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.

While my experiences were good, I think the idea of having to get a prescription for formula ridiculous. Mothers in the US do not introduce cows milk until the child is 12 months old and that is a long time to have to nurse.

Nursing is a personal choice that should be encouraged not forced. I think if you force women to nurse you take away their right to decide what is right for their body. So by all means educated, encourage, and support but do not bully women into doing something they are uncomfortable with. Can you imagine how depressing that is for the woman who is not comfortable? And can you imagine what it could do to the infant/mother relationship?

Different midwives have different ideas too.
Not all are pro bf. As another poster said, she was encouraged to ff.

If I had listened to my family and friends I too would have given up bf'ing early. They all thought I was mad and that it would have been easier to ff.

Is it a generation thing too? I'm not supposing just wondering.

Personally I think I am too lazt to ff ! Far too much thinking and organiastion for my liking.

i would dispel the notion that some women "can't" breastfeed... if 98% of norwegian women can do it, then 98% of british women can do it - or at least they can with the right support.

I did it again .

lazy.

but in the us pg women have been arrested for drinking one glass of wine! - now there is taking away a woman's considered choice for her body!

Pregnant women are not arrested for drinking one glass of wine but that may be what the mother claims. People want to downplay thier faults. If a doctor becomes suspicious that the mother is using drugs during her pregnancy, he can order the baby be drug tested and the mother can lose the baby until she proves to a court that she has cleaned up her act. However, even then she is not arrested...she may be put on probation though.

Are we absolutely sure that all the Norwegian ladies are exclusively breastfeeding or does just one breastfeed a day count as still breastfeeding ?

Perhaps the Norwegian post natal care is better at spotting and dealing with tongue-tie, reflux and perhaps they are not totally anti nipple shields like some UK midwives.

Some people cant BF.

However, drinking of any sort is highly discouraged during pregnancy. And there is a chance that if you are visably pregnant and order alcohol at restraunt or bar, that the owner is going to exercise thier right to refuse service.

Fedup - sorry .

I get on my high horse a bit when talking about bf.
I'm surrounded (in RL) by women who just won't entertain the idea of bf. They are thinking, as I said, of the baby sleeping and of their DHS doing the feeding.
None of them are in your situation.
With my AA cups I can't imagine what it would be like for you. I guess my embarressment is due to having too little in that dept, but doesn't really show when bfing [or any other time ).

I am going to repeat this.
While my experiences were good, I think the idea of having to get a prescription for formula ridiculous. Mothers in the US do not introduce cows milk until the child is 12 months old and that is a long time to have to nurse.

Nursing is a personal choice that should be encouraged not forced. I think if you force women to nurse you take away their right to decide what is right for their body. So by all means educated, encourage, and support but do not bully women into doing something they are uncomfortable with. Can you imagine how depressing that is for the woman who is not comfortable? And can you imagine what it could do to the infant/mother relationship?

And one more thing, when your baby is in your body then you have loaned your body out(this is my opinion). That baby has no choice about what you eat or drink.

When I was preggers with DS1 (living in Vancouver) I went down to Seattle to visit friends. ALL of the restaurants had big stickers at the paying desk warning that drinking in pregnancy was posioning your baby. I found it a very frightening attitude.

Although I'm a formula feeding mum by choice, I did avoid tea coffee and all alcohol during both my pregnancies (and this was before the new guidelines on alcohol). It just felt right, plus the indigestion towards the end put me right off anything acidic !

Highlander
The stickers don't use the word "poison" but have you heard of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Babies that could have been born healthy, end up mentally challenged.

Here read this, it is well researched by doctors specializing in thier fields

Surgeon General's Advisory on Alcohol Use in Pregnancy
Thirty-two years ago, United States researchers first recognized fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). FAS is characterized by growth deficiencies (or, decreased growth), abnormal facial features (specific facial features), and central nervous system (or, brain) abnormalities. FAS falls under the spectrum of adverse outcomes caused by prenatal alcohol exposure called Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). The discovery of FAS led to considerable public education and awareness initiatives informing women to limit the amount of alcohol they consume while pregnant. But since that time, more has been learned about the effects of alcohol on a fetus. It is now clear that no amount of alcohol can be considered safe.
I now wish to emphasize to prospective parents, healthcare practitioners, and all childbearing-aged women, especially those who are pregnant, the importance of not drinking alcohol if a woman is pregnant or considering becoming pregnant.
Based on the current, best science available we now know the following:
? Alcohol consumed during pregnancy increases the risk of alcohol related birth defects, including growth deficiencies, facial abnormalities, central nervous system impairment, behavioral disorders, and impaired intellectual development.
? No amount of alcohol consumption can be considered safe during pregnancy.
? Alcohol can damage a fetus at any stage of pregnancy. Damage can occur in the earliest weeks of pregnancy, even before a woman knows that she is pregnant.
? The cognitive deficits and behavioral problems resulting from prenatal alcohol exposure are lifelong.
? Alcohol-related birth defects are completely preventable.
For these reasons:

1. A pregnant woman should not drink alcohol during pregnancy.
2. A pregnant woman who has already consumed alcohol during her pregnancy should stop in order to minimize further risk.
3. A woman who is considering becoming pregnant should abstain from alcohol.
4. Recognizing that nearly half of all births in the United States are unplanned, women of child-bearing age should consult their physician and take steps to reduce the possibility of prenatal alcohol exposure.
5. Health professionals should inquire routinely about alcohol consumption by women of childbearing age, inform them of the risks of alcohol consumption during pregnancy, and advise them not to drink alcoholic beverages during pregnancy. Background In the United States, FAS is the leading preventable birth defect with associated mental and behavioral impairment. There are many individuals exposed to prenatal alcohol who, while not exhibiting all of the characteristic features of FAS, do manifest lifelong neurocognitive and behavioral problems arising from this early alcohol exposure. In the United States, the prevalence of FAS is between 0.5 to 2 cases per 1,000 births. It is estimated that for every child born with FAS, three additional children are born who may not have the physical characteristics of FAS but still experience neurobehavioral deficits resulting from prenatal alcohol exposure that affect learning and behavior. The outcomes attributable to prenatal alcohol exposure for the children of women whose alcohol consumption averages seven to 14 drinks per week include deficits in growth, behavior, and neurocognition such as problems in arithmetic, language and memory; visual-spatial abilities; attention; and deficits in speed of information processing. Patterns of exposure known to place a fetus at greatest risk include binge drinking, defined as having five or more drinks at one time, and drinking seven or more drinks per week. Despite public health advisories and subsequent efforts to disseminate this information, including a Surgeon General's advisory in 1981, recent data indicate that significant numbers of women continue to drink during pregnancy, many in a high-risk manner that places the fetus at risk for a broad range of problems arising from prenatal alcohol exposure including fetal alcohol syndrome. For example, data suggest that rates of binge drinking and drinking seven or more drinks per week among both pregnant women and non-pregnant women of childbearing age have not declined in recent years. Many women who know they are pregnant report drinking at these levels. In addition, recent analysis of obstetrical textbooks suggests that physicians may not be receiving adequate instruction in the dangