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?

persevere sorry.

Think you were right the first time!

I do agree to a point about the medical benefits. But we need to be aware that there does come a time for many women when breastfeeding is so difficult that any long term benefits pale into insignificance.

I think the governments best action, at this time, would be to make a law like in scotland, whereas it would be illegal to challenge a breastfeeding mother when she feeds in public....that way hopefully more and more women would feel happier to feed publicly and the more it's seen the more normal it would be.
And it would also work maybe, as in a awreness raising way...i.e. the governemtn obviously does feel strongly about this and aproves it...so, maybe tehre is more to it...kinda thing!
The more people would see moms bf, the more they will realise that the Hippy-stereotype is rather far away from the truth a lot of the time.

at my spelling.

I absolutely agree that in some circumstances it is best for mother and baby to stop bfing. However if mothers had more information they may be inclined to try and overcome obstacles that they would otherwise have not tackled.
I bf both my dc's but introduced a night time bottle of formula at around 2 months to try and get them to sleep. I would never have done this if I had known the facts. I feel a bit annoyed that this information is not more readily available so we can make INFORMED choices.

Great thread, but no brain today to add anything constructive, will try later but was really shocked at the low amounts of women BF & the whole attitude from people about BF as if its something wierd. Have had a friend say to me its pervy & her partner says the boobs are his not a babies.......she is actually a very intelligent girl too so why does she think this is an acceptable attitude.
I've had good BF experience & dont care about public feeding, its so convenient.
How about BF outside the houses of parliment, where all the TV reporters etc are? Is it too late to organise anything for BF awareness week?
Or a picket line outside the formula manufacturers of BF mums!!Wonder how many women work for them & BF???? Do you think they get free/discounted formula? UMMm but thats a whole other story....

OH, just out of interest, where can I find something about adverse health affects of formula?

Gawd this is sooo difficult, which I suppose is why no one's found the answer yet.

IMO, as I and others said before on this thread (or another one - can't remember), formula needs to stop being a commercially available product. Ideally it would be prescription only (which would make it free to those who need it - great, as the added cost added insult to injury for me) but it should certainly be available only in chemists and the like. But the first step towards achieving that is research. Followed by the re-education of health professionals everywhere.

The law you mention 3easterbunnies is desperately needed. Who knows about lobbying politicians here who could advise on how to get this done?

Millysimmons - I actually think that anything that could be seen as "militant" should be avoided as it would further ingrain the popular image of breastfeeding IMO.

here is one

I really hesitate to post that link actually. It is not pleasant reading and I cannot personally vouch for it as I know nothing about the person who wrote it and it is not referenced to any hard research. But others on MN swear by it and claim it to be reliable. I was pretty horrified and I'm glad I didn't see it when I had no choice but to introduce formula. I would not advocate making this kind of information part of any marketing campaign - a) because of the potential effect on women like me; and b) because of potential law suits.

TG, yeah probably too militant! just had lots of negatives comments during last 5 mnths about BF & feeling bit ARGH with it all!! & when people ask me why I think its good for baby I bumble about like a gibbering mess!!

I am that so many people have to ask that question!

Just about everyone in the UK knows about the proven risks of smoking... yet people continue to smoke.
I think that pointing out the "benefits" of breastfeeding/disadvantages of formula can have only a limited effect.
OTOH, if the marketing of formula were to completely cease, I suspect that formula-feeding might start to decline. About time that advertising follow-on milks and the like was benned. Completely unnecessary products.

I mean banned.

If you were doing a campaign I would also highlight that BF is free

problem wiht research is, that well...formula companies obivously are able to spend lots of money into research because their product is a commercial one, where there isn't the same for Breastmilk!

also, Formula, just as dairy....is so heavily amrketed as somehting necessary, and I think that works a bit hand in hand...
btw...I am a dairy consumer, but because I like it, but really humans aren't meant to drink the milk of another species full stop...

But we have been doing it since at least the Neolithic 3easterbunnies (that's around 4500 years ago) and the human race has survived! If you come to that we're not meant to eat cooked meat either, but we have done for thousands of years.

The research issue is one that we have to find an answer to if any campaign against formula advertising is to even get the time of day. If formula is as bad as many people say it is, then reducing the amount of babies brought up on formula would save the government huge amounts of NHS money in the long run. A convincing case has to be made for government-funded research. I'm afraid I don't know how to go about it, but it has to be done.

and how many people have allergys...think their might be a connection!
like I said, I do drink milk, just not fooling myself into thinking I am doing something healthy, that is all...

Where else would we get the calcium from that we need? I'm not saying you're wrong but I'm just interested.

thing is, government wants to save pennies, but as usual goes about it the wrong way....
I mean that is how this whole Breast is best campaign came about and got so wrong...they make policies that staff has to give a certain advice, when, what they should have done is train all staff that works with new moms to be able to give the knowledgable support they need...at the moment it's more a case of empty words...you may aswell sell tins of formula without the instructions on how to prepare it....no use really

there are plenty much better and more readily available calcium sources that the body can actually get to, unlike the cowsmilk calcium.
There is loads of info, websites about on this...if youa re interested I can post some links

leafy greens usually have calcium, spinach has loads

Well it's the same with everything isn't it? The government comes up with supposedly fabby new policy ideas and then provides no extra resources to implement them. Whilst I am in no way comparing formula to tobacco I think there may be lessons to be learned from a campaigning point of view.

here some stuff I found when I was looking into it!
milk sucks
Milk myths
pcrm on milk
pcrm about what's wrong with dairy
peta factsheet
article about the properties of milk

But basically we have pretty much been brainwashed into believing that we need to drink milk, whereas the only people that truely benefit from this is the dairy industry....