Baby Milk Action - new film to share for those who are campaigning.

[organiccarrotcake]

Not interested in starting a debate here.

This is posted to those of you who support Baby Milk Action's work and want to see their latest video made together with NCT, and consider sharing it.

Wow. Powerful stuff through the medium of fridge magnets. I didn't know that formula companies don't say how to make a bottle safely, I've never read the packaging. I'm curious to know what it says now.

Thanks for posting OCC :)

hoho there has been an awful lot of work done over the past few years by Baby Milk Action to change the directions on packets to show the new guidelines to use water at 70 degrees, not cooled, boiled water. This is after some babies died in Europe from contaminated formula (and it's believed one died the other day in Lebanon for the same reason).

Nestle for one campaigned very, very strongly to reject the changes because they said that it was not necessary as babies die so rarely from this type of contamination (even though the contamination is common). I can't find their press statement (it's maybe been taken down) but it was quite awful.

boycottnestle.blogspot.com/2007/10/ruling-in-belgium.html

I believe that now the UK packets have changed (haven't looked recently) thanks to the work of BMA, but not elsewhere. Indeed, there was a news article yesterday that the Malawi government was threatening to remove all formula from the shelves unless the companies actually put the correct information on the packets (it's even worse over there with the info on the packs usually in the wrong language for the country it's sold in - this I have seen myself in several African countries as early as May this year). While I obviously have serious concerns about how this recall would be managed so that babies could access milk (and it's probably all hot air) it shows the seriousness of the situation.

Very powerful. Seen it shared on FB. Was that you by any chance OCC?

Thanks OCC. I have a few friends that FF and none of them knew that bottles should be made with water at 70C, they were all using boiled, cooled water. :(

Wow...

gosh - very powerful but I would only share it with breastfeeding friends, who intend to keep breast feeding as I would be too worried about offending my ff friends.

so.. making up a bottle with cooled, boiled water and then heating it up is a no no? because this is what everyone I know does!

mbj I have shared it on our local AP FB group (you're on there aren't you?) and a few others, but it's all over FB this morning.

panda yeah, but that's ok. It's really one to raise awareness of the campaign, I feel.

Water needs to be boiled, then left to cool to around 70 degrees (around 20-30 minutes) before adding to the powder. The powder can contain bugs which can trigger mild, moderate and in rare cases serious gastro illness which has led to death for some infants. Water should not be over 70 degrees as it then will destroy too many vitamins in the powder. Formula must then be left to cool to the appropriate temperature for feeding.

Well that's something I feel I can mention to ff friends - thanks. I'm the only breastfeeder left in my antenatal group of six, and DD is just under 5 months old. I'm the odd 'extended' feeder...

Such a powerful movie. I would love to share, but am unfortunately the only mother in my group still breastfeeding and don't want to look all judgey pants although I am a bit

It's shocking how few people I know make a bottle up properly and then wonder why their poor babies keep getting tummy bugs. I don't like to suggest to them how to mix formula when I've never done it myself.

I shared a link about making up formula correctly last year and now a family member isn't speaking to me. I suspect she was just waiting for an excuse though

oh dear - it seems we are all a bit scaredy cat about sharing organic. what do you suggest? Hoik the judgey pants up high and deal with the downfall?

No, I dob't think I am OCC but I am in Red Tent.

motherpanda I did share on my FB profile but then I frequently share BF stuff. If people ever ask to friend me I tend to warn them I use FB to share BFing stuff! That's not something most people do before accepting a FB friend, I guess .

I'm also on loads of BFing and AP FB groups so I share there.

But on your own personal profile? Entirely down to how you think people will react! See, I personally see no judgeyness in this video whatsoever, personally, which probably makes me a bit thick. I see it as informative to those considering feeding options, and to those who follow the boycott. It's not helpful to those who are now FFing unless they want to consider things for next time. But there are still many people who would find it interesting.

It's off onto my FB with this link. I'm the freakydeaky 'bitty' woman 'still' BFing my 18 month old DD and everyone knows it . I've also FF and - guess what - I did it wrong too!

Me too, TCOB - on both counts!! Snap on the 18 MO (but do I trump you with being 21 weeks diffed as well? )

Interestingly, I find that many former FF (like me) get most upset when they find out the real risks of FF. I have never fully FF but did introduce it to DS1 at about 4 months and he has (only recently diagnosed) CMPI. We continued to BF as well but I wish I'd never exposed him to it :( And I feel very lucky that I had an easy time BFing DS1 as if the awful time I had with DS2 had been my first, before I'd studied BFing, I'd have 100% FF as I just didn't understand the risks.

The more people who know, the more people who can make fully informed choices. I always emphasise that I'm not trying to stop people from FF or mix feeding as it really is the right choice for many - including on a risk/benefit analysis taking into account the risks of FF. But to do that analysis properly they need the info.

Furthermore everyone who wants it should have access to excellent quality BFing support, and donor milk if necessary. Both things I also spend a lot of time working on, especially donor milk (which is my "thing").

MotherPanda - I know where you're coming from. I had this conversation with my niece recently (she too hadn't realised the water had to be hot). In my case, though, having failed to BF (and having had many chats with my niece about our respective difficulties - both wanted to BF but couldn't/were badly advised), I knew I wouldn't come across as judgey pants. Is there anyone in your group you know well enough to have the discussion without it being taken wrongly, and who'd then be prepared to raise the issue with her fellow FF-ers? It's something I feel massively strongly about, as anything that can reduce the risk of gastro-enteritis has got to be a good thing. I still feel cross that a HV told me to use cooled, previously boiled water - even at the time I was as I knew powdered milk couldn't possibly be sterile a week after the tin had been opened (I didn't realise it was even worse than this: it's not sterile in the tin, the manufacturing process can't guarantee that) - I stuck to UHT cartons to be safe, but not everyone can afford these.

lurcio that's an excellent idea, trying to get a FF friend to spread the word.

Sadly, the hot water thing is only part of why FF babies are more prone to GE, but it's a very significant part of the risk removed if the water is used at this heat.

How long ago did your HV advise to use cooled, boiled water? Do you still see her? Meaning, can you pass the info back to her? Just a thought - this may be a way to spread the word very widely :) Maybe even consider a letter to the HV team to say that you just wanted to make sure they knew about the "new" guidelines?

It was nearly 4 years ago now! And I wasn't nearly as well informed at the time (but a baseline knowledge of biology told me she must be talking out of her nether regions).

I realise there are other reasons why FF babies get GE (no antibodies, highly processed cack that in no way replicates BM), but for those of us who have no choice, I'd really like good, clear info that reduces the risk as much as possible. Again, it's one of those very difficult areas - how do HV tackle the question of making up feeds safely without stepping over the line into promoting FF? But the number of people I see out and about adding little tubs of powder to bottles of cold water makes me furious at the rubbish state of health information in this country (also the rubbish attitude of a lot of health visitors/doctors to BF - my niece was told to stop by her GP because of the blood pressure medication she was on - the next time she saw her consultant, by which time her milk had dried up, he said "but we chose that medication specially because it is safe to take while BF - I'm still furious on her behalf).

In my region the hospital lactation consultants actually have FF classes for pregnant women. They find that it's a great way to get people in who have decided they're going to FF, and they can talk about how to make F up safely - and WHY - which naturally leads to a discussion of the risks of FF!!! Works really well, putting across information and at the same time for those who go on to FF making sure they're doing it absolutely as safely as possible which I think is fabulous.

I'd have been furious for your niece, too :( I've had some utterly appalling GP advice too. Good job I knew more than them and it's led to one formal complaint.