To demand a harder hitting campaign to promote breastfeeding?

[WashwithCare]

I?m sometimes taken aback to hear mothers gave up bf-ing because it was sore, or involved feeding for hours at a time? What did they expect? What did they think newborns do? Didn?t they imagine that anything chewing on your nipple for 10 hours a day was going to nip a bit?

But then again, who can blame them? Breastfeeding for the minimum WHO recommendation of 2 years is practically unheard of. Nearly everyone will tell you it?s absolutely your decision, and fine to stop. The public info campaign is fluffy and vague about the benefits, and the baby on the follow-on formula milk box looks decidedly peachy. Lots of women are so mis-informed, they believe that formula is almost as good as breastmilk.

Is it time for something a little harder hitting? How about this for a tv ad; (scene 1) mum feeding her newborn a bottle telling her mate how hard bf-ing was. Caption: Breastfeeding Hurts. (scene 2) same mum, but now older, bald and sick, hugs toddler. Caption: So does breast cancer. FADE to caption: "Breastfeeding significantly Reduces your Life Time Risk of Breast Cancer". Followed by cheesy inspirational slogan.

Yes, thank you, WWC. I've bfed four babies, and have been bfing for nearly 7 years now. Yes, it hurt at times. I still know that, biologically, it shouldn't have. I know it hurt because the baby wasn't latching on right, or because I had sore nipples from being pregnant, or for whatever reason. Bfing itself does not make nipples hurt - something not right with bfing does.

I repeat my question - who trained you to be a peer supporter?

It does hurt though, if you BF an older baby. Well it hurt me every time DS had a new tooth coming. Scrape scrape scrape... Maybe I was just unlucky.

Other than that

I think a more affective add would be

Scene: Cheryl Cole chatting to Posh Spice/A Pussycat Doll/Sugarbabe/Saturday etc.

Both are discreetly bf ing whilst fully made up and dressed in lovely frocks and high heels.

That would get more young mums bf than any amount of offensive scaremongering cancer blackmail.

Besides BF will not stop you getting breast Ca (ask my sister). It is a factor that may help protect you. So your add would probably get pulled by the ASA.

i agree. an ad campaign with Billie Piper or some other mum babe would help a lot.

In addition, given that 90% of women who give up before 6 weeks wish they hadn't, what is the point of more promotion? If all those women could be better supported to succeed in the choice they'd already made, then the bfing rates would improve dramatically.

Yes FB - but when you ask them why they gave up they usually say:
it hurt
I spent all day sitting in a chair
I couldn't give my toddler any attention because I spent all day sitting in a chair...

If you actually told mums to be the TRUTH - like -yes your nipples will be sore, even with cream, and garlic rubs and anything else you can think of... and yes, you will spend an awful time in your J Lewis Glider, and yes it is so DULL....

If you told people that stuff, but then add on all the bloody brilliant benefits... then maybe you have a chance that mums will push through that pain/hassle barrier!

You are one very mixed up person op, how many different lives do you have now?

We need much much much much much more consistent bf support right across the board. I was coerced into ff my dd when I was told that her blood sugar had dropped and I was not having any success with feeding her myself at all. No one showed me how or gave me any help when I asked repeatedly for it. I came on here when she was 2 days old and begged for help. Everyone was fantastic but it wasn't enough. From the mws on the ward, to the staff in scbu who openly and loudly ridiculed me in front of half a dozen other parents and my mother for not being able to get her to feed, to the mws and hvs who visited me at home, every single one of the them told me to give her formula. I went to a bf clinic when she was 3 days old and they were useless.

I know that it comes down to staffing issues and money but really, that's where the money should be spent. I cried my eyes out for months every time I gave her a bottle, I'm sure that was at the root of my PND. DD turned two years old yesterday and I'm sitting here sobbing while writing this because the whole thing made me feel such a failure and still does.

So please. don't give me any old crap about hard hitting adverts because it's worth fuck all if you don't have the right support on minute one for EVERY WOMAN (and I did mean to shout!)

it's suddenly dawned on me who you are. But not sure I can remember the name, but I know that you were under a different name a while back and you stalked custardo on a few threads and were highly offensive.

For the record, how other people feed their babies is none of yours or anyone else's business.

Now off you fuck.

Breastfeeding does not hurt me and I have fed three children and am currently tandem feeding a newborn and a 2 year old.

I am very pro breastfeeding but think your idea would portray an extremely offputting and negative message. The idea is sickening!

I think an ad. with posh spice breast feeding cheryl cole would make more of an impact.

WWC, they aren't allowed.

Inferring 'prescription only' use of formula further infers your stance that women should be removed of their right to autonomy wrt how to feed their babies

I could add so much more but I'll leave it at this:

I sincerely hope that you treat the women you are trained to support with more empathy than you have shown here.

What BDSM said.

Verylittlecarrot - Thanks - it's nice to get professional feedback. Marketting isn't my strenght - what do you think of the current real campaigns?

The ads on our buses just say, mum bf me, so I have anti bodies to take to the park with Gran.

I just thought - what crap - I fed on demand and co-slept, and there was no way bubs would have happily nipped down to the swings with nan when she was newborn.

I don't know how long I will bf my 3 yr old for. Why do you ask?

'I sincerely hope that you treat the women you are trained to support with more empathy than you have shown here.'

or they'll just hide under the table when they see you coming and snarl.

lowenergy ewwwwwwwww!

I understand your sentiment AND your feeling that current promotion is wishy washy. BUT an acceptance of BFing in the UK will involve a massive cultural change and that sort of change takes a generation each time - for example, my mum never breastfed,(in fact her only advice to me was 'don't let anyone force you into it if you don't want to !!). However, I fed all 3 dc's (with no pain whatsoever, sorry). My 2 dd's and ds see breastfeeding as completely natural. If they have children, they will be able to ask me(if they want) but will probably consider BF first as it was their childhood experience. But that has taken a whole generation (by the way my mum is very pro BF now). Much as I understand the OP's wish to get militant about it, it just isn't the right way to go.

OP, jog on.

inferring *Suggesting

i think her heart is in the right place.

WWC - WHO TRAINED YOU TO BE A PEER SUPPORTER??????

Bfing does not have to mean pain, sitting down all day long or sitting down all day long while your toddler runs amok. To make bfing not be painful or hard work, or take you away from your toddler you need SUPPORT. Proper, well trained support. Peer supporters can be fantastic, but not ones who spout crap. MWs and HVs can be fantastic, but not ones who have little or no training in bfing support.

Breastfeeding does not need to be a sacrifice, it does not need to be as hard work as you portray it to be.

When someone posts such stupid nonsense such as what I have readfrom WashwithCare wouldnt it be best just to ignore it, not respond at all? Please let this be the last post on this thread, this sort of shite doesnt deserve a response.

I agree a bit with lots of points made here but as a peer supporter myself (and honestly I am really nice....) I think there is a willingness for women to cave in at the first hurdle. I obviously agree that there are not enough of us supporting types but the prevailing wind in my own experience is for people to freak out at the first weight loss or not enough weight gain moment with the HV and slap a bottle into a baby. Fundamentally, all the marketing of formulas (and I agree they should not be marketed by individual companies for profit)undermines women's confidence in their ability to fully breastfeed their own children. It is not so long ago that we got samples of baby formula (and other formula company sponsored goods) in bounty bags!

do you find it a struggle to combine bf on demand with the challenges of your super high earning legal career?

verylittlecarrot you were one of the people on the desperate thread I started on here when I was trying to unsuccessfully establish bf but thank you for trying!

Not a stalker btw, I was just re-reading the thread and noticed you on here

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