To feel rubbish about this - breastfeeding groups

[Fiftycents]

I go to a local mother and baby group, it’s very casual and usually friendly. Made quite a few friends there.

Before the mother and baby group there is a breastfeeding group, there is a 30 min gap between the two but some mums stay on for the baby group.

Went to baby group as normal yesterday and about halfway through a lady stood up and announced some ‘good news’ and proceeded to hand out certificates for some breastfeeding mums, for 6 weeks and 3 months breastfeeding. We were then all asked to give them a round of applause for all they had achieved.

AIBU to think this is a insensitive to those that wanted to breastfeed but couldn’t? I tried for weeks to bf dd, we saw multiple lactation consultants, had tongue tie cut tried nipple shields etc but as she spent time in SCBU after she was born and was tiny she had always had formula and I ended up switching as she wouldn’t latch at all. I stopped expressing after 2 months as my own mental health was suffering.

YANBU - it was insensitive and they could have just waited for the next week to give out certificates
YABU - get over it

I wonder how many pregnant or new mothers are really influenced by advertising? I don’t remember seeing any when I was pregnant. I’d decided to use formula and bought the brand our local supermarket stocked the most of.
Most of us can weigh up information and make an informed decision. It’s not a wrong, uninformed or wrong decision to use formula from day one.

Nobody said it was wrong or uninformed.

However, if you really believe that marketing and advertising has little effect on people then can you explain to me why it is a multi billion dollar industry?

The biggest weapon formula companies have is maternal guilt. I, like @Parker231 chose the formula that was the cheapest and most well stocked in my local shop. However, friends from my antenatal group who started out breastfeeding but for whatever reason it did not work out for them, tore themselves to pieces with guilt and then went out and bought the unecessary premium brands like aptimal advanced and kendamil organic (none of which offer anything different from the standard, cheaper brands).

Some are or like pp said, formula companies wouldn’t put so much money into it.

I was always going back to work early so didn’t see the point in breastfeeding as well as not wanting to be solely responsible for feeding. It was always going to be formula from day 1 no matter how many breastfeeding leaflets my midwife attempted to give to me.

It was utterly thoughtless for them to hand them out at the baby group. They should have done it very subtly (aka no applause required) or done it the following week at the bf group. I bf both my children until they were 1+ and I cringe at the thought of this

I've had quite an easy life with my breastfed son. I find it easier than bottlefeeding. There needs to be more support for breastfeeding.

I agree. And I also found the mechanics of BFing easy one it was established (which is much harder)

However, the judgy comments you get from others weren’t exactly a walk in the park.