on thanks. I just have no tolerance for disgusting attitudes.

Sagradafamiliar yea maybe. I’m quite passionate about helping women to feed their babies safely and how they want. Infant health. Families not being pushed into food poverty and watering down milks because they can’t afford a ludicrously over priced product. False advertising and marketing claims based on pseudo science being debunked so parents can make fully informed choices, if that makes me a dickhead so be it.

So be it then.

What the actual hell? I’ve said I have no issue with formula and have used formula myself, thanks very much. I have issues with the way the industry marketing this stuff operates.

Breastfeding can be hard. Not all babies can do it (my premmies could not and I had no milk) not all mums can do it. Not all mums want to be doing it. Some folks want dad to be able to feed baby and share the nightshifts.
Who cares? Let everyone do what suits them. 💐

As far as I’m aware the breast is best slogan was created because formula companies historically have tried to promote their products as being better than breast milk. The ethical baggage relate to this
where women were encouraged to not bf as they were told formula was better and babies died. There is a lot of anger on this thread though. It really makes women angry any positive thing said about breast milk.

Your default position is to dismiss me as some kind of judgemental breastfeeding evangelist, when I’m nothing of the sort. You’re just trying to shut down any debate that might make the breastmilk substitute industry look less than perfect, which is odd because I wonder why you are so overinvested to be honest?

I honestly believe we need to reassess the advertising guidelines, and look at how they make women feel. I breastfed, still am, but was advised to supplement with formula for a couple of weeks when ds was tiny. I tried to do some research on which would be the best formula for him. Every single formula website had a disclaimer which I had to agree to, saying the I understood breastmilk was best, that formula feeding has ‘social and financial implications’, that combination feeding could damage my milk supply etc. That’s not ok. At a time when I was feeling my most vulnerable, this disclaimer felt cruel. I felt as if I was failing my ds.

I am very proud of myself for breastfeeding, but feel very strongly that nobody should be made to feel they’re doing second best by their baby for using formula. Formula is wonderful and we should be able to openly discuss it without being accused of playing a part in reducing breastfeeding rates.

Formula feeding is just as valid a choice as breastfeeding, people shouldn’t be pushed into the shadows if they want to talk about things that can make their lives easier when formula feeding.

Ethics? I'm in the UK I can't help people in countries with dirty water, unfortunately.

Yea all those infants in developing countries and from families that are having to water down their milk, who the fuck cares about them?

Well said youlikethebadones
It's the shaming by lots, the telling you you're not doing what's best for baby - when you've just had a baby and you're feeling vulnerable, that can make you feel like utter shit.
It's NOT ok to do that to someone.

tiny if you think that formula advertising is the reason why women give up bf, rather than pain, horrific infections, extreme sleep deprivation, exhaustion, latch problems (incl stupidly long waits to get tt sorted), feeling like they have been reduced to a milking machine, not being able to stray from baby ever, or having to pump (agony for some), etc, then you massively misunderstand the challenges that some (quite a lot, actually) women face.

It's not that ff is convenient (though it is, largely, especially with a perfect prep). It's that bf is just an awful experience for a significant proportion of women. If you want to increase the level of bf, that's what you need to tackle, not bang on about 'education', or attacking somebody for 'promoting' a machine which will make the early days with a newborn slightly easier.

^^this.

Nobody's said they don't care about babies in other countries, FFS.
Are you being obtuse? It's clear what the poster meant.
In the UK, that doesn't apply, does it? So if you're all about the dirty water/having to water it down etc, why does that apply to people ff in the UK?
It doesn't.

More fool anyone daft enough to not just you know...make their own decisions instead of copying something they saw on Instagram when it's pretty obvious by now it's largely underhand advertising for profit and attempts to procure "gifts". You wouldn't know she even had one unless she chose to show you OP (at great length, and she's clearly thrilled with both the freebie and the chance at yet another brand collaboration for the future). You have presumably never met her either so perhaps she reached out to them when she realised maybe she might not breastfeed . Instagram isn't real life no matter how much those watching want to feel involved in someone else's. She'll never even know who you are. Or likely particularly care what you think. It's a waste of energy.

I'm not sure what other women (who I'd like to think are easily intelligent enough to understand that they can breastfeed or not, and both are fine, or do not form life choices based on random internet personalities) need you to do about your need for breast feeding to be maintained if possible, or why you've got yourself into a state over it. Supporting women means supporting their right to choices in these matters and offering them no judgement when or if they do decide.

If you decide not to breastfeed because someone else on Instagram decides not to do it then you have to be the stupidest woman. I would question you even being a good mother if you are this dumb to not think for yourself.

GunpowderGelatine, I'm well aware that most babies lose weight initially after birth- that's why I said "losing" which indicates losing weight beyond the expected level and timeframe. I've been on MN over 10 years, I know more than most FTMs about the common titfalls of breastfeeding (clusterfeeding, shredded nipples, mind blowing exhaustion because only you can do the feeds, mastitis, blocked ducts, pressure from family/partner to stop, unable to take medications because of bf status etc.) which no-one seems to talk about and makes women who are desperately struggling feel like an anomaly or failure. Even my DH has fallen for the "breast is best" line, and doesn't get how difficult it can be to establish. Posters who blame "lack of education" for our poor breastfeeding rates, do you want to include details on the negative aspects too?

I think the NHS line is changing, even if just informally. I was asked at my booking appointment if I'd thought about feeding by a midwife who turned out to be their BF consultant, and when I told her of my intention to give it a go and move on if it wasn't working out she said, "that's the right attitude to have, just try it and don't beat yourself up if it doesn't work out".

As an aside I'm not aware of any other formula machines that do the same job as the perfect prep that are available on the mass market in the UK. Obviously they do advertise, but if you're thinking of FF and want a gadget to help do it, the PP is your only real option anyway. It must be a minute proportion of Mrs Hinch's followers who would be influenced by this.

I don’t see why I should be told I cannot talk about the positive sides of breastfeeding

I never said you "cannot" do anything

tiny so what real effect can women in the uk have on women without access to clean water?

Us choosing to breastfeed has fuck all effect on them and in some circumstances an awful effect on us.

TT isnt a formula company anyway so...

@TheCraicDealer of you've been on MN 10 years then you're going to start off with a hard view of feeding. I've had a fully FF baby, so think bottle feeding is fine, but still agree with the research that breast is best - but only if possible.

The reality is that the UK culture is highly anti breast feeding, despite the medical messages. In Norway 99% of mothers commence bfing and 80% are still feeding at 6 months. Here it is 80% and 40%. Our breasts are not significantly different, and from experience, support provided is not significantly different. What is different is the constant message here about how many women don't make enough milk, or the need to buy some formula before birth just in case, or adding a perfect prep to your baby shower list - all ways to minimise the chances of successful breastfeeding for a mother who might otherwise want to. Anyone who wants to formula feed should, but people who want to breastfeed should also be given the honest truth that most women and babies (though not all! Like my breast-resistant DS3) CAN successfully breastfeed, after you make it through the tough first 5-8 weeks.

Someone better let the advertising industry know that advertising doesn’t work.

Stuckforthefourthtime

Hear, hear!

I never said you "cannot" do anything

You said:

its v easy to come across as condescending and mean when singing the praises of breastfeeding

At the end of a post that was suggesting it is perfectly ok for someone to talk about how wonderful they found formula feeding, but not ok to talk about how much I enjoyed breastfeeding.
Can’t you see the hypocrisy?
It’s all over this thread. Everyone shouting about how they shouldn’t make ff Mother’s feel bad whilst simultaneously trying to make bfing mothers feel they can’t talk about breastfeeding!

I stand by that. I didnt say you couldn't or shouldnt talk about it though.

I also explained why saying ff is easy is so different than saying bf is easy but youve obviously ignored that bit

I didn’t ignore it. I just don’t agree with it and I am trying to explain why.
Both valid feeding choices, both should be able to be proud of those choices and talk about the merits of them.