Parents penalised for formula feeding

[thechristmaspudding]

I just wanted to open up a discussion to find out the perspectives of other parents on this subject. I would also be interested to hear the opinions of midwives, health visitors and other health care professionals involved with families.
To give a bit of background information, I am a member of the Boots parenting club, which has many parents are likely to be aware gives you access to discounts and offers on baby related items in store. I went into my local boots today to buy my son's formula, hoping to get a good deal as I had been notified of an offer in store. Now, in my sleep deprived state I did not read the offer properly and it did clearly state that it was an offer for follow on formula and not infant first. The cashier was very polite and explained that due to government regulations shops are not legally allowed to offer discounts on infant first formula due to the government expectation that breastfeeding should be encouraged for the first six months. To be clear, I am not taking issue with Boots or any other shop, but it got me questioning whether this is fair? No, I do not believe that formula companies should be able to dissuade women from breastfeeding through aggressive marketing campaigns that encourage parents to buy their product. But surely parents have the right to weigh up the pros and cons of bottle feeding and make an informed choice that reflects the needs and circumstances of their own family? I tried really, really hard to breastfeed but found it extremely difficult and due to a lack of postnatal support gave up (the inadequate breastfeeding support in this country is another issue in itself). This is something I still regret and struggle with. However, my personal experience aside, formula feeding is a valid choice to make whether parents decide to feed this way from birth or at a later stage.
I also remember watching an episode of dispatches a few years ago on how due to the cost of formula many families resort to watering down their baby's feed or even to stealing. This is a situation that is likely to have worsened as a result of the cost of living crisis.
So my question is, AIBU in thinking that it is wrong to penalise bottle-feeding parents when it comes to the cost of formula?

Since when was being able to carry out a natural task a privilege

God you are something else. It IS for SOME people...you know the UNATURAL ones.

Oh you know what, you're right, they've just said we're entitled to £0 because we earn more than I thought.

I'm speaking from my own, recent, experience of applying for it and getting told we don't qualify, based on our income. Which is under 50k each.

Why do you think you're being penalized?
You're entitled to the discount off follow on milk the same as a breast feeding mother is if she chooses to use it.

Yes exactly.

Sorry cross-posted with you @LesbianNaan - how very sad for her, and what a huge shame. You sound as if you all loved her very much. Just shows how it's easy to misread context online with just a snippet of info!

On another note, your username is brilliant!! 😅

Formula is crazy expensive - but what can be done? The formula companies are out to make a profit. Base ingredients are dirt cheap, it’s the advertising and helplines that are costing money they pass onto the consumer. And the worst thing is - women who FF tend to be past the point of being able to revert back to BF therefore these companies have women over a barrel. If they suddenly raised prices to £50 a tin people would buy them.

The only thing I can think of is ‘right now don’t vote Tory and you won’t be too poor to afford formula’. But I feel something needs to be done at source. When my kids were babies I’m sure it was £11 or so for a ton of formula. That’s obscene.

Some women can’t. Despite scornful earlier posts about women who have made a ‘choice’ to not breastfeed, some women can’t. Be that, a lack of support, incompatible breast anatomy, child palette anatomy, milk production, nutrition, a total collapse of mental health… some women simply can’t.

Some women who can, neglect to see they’ve been privileged enough to be able to persevere/find it a natural ease/have the support etc. They can mistake circumstantial privilege for personal achievement, as I said, and can fail to identify that others’ circumstances were much, much worse and led to a breakdown on breastfeeding success, or even it not being able to begin. Certainly the case in those with anatomical issues preventing breastfeeding. And that failure to identify that privilege can lead to the sorts of superior posting you always find on these threads. That’s not to say they haven’t done a great thing, but they’re not better than women who couldn’t, they were just luckier.

Perhaps that’s too nuanced for some on here to understand.

Ultimately, it would be great if women could champion each other for surviving something really hard (pregnancy and motherhood) without feeling the need to deride others to boost their own sense of achievement.

Are you calling women who can’t breastfeed unnatural? And you say I’m a piece of work.

Being able to BF is not a prime fe. Ridiculous notion.

Rubbish. If formula wasn't an option, the government would be forced to actually spend money on breastfeeding education and support as a matter of urgency. Which this country is in dire need of.

So many women under the mistaken illusion that they "don't make milk" or that their babies weren't "getting anything" - support is desperately needed to help these people!

My MIL gave up breastfeeding because she thought her boobs were too small fgs. Education has really not come that far since her day, it's depressing.

No OP, in answer to your question I don't think anyone should be rewarded for formula feeding.

The regulations only say that you can’t have special offers on first stage formula or earn loyalty points. They don’t set the price of formula. The formula companies make millions in profits - there’s a huge profit margin. The formula companies choose the price to sell their products at.

It’s no different to paying an extra tax for sugary stuff , you promote jeito we eating by putting extra tax or the less healthy choice . It’s exactly the same . I can completely emphasise with not being able to completely breastfeed , after breastfeeding 2 if my kids successfully my 3 rd one was very hard work and needed formula

It is exactly like a cash reward! You cannot compare vitamins, the points are negligible as they are an infrequent purchase. Points on formula would be a lot in a short period and would definitely equate to material benefit to formula feeding.

How am I nasty?

Very few women cannot physically breastfeed. That’s a fact. The vast majority of parents use formula. Also a fact. Ergo, most are doing it by choice rather because they physically can’t.

Please explain how that’s nasty. If you are taking offence that’s nothing to do with me and everything to do with how YOU feel about YOUR choice.

Again - it feels like you believe FF isn’t a valid or good choice. Because otherwise why would you be so angry about having to feed your baby formula? That’s certainly not how I feel about formula so it’s rather sil calling ME ‘vile’

No, I do not believe that formula companies should be able to dissuade women from breastfeeding through aggressive marketing campaigns that encourage parents to buy their product. But surely parents have the right to weigh up the pros and cons of bottle feeding and make an informed choice that reflects the needs and circumstances of their own family?

the legislation is an attempt to protect babies and mothers from aggressive marketing techniques which would suggest - one way or another - that formula feeding is a good thing and perhaps even a better thing than breastfeeding. No new parent, tired, vulnerable and unsure of what on earth it is they are doing, should be subject to that.

You have the right to weigh up and pros and cons of bottle feeding and are able to make your informed choice and do what you consider is best for your family. That exists even if marketing of formula to babies under 6 months doesn't. You're just not going to influenced by a formula company saying 'this is amazing! bottle feed now!'.

To all the posters who were saying they struggle to buy formula due to cost -

You can get free breastmilk donated by other women. You can even see what their diets are for any dietary issues. There are Facebook groups with women with lots of milk frozen, dated and happy to donate to your baby if you are struggling to pay for formula. If anyone needs the names of the groups I can go look. X

Very well said.

Points would be fannying around the edges of the rip off that is the formula industry.

These companies are ripping off parents feeding their babies. There is no reason for it to be so expensive - it is a highly regulated, highly homogenous product.

The government should be investigating the whole rotten industry, whether their "research" costs are actually just an extension of their astronomical marketing budget, and put a ceiling price on an essential product.

Always makes me laugh that they think mothers are going to choose formula over breastfeeding to get a few boots points! Completely ridiculous

Please point out where I’ve ‘made shit’ of women who can’t BF?

I’ve actually made NO derogatory comments about people who choose to formula feed. Quite the opposite. I’ve told no woman how she should feed. All I’ve said is for the vast majority how we feed our babies is a choice. Which apparently it seems the equivalent to calling people cunts. Bizarre.

Not offering a discount is not a penalty. Its just not offering an incentive.
I formula fed both my children and I was OK with that.

Is physically the only reason? What about mentally? What about PND?

Look through the thread and you will find many, many ladies who could not breastfeed. You are telling them women that they made a conscious choice to FF and that is wrong.

Getting reward points, or being able to spend them in formula is a far cry from people dressing up as nurses giving free sneaky formula.

Allowing formula to be treated like other foods in reward schemes does not require the floodgates to marketing to be opened. Legislation could ensure that is the case if necessary. What Nestlé did at a time when many of us on MN hadn't even been born shouldn't be determinative of policy now.

I did laugh at the poster who suggested that marketing is the reason people even know formula exists, as if people walk around supermarkets with blinkers on or something 😂.

I am a lifelong teetotaler. I don't watch tv and not that much advertising comes my way. I still know that alcohol is sold, and various brands. Because I don't live in a bubble 😂

I think it's time we stopped treating formula like its some taboo thing (all this talk about plain packaging, only getting it on prescription etc) and actually allow women the choice we claim they have. Women shouldn't be made bad for whichever way they end up feeding, chosen or not.

If “breast is best” (which I agree is awful!) was accompanied by good, freely available and non-judgemental breastfeeding support more women would find it easier to breastfeed, whilst still making choices for themselves.

As it is, unless things have changed dramatically in the last decade or so, support in maternity wards and from community midwives is inconsistent and often downright shit. Support helplines are undermanned, and not everyone can afford a lactation consultant.

No one has a right to lecture that breast is best unless women are offered a level playing field, and right now it’s weighted towards formula feeding because of shit advice and support from the second a new baby is born and a mother is made, whilst simultaneously knocking new mothers for formula feeding - if you’re a woman you can’t win, you’re wrong no matter what you do!

Fuck em all, do what you need to do, but in the meantime the regulations around marketing formula protect us all from deeply toxic marketing strategies, so they must stay.

Don’t want to derail but that’s not correct? If you both earn under £50k a year you are entitled.