Saw an ad in a magazine the other day...

[hunkermunker]

And whilst I don't want to kick off the whole Milupa thing again - are they allowed to use pics of babies breastfeeding in advertising formula?

[karmamother]

Thanks! I AM very pro bf but I have to remember that not all mums feel this way. Still, its great to have this forum that allows conversation between like-minded women! My biggest problem at the moment is trying to convince DP that bf is best (IMO). He has 2 kids from a previous relationship who were both given bottles. So, he has the opinion that there's nothing wrong with formula. Now, I wouldn't go so far as to call it the Devil's mixture, but I'll have a supply of the stuff which comes free of charge, has lots of extra goodies & is infinately more portable! He is very supportive of my wishes but confesses he'll find it hard to watch me do all the feeds & not be able to share it (especially at night). As a compromise I've decided to invest in a pump this time & hopefully we can work out a routine that lets him share some of the feeds. I'd rather he wanted to help than be a lazy sod!

[moondog]

He can share!! There's lots more to looking after a baby than just the feeding! And.as you say,if you express then he can do that!

Felt very sad seeing people with babies in New Orleans worrying about running out of formula.

[bobbybob]

if you express - don't let him away without doing all of the sterilising that that creates! The lovely bonding experience of a dp/dh getting a nice sit down with his child while a frazzled mum madly sterilises everything before pumping again - argh!

Jack Newman has some interesting articles about why it's called breastfeeding, not breastmilk feeding (ie expressing and giving in a bottle). Might be worth reading.

Give your dp bathtime - you can get years of rest out of that one.

[karmamother]

Bobbybob - thanks for that! I did mention to him that he could still do many things to help which he'll gladly do, but he remembers how lovely it was to feed his previous children as babies & doesn't want to miss out on that particular bonding experience. I intend to let him bath, cook the meals, do the washing & shopping etc. We've got Sky+ so I'm going to record a film every night to watch the next day whilst I'm sat on the sofa BFing.

Speaking of sterilising, there's a current thread on that subject. Apparently, there's a MNer (can't remember her name) who says she was told not to bother sterilising equipment for her premmie babies in a SCBU. They were very strict about hygiene in the unit but said that HOT soapy water, removing all traces of milk & air drying was enough for bottles, dummies & pump equipment. This was endorsed by the microbiologist. If you read the thread you'll see that many mums have decided to ditch their sterilisers! After all, once bambino can put their hands in their mouths, you can't control the sterility of what goes in there. Still, it takes a brave mum to try it, after all, it goes against everything we've been told for years. The thread even dicusses how too little exposure to germs could be the reason more allergies are around. Food for thought.

[karmamother]

Her name is RTKangaMummy.

[bobbybob]

Ds never had a bottle - lots of lovely boob bacteria for him! Absolutely riddled with allergies though - which is a bit annoying. Dh doesn't feel he missed out, he got all the burping and bathing.

I agree about the sterilising - but even all the washing takes time.