Breastfeeding Flash Mob Film

[lovejosie]

Hey Mummas,

I organised a fantastic breastfeeding flash mob in London back in the summer. Here is the link to the official video, I hope you enjoy & if so then please share!

The web address is there but it didn't 'link', you just need to copy and paste it. What we hope to achieve is stated on the film.
Thanks for that, nout like some rude negativity at Christmas!

Here is the link again.

dog, I was at the b/f flashmob. Think you need to keep in mind that a lot of women feel alone and don't know many people who breast feed. I'll give you an example. I live in a very urban area and my H/V was doing a breast feeding course and asked if she could come and observe me as I was the only one breast feeding at 5 months!!!!

what was nice about the flashmob was that it gave some women confidence to feed in public.

Nice one OP. I'll share it.

D0G I think the whole flashmob thing should be debated more but I think the OP deserves recognition of the work she's done here on this great film (I love the music!) and on her work in normalising and encouraging breastfeeding. So I'm for being really positive about this and discussing the pros and cons of FMs elsewhere :)

I don't know - I think that it is more that you're unlucky if you get hassled to be honest. But the fear of hassle worries people a lot.

I think it's ok to make a big thing of something! I just felt that it would be more positive to do it on another thread :) The debate is very valid.

I dont think Id want to do it sat on a mucky floor in the middle of a busy train station.

Fair play though. The statistics are appalling but, I honestly dont think that there is an magic way to get women to stick with it. Younger women ae so obsessed with celebrity and what they read in magazines about getting your figure back that they are practically brainwashed. Unless they see celebrities doing it, or see it done positively on the telly, they arent interested. For instance, on Coronation street last night, a young mum gave birth on Christmas eve and, on Boxing night she was out in a cocktail bar drinking. Like that happens in real life.

The majority of women start with the best intentions I do know abit about this but, give up in the first few weeks. Its a fact and, I dont frankly know what can be done about it. Especially if the midwives giving the advice arent 100% into it.

kitkatya there is a lot of work being done to try to improve the training of midwives (via a variety of schemes run by charities, and by the Baby Friendly Initiative). There is clearly a huge amount of education required across the board - from schools to soap operas to celebrities to antenatal classes.

We were watching a birthing programme the other day with women having a hard time in hospital, and a woman homebirthing in a pool. My husband said, what he didn't understand is, watching the homebirthing woman who actually enjoyed her labour (obviously it still hurt!) versus the terrified women in hospital who were screaming in fear and agony, why anyone would choose anything other than the pool. I think that the answer is partly education and partly getting over the feeling that homebirthing/waterbirthing is a weird thing that only hippy women do. Actually anyone can if they're prepared (assuming there's not a medical reason not to).

Breastfeeding is somewhat the same. With the right support and education it can be a wonderful experience. Sometimes medical help is still needed and that's fine but if the woman is in control and understands what's happening, it will still excellent chance of working out brilliantly.

But, just as we have a healthcare system which does not encourage the understanding of normal childbirth, it also does not encourage the understanding of normal infant feeding.

That in no way undermines the trauma women go through trying to BF. I'm not downplaying that or saying it should all be sweetness and light for everyone. I'm saying that it should be for waaay more people, and could be with the right support.

D0G statistics on BFing initiation V continuation show that one of the key reasons that women stop BFing is because they don't feel confident feeding in public, and they don't want to be tied to the house (hardly unreasonable!).

DOG I worry about being hassled. I know breastfeeding is normal and it's my right to do it in public. I am confident and have been feeding DS in public since he was a few days old. It's things like the video (and the act of the flash mob) that help keep me calm when I'm out feeding.
So I've not been hassled and I hope I never will but I worry about it.

D0G Meaning, these are not women who are out to cause a reaction or are looking for trouble. Those who might want to do so are not usually short of a response if they hit it :) Sure, some people will look around feeling looked at but it's almost always not the case. I've found it quite hard when I've glanced around a cafe and my eyes have fallen on a BFing baby/mum. I tend to stop and look for a second without changing my expression but I would probably seem like I was looking disapproving or staring . So I now ensure I smile!! (And I always make a point of saying how nice it is to see a mum NIP as well...). But it's easily done with no intention to be disapproving. If I can do it, and not come across as I mean to, and I'm the biggest advocate for BFing, then anyone can without meaning to at all.

I have honestly never heard of anyone being hassled for bf in public, or anywhere else. Who cares if you bf?! Good for you. I think you actually have to be switched on to it to notice if a woman is bf-ing; they're so discreet!

Good for them all but honestly? Who cares how they feed their babies?

I've just watched that whilst bfing! Lovely video and I do like the sentiment behind it.

I fed dd for 3.4yrs and will feed 16wo ds until he weans himself. And I've never seen another woman bf, never saw another woman bf the entire time I was feeding dd. I did receive negative comments about bfing in public (only a couple thankfully and the most anti person I met was a hv) and I did hide in filthy toilets to feed at times. I would very much like to see attitudes change.

Doesn't a flash mob makes BFing seem an "in your face" activity, which some people object to. A lot of the BF criticism is directed at the conceived lack of discretion. I intend to BF BTW, so I am not trying to flame.

well, if you were there at the b/f flashmob, you would know that far from alienating people, most were supportive/curious. several asked questions.

Actually dog, the only real negative comments about the flashmob are from you

D0G I didn't think you were offensive; you were just stating your opinion. This is an open forum! Just goes to show how sensitive people are over bf. It really isn't a big deal. I looked at the video and just thought 'so what?' yeah, it was nice I suppose but honestly, who CARES? Who devotes so much time to thinking about bf? It is a means to an end. Child is hungry; child gets fed. End of exercise.

This thread reminds me of a woman who was given a few not-so-nice opinions on BF by some of the other customers of the cafe/shop she was in. She drummed up support and did a BF flashmob protest outside the shop.

Did anyone read about it?

I'm not sure how I feel about flashmobs, but that is a lovely video, and those stats are scary.

"Who devotes so much time to thinking about bf? It is a means to an end. Child is hungry; child gets fed. End of exercise."

Lots of people because it's not that straightforward, as two minutes spent on this board will show you.

A lot of people care. And it's a good job they do because without them there'd be even less breastfeeding.