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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

It WAS very childish of me, but I got a dig in at some Formula companies today......

613 replies

VeniVidiVickiQV · 04/04/2006 16:55

Got sent a market research survey today asking me my opinions on formula milk.

So i gave them.....WinkGrin

OP posts:
koolkat · 06/04/2006 22:49

Does anyone want a photo of me in me slippers and jim jams (worn all day sometimes !) bf my DS ?

moondog · 06/04/2006 22:51

I had my photo published (along with lengthy article) in ABM magazine about 5 years ago.

Didn't look quite as glam as Xena however. Smile

Original poster
VeniVidiVickiQV · 06/04/2006 22:52

euch i dont know but i just googled and a site was listed called "lactating wives" only $3.95 to view......Shock

im not doing that again......

OP posts:
koolkat · 06/04/2006 22:54

Do these porn people ever stop ? Lactating wives indeed ! Shock

Caligula · 06/04/2006 23:11

Oh yuk. They're being looked at by men dressed in baby costumes.

Caligula · 06/04/2006 23:12

And wearing nappies.

Sexy.

Not.

moondog · 06/04/2006 23:12

Don't look Cal.
You'll only upset yourself.
Grin

ToujoursMarine · 06/04/2006 23:13

Italian actress = Monica Bellucci, good for her :)

Caligula · 06/04/2006 23:17

Who d'you reckon these wierdies are? Men who weren't breastfed and feel they missed out? Or men who were breastfed and want more?

Bleurgh. Grin

Adorabelle · 06/04/2006 23:18

Have been reading this thread on/off since it began. I truly believe many women give up on bf & end up ff because for alot of women (Including myself) getting the knack of bf in the begining can be a bloody nightmare. These women are led to believe that their ff baby will be just as happy &healthy,when the truth is if you really want to give your baby the best start in life you will bf them. I had 8wks of sheer hell getting my LO to bf, she just couldn't do it, but i knew that it was my duty to her to give her the best possible start in life. She's still feeding now at nearly 2 &I cannot imagine not having that bond &connection with her. Bf mums are not superior or any better than ff mums but I completely agree with many pple on this thread if ff mums were made aware of what they were actually giving their babies they may think twice &decide to give bf a go

tiktok · 06/04/2006 23:31

The question: Why don't doctors and others tell mothers like it is about formula? Why is it different from the way they talk to their patients about their fatty diets and smoking?

There are two reasons, as I see it.

  1. Doctors/doctors' partners may very well not have breastfed their own children, or not for long
  1. They do recognise that this is an especially emotional topic that needs sensitive handling

I think the second reason does not always apply, as many doctors are absolutely cavalier about criticising mothers who are breastfeeding, partic. if it's being done beyond some arbitrary age they consider appropriate.

Original poster
VeniVidiVickiQV · 06/04/2006 23:41

oh i dont know about number one tiktok.

Surely ALL doctors advise smoking patients to give up and inform of health risks as and when. I cant believe that no doctors smoke.

Im just surmising of course.

OP posts:
Original poster
VeniVidiVickiQV · 06/04/2006 23:42

Not that it is a particularly relevant comparison lol! I must be more tired than i thought.....Blush

OP posts:
chipmonkey · 06/04/2006 23:46

I think historically female doctors used to get such short maternity leave that it was considered pointless to bf. Because their children apparently came to no harm, they paid very little attention to the "breast is best" lobby. No-one likes to think they made a poor choice as regards feeding or caring for their children. (Much, I imagine, as I tell myself that my children are just as well off in their creche, though I suspect they would be much better at home with meSad) I live in Ireland so things may be different but I do notice a sea-change in the health system here where on a recent visit to my GP I was praised for bf ds3 who is over 1 year old. My previous GP more or less told me I was Mad to express for ds2, I should just give him formula during the day.

chipmonkey · 06/04/2006 23:47

I know some doctors who smoke.

