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?

I wasn't talking about inferior ingredients in cheaper milk - just that a cheaper price (from promotion) would encourage switching and that changing from brand to brand isn't great for babies' tummies. This used to be NHS guidance from when my first was born, but I can see that actually there was an NHS study in 2019 which disproves that, so i was working with outdated advice!

I wanted to give one last up to date as I feel like I've planted a bomb by starting this thread. I wanted to start a discussion about how families could be better supported with the cost of formula during this cost of living crisis that we all face, and whether or not easing the regulations around shops being able to offer promotions on first infant formula would help with that. I was prepared and happy for people to disagree with me on this. I am a 35 year old woman, I have come accross many people in my life who hold a difference of opinion to me, I really do not get offended by it and in fact I welcome it as it gives life a dose of variety. However, this thread descended into chaos very quickly and it was never my intention to start a discussion that would lead to mothers, both breast feeding and formula feeding, to feel ashamed by their choices. It was one of the worst days of my life when my son got admitted to hospital with severe weight loss and dehydration, and I am ashamed to say that rather than being thankful when a doctor came into the room with a little bottle of formula for me to supplement with to help my baby to recover, all I felt was a deep sense of failure and embarrassment. It caused a bout of postnatal depression for me and even now, even though my son is thriving, I am still often kept awake at night wandering if I have failed as a mother. No new mother should feel like that. I spike to a friend of mine who is a senior community midwife and has previously worked as a senior midwife on a delivery ward about this thread. Her words are that yes of course breastfeeding should be championed as the healthiest choice for babies, formula is not the 'devil' and is a healthy and valid alternative. She gets many new mothers coming to her in tears as they have been told they are feeding their babies an ultra processed for when giving formula. Again, in her words, although formula is processed I the sense of how it is produced, it is not to be put on the same category as UPF such as chocolate, crisps and frozen chips. Those food have next to nutritional value. Formula on the other hand is highly nutritious for babies. On a final point she stated that community midwifery services are vastly over stretched and that most new mothers leave the hospital with the intention to breast feed, bit community midwives in her area are able to see mothers on day 1 and then not again until the baby is five days old. By day five, if a mother has struggled and lost confidence in breast feeding it is often too late to rectify that and they are likely, in a panic, to already have turned to formula. I doubt if I will return to this thread again as I don't feel it is doing anyone any good. But on a final note, as I often tell the students I work with, you may feel you are anonymous online and therefore can say what you like, but the people on the other end of your comments are real and your words have real life consequences. So please think before you become a keyboard warrior and seek to shame others.

,*Chocolate, crisps, oven chips...those foods have next to no nutrional value

@thechristmaspudding you have no need to explain anything. Formula feeding doesn’t need to be defended - you do what you do because it’s best for you and your family, no matter what the reasons are. Please ignore anyone telling you you should have breastfed or ff is wrong. It isn’t. Unfortunately judgement towards parental choices, especially mothers, is rife and it will happen a lot! Stand tall, you’re doing what you need to for your family. X

Think they asked around the ethics/economical impact of points for formula not individuals being targeted because they are unable to breastfeed. The breastfeeding brigade are vicious behind a computer screen

Nobody cares how anybody feeds their kid. Some people do care when formula is deemed of equal nutritional value as breastmilk, because that simply isn't true. Pointing that out isnt judging people who choose to feed formula. The fact that some mums who formula feed are upset by it is unfortunate, but it doesn't mean that they are being judged.

It's not an attack to state statistics. People tend to perceive facts and opinions as attacks because it's an emotive subject. There's an awful lot of projection on these threads and not much room for objectivity.

I remember being told that I could not claim
boots points on stage 1 formula

i did breastfeed but topped up with formula too as i found it very hard to feed in the first few weeks

breastfeeding mafia i call them

@royalwatch so women who breastfeed are akin to organised crime families?

If you’re upset about the points on formula / lack of discounts etc. Go to the WHO’s website and read about WHY those restrictions are there. Read the Code and see how much the UK doesn’t implement. The book ‘why the politics of breastfeeding matter’ can give some more background.

Formula is expensive and do you know who sets the price? The manufacturers and the retailers. Take it up with them. Formula is a very profitable business.

At one point a lot of the supermarkets tried to do cheaper priced own brands, but the profits weren’t there. Brands like Aptimil are so big that consumers weren’t willing to (in their eyes) downgrade to own brand.

This has got NOTHING to do with whether you could or could not breastfeed. Whether you wanted to or didn’t want to breastfeed. It’s not about judging each other or any of that stuff.

At one point a lot of the supermarkets tried to do cheaper priced own brands, but the profits weren’t there. Brands like Aptimil are so big that consumers weren’t willing to (in their eyes) downgrade to own brand.

New brands are difficult to get off the ground if advertising it is banned, especially when many parents do online groceries.

I think the only reason Aldi has managed it is because it's other baby products have such a good reputation.

Expecting the supermarkets to make their own when they can't draw attention to this is seeing themselves up to fail.

@Twizbe

Calm down! Why are you angry with me?

I'm talking about the policy makers. Not breastfeeding women

I breastfed myself

@Babyboomtastic all the supermarkets also have own brand nappies, wipes etc. Just like Aldi. They could also create ‘follow on milks’ and advertise those just like the big brands.

Brand loyalty with formula is very very high. Once a family use a brand it takes a lot for them to consider changing.

You still this comparing people to support breastfeeding to organised crime? Ok then.

The rest of my post was not aimed specifically at you.

Without doubt there are people who can't breastfeed. For example, women with some medical conditions often have to stop treatment when pregnant but it's often best to start again as soon as they've given birth even if that means not breastfeeding.

However I'm still not convinced that it would be a good idea to let formula companies start promoting formula. The only people who would gain from that would probably be the companies that make the formula. The thing that would potentially reduce the cost would be an increase in breastfeeding by those that can and more breastfeeding support. It is many years since I breast fed but I had a strong feeling at the time that the maternity nurses and midwives “teaching me” hadn't done it themselves and they weren’t helpful.

You're not being penalised. You can get this offer too when your baby is ready for that milk? It's just that there's no offer on first infant formula right now?

See this is where I think it could be better to have more discussion on formula antenatally. It should be made clearer that formulas are nutritionally equal whatever the price. Obviously the adverts aren't going to tell you that.