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 🙄

And that’s my piece said. My 19month old is still breastfed. She’s got a severe dairy and egg allergy and breast milk is more nutritional than giving her oat/soy milk. Why would I give my baby something less nutritional to appease the likes of Karen, strange strange woman.

@mnhq why was my post deleted?

She’s entitled to her own view, but that’s it, a view! She not entitled to make comments on medical aspects like no benefit etc

I can’t say I’m really that bothered. She’s got an opinion and voiced it. I don’t agree with her at all, but so what?

I don’t think we’ll see the ‘Karen Millen’ effect and everyone stopping at 6 months because she suggested it. She’s probably irrelevant to most new mums.

my DC are well past the breastfeeding stage now so maybe that’s why I’m not fussed about this comment.

6 months: let stop giving this naturally occurring free human milk and switch to artificial milk designed to resemble it or the milk of a COW

Karen Millen is a complete dick

Just checking myself, I’ve had a little Google as my kids are older and have seen the LEAP study in some NHS stuff about food allergies so I take your point. Still seems like the NHS is saying 6 months though?
anyway don’t want to derail the thread with allergy stuff

They recommend introducing peanuts between 4-6 months for high risk groups. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0091674922016566

https://www.bsaci.org/resources/allergy-management/food-allergy/allergy-prevention/early-introduction-of-food-allergens/

To be fair if you have the commitment and maturity to BF beyond 6 months you probably wouldn’t care what a clothes designer has to say on the subject. I know I wouldn’t have given a damn.

Even if a baby is formula fed, the main source of nutrition comes from milk upto 1 year. Why wouldn't breastmilk be important after 6 months? My baby is turning 6 months and she only has milk, suddenly not being fed milk isn't going to do well for her!

So presumably you wouldn’t give formula after 6 months either? It’s a breast milk substitute so no need, surely. Just straight onto adult food and drinks.

I think most of the rage should be directed at channel 5 or whoever has oversight over the programme she was on. If they are going to discuss the subject on TV with this format of asking quite random people for their opinions on such a range of issues, they need to make sure they have experts there to challenge and ensure that uneducated opinions are not presented as facts. In this instance KM said ‘there are no benefits to bf past 6 months’, which is just incorrect, but she wasn’t picked up on it. On an issue like infant feeding, misinformation can actually be harmful. And the topic of infant feeding should always be dealt with much more sensitivity when rates of post-natal anxiety and depression are so high.

I happily finished at 7 months with mine but think she is an awful gobshite to express such moronic views.
These are completely individual choices as is breastfeeding in the first place.

She was asked her opinion and gave it, I agree too. What’s the problem with people having an opinion?

Elderly people and/or bottle feeders. Ms Millen is of a generation that didn't see the point of extended breast feeding, or even of any breast feeding.

Do some research.

Where is this 6 months coming from? No one needs to BF at all but what do we think happens at 6 months, baby gets up yoms a bacon sarnie and starts eating 3 meals a day? People are so dumb

Thanks that’s interesting I’ve just skim read it but seems as though any pregnancy >25yrs increases risk. I wasn’t aware of this

Designer" is stretching the truth a bit.
She made lycra footballers wives clothes twenty years ago.
Harsh!
Ife got anout 12 KM dresses that I love and quite a few jumpers. I loke the KM stores.
I dont agree with her opinion but I don't feel rage. It's just an opinion someone has.

You’re an expert are you? The WHO advises two years but what do they know?

That is absolute bollocks - she is very much the generation of women who popularised breast feeding.

the world didn’t start in the year 2000.

I’m almost 50 and when I was a kid in the 80’s, I remember my older cousins all breast fed their kids and were evangelical about it.

it was my mother’s generation ( so people 80+) who were discouraged from breast feeding. Even then, my mother was very supportive and wished she could’ve bf her kids.

People who breastfeed past 6 months aren't some weird niche hippy subset of people. It should be encouraged and the norm (no shade on people who couldn't/ don't want to for whatever reason).

Her comments could be damaging to a woman who wanted to breastfeed but was struggling with the idea of feeding in public or whose family weren't supportive. Or perhaps they didn't know anyone who had ever breastfed. They just contribute to the general hostility in this country to breastfeeding, especially past six months.

What would posses her to say that?

She doesn't know what she's talking about so I wouldn't worry, listen to the experts, babies were designed to be breast fed, the other forms of feeding simply try to emulate breast feeding in some way which shows it's good for the baby otherwise experts wouldn't copy it, it's logical, bet she used a teat to feed her babies, did she worry about them becoming addicted, perhaps she feels she failed in someway by not continuing breastfeeding, but it's a personal choice after weighing the facts .

Oh right. Lactation scientist are you?

The world may not have started in 2000, but when I had my DS in 2001, breastfeeding mums were in a minority, and beyond 6 months that minority dwindled to almost zero, apart from the alternative La Leche League types. My DM was/is among those who were evangelical about breastfeeding, but she stopped at 9 months and my DGM at (I think) 6 months. That's the way it was.