Breastfeeding advert.

[SarryB]

I'm not sure if this is only being shown in Scotland, but there was an advert on the telly yesterday, for the promotion of breast feeding.

Now I'm all for supporting breastfeeding, but one line in particular has really annoyed me - "I made the best decision to breastfeed my baby".

As if mums that formula feed are making the worst decision?

www.feedgoodfactor.org.uk/

Discuss.

I think you've read far too much into it, or you just want an argument...? Either way, however you look at it, breast feeding is the best thing or your baby. That doesn't make formula feeding the worst though...you've added thy bit!

Coke in a bottle is the worst thing. Breastmilk is the best thing. Formula is an adequate third best after donated breastmilk.

I really don't think that's worth getting worked up about, to be honest.

The woman says "my baby". It's about her decision for her baby.

A woman choosing to use formula feed would presumably say
"I made the best decision to formula feed my baby".

I may be reading a bit too much into it...but as someone who is still struggling with BF at 9 weeks, I just found it rather undermining.

It's the 'decision' part....sometimes formula is the best decision to save mum's sanity??

Sarry I had a horrible time breastfeeding my baby, really struggled and got mastitis in week 2. Had terrible advice from a dr including to pump the infected side and throw all the milk away...luckily I had mumsnet to give some better advice! I got there in the end with formula too and I finally stopped breastfeeding at 5 months.

I did decide to use formula, yes for my sanity but it was still a decision. Before you have a baby you make a decision as to how you would like to feed them and then you see how it goes! Still a decision though!

It's simple.

Breastmilk is the best possible food for a baby.

Sometimes it isn't feasible/possible for a baby to have breastmilk from it's own mother so an alternative called formula is available. It's not great but it'll do.

That's it, no more, no less, that is all.

SueHeck I think red bull would be worse than coke.

SarryB sorry you're finding BFing hard but it's sad that you find this undermining rather than encouraging in an 'all this trouble is worth' kind of way. I

FWIW, I don't think I really got the 'hang' of BFing until DS was about 12 weeks. He was having one bottle a day at that point, and I'd pretty much made the decision to switch, when things just started to click and I realised that I really didn't want to stop.

Carrying on was the best decision for me and DS, as was stopping when we did at 11 months. That doesn't mean that other mothers making different decisions to me didn't do what was best for them at the time.

Also, there are plenty of adverts implying that in order for our babies to receive the correct level of nutrition after 6 months we need to move them onto follow-on milk. To me these are much more offensive, and I find it really odd that women seem to be more offended by the promotion of the natural way to feed a baby, rather than by formula companies promoting an artifical means in order to make a profit.

I'm also annoyed by the formula adverts...'when you're ready to move on' has never sat right with me. Kind of assumes that at some point you will want to give formula.

I realise that I am very sensitive about the whole issue, so much so, that when the doctor/HV asked if I'm BF, I said no. Even though I am BF usually about 2-3 times a day, I don't want them to know. In particular, I know my HV would be still really pushing me to BF full time, and if I say I'm not then the pressure to do so is suddenly gone.

I wonder if the advertising for formula/BF will ever please everyone?

I like that this ad is out, and being watched by my dm and all the others who think bf is a lot of fuss about nothing... It normalises it and makes you feel good, nothing wrong with that. (Then you see a "when it's time to move on.." type ad and it cancels that out!)

SueHeck It's not great but it'll do

You should tell your doctor you're still BFing as it will affect drugs he prescribes you as some can't be taken whilst BFing

sarry what an odd think to do to tell HCPs that you're NOT bf when you actually are.
Granted it's a sensitive subject but you must have been seriously traumatised to react in such a weird way.

I don't take any medication aside from my contraceptive, which he prescribed when he knew I was still BF.

olimpia - I know it sounds weird, but when my HV knew I was BF, she was constantly on at me to do it more and more, and that I should exclusively BF etc. She put SO much pressure on me, I even cried a couple of times about it after she'd left. I figured that if she thought I was only FF, then she'd stop hassling me. And what do you know? She stopped.
My mum was with me once when the HV visited, and afterwards she commented that she thought the HV had been very overbearing about BF.

That's appalling sarry. Complain to her supervisor? I was treated badly by my HV in other ways and I decided that enough was enough and wrote an email to get supervisor. It took a bit of effort to find out who to complain to but it was well worth it. Her supervisor was very concerned and she really do all she could to make things better. The HV got spoken to and hopefully next time she'll behave better.

I like those bf adverts. Its about her baby not everyone's. I do think you are probably over-sensitive right now (like when your relationship is going through a bad patch and Loved Up couples seem to be rubbing your nose in it just by existing).

Every breastfeed counts. One if the reasons formula can cause problems for babies is that it can lead to more upset stomachs but some breast milk along side the formula helps protect them from this.

Agree think about feedback on the HV. She probably things she is being encouraging and supportive but needs to know it doesn't feel like that to you.

(And actually there are very few drugs that would come through breastmilk enough to be harmful, its just they aren't licensed to be given to bf women as the research to prove they are safe would be too expensive / much hassle).