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

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.

I experienced all of this. With all 3 children. So for me, this is breastfeeding. It's hard. The first 8 weeks are the very worst, but I did it because I wanted the best start for them. That is in no way criticising formula.

With my third, I actually thought I wouldn't be able to BF, as I was taken to hospital after DS2 home birth with pre-eclampsia. I was crying because I figured the medication I was being put on, would mean I couldn't BF, so DH and I were talking about how we'd feed instead. The doctor said the teeniest amounts get into BF, it's nothing to worry about, and there's not a lot of medications that will stop BF.

So I carried on. Despite being told to FF by everyone I knew, including health visitors and midwives.

Only the very last HV looked at me struggling and said, 'nearly there lovely, 8 weeks is the hardest, then it'll get easier' and I thought, oh yes! That's true. But no one wants to say that to women. That it's fucking hard and painful, but it does get better.

Yeah, I still felt like a human cow, and I was never away from them (could not pump a drop) but I did it because I was determined to give them, what I thought, was the best start.

But if I share that attitude (which I don't except for on here) posters think I'm being sanctimonious about BF. Or worse, posters come on here who physically couldn't BF and get upset because they wanted to BF and couldn't, and this is awful because I don't want to contribute to them feeling even worse.

For me, BF was a very difficult path, but one worth going down, as it's all done now.

On a previous thread I got told, why bother with all that stress, just FF. FF and BF are the same, so why be a martyr and put yourself through that. That makes me feel like my BF journey was a complete waste of time. In fact, why should anyone bother BF if FF is the same? That's the impression I get, that times have moved on, and there's no actual need to BF anymore

And Mrs Hinch is an influencer, so yes, people will copy and follow everything she does. Advertising works. Or companies wouldn't do it.

For me, BF was a very difficult path, but one worth going down, as it's all done now

Good for you. I was the same - it wasn’t easy to begin with but I persevered because I could, and because it was important to me. And I’m proud of that. But we aren’t allowed to say that, are we?

Why is anyone bothered by how others feed their babies? I ff - probably could have bf but didn’t want to. I can’t remember how friends and family fed their DC’s - was nothing to do with me. My only regret is that there wasn’t prefect prep around when my DC’s were babies.

It’s not about how others feed their babies. It’s the demographic of her followers, often vulnerable, malleable and highly succeptible to being “influenced”.

Why do you think Mrs Hinch's followers are "vulnerable, malleable and highly susceptible to being "influenced""?

women are vulnerable and all the rest that has been mentioned, but I honestly don't think somebody who is advertising the prep machine is going to have that much "influence" on new mothers. I think the reasons mothers don't Bf are much more complex than that making out formula feeding is the worst is going to cause some of these women to feel more vulnerable and ashamed imo

Good for you. I was the same - it wasn’t easy to begin with but I persevered because I could, and because it was important to me. And I’m proud of that. But we aren’t allowed to say that, are we?

This to me is the whole bf v ff issue. Bf IS bloody tough. There are a small number of women who genuinely cannot bf for physical reasons and many who don’t continue because it is hard. So it has to be worth something or people wouldn’t make all those sacrifices. They don’t want to hear ff is just as good as it means those sacrifices were for nothing.

Ff Mother’s don’t want to be made to feel they aren’t doing what is best for their children. They don’t want to be made to feel bad about ff.

Everyone wants to do what is best for their baby so is very defensive about their choices. New mothers are a highly strung bunch for good reasons and the primary focus of the early stages with a baby is feeding and sleeping. Thus the debate ever rages.

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

You haven't explained why youve just whinged that youve been told you cant say something when nobody has said that.

Yep of course you can talk about the merits of bf but youre talking about them as if they're universal. Ie breastfeeding is easy and convenient. Yes, for you but not for other mothers. You can talk about the nutritional merits and the facts of course but its all the other subjective stuff that you cant sell as a merit because what works for you and what makes bf work for you might not be applicable to other mothers. But i think you full well knew what i meant and just wanted to play the "were not allowed to talk about bf" card.

@PCohle

Because of the crazy Hinching phenomenon that has women stockpiling cleaning products as if it’s Armageddon. Because of the scores of copycat cleaning accounts on Instagram that are mostly young vulnerable women with mental health issues - often stated in their bios, who are desperately lonely and want to connect to something bigger, doing so by copying and buying everything she does. Because she preys on this vulnerability by making out that her hinchers are all her mates and they’re “all in it together”, not realising they are being sold to. Because most of the tat she advertises on her account sells out instantly. I could go on.

