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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

Breastfeeding - building the brand - ideas?

314 replies

hunkermunker · 31/03/2007 11:20

The media shorthand for "breastfeeding" seems to be "hairy legs, weirdy sandals, dubious personal hygiene inc. unshaven armpits and a laissez-faire attitude to discipline of children".

What would you like to see in the media to promote bf? More women bf in soaps? Celebs talking more about their experience of bf? Ordinary women who work and bf talking about how they do it (so many times I read women say "there was no point bf, I was going back to work full time when LO was 4/5/6/7mo")?

So much of the bf info out there is kinda clinical - which is fair enough because it's written by the Department of Health. But should there be more from an emotional pov, more written by "women like me" - not the hairy-legged hippies that it's so often written by (NOT slating HLH btw - some of my finest friends could be described thus ).

Just musing, really. Formula manufacturers have HUGE budgets to build their brand awareness and BF relies on volunteers - I know there are marketing people on MN and I wondered if they wouldn't mind giving a bit of input into this?

OP posts:
llareggub · 31/03/2007 12:04

Perhaps we should organise grassroots action. Maybe a national get together and breastfeed in public day - somewhere really public with many boobs and babies!

Cazee · 31/03/2007 12:04

We could add some of the quotes from the "favourite breastfeeding moments" thread!

gigglinggoblin · 31/03/2007 12:05

i think the problem is that people feel the need to discuss it, either to justify why they are bf or why they are not. they dont tend to justify ff in the same way. if images were just around, either in mags or on tv it might become 'normal' to see a woman bf - otoh it would probably be comlpained about loads which would defeat the object. im not saying it shouldnt be discussed, more that it should not need to be discussed every time, you dont have a discussion about why someone chooses a particular pair of socks, why feel the need to go on about bf? same as vegetarianism really, i dont discuss that with my veggie friends as they think its normal, carnivorous family members are constantly harping on about it because it isnt.

a friend from denmark came over to see us the other day, when i fed ds she said that it either is now or is soon to be illegal to bf in public over there

beansprout · 31/03/2007 12:05

There are lots of negative comparisons to be made - e.g. split screen, 2 crying babies. First one's mum whips her top up and starts to feed, second has to make up a bottle while baby continues to cry etc

But I appreciate that it's about being postive rather than negative.

Bloody handy though in that situation

shonaspurtle · 31/03/2007 12:06

Absolutely MoosMa. Far more helpful to say that these are the benefits and this might go wrong but if it does then...

Unfortunately the support and information just isn't there in rl when things do go wrong which I think can make women feel a bit conned. They were sold bf as better for baby, better for mum but the reality (without proper support) feels different.

With high-quality support and information I think it is possible for even a hard bf experience to feel positive. I remember feeling really good about myself and feeding after coming back from seeing the bf cousellor in the early weeks, even though my nipples were a mess, mastitis, infections, latch nightmares...If someone had suggested bottles, or had suggested ds wasn't getting enough it would have been a different story and not many people are lucky enough to get all the positive reinforcement I did.

Cazee · 31/03/2007 12:08

I was quite upset when DD was 4 weeks old, as she was feeding ALL THE TIME, and the HV said "Breast feeding is hard", and do you know, actually that helped. I felt that it was ok that it was hard. Wish she had told me about cluster feeding and growth spurts though, that I found out about on MN and then I felt much more positive

Original poster
hunkermunker · 31/03/2007 12:12

GigglingGoblin - it's going to be illegal to bf in public in Denmark?!

llareggub, I think the problem with "lots of women bf in public" is it's usually the hairy-legged hippie variety of woman you get doing this.

Beansprout, you're on - will bf 14mo DS2 (unless I can persuade 2.11yo DS1 to have a go again ).

OP posts:
Cazee · 31/03/2007 12:14

hunkermunker and beansprout having coffee together .

paulaplumpbottom · 31/03/2007 12:18

I think its up to us women to change the attitude. So many people are nervous to breastfeed in public or around family members because they are afraid they will be stared at or ridiculed. If we make it an everyday occurance to see a woman breastfeeding then it wouldn't be so uncomftorable.
My daughter did something the other day that made me think. She was playing with her dolls and she decided to lift up her shirt to "breastfeed" It made me wonder why we give our girls bottles to feed their dollies with. Aren't we sending a message that bottlefeeding is the prefered method.

llareggub · 31/03/2007 12:24

My legs aren't hairy and I'm as far removed from hippyness as they come! I breastfed at a work function last week...

gigglinggoblin · 31/03/2007 12:24

thats what she said hunker. dont know how they are going to enforce it tho.

for some reason my ds always bottle feeds his doll which is odd cos he sees me bf his little brother. my mum worked in a playgroup for many years and said it was quite common for boys and girls to bf dolls there

Original poster
hunkermunker · 31/03/2007 12:26

Llareggub, I know - but I think that the media sees a group of women all doing a bf sit-in and hones in on the hairy-legged, sandal-wearing ones because that's the meeja shorthand for bf.

PPB, I agree re providing bottles to feed dolls with, and also bottles on greetings cards, baby feeding room doors, etc - it sets ffeeding as the society norm.

OP posts:
Original poster
hunkermunker · 31/03/2007 12:27

GG, that is so shocking!

I thought Denmark was more enlightened about this sort of thing! I am utterly appalled!

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paulaplumpbottom · 31/03/2007 12:27

I was suprised that when I breastfed in public ( which I did a lot despite being clean shaven and also not really hippyish) I didn't get negative responses. Most of the negative response came from my Husbands family. My FIL was horrified that I breastfed at the dinner table. I just did it anyway. I wsa hungry to after all.

SoupDreggon · 31/03/2007 12:28

Cazee, I've bf each of the 3 Dragonets for at least year each and have never had any comments at all when they've been fed in public. Even when I fed BabyDragon in the window of Starbucks. I used to spend the feed thinking of witty retorts to make to anyone who questioned me and was almost gutted that no one did. Have to say that DD (14 months) doesn't get fed out and about anymore though. It's not really necessary most of the time as she doesn't need it so I tend to wait til we're at home. I'd still do it if I had to though.

Agree with you there, Paula. All dolls come with bottles (mind you I guess they can't come with bf-ing equipment!) but do bf-ing mothers encourage their DDs to bf their dolls? I'm a little "upset" that DD is the one of my 3 children who will (probably) never remember anything about bf-ing but she's the one who needs to.

Original poster
hunkermunker · 31/03/2007 12:36

Soupy, the boys need to as well - they are the ones who'll be supporting partners in their feeding choice.

You'll just have to feed DD till she's old enough to remember being bf

OP posts:
Winestein · 31/03/2007 12:46

I think in general terms that the difficulties of breastfeeding should be left to Ante-natal classes - there it would play an important role. Otherwise I think the relevant term is "normalising" isn't it? Just replacing the current media take with "normal" people (I do realise HLH's are normal people btw - just the wrong image for promotion), or replacing the bottle in a soap or sitcom with a breast.
There would be a whole new market for props then, wouldn't there?

Firepile · 31/03/2007 12:52

I had a quick outrage-fuelled google on the Denmark thing, and it seems that a lot of cafes are taking a decision to banish breastfeeding mothers (and removing nappy chnaging facilities) but as far as I can see, there are no attempts to make breastfeeding in public illegal. I'll stand corrected if I'm wrong, but I think that this would have made headlines if it was going to happen.

The effect on women is much the same of course, because nobody wants to get into a fight about feeding their baby. Which just goes to show that a Scotland-style law to make it illegal to stop a nursing mother from feeding her child can make a difference.

It can help to build the brand, too - I think that women being seen breastfeeding - as a normal, day-to-day, activity - is the way forward. People will only start to see breastfeeding as the way to go when it is a mainstream sight.

paulaplumpbottom · 31/03/2007 12:54

I also want to say that I would be wary of the breastfeeding "sit ins" they make people look militant

paulaplumpbottom · 31/03/2007 12:54

I also want to say that I would be wary of the breastfeeding "sit ins" they make people look militant

Original poster
hunkermunker · 31/03/2007 12:56

Yes, I'm not interested in making bf look more wacky than it's already been made to look in the media.

It's a normal thing that normal women do. Whilst I appreciate that there are Good Reasons for feeling militant about various aspects surrounding it, I don't think that HLH sit-ins help anyone.

OP posts:
Winestein · 31/03/2007 12:57

and hairy
No matter how non-hairy the sit-inners were there would always be a camera angle to make them appear hairy, or possibly CGI if desperate...

paulaplumpbottom · 31/03/2007 13:00

do you think the photo shop the hair in?

monkeyandcheekychops · 31/03/2007 13:11

Hi all,

First post on MN though I have been lurking for a few days, have to say I'm a big fan already!

My DS (3 next week) has been known to bf his Buzz Lightyear toy while I bf DD (7 months). I don't encourage him but it's soooo cute!

Agree that more has to be done to promote bf-ing as normal especially for young mums. My HV assumed I was ff DS because I was 21 when I had him!

paulaplumpbottom · 31/03/2007 13:21

monkeyandcheekychops Welcome!!!!