WHAT CAN BE DONE TO INCREASE BREAST FEEDING RATES IN THE UK.

[lissie]

we all know that postnatal care is a huge factor, but what else can be done?

i speak as a failed bf-er who will try again with every baby i have, but supports the mothers right to choose.

Re Zim - my dh is from there and I can assure you that they are not happy at the moment. What's happening there is a disgrace and rather than getting our knickers in a twist over formula advertising we should be helping these people put food on the table.

Re irrelevent additions to this thread - I think the importance of bf in Africa and the evils of ff are irrelevant to the OP's question "what can be done to increase bf rates in the UK"

What is your source of info Desiderata?
What you say goes against all research/info published by the World Health Organisation (amongst others).

You're a cheeky cow, Malfoy.

You: the benefactress of your breast milk at two in the morning.

Me: snoozing till eleven with a bottle in his gob.

May I wish your children better health than mine.

But I wouldn't place a fucking bet on it!

Dassie, maybe it even depend on the areas within zimbabwe...I am awre that just one african "country/state" is as big as England at least...
I also know what has gone and is going on in some aprts of africa (dh is in the armed Forces and has been out to Sierra Leone, etc...when that was kicking off) also have worked wiht other people that have told me plain horrid stories of what they have experienced...obviously romance is a wrong place here....however, as in breastfeeding, no matter what it will always be the best for your Baby,unless with particular prblems that usually can be identified, and a bf culture and tradition does definately have the positive sideeffect of making bf the norm, which only can be a good thing.

Hah???Didn't really get what you are on about there Desidorata? sorry....maybe I am thick...but then, lol, I was NOT breastfed, can I blame that ;) and that was tongue in cheek, as I do realise that there is more to it all!

Then we are what you might call 'sound', Malfoy!

oh and I just can remember your id, even if I can't blinking spell it...but you know when somehting kicks off your memmore, and all that, lol

well, that was meant to spell memory, lol....blinking red wine...should not have bought that box, fat to tempting

I've tried to find the studies regarding the health benefits on the net but failed. I think it's fairly obvious that breastmilk is designed to give your baby everything he/she needs in the first months of life (or longer), you can't get a more natural food, but would love to read how they discovered it may prevent cancer for instance. The numbers involved, their genetic history, social group and so on. I'm told it's out there but where? Can any of you folk post a link?

For the record I'm kind of agreeing with Desiderata's posts but not some of the language - tsk!

desidera -I'm struggling to find any evidence on google to back up what your saying perhaps you'd be so kind as to provide a link

x posts charlie

No aqua, I'm looking for the studies that show breastmilk may prevent cancer etc

do you mean breastcancer or cancer in general?

No, nothing specific. All I have seem to find are the statements 'breastfeeding may prevent x, y and z' but not actual data.

Interestingly I have just googled and found there is/was concern over the lack of Vitamin D in breastmilk which is essential for healthy bones. Actually, that's not strictly true, its not the breastmilk that is lacking per se, rather the mother is lacking in Vitamin D thus so is the breastmilk. Does anyone know if this is up to date info?

Here is one link
www.cancerhelp.org.uk/help/default.asp?page=5105

Someone like Tiktok might be able to help with good links to data/research.

the vit d think generally comes up in countries where there isn't much opportunity to get people outside (sunlight) for lng periods of time....sadly as with everything else, they tend to measure the whole how much a Baby needs of what on the adult level somehow, which is kind of ridiculous, comaring sizes...

So you accept some studies but not others?

We get naff-all sunlight here

I know it wasn't to me, I think, lol...but why would you accept all studies...some are flawed some are not...so some are valuable and tell us something, no matter how they are interpretated, and some don't tell us anything...

thing is, what often is forgotte, same with the whole iron busness forinstance, is, that whiilest a Baby is exclusively breastfed and the gut isn't "spoiled or filled with other stuff" (orry, not being judgemental just factual, everything is ingested and metabolised much better, therefore bm doesn't need the same amounts say as formula, where a lot of ingredients are counterproductive...

Thanks for the link, that's interesting.
Didn't really explain how it prevents b/cancer in the offspring and seemed woolly about the low rate in Japanese women as regards bf v diet

what I really don't get is, why people try to make the human milk look so bad, whilest obviosuly knowing, because who can't, that it is meant for a human baby...why use scaremongering to justify NOT to bf....surely if that is your general decision you feel secure enough about it, and when it wasn't your choice but down to lack of support, well, there is no need for justification anyhow...

Here is another one:
www.babyfriendly.org.uk/items/research_detail.asp?item=466&nodeid=

www.babyfriendly. org.uk has various info on health benefits.

Oh, I agree, absolutely but conversely why make formula look bad when millions of babies do and have thrive(d) on it?