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?

So you’d never heard of formula and the brand names before having a baby?

Child benefit is not a thing if you earn under 50k each. Maybe it used to be, but its not that simple anymore.

In the 1940s my uncle was ff and without it he would have died (lots of maternal and neonatal health problems). These days there are still a tiny number of mothers who CANNOT bf, for the rest it is still very much a choice to ff. This has a cost attached to is (as does bf, as the mum needs additional calories to produce the milk).

There is an argument that in the developed world we are lucky to have that choice but the cost is significant, but having babies IS expensive.

Just wait until you're spending £20 a week on school dinners and £100 on a pair of trainers that gets left on the bus...

I agree that you're not getting penalised for ff, you're just not getting a discount.

The argument that "you're not being penalised, just not being rewarded" doesn't make any sense.

Not being rewarded is being penalised.

If a man doing your job was paid 40% more than you as part of a government scheme to encourage men into the workplace, and you asked for that payrise but were told "it's only available to men" due to government regulations, then yes you're being penalised. But for those government restrictions, you'd be able to get that 40%? Penalised.

The idea that formula companies will exploit any regulation loophole they can seems clearly true though.

I also think breastfeeding bars are a con - just buy a cheap one east to pull down!

I did however think my bloody expensive £150 breast pump was worth every penny

Yes. It didn’t take them long at all.
MIL had to leave the room when I breastfed my babies, it upset her so much that she’d had that opportunity taken away from her.

I can’t.

However, many women are not able to sustain their babies and themselves while breastfeeding due to a multitude of reasons. Let’s not pretend they can.

Now people are comparing the gender pay gap to not getting a few pence of Advantage points?

Dear god this thread is batshit

Formula companies shouldn't be able to market/discount their artificial milk. Breast is best and free. Obviously formula is useful for some mums who have found it difficult to breast feed, but it should be a plan B.

I still boycott Nestle for their aggressive marketing of formula milk in third world countries that has caused many babies to die.

OT but is she normally so self centered and dramatic?

@WeetabixTowels I just meant specifically in boots 😇

This! You've no entitlement to discount surely

Read point 4. Of course I had heard of it, don't be pedantic because you can't think of a response to prove your point any other way.

But the fact I'd heard of it didn't influence my decision to give it to my child. The fact I physically couldn't breastfeed her did. And I started FF on the same formula the hospital gave me. That made her tummy bad after a few days so I tried a different one. Then a different one. On the advice of my midwives and health visitors. Not based on the smiley baby on the TV or what packages appealed to me most. Marketing/advertising played zero part in any of my decisions regarding how to feed my child.

Hi OP,
I’m so glad you posted this and I couldn’t agree more. I had to stop breastfeeding due to a cancer scare, and the mandated sign saying that breastfeeding is better on every formula tin and the sky high costs seem incredibly cruel. There are so many reasons why breastfeeding might not be possible and women should not be made to feel guilty about it.

Ultimately, parents will make far more significant nutritional choices for their children as they grow older. I don’t see “lettuce is better” signs on Mac Donald’s happy meals. Why the fixation on women’s bodies and breast feeding?

Absolutely, it’s the same stuff made by the same company in the same factory. It’s just different branding because some people will pay more for the supposed premium brand of Aptimil , rather than Cow & Gate.

The previous poster was correct - most women can breastfeed and can sustain themselves and their baby while doing it. If you search it, the rates of women who are physically unable to breastfeed and keep it up are very low, I believe around 5% in the western world.

Look if a woman is struggling to BF, is knackered, sore and just plain hating every moment than life is too short to struggle on when you can go and buy a very valid solution from the supermarket instead. But that’s still a choice - it doesn’t make them marginalised or forced to do something they don’t want. Just own it!

Only young women are allowed to suffer trauma around birth and new motherhood then?

Exactly this

That's a nasty, unwarranted post @WeetabixTowels, does posting that kind of comment make you feel good about yourself?

And a PSA : I also hate ‘breast is best’. It’s smug and annoying and doesn’t offer the bigger picture to a woman’s feeding experience.

DISCLAIMER: This does not mean I think breastfed babies should die. Just before some of you reach for the smelling salts 😂

Do people not understand the lengths formula companies have gone to to sell their product?

It’s a blessing that first stage formula is exempt from marketing, because without that companies like nestle have a captive market - most breastfeeding mothers struggle in the early days - it can be hard, it can be painful, you can’t hand over to someone else to feed so you can sleep - if someone’s handing over freebie milk and using marketing tactics proven time and time again to work, breastfeeding rates would plummet.

Breastfeeding is best, its affects can be seen at a population level, but individuals get to freely choose how they feed their baby. Marketing first stage formula would largely take away that choice. It’s important to stick to the regulations set.

OP if you are genuinely interested in (the very good reasons) why these regulations are in place I suggest you read The Politics of Breastfeeding (or Why The Politics of Breastfeeding Matter which is a shortened version). Or just read a few articles. Le Leche League or Baby Milk Action have lots of info.

Difficult is not the same as impossible. Very few women truly can't breastfeed.