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 🙄

I never faced huge pressure to breast fed. It really isn’t a big deal. Freedom of expression allows people to do exactly that, exactly what you have said in your comments. Should all the people that disagree with you challenge your opinion?

To be honest I don’t know what anyone cares about what anyone thinks about breastfeeding. Do it if you want, for as long as you want (although if your child is at school perhaps that is a bit odd!) or don’t. Either way your child will be fine. I do find it weird people spout opinions on this stuff. It is entirely a personal journey/decision and her opinion would have had zero influence on me!

Not quite at the 6 month mark but she does have a point from my experience with friends who breastfed older children.

She's been a bit silly hasn't she, saying daft things about a topic she clearly doesn't know much about. Totally at odds with current advice. I'm still breastfeeding a 3 year old and couldn't give the tiniest flying fuck what anyone else thinks, let alone a clothing designer that I didn't even know was a real person until 3 minutes ago.

It's a shame though, because breastfeeding rates in the UK are so very low and it would be nice if those with the opportunity to voice their opinions publicly could attempt to inform themselves first.

So why can’t this “stupid people” go to a library or speak to their midwife or HV? If people are that stupid then they probably shouldn’t have kids, should they? People need to take responsibility for their actions, not blame it on everyone else including D list celebrities.

But the World Health Organisation recommend it until 2 years. I’d go with their advise over a lady that used to make dresses.

What one should do is often very different from what one does.

I wouldn’t even give it head space. Opinions are like arseholes everyone has them. She’s prob getting what she wants. Headlines. Rage bait ? Who knows !

So strange to me that anyone would say there's no need to breastfeed past 6 months - switch to formula. That is literally still breastmilk, just from a cow! Clearly, babies still need some form of milk until way past 12 months. I did mix feed my oldest so I have no objection to formula but it's not better.

We have completely normalised cows' milk so that human breastmilk is considered "gross". I had mini BM ice lollies in the freezer for my toddler son and my MIL recoiled in disgust when she learnt what they were.

Why just cow, goat or sheep? Why stop there, why not drink dog's milk or elephant milk or horse milk? It's so arbitrary. A baby's own mother's breastmilk is the most logical, personalised milk a baby can have.

Ffs

The pressure to stop breastfeeding is what I'm referring to. Women like her making statements like she did just bolsters the type of people who pass comment if you dare to feed outside of your home, or refuse to let someone give your baby a bottle so they can "bond". Sometimes those comments are the last straw and cause women to stop breastfeeding prematurely. I've seen many women feel deep regret for stopping breastfeeding before they had really wanted to. That regret can linger for years.

I'm absolutely happy for anyone to challenge my opinion, otherwise I wouldn't be engaging with you.

Well she can fuck off.
Not part of the sisterhood that raises each other up

And that would be fine if she said that - that’s her opinion. She said there are no benefits to breastfeeding babies past 6 months. That is medically untrue.

She doesn’t have a point though because she said after 6 months? We are not talking about older children

Freedom of expression means freedom from facing arrest for your speech.

We are disagreeing with her and criticising her statement. Not calling the cops ffs.

Yeah, people can say whatever they like, and we are likewise free to think they are daft.

I was wondering the same thing. Up to each mother to decide for herself.

This reminded me of what my GP said after my 4th baby. I'd gone into labour naturally, I'd been induced, I'd had hospital delivery, home delivery, c.section, forceps, delivery without help, episiotomy. My GP said I should write a book instead of some celebrity who'd had one and thought they knew it all. It made me laugh.

She is just wrong. There have been lots of studies to show that there are long term health benefits for mother and baby.

I'm very glad that I breastfed my children till they were toddlers, because of the health profile of our family. The children were also pretty happy with this at the time.

I've breastfed both my dcs past 3 years but I didn't particularly feel rage at her comments. I know there is clear, peer-reviewed evidence for its benefits so it makes no difference to me if someone else doesn't believe there is.

I know it will have no impact at all and I know she sold out to BooHoo in 2019 but I’ve unfollowed Karen Millen on Instagram due to her ignorant comments on breastfeeding. She’s made herself look a bit stupid.

Why do you care what she thinks? Just don’t let it bother you. She has no influence in this area so her personal views are irrelevant. As you point out in your post.

Yes I did feel rage, I made a post myself but yours is much more eloquent

Why do you feel there’s no need? It may be your preference but it’s weird to have such an opinion on others doing it..