Annoyed with the price of formula

[pigletmania]

I am mixed feeding, after a rocky start bf and ds not latching found myself having to express and supplement with formula. The formula is over 10 pounds a tin, and the tin is never full up. This is an essential product if a mum is not able to bf, or chooses not to. There should be an upper limit on price, and formula should be unbranded.

I can see what you are saying, but in my case, I could afford DS3 when he was born, as I was not on benefits, and my Ex-P was working. It's only since he left and I've been on benefits that it's gotten more difficult.

I bf him till he was just over a year, but a dairy free, soy free, nut free diet is incredibly expensive, and I can't afford it. My older DC and myself, are going without basics like clothes that fit so that I can feed him.

A non-helpful PCT, and a benefits income, do not allow for specialist diets!

I live in Oz, and the ff I use is $22 a tin. There are some that are around $28. So bloody expensive.
I do think it is to discourage mothers from ff, and to bf.
Bit cheeky I'd say. I bf both mine for 6 months, got a shock when I moved here to Oz. Dd2 is one end of this month, and we've tried her on cows milk, so far she likes it, so that's a no brainer.

Saying "you should only have children you can afford" is always a silly thing.

Someone might have children by accident
Or their circumstances might change
Or they might have been given some washable nappies, be planning on breastfeeding, and just be overly optimistic gullible when people say that nappies and breastmilk are all a baby needs :)

thelobster I was told that they were the same. That's why I feed my DS cow and gate. He didn't take to atimil really when I tried him and it smells different.

HTH

Sorry Longdistance, are you saying formula companies make their product expensive because they don't want anyone to buy it?

"Add message | Report | Message poster Trills Fri 08-Jun-12 09:11:47
It's a pretty big challenge to entirely feed a child on less than £8 a week unless you are making a good proportion of that food in your boobs.
"
Have you seen how little my children eat? :o

Felix - if you chose to give a bottle so that you could go home, and they wanted you to stay until BF was established, how is that their fault? You chose to go home instead of of staying in for help?

Yes all those things can happen. But I don't believe one or all of those things happen to every single person who finds to their apparent surprise, that having a child puts a hole in their finances. Some just seem to think "I want a babeeee" and then wonder why going from two salaries to one with three mouths to feed instead of two puts the budget under strain.

Long - why would formula companies want to discourage FF? That doesnt make sense to me. They would want to encourage it to make more people FF surely!

So it was good for my health being stuck in hospital crying my eyes out because I was unanle to feed my baby.

And thats just the point they were no help.
All they did is told me I was starving my baby and coerced me into giving her formula.

Sorry should preview posts but this is a still an emotive topic even today.
Especially as I sucessfully breast fed my 2nd child as I got better support at home and she had a less traumatic start.
Also pregnant with my 3rd.

Chub - those people come under the "need budgeting advice" part of my post of 09:22:40.

How do you decide who 'cannot breastfeed'? Why should someone have to pay more for formula just because they choose not to BF?

And my mental health is not a medical reason - I'm not suffering from PND, but everytime I BF I cry afterwards, it's all hormones etc, which obvisouly isn't a good thing. And yet I feel guilty because I know 'breast is best'

The point is that babies need milk to survive (or a milk substitute), and companies should not be making a huge profit from it.

It's a pretty big challenge to entirely feed a child on less than £8 a week unless you are making a good proportion of that food in your boobs.

Don't give me that...we (two parents, 3 kids) used to survive on around £20 a week for food in the early 90'2.

Thanks Eaurouge its really hard, and my supply is going down as i dont express enough, but really i cannot manage more than 5 times a day as my dd has SN and needs me as well as my baby. I am trying to limp to 5 months if possible. Thanks i will sign the petition, its shocking as its a necessity to feed your child formula if you cant bf

Does anyone know the price of formula in Western countries with high breastfeeding rates? It might be interesting to do some sort of comparison.

The USA has really low breastfeeding rates because of the lack of maternity leave. The formula companies know they have a captive market. It would be nice if they could be more altruistic, but they exist to make money, not support mothers.

£20 then is about £30-£40 now. Still not that much to feed a family of five on.

Well that is slightly different felix if they were telling you to give formula. I thought you were saying they wanted to keep you in to help you get breastfeeding sorted.

I still don't get peoples argument about why should people pay more for formula if they choose not to BF though. Not much in life is free! Also could argue the same for real vs disposable nappies, cotton wool and water vs wipes etc etc. Its just a cost of living.

they dont fill it up properly as well. No we dont qalify for healthy start vouchers. Thank god for child benefit, I am trying to express as much as i can before supply goes

I am at US price of formula, and they are a largely formula feeding nation too