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?

But you factor in the cost of formula when you try for a baby just in case it doesn't work out. People on benefits will receive extra for having children, child benefit is a thing if you earn under 50k each, there's already help out there. If you breastfeed you eat more food and buy other things such as pumps, a tube of lanolin cream for cracked nipples is ££, although yes it's cheaper to breastfeed overall there is some cost still involved. You'll be asking for free carseats next, I mean they are essential for transporting a baby in a car, but hey it isn't fair you chose to have a baby... you could go on and on...!

Who said all mothers can breastfeed?

Why on earth should the tax payer fund formula?

Mothers who are struggling with formula can access help through their HV under the healthy start scheme. This way it can be monitored correctly, and appropriate support given.

No brands, no rosey cheeked babies on the labels. But a few choices for different nutritional needs and nutritional labelling.

Thank you.

It’s not just Africa. In the developed world, companies like Nestle “donated” funding to hospitals to pay for their maternity wards to be “upgraded”. The modifications included separate nurseries for the babies, away from the mothers’ beds. Of course, this was promoted as putting the mothers’ welfare first, ensuring they could rest etc. Except that was bollocks. The real reason is because formula manufacturers knew full-well that separating mother and infant and getting feeding onto a routine with the midwife bringing the baby to the mother every four hours was the quickest and most efficient way of ensuring breastfeeding wouldn’t be established and the mother would soon be requiring a bottle of formula.

If this sounds like a wacky conspiracy theory, it really isn’t. I’m as pro-vaccine, anti-urban-myth as they come. Read Gabrielle Palmer’s book The Politics of Breastfeeding and you’ll see why the WHO Code banning the promotion of formula milk is in place (and how the companies have still managed to find ways round it).

Because the reasons people age already stated as to why promotion of infant formula is banned. Being part of a promotion or reward scheme is flagged as ‘promotion/advertising’. It’s that simple.

@Merseymum992

No. I knew it was available as an alternative because:

1. My midwife told me
2. The consultant told me
3. When my baby couldn't latch, the hospital GAVE me some so my baby was fed
4. Women in my families and my friends have used it, for many many years before I was even conceived, never mind deciding that my child needed feeding but because she couldn't latch I felt like I had to fail as a mother when I'd barely started.

And yes, I'd seen some marketing but it didn't influence my decision to do what was right for my child.

Slightly off topic, but the formula companies are going to have a field day as the teenagers getting "top surgery" (hopefully) become mothers. Breastfeeding rates are just going to keep getting worse in this country.

My ex was born in the late 60s, MIL wanted to breastfeed but was told it was common and was discouraged by midwives who handed out free baby bottles, fed exH in the maternity ward unit without MIL knowing, and she could never get started with breastfeeding.

When I had my oldest (23 years ago), babies were still wheeled off to a nursery and new mothers were handed free bottles. Midwives tended not to understand about how Breastmilk comes in, and I heard many brand new mothers being offered free bottles because it looked like they didn’t have enough milk.

Unscrupulous companies have used whatever tactics they can use to get more customers, even when they know that the decision could lead to death (they’d dress marketers in nurse’s uniforms to sell baby milk in third world countries, knowing that the poor mothers couldn’t afford to sterilise bottles, let alone buy formula!).
Formula companies introduced nurseries in maternity units, knowing that splitting up mother and baby even for short periods of time means breastfeeding is less likely to be successful. Arguably the reason western countries have poor breastfeeding rates are wholly down to formula companies.

For anyone interested The Politics Of Breastfeeding by Gabrielle Palmer is an amazing book, should be read by every mother, however they choose to feed their baby.

You're not being penalised, you chose not to breast feed

Formula feeding is a perfectly valid choice so just own it!

Im pro choice above all so I’m all for women choosing how to feed their babies. I just roll my eyes at people who claim formula feeding isn’t a choice when in the vast majority of cases it is.

@Snugglemonkey I'm not sure how it's an inequality it's only Boots points! Not like being giving a cash reward for formula feeding...

As a breastfeeding mum I would get Boots points on Breastfeeding vitamins so I would benefit there when a FF mum wouldn't?

Exactly! It’s about terminology and I’m amazed people are confused.

There’s loads!
Cigarettes
Alcohol
Gift vouchers
Lottery tickets
Scratch cards
Stamps

To name but a few

You don’t need “breastfeeding vitamins”. That’s a way of cashing in on mothers’ insecurities. Your milk will be nutritious regardless of diet. It’s sensible to take a supplement if your diet is poor to help protect your body (your baby doesn’t need it) but you could take the cheapest multivitamin costing a pound or two. You don’t need the expensive Pregnacare ones.

of course she’s being penalised!! If the reward is for all products EXCEPT formula, that’s penalising, and bloody patronising. The price is not what encourages people of breastfeed or not.

My ex was born in the late 60s, MIL wanted to breastfeed but was told it was common and was discouraged by midwives who handed out free baby bottles, fed exH in the maternity ward unit without MIL knowing, and she could never get started with breastfeeding.

This was my Mum's experience. The worst thing was it took away women's breastfeeding knowledge that would be handed down their daughters. It took one generation for formula manufacturers to break that chain.

I walked past a shelf with ready made bottles of infant formula the other day and they equated to £1 a bottle. £1!!! The same as a fizzy drink! The ingredients are cheap as is water, so Parents are paying for the convenience of not faffing on making up bottles. It’s really disgraceful and formula companies ought to be ashamed.

As a pp said, you aren't being penalised, just not rewarded. Which is fair.

Great post!

It’s scary the tactics that formula companies employ and continue to employ.

And yet the NHS is the one demonised for daring to give pregnant mums a breastfeeding leaflet 🙄🙄 the power of marketing!

It isn't something that bothers me really. I just switched to follow on milk when he turned 6 months and now can get points and offers.

Ah I never caught the post before it got deleted.

But she’s wrong - that’s absolutely false news.