Mother & Baby magazine

[PterodactylTeaParty]

Just looking through an issue of M&B (May '14, which I bought at the time then promptly lost). Cover promises an article about ‘How Modern Mums Breastfeed’. Thought: oh good, I am a Modern Mum who is breastfeeding for the first time, maybe this will be useful.

Haha. No.

Whole thing basically gives lip service to WHO recommendations, then spends six pages making it clear that those are largely unrealistic and Modern Mums come up with ‘their own successful feeding plans’ instead. What? I have no problem with people who’ve decided that formula or mix feeding work best for them, but I was sort of expecting an article on breastfeeding to not make me feel like a total (old-fashioned?) lunatic.

The title is “The New Breastfeeding” (with a tiny little ‘in association with Medela’ in the lower right-hand corner). First section: ‘It’s your choice: Why modern mums are making their own plans’:

“The accepted advice from health professionals has long been that all new mums should breastfeed exclusively for the first six months. Yes, that’s sensible - after all, breastmilk is packed with nutrients that help keep your baby healthy - but it doesn’t work for everyone. Which is why many modern mums are coming up with their own successful feeding plans.”

Behold: ‘modern’ mums, vs. the non-modern (‘has long been…’) advice from health professionals.

“When she had Blue Ivy, singer Béyonce readily admitted that, while she loved breastfeeding, she was ready to switch to formula at 10 weeks. Whereas Pénelope Cruz labelled breastfeeding ‘addictive’ in an interview. ‘I was breastfeeding my son [Leo, now three] at 13 months, and I plan to do the same with my daughter [Luna, who turns one in July]”, said the actress.”

Somehow, describing it as ‘addictive’ is not making it sound all that appealing to me…

Anyway, the worst bit is a section titled ‘Beat Your Breastfeeding Hurdles’. “If you’re thinking about stopping breastfeeding because you’re finding it a challenge, run through our checklist to find out if there’s a solution for you.” First item on the checklist? “Create a routine. If hourly feeds are exhausting, introduce set times every three or four hours.” Jesus.

Also on the checklist, “Get him involved. Expressing milk and introducing a daily bottle lets your partner or other carer feed and bond with your baby while you rest.” Not that expressing milk is a bad idea (although I think Medela might have an ever-so-slight interest in promoting that one), but ‘bond’? Heaven only knows how my DH managed to bond with the baby before I started pumping, he must have been giving her bottles on the sly.

And then there’s a section titled ‘Set your own feeding agenda’, that asks ‘What’s right for you?’ and then describes several women who moved to formula before 6 months, and doesn’t feature any examples of women who carried on breastfeeding until then or beyond.

Also they suggest you buy some nursing shawl which has floating ghost boobs in the photo.

I am disappointed, Mother & Baby magazine.

I can see how that's ugh but also... I think we need to be talking more about mix feeding. Most women I know do it and I think that more people would bf if it was presented as a valid option.

Although I didn't really mix feed with my first, and haven't so far with my second. But I'm in the minority in my friendship group.

Urgh that enrages me! To balance it, I am very happily still feeding my 2 year old, it was a battle to establish bfing the first week but it's been plain sailing since with no problems.

Don't get me wrong I think formula feeding is fab too, and think everyone's choice should be respected, but we could do with more support for bfing on this country.

FFS. Apparently I am not only a geriatric mother, but also cling to old-fashioned BF behaviour.

Though also, I kind of want a shawl with floating ghost boobs. WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

I emailed M&B magazine about an article which contained the following:
The government recommends weaning at six months, following guidance from the World Health Organisation. But this advice is aimed at developing countries, where there can be risks posed by poor hygiene. We don’t have those problems so, by around four months (but not before 17 weeks), your baby could be ready for more than just milk.
I posted about it in weaning. Still waiting for a reply.
And get with the times leedy! I didn't realise how old fashioned I was as it didn't occur to me to check how Beyonce fed her babies.

Lots of bollocks the 'developing countries' line. It's the WORLD health organization, not the DEVELOPING COUNTRIES health organization.

Really annoying.

I was reading a back issue that said in an articke something like "I realised all those mums who claim to exclusively breastfeed all give a bottle of Aptimal at night!" like everyone who says they breastfeed is lying. So annoying and misleading.

Not sure why you are surprised. These magazines are chock full of formula adverts. Formula companies must be a massive source of their income. Its not in their interests to promote breastfeeding.

They're shite. My partner, usually a sensible man, brought home a copy of this magazine. The amount of formula ads and implicit support for FFing (via undermining breastfeeding; obviously I have no problem with supporting individual feeding choices in their own right) was horrendous. If I wasn't due to give birth in a couple of days I would have happily red-penned it and sent it back to them. Gits.

wrap DH also bought me that shite magazine 'for when I was breastfeeding'
He knows I do not like magazines and he bought me that magazine thinking it would help me pass the time whilst breastfeeding.

I thanked him for the thought but he now knows I do not like any of this 'baby' magazines for many reasons such as the one you mentioned.

The blatent consumerism makes me angry. For example, an article about weaning will be accompanied by gubbins about expensive highchairs, contraptions for making baby food, designer bibs and crockery, every gadget you can think of. And actually you only need an Antilop and a couple of plastic bowls.