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Infant feeding

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

Serious question: why ^are^ many of the pro-b/f amongst you so rabid?

393 replies

Pruni · 26/08/2006 17:12

Message withdrawn

OP posts:
Jimjams2 · 27/08/2006 16:00

firerflightly I think there woudl have been far better ways to use the article to raise awareness about formula feeding, and moondog is smart enough to know that too. She's not stupid! She owuld have known the reposnse her thread was likely to get- she;s not new to mumsnet
eharpsi- yes I can see that, but I guess that's what ff feel when told they don't try hard enough or whatver. An individual always has their own set of circumstanaces.The thing i said earlier about sweeping generalisations lumping people together etc being damaging is true.

harpsichordcarrier · 27/08/2006 16:00

exactly noddy.
milk banks aren't available everywhere and not everyone is encouraged to donate.
if they were, it could be offered as a realistic alternative.

Jimjams2 · 27/08/2006 16:02

does anyone know why I wasn't allowed to donatre? (see post below) genuinely intersted.

harpsichordcarrier · 27/08/2006 16:03

of course everyone has their own set of circumstances! that goes without saying.
I can honestly say that I have never seen anyone on mn be told that they didn't try hard enough to bf. that would be crass and offensive.
what people do say is - even though it is hard, don't give up, it was hard for me and I got through it. is that perhaps what you mean?
what I do see is lots of good advice and support every single day. professional and peer support on here.

fireflighty · 27/08/2006 16:04

"She owuld have known the reposnse her thread was likely to get"

And what I'm saying is: think about the effect your posts are likely to have, too.

pupuce · 27/08/2006 16:04

No I don't know... I have a client who donated - even when her baby was over 6 months old. I think they ask for milk of mothers who'se baby is less than 6 months old. I do think you have to have a bloood test 1st and then she had to arrange to drop it off... not really condusive to donating but she did.
She said they never once said thank you when she said she would stop!
And of course you aren't paid !

moondog · 27/08/2006 16:09

The milk bank nearest me (Countess of Chester hospital( was set up entirely by the midwives on the neonatal ward and all monies were/are donate {although the talk I went to about 21/2 years ago,they were planning to ask for it to be made part of NHS-in other words,shame thePCT into carrying on what they had started.}

I understand that a lot closed after the AIDS scare.

It would be wonderful if donated BM was available to all post partum women who wanted/needed it.

harpsichordcarrier · 27/08/2006 16:13

god I tried I really tried to donate blood both times but it was like the Seven bloody Labours of Hercules.
never managed it

lionheart · 27/08/2006 16:28

Does the value of the milk kind of depend on what the woman who donates/gives it has had in her diet? Or would breast milk from a poorly nourished woman still be better than formula? (This is a genuine question, btw).

moondog · 27/08/2006 16:32

I don't think they ask you questionsabout what you eat,but I'm sure smoking,drugs and excessive drinking are out.

Iwould have liked to donate,but only had enough for my own.Expressing more than afew ozs was hard work.

I would also imagine you would be turned away if positively Biafran {which,lets face it,not many British women are}.

pupuce · 27/08/2006 16:35

Depends what you call poorly nourished !
Here is what milk banks say :

Donor health and lifestyle

If you are interested in becoming a donor, please contact your local milk bank. Staff there will be happy to answer any questions you may have.
The milk bank will need to know that you are in generally good health and that your baby is under 6 months of age when you start donating. You may continue to donate when your baby is older than this.
Some of the questions that you may be asked are:

Do you have any medical condition?
Do you routinely take any medicines including herbal remedies?
Answering yes to these questions does not mean that you cannot be a donor, but the milk bank staff may want to talk further to you.

Do you smoke or use illegal drugs?*
Do you routinely drink more than 2 units of alcohol per day or 3 cups of caffeinated coffee or other caffeine-containing drinks per day?*
Have you tested positive for HIV 1 or 2, Hepatitis B or C, HTLV l or ll or syphilis?*
The milk bank will arrange for a sample of blood to be taken and tested for infections, which might be passed on through your milk.

*If you answer yes to any of these questions the milk bank will not be able to accept your milk.

lionheart · 27/08/2006 16:38

I was thinking more about breast-feeding in general rather than just a milk bank. This is interesting.

pupuce · 27/08/2006 16:39

Fundamentally the baby will suck you dry of the nutrients... so if you had a very poor diet the baby will be fine but you might not!
It taks a lot for a woman to be genuinely advised NOT to BF.... it is almost always better for the baby nutrition wise to breatsfeed.

lionheart · 27/08/2006 16:40

even the nicotine thing?

harpsichordcarrier · 27/08/2006 16:45

yes.

moondog · 27/08/2006 16:47

Lionheart,there isalwaysa bit of a hoo ha about charities donating infant formula {in awell intentioned way} to famine zones as obviously once the formula runsout,the mothers are fucked.

Happily I don't think it is really that widespread these days.

harpsichordcarrier · 27/08/2006 16:48

I am now sorely tempted to see if I can manage to hurt your feelings moondog, you know, as a kind of experiment...
are you up for it?

lionheart · 27/08/2006 16:48

I'm not a gin swigging, junk eating, chain smoking mama by the way, it was a question I'd been meaning to ask for a while.

moondog · 27/08/2006 16:50

Wot,when you said you weren't referring to me?

I knew you weren't but couldn't resist.

Sunnysideup · 27/08/2006 16:50

Moondog, if you genuinely care about getting the message out about the shortcomings of formula, you really REALLY need to change your approach. Here on MN, on this and the other famous thread, what you have actually done is create upset and the resulting personal and anecdotal responses, which simply completely cloud the issue and people's ability to LISTEN to what you are trying to say.

If you don't change your approach I and I'm sure others will simply assume that really what this is about is not promoting the shortcomings of formula but about mischief making pure and simple.

harpsichordcarrier · 27/08/2006 16:51

no, when I talked about people's feelings being hurt, I didn't mean yours...

moondog · 27/08/2006 16:53

Sowhat did you mean H???

Righto SSU,have made copious notes to ensure that I only post in SSU endorsed way from now on.

Thank you for showing me the error of my ways.

harpsichordcarrier · 27/08/2006 16:54

moondog I have started a thread just to insult you.
please remove yourself from this one.

moondog · 27/08/2006 16:54

Oh,sorry H! You mean if you can, as in the future??

Fireaway,say what you will.Am39 year oldmatron.Can take it,am sure.

Sunnysideup · 27/08/2006 16:55

you have just shown from the quality of your response that this IS about mischief making for you.

well done moondog. Hope you enjoy what you do, couched in the name of promoting bf!