All you have to do is look at the hashtags and accounts of people who comment on her page to see it with your own eyes. It’s not hyperbole.

Good for you. I was the same - it wasn’t easy to begin with but I persevered because I could, and because it was important to me. And I’m proud of that. But we aren’t allowed to say that, are we?

I do feel like that. I was chatting online to the woman who said FF should be celebrated as the liberation from your babies, and I was just saying that it made me feel sad to hear that, and she said that FF was better than BF anyway, because FF was made by scientists and have made it nutritionally complete. She said BF was not nutritionally complete, and that BF mum's had to top up with vitamin D drops. Huge deluge of support came through that FF was better.

My argument isn't which is 'better'. As a like for like level, BF is better. But when you delve into personal circumstances, what is 'better', changes.

It always seems to be that FF feel demonised for their choices, when no one ever (that I am aware of) criticises their choices. They are in the overwhelming majority.

It's generally the BF mums who feel demonised, because they are in the minority, we have a country that doesn't support or like public BF, and we're rarely allowed to say how amazing BF is, in case we upset anyone FF.

I can extol the virtues of one method, without simultaneously criticising the other.

All you have to do is look at the hashtags and accounts of people who comment on her page to see it with your own eyes. It’s not hyperbole.

I agree.

I would have loved to have breastfed. But I couldn’t .

Perfect prep made formula feeding that much easier for me. It really was one of the best things I purchased when having a baby

always seems to be that FF feel demonised for their choices, when no one ever (that I am aware of) criticises their choices

Do they not? Except op and several others on this thread...

Tbh i never experienced judgement from friends or family but i was judged by HCPs.

It's all the 'that makes me sad' 'I'm angry and sad' thinly veiled passive aggressive handwringing which is needless and spiteful.
Don't feel sad that the likes me breastfed one child, didn't get on with it, realised I didn't need to and then subsequently couldn't be arsed with all the martyrdom (I was being a martyr) or anything else breastfeeding entails and only considered formula. Don't feel sad for me or my children that it was the right choice for us. I can happily say I'll only ever formula feed from now on should I ever have more children because I'm totally secure and know I'm a brilliant mother. It needs no justification nor does it require pretend 'sad' pity from strangers. It's weird.

Totally agree sagrada

Breastfed one, packed it in and then formula fed and then exclusively ff two more children for context*

Yip there is no need to "feel sad" or "angry" for the poor babies who are not breastfed it is just sanctimonous nonsense.

I’m not sad for ff Mothers. Not in the slightest. Do what you want!
But I will talk about how amazing breastfeeding CAN* be and that I am very proud of myself for doing it successfully for so long.

caveat added so plantpot* doesn’t accuse me of whinging

I can extol the virtues of one method, without simultaneously criticising the other

This!

Whatever. She’s an irrelevant person.

If any idiot takes her advice over that of medical professional more fool them.

I think you misunderstand me. I don't feel sad for babies who are not BF, that would be insane. And it's not some passive aggressive shit either.

I feel sad that our rates are low, and that plenty of women who want to BF, don't through misinformation, pressure to FF or any other reason that could be avoided. Threads are full of women who couldn't BF, and wanted to. Some of those physically couldn't, some of those might have done so with the right help.

But it seems 'trying' to help women to BF is pointless, with FF being the same, and making life harder by BF seems to be a pointless thing for a mother to do.

Threads generally start off 'struggling to BF' and then a deluge of 'FF, it's not evil' 'don't make life hard, just FF' whilst it's not bad advice, if that mother needs to hear that and needs to switch, but sometimes it's ok to say, yes, it's fucking hard, keep going though if that's what you want to do.

Personally I'd like to see a lot more help for women on mixed feeding so that the pressure is not solely on one way.

Yes lots of support is needed but sometimes mums just can't go on breastfeeding they are mentally "done" and there is nothibg wrong with them stopping and giving themselves a rest and bottle feeding their children.

Really irresponsible advertising it I agree. Followers want the latest item and to look “cool” “Mrs hinch has it”.

I just went onto Tesco, and Mrs Hinch is on there. A cartoon version.

No gluteus, you said it made you feel sad that ff should be celebrated as it emancipates women. I find that so odd. I feel happy about it, not sad and it's my children who it concerns, not those of a stranger.

OP finds it 'sad' and 'angering' and others have said it saddens them as well. I guess they must find it heavy going watching the news or being online in general. Or maybe not. Because I don't believe that anyone would sit there feeling 'sad' over something so unrelated to them. It's just a dig.