Did anyone else feel rage at Karen Millen's comments on breastfeeding?

[Hoooray]

According to Karen Millen (who is, notably, a clothing designer and not a child development expert), breastfeeding beyond six months has no benefit for the child, is selfish, and is a sign of addiction.

You're not allowed to get it right as a mother, are you? Bad if you don't breastfeed but also bad if you breastfeed for too long, apparently.

God knows why Karen Millen was being asked for her opinion on the subject in the first place 🙄

Exactly, its all quite backwards

I'm still not sure what the introduction of solids has to do with breastfeeding beyond six months, but I agree it's up to each parent to make up their own minds on introducing solids.

We don't have allergies in our family but several of us do have issues with IBS and poor gut health, so I was very mindful of studies showing that introducing solids before six months can result in long-term gut health issues. However, if allergies ran in my family I might have felt that the risk profile lay in favour of an earlier introduction to allergens and introduced solids before six months.

None of this is relevant to the fact that babies' primary source of nutrition in their first year is milk, or that breastfed babies continue to benefit from breastmilk beyond six months.

Thankfully her clothes are so bad it'll be easy to boycott her.

@dontgetmestartedwillubreastfeeding linked to colon cancer? And who funded that research? Nestle?

Absurd nonsense

Yes . Reckon she just wanted to be talked about
this is evidence written by professionals https://abm.me.uk/breastfeeding-information/breastfeeding-beyond-infancy-a-gp-guide/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR5FFXosAVKq4POCB0YbO7lJ0idEKN37vrgU3Ahkz2HpsL3iydA8X-eQp0OQMg_aem_gl72UCE0FBJTaJ4nNiu0GQ
I’m currently breastfeeding my nearly 3yo and 8month old while writing this 🤣😅
just need to stop with the judgements! Let women do what they feel best for their family ❤️

Tandem feeding is absolutely heroic, well done ♥️

I do have a breastfeeding qualification at a very low level, but I'm not expecting to be invited on national television to give my views on breastfeeding.

Why do we need to hear opinions on it, when there is a huge body of scientific evidence which is rarely mentioned? A fashion designer has nothing to add to the "debate".

In addition, whilst some of the things she said (e.g. breastfeeding beyond 6 months is selfish) are opinions (abhorrent ones, but opinions nonetheless), some of the things she said were just incorrect facts.

"There is no benefit to breastfeeding past 6 months," isn't an opinion, it's wrong.
"Breastfeeding causes emotional problems," again, wrong.

If I said, "The sky is a horrible colour," then that's my opinion and I'm entitled to it.
If I said, "The sky is purple with lime green spots," then that's not an opinion, it's false information.

Can you see the difference? It's taught in primary school to 7 year olds, but maybe you were off sick that day.

Are you sure that the NCT teacher didn't say that breastfeeding releases oxytocin which is also released just after an orgasm and makes you feel more connected to your partner, or baby in the case of breastfeeding?

The release of oxytocin is also triggered by many other non-sexual experiences; it's a bonding hormone, not a sexual one.

Exactly, yet breastfeeding should be stopped. What kind of hypocrisy is that?

Why is formula ok but breastmilk isn’t past six months?

What a ridiculously uninformed opinion. Google is free. Milk is a requirement until 1 and a main source of food. Breastmilk is the optimal milk for infants. The benefits extend until 2 and beyond.

It'll be that. I made the same mistake once with a pal by trying to describe the oxytocin thing. The cuddle hormone is probably a better way to describe it.

@dontgetmestartedwillu I am still BF my 10 month old and introduced foods around 5.5 months. Most of the mums in my BF support group were desperate to start weaning early and we spent the majority of the time around the 5-10 months mark chatting about problems re introducing foods. My baby took to solids exceptionally well but others were just milk monsters who, for obvious reasons, just massively preferred the boob 😂 so I really don't think that those mums didn't want to introduce solids but more that babies love BF and weaning is tricky

This is true. Its why the NHS now advise that you give a vit d supplement when BFing.

Everyone has different opinions on everything including breastfeeding. She has her opinion and that's ok if it differs to yours or mine I can't get "outraged" about someone's opinion

Huh? The NHS recommends everyone in the UK takes Vit D because most of us do not get enough sunlight, including babies. Vit D is added to formula for the same reason. It's nothing to do with breast milk.

Outraged no but it is annoying when people chat utter shit.

Moronic opinions need to be culled.

I do think mums everywhere need to feel that they can do what they feel is best for their baby. If that's BF for 2 years, that should obviously be fine but I'd like that women feel empowered to make that choice without getting too emotional when someone like Karen M (who is hardly a figurehead or major celebrity) makes a comment.

So women who breastfeed aren’t allowed to ‘get emotional’ when misinformation from a public figure is stated as fact and derogatory comments made about their reasons for doing so? Right.

Pretty sure that if a celebrity said ‘Women who formula feed are damaging their children and are only doing it out of selfishness’ there would be PLENTY of outrage and an attempt to correct the erroneous claims.

But opinions are not the same as facts which people seem to be confused about. It’s an opinion to say I don’t want to breastfeed or I want to stop at x time, both of which are as valid as the choice to feed for however long you want. The problem is where an incorrect fact is given like there’s no benefit to breastfeeding after a certain date which is demonstrably inaccurate.

They didn't recommend it for breastfed babies until around 2012ish.

There was a study that showed a link between breastfeeding and adults being diagnosed with colon cancer. They believe its due to vitamin d which formula is fortified with. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with breastmilk.

But different cultures and research in different countries brings various "facts"

Literally no country is ever going to suggest it’s a “fact” that breastfeeding is selfish or pointless after 6 months. Literally none.

Her opinions don’t interest me at all so I couldn’t get wound up about them. Also not interested in any breastfeeding debate - every woman can and should do what she wants - crack on and breastfeed for as long as you want - I doubt anyone cares. This subject has been done to death on here.

I really don't understand what point you're making.

As I said, almost everyone in the UK is deficient in Vit D unless they take a supplement.

That's why they put it in formula.

The fact that people of all ages in the UK don't get enough Vit D is to do with the weather, not breastfeeding.

Obviously BF mothers need more vitamins/minerals/calories, you don't need a study to prove that, it's basic common sense...

Look i was just replying to a pp who said it was absurd nonsense that someone had stated there was a link between increased risks of colon cancer and breastfeeding. Its not absurd nonsense, its true. You can read that in the quote history. That was the point.

But there isn't.

There is an increased risk of colon cancer associated with Vit D deficiencies.

Breastfeeding doesn't cause Vit D deficiencies, the weather does.