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?

Not banned they should purchase the correct formula. Food bank volunteers are not healthy professionals, there are some formulas that should be only given on the advice of a doctor, so a child that needs standard infant formula should not have a specialized formula

@Twizbe

well yes, it can feel awfully pressurised when you're a new parent desperately trying your best to keep a baby alive amidst the fog, sleep deprivation, post partum anxiety

If you have HV calling daily to check your baby's weight, it can feel dreadful

I could afford the formula so I bought some in desperation but i feel for those who cannot

The idea that the poor old formula companies desperately want to sell formula at lower prices, and the regulations are cruelly forcing them to charge more, is insane. Formula companies could easily sell formula for a fraction of what they do now.

When companies offer discounts, they're not doing it to be kind. They're just evening out the price, i.e. selling it for a high price, then lowering the price so people think they're getting a good deal. If formula companies were allowed to give discounts, they'd just raise the price to higher than it is right now, then lower it every now and then. Parents wouldn't actually save money.

The formula companies have proven over and over again that if you give them an inch, they'll take a mile.

@royalwatch yes and I’ve been through that and had those weight issues. All that pressure to formula feed when I knew it wasn’t the solution to our issue.

Still doesn’t make them the same as organised crime though does it.

This.
Loyalty schemes are not to help the consumer, however cleverly are promoted. They are for the benefit of the retailer, and as a result, the manufacturers of products.
I don't think anyone would disagree that formula is ridiculously over priced but loyalty schemes and promotions are not the answer. The advertising restrictions (such as they are - the UK only pays lip service to the Code compared to plenty of other countries) are to protect the consumer, not penalise them. What people really need to be getting up in arms about is the huge profits these companies make and the government's continued prioritisation of the interests of big businesses over the well being of the population. The WHO are not the bad guys here.

NHS guidance is very clear that there is no difference between formulas. The problem is, people don’t seem to bother to read it.

So many complaints on this thread about there not being any guidance on formula feeding when a quick Google search will bring up a detailed booklet produced by the NHS and Unicef which has all the info required.

The NHS also makes it clear there is no need to use follow on milk and yet people continue to buy it. Why? Because people are hugely influenced by marketing and don’t bother to do their own research and seek out (easily accessible) reputable sources of information.

I wanted to breastfeed, I bought the breast pads, the nursing bras, the lanolin so I was prepared.Then I raptured my bowel giving birth and any ideas of breastfeeding went out the window. I spent two weeks in hospital with sepsis so needed a lot of drugs and was told in no uncertain terms that I couldn't breastfeed whilst I was on them. Not that I was in any state to manage breastfeeding anyway. I was also diagnosed with cancer whilst in the hospital so started chemo shortly after being discharged. Can't breastfeed whilst doing that either so yes some people really can't breastfeed. We are lucky in that we can afford formula but it does feel a bit like being penalised for being ill.

But why tell them, why feel it’s your place all the time to remind a mother that she isn’t equal to other mothers who are feeding. They very probably already know the facts, weighed up the pros and cons and made their decision. Unwanted parenting advice is just the worst

Read the first sentence of the OP. OP asked for a discussion. If you don't want to participate in a discussion, don't engage. If people want a discussion about how great formula is and absolutely nothing else, they can start that thread.

Um, you realise you are on a thread discussing formula feeding and whether formula feeders are penalised vs breastfeeding? And that i was responding to another comment? I didn't just randomly decide to start talking about relative merits of formula vs breastmilk. Again, I don't give a shit how anyone feeds their kid, do what's best for you - but breast milk is and always will be the best thing to feed a baby and saying that formula is its equal is objectively untrue.

Look whatever side of the fence you’re on:

How you feed your infant for approximately 1/180th of their entire life makes up such a teeny tiny proportion of the parenting decisions you’ll make, and on the spectrum of Important Decisions, it is pretty low down. Yet it’s what we talk about more than anything. That isn’t an accident - let’s not put ourselves against each other so early on.

THIS

Hope you’re recovered now. That sounds rough and not what anyone would be expecting.

@SimplyElementary

So sorry but this really unusual circumstance. Policy is based on ordinary circumstances where there is an option. It's a shame that we can't have vouchers made available to the (very rare) cases where breastfeeding isn't possible. The evidence I saw from my midwife was that 95% of women who carry to term can breastfeed with appropriate support ... a combination of appropriate support for the 95% plus vouchers for the 5% would be great (if you choose to formula feed despite given support to breast feed that's your choice, currently lack of support means people don't get choice in many cases)

Saw OPs updates that ‘penalised’ wasn’t quite right - I agree in not incentivising with deals and points so voted YABU.

There are enough barriers to BF, many of which have been mentioned here.

The companies already profit hugely and market aggressively, pushing a narrative about ‘progressing’ to formula with ‘follow on milk’ to influence.

Formula for those on low income:

https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/free-milk-fruit-vegetables-and-vitamins#toc-2

Formula milk can be also be prescribed in medical circumstances.

Yes, I get that I was an unusual case. I think you're right that more breastfeeding support alongside vouchers for those who truly can't breastfeed would be a good start. Personally I wouldn't have begrudged paying if I felt formula was solely my choice. I still think it should be cheaper so people don't feel they are been forced to water it down but that's probably a way off.

At the moment only 1% of babies is the U.K. ard breastfeed at 6 months . It’s clear that so much more needs doing to increase it . There has no ever been a proper campaign to try and change people’s minds and promote breastfeeding , not a proper big one . I think the fear with giving baby formula or making it cheaper is that those 1% will disappear . People on benefits already get vouchers and prepaid cards that can be used for formula , it won’t pay all cost but will pay the majority .
The U.K. really needs to promote breastfeeding more and that includes looking at maternity leave , support for mums , changing atitudes on the older generation etc

To be clear, that 1% stat is about exclusive breastfeeding at 6 months, so babies who get a single bottle of formula at night, or babies who were weaned before 6 months (so almost all of them, ff and bf) but who still breastfeed won't count.

Not that lots of women are still breastfeeding at 6 months, but it's not 1%.

34% having some breastmilk at 6 months in the UK according to UNICEF which is a lot higher than I thought.

This is a good source of information about the infant milks being sold in the UK for anyone who's interested:

https://infantmilkinfo.org/

That 1% figure is ridiculously misleading. I think we are more strict on our criteria for this than some other countries, making it look like less babies are breastfeed than they are.

The percentage having some breastmilk still at 6m is 34%. That's probably a far more accurate representation, as it's more likely most are essentially fully or mostly breastfeeding rather that just 5m of boobs a day, as thats not how boobs work.

Given a single bottle of formula or bite/spoonful of food (even when on medical advice) will exclude someone from the exclusive breastfeeding statistics. How gutting for someone to work really hard to breastfeed, do it for several years etc, but not be counted because of that one bottle given at a week old. Or to get to 5m 3w and your child swipes a piece of toast off your plate.

Yes, true! Although it's for statistical purposes only. The people who it really matters to (mother and baby) know the truth. But yes, agreed, it is misleading.

I'm always curious about where they get those stats from though - I don't remember being asked how I was feeding my child by the time they were 6 months?!