Adorabelle · 06/04/2006 23:48

Drs &other health.c.p. are there surely to advise what is the best course of action for a persons health. Are there drs out there who seriously believe ff your child is better than bf them,I seriously doubt it. But it does seem h.c.p. aren't telling mums as it it,I feel mums should be urged to carry on bf even if they are having trouble getting to grips with it. If a mum has given bf her best &its still not happening then shes got to be proud of herself. I just feel some mums are told "oh give them a bottle,they'll never remember they weren't bf" when it would be far more helpful if bf were encouraged when problems arise. Most people I know who ff do so cos bf didn't work out & "give them a bottle" was the advice given to them, instead of encouragement &support to carry on

BornBerry · 07/04/2006 07:43

The trouble is IMHO it takes lot more than for Dr's, midwives etc to tell parents to carry on, it requires them to be able to offer some sort of effective support. As dr's dont receive any breastfeeding training.....

What is also important to consider is whilst milk companies are prohibited from making direct contact with mothers to promote first milk, they ARE allowed to promote to HP's and doctors. I picked up my friends copy of a medical journal just this week to see a 2 page advert describing a milk. Really just from scanning the article you would have thought it was AMAZING, lots of huge technical words that sounds impressive (bearing in mind the hp's reading it have often had no breastfeeding training which includes looking at the composition of breastmilk compared to formula)

\link{http://www.iwantmymum.com/forums/what-should-i-know-about-formula-t314.html\this} does list the ingredients of formula compared to mums milk but again unless you understand the terminology probably isn't much help!

on another note establishing exactly what is in formula can be difficult. My friend recently rang a well known company to ask what their essential fatty acid was derived from beacuse she is veggie. She was told it was suitable for veggies, upon further questioning to establish where it came from it was fish. She was then told that it was so heavily processed that it bore no resemblance to fish in its final state and thus was considered suitable for veggies :|

There is a huge article in this months ecologist though examining formula that might be of interest.

BornBerry · 07/04/2006 07:47

Found a summary of the Ecologst article online and it states:

SUCK ON THIS
Breastmilk is a miracle substance, and nearly all women can breastfeed successfully - yet shockingly few do. So what’s stopping them? Pat Thomas uncovers a story of medical arrogance; ignorant midwives; weak government and an infant formula industry that makes $450 for every baby not breastfed for the first six months of its life.

koolkat · 07/04/2006 08:18

BB - is the ecologist article available online ?
Where can I buy a copy if not ?

koolkat · 07/04/2006 08:24

I have a friend who lives in Japan. She is English DH is Japnaese. She is a long-term breastfeeder. She said when she first arrived at her new GP's surgery, all she could see were masses of promotional stuff from formula companies, even the clock face had a formula add on it Shock

She has since been giving said Japanese GP leaflets and info. from LLL, she felt he needed to read up on bf Grin

Apparently bf rates in Japan beyond fist few months are quite low Sad

koolkat · 07/04/2006 08:24

I have a friend who lives in Japan. She is English DH is Japnaese. She is a long-term breastfeeder. She said when she first arrived at her new GP's surgery, all she could see were masses of promotional stuff from formula companies, even the clock face had a formula add on it Shock

She has since been giving said Japanese GP leaflets and info. from LLL, she felt he needed to read up on bf Grin

Apparently bf rates in Japan beyond first few months are quite low Sad

koolkat · 07/04/2006 08:24

I have a friend who lives in Japan. She is English DH is Japnaese. She is a long-term breastfeeder. She said when she first arrived at her new GP's surgery, all she could see were masses of promotional stuff from formula companies, even the clock face had a formula add on it Shock

She has since been giving said Japanese GP leaflets and info. from LLL, she felt he needed to read up on bf Grin

Apparently bf rates in Japan beyond first few months are quite low Sad

koolkat · 07/04/2006 08:26

I have a friend who lives in Japan. She is English DH is Japnaese. She is a long-term breastfeeder. She said when she first arrived at her new GP's surgery, all she could see were masses of promotional stuff from formula companies, even the clock face had a formula add on it Shock

She has since been giving said Japanese GP leaflets and info. from LLL, she felt he needed to read up on bf Grin

Apparently bf rates in Japan beyond first few months are quite low Sad

koolkat · 07/04/2006 08:38

OH no Blush - it really didn't need to be repeated so many times ! Apologies, computer gone mad !

moondog · 07/04/2006 08:39

BB,I'd love to see this article in The eCOLOGIST.aNY LINK??

tIKtOk I asked a question a while back...someone mentioned their HVs office being full of formula promotional stuff (am assuming pens and diaries.)
Is there no legislation against this?
Are HVs free to pick up what they want then?