Breastfeeding - building the brand - ideas?

[hunkermunker]

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?

not that i'm proud of the going to mcdonalds thing !!! but i did bf both my kids well past the point most people seem to find it acceptable when i say most people i mean non-breastfeeders

I've emailed MN

MM, I think that women who have bf are often the most "judgey" of women who bf past the "accepted" timeframe. Women are often other women's worst enemy - the buggers!

Celebs are worth trying to involve. Certainly there are those willing to champion a particular motherhood cause - for example Brooke Shields and PND....

Perhaps linked with Breast Cancer awareness?

The book of experiences is a fanatastic idea too. Along with fantastic advice from our resident b/feeding experts.

Fern Britton/This Morning has got to be worth a call too, surely once the book is done?

hunkermunker i've always found other bf mums supportive i might just be paranoid but ff mums normally look like they'll puke at the idea of a toddler bf-ing or rave about how GOOD i am to still be at it!!! their kids are still having bottles so why change my prefered way of feeding?

scroll past the pink writing for list of bf slebs.

here's a pic .

would this kind of thing help?

not quite what I had in mind for a viral campaign !

guess who couldn't sleep - and has now woken their baby up typing, so now - you guessed it - breastfeeding . D'oh.

here's a bf tv ad focusing on risks of not bf in a humourous way.

All together now: "go to bed, Kif, and stop talking to yourself posting sodding youtube links".

Kif - that ad was withdrawn in the US after massive pressure from the formula manufacturers.

We would probably face the same pressure here.

I don't understand the idea on this thread that only the immediate risks should be highlighted - you can't predict what is going to be important and unimportant to individuals, and if someone has seen someone they love die of breast cancer, then knowing they can reduce the risk for themselves is going to mean more to them than being told their baby might have fewer ear infections.

But actually....making any big deal of risks is (I think) out of place, as it puts the onus on individual mothers. Mothers would breastfeed more and for longer if they had the support and if the skills were out their to enable them to do so. The majority of mothers in every social class in the UK initiate breastfeeding. So getting them to want to do it is not the big problem it used to be. What we lack is not a book, or a poster, or a TV campaign, or any 'shorthand' message saying 'you should breastfeed', but a better and more supportive system for those that choose to do it.

Message withdrawn

Really?

Any budding Michael Moores out there wanting to do an feature length scandolous expose? SMA Confidential?

and perhaps LLL should sue over the marmite ad, if we're in the business of being touchy - Actually it's stoopid - cos babies don't vomit like that, and bm doesn't look like that, and your food really doesn't affect bm that way and why is the woman feeding on a hard chair in the kitchen in the night? Why doesn't she bf in bed??]

Pruni, I know....and marketing includes informational stuff as well as promotional stuff. I think the promoting needs to be done to budget holders and government, though!

pressure on who tictok?

Sorry Tiktok I disagree. I know women who have chosen not to breastfeed and I know for a fact that abstract ideas about increasing the risks of this or reducing the risk of that far in the future would not have influenced them.

I think Hunker has started some really positive threads recently and it would be a pity for any of them to decend into the politics of breastfeeding (not saying this one has yet, I just hope it doesn't as that will be when I step away).

Interesting thread.
My particular bugbear is the slogan "breast is best". So easy to append with that little word "but". "Breast is best.... but formula is fine" is the subtext is I always read into that slogan.
Will post a bit more later when I have time to think a bit more about this. But in general think that the normalisation of formula is what needs to be challenged. For example, breast fed babies are not "less likely to suffer from asthma" - it is the other way round - "formula fed babies are more likely to suffer from asthma", etc. Not sure how to go about this without upsetting a lot of formula-using mums, which would, of course, be of benefit to no-one.

Love the idea of a mumsnet book.

Just a thought, but surely formula companies would be unable to legally challenge the health risks if they were a proven fact. Is the problem that there is just not enough RL research into this? There are a lot of claims made about the risks of formula feeding. Have large enough studies been done for these to be proven or is it truly impossible to exclude the social/demographic factors? If that is the case then it would certainly be unwise to include such unproven claims in marketing information and I would withdraw my earlier suggestion.

I think there has been a lot of research done on Breastfeeding. Most of it is overwhelmingly positive. I just don't know why more people aren't taking it to heart.

Sorry I'm only managing to think bit by bit today.

The problem with focussing on reducing the risks of major long term things is that you only need that woman's mother/aunt/sister who had breast cancer to have breastfed herself to undo that message completely.

Also lobbying government and the like is all very well, but who is the average 20 year old new mother going to listen to? The government with simplistic messages like "breast is best" or her own mother, siblings and friends? It is the normalisation of breastfeeding that is needed without a doubt. All the support and promotion in the world from external bodies won't help if the message at a family/community level is that breastfeeding is a weird, primitive thing to do.

It is undoubtably going to take a lot of time though for this to filter through. I don't think there are any quick fixes, but I think we all know that.

PPB - if that is the case and it's scientifically sound then the formula manufacturers wouldn't have a leg to stand on, surely? Tobacco advertising was banned because of the sound scientific proof that it is very bad for you, against all the lobbying of the big tobacco companies.

I think there has been a lot of research that says Breast milk is definatly the best ahnds down. Formula doesn't even come close. I haven't read any research that sadi that formula was definatly bad.

I think therein lies the problem. We need that research. I suppose that is where the lobbying of government would come in.

I emailed Which some time ago to ask whether they could do a comparison of formula milk - they replied saying they thought it was a great idea. Not sure if they're doing it though. Might email again.

I actually think that highlighting the medical benefits of breastfeeding would encourage a lot of people not only ot try but to perservere with breastfeeding aswell.
I had no idea about the effects of formula until I started mning and am so relieved that I did bf my dcs. I am sure if women knew the real facts about formula they would be far more likely to bf.