channel 4 breastfeeding programme

[lazycow]

Just thought people might be interested if you don't already know.

Channel 4 on Weds 1 Feb. A programme called Extraordinary Breastfeeding is on. The write up in the magazine I'm looking at says:

"You'll be texting your friends about this as soon as it starts. It's about the phenomenon of mothers who breastfeed their kiddies well beyond the age considered 'normal' in this country. Seeing a feisty mum breastfeed her two-year-old twin isn't that disturbing, but the sequence of another lady suckling her 7 year old dughter isn't one we will forget in a hurry. "

I'm looking forward to seeing the tone it takes.

My sister thinks women who continue bfing till the child is beyond 2 are getting a sexual kick from it. I suppose she must think that the suckling action on the nipples is a nice feeling. Never was for me I can tell you, the exact opposite infact!

I am still bfing my 1yr old so am wondering what she thinks of me.

Are you sure it's going to be a negative prog? I have seen the adverts and it doesn't seem negative to me. Will watch and see.

Shameless - did your dh sleep better or do you find formula gets him through the night better?

Shameless, did you have to burp him afterwards ?

Shameless, aren't you worried it may make him more clingy?

I must just say that however this programme portrays extended breast feeding, I am staggered by some of the stuff I have read here. I must walk around all day with my eyes and ears closed as I had no idea that the current attitude in Britain is that BFing is something dirty. I see now that I am extremely lucky that my mum & mil both bfed, all sils bfed and glos nhs is pro bfing. It wasn't even a descision for me whether to bf or ff.

This is the second time I'm on my high horse since joining MN not so very long ago, but I for one will be writing to my MP again re this problem. I will also be looking into becoming a bfing mentor (I think someone called them) to support new mums who want to bf. This attitude has to be changed - the people who are warped are the anti bfing brigade.

By the way, anyone think that Nestle funded the upcoming "weird breastfeeders and how we revolt the rest of mankind" C4 prog? Or should I keep my conspiracy theories to myself for now?

what time is it on?

I think 8.00pm or 9.00pm on weds evening.

oh boo hoo
I will be at the airport picking up dh and dd, will be out from 7.30 to almost 10pm so I'll miss it.
will just have to read about it on here then

Every aspect will be covered in full!!

Actually , this programme does annoy me. It sounds really sensationalist. TBH, who needs to see a 7 yo breastfeeder? Who does that help?

Now what might be useful is either some sort of documentary tracking the progress of bf-ing mums, or something on extended bf in the range it is most common, eg 6m-2/3 years (I know loads of people still bf at 2, btw, but then I have hippy friends).

I really don't care if someone wishes to bf a 7 yo. But I think her views will be very unrepresentative of the rest of us who have bf, and given that a majority of people in this country are opposed to extended bf (after 6 m ffs!), think this is just going to stoke those flames. And make new mums more reluctant to try bf.

Am pretty sure that fear of reaction from others is the main reasn cited for not trying bf, no?

kitty - good for you. When I first joined MN the first thing I did was dive into a BF thread !

I will be asking Ch. 4 whether they received sponsorship from formula companies to produce the programme. I don't think it is a conspiracy theory. It is quite probable.

I used to work for several oil/gas companies before becoming a corporate lawyer and I know exactly the kind of dirty tricks multinational companies use inorder to publicise their products. Putting people's health at risk is not something they spend too much time worrying about.

In the past Nestle has even used a "scientist" who was prepared to lie about his research, so sponsoring a programme on TV is not beyond them.

Kittyfish: You're lucky that your surrounding family have all breastfed: in my case only my 85-year old grandfather has any experience (obviously not personally, but from watching my grandmother feed two children). My MIL had lactational failure with both pregnancies and my mother formula fed because she said her milk didn't come in either (although I suspect in her case, she wasn't supported and I was taken away at birth and tube fed. Am pleased to say that I pulled said tube out of my nose ).

My MIL has been very supportive, but my parents make me feel that I'm doing something at best inconvenient and at worst distasteful. A conversation with my father went something like:
Him: How long are you planning to keep this up.
Me: Well, the WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding for at least 6 months, so at least that long.
Him: Oh Christ...

My mother's comments have included 'I'd have her on the bottle if it were me.'

Relations are at an all time low at the moment.

Incidentally, doesn't Steinbeck's 'The Grapes of Wrath' end with a woman who's recently lost her baby preparing to breastfeed a starving man...?

Gave me a nasty shiver when I first read that, I have to say.

God I can't believe there is another thread about extended breastfeeding. I thought this had been done to death.

TBH I don't know why people get so het up about this. Like what's the problem? As many of you know I am a well practiced extended breastfeeder. Fed ds till age 6 although really the last year was just token efforts but before that it was every day till he was age 5. Currently feeding dd every day (well night actually) and she is 3.9 although am getting a bit bored with it to be honest, but it's really helpful to get her settled at night very very quickly (ie shove boob in mouth for a few seconds)... daytime she never asks, eats normally, goes to playgroup etc etc.

Also feeding ds2 who is 6 months.

dd is completely and utterly normal and in fact is just a bit too confident - she will speak to anyone - its not such a big deal and children don't see this as being anything odd - children don't, they are innocent. It's adults who go on about being 'weird', 'barking' etc etc.... I don;t even bother to get annoyed anymore, its just boring.... will be interested to see the prog and hope it does offer a refreshing insight into what women really do.

I think there are probably a lot more 'closet' extended breastfeeders out there and the reason we don't know about them is that it doesn't actually make a great deal of difference to the child and it seems to make them happier in the sense that they don't suck their thumbs, have dummies, and suck disgusting comfort blankets....

Obviously b/feeding over 2 isn't for everyone but the ones who do it aren't weird, we're just normal mums who happen to believe in this style of parenting.

Gor those that say we should watch the programme before rusing to judge: the trailers demosntrate that the damage has already been done, as they 8are sensationalising it, and many (prejudiced) people will only see the trailer, have their prejudices confrimed by the trailer and never actually watch the porgramme.

Damage done

excellent post eulalia
if you think this thread is ahem getting a bit het up you should see the other one - apparently it's sick, abusive and a freak show....

Which thread is this??

When is this bloody programme on? have I missed it? god it makes me so bloody angry where are the documentaries on the ways in which bottle feeding is less beneficial and how the promotion of bottlefeeding in poor contries causes deaths and illness?

It's on Channel 4 on Wedensday, so you haven't missed it. Not sure waht time.

I Breastfed for 11 weeks and 3 days only stopped as ds kept biting over and over and drawing blood. not weird, well maybe in the british Isles but in most of the planet is the norm tp breastfeed, most humans breastfeed over the whole planet, sometimes for longer then we do here, not weird. Whats weird is stopping breastfeeding, after a millenia of evolution where breastfeeding fed all our ancestors, just to purchase something artificial that started off as a way to get rid of dairy by-products and sell them to women as a lifestyle.In page 3 britain women are made to feel that their breast are purely sexual and not for anything else, well breast are there in the first place to feed babies, that is there whole purpose. the sexual side is secondary and the two are not intermixed. It feels nice sometimes when you breastfeed a pleasant feeling but to me lots of things are pleasant that are not sexual, it is not a turn on but of course it must be somewhat nice a feeling or humans would not do it if it was totally unpleasant and completely without and nice feeling for the mother, that would make no evolutioary sense, to make breastfeeding feel unpleasurable. sexualising breastfeeding reduces a mothers experience to something men can understand, they like doing it it must be sexual? Ch4 have absolutely no principles

You haven't even seen the programme. How about waiting until it's aired rather than jumping to conclusions?

So much anger before you even know what it's going to say.

I was the adverts for it and they are not balanced.And really where are the programmes about why bottlefeeding is not recommended as the first choice?

I mean I watched the adverts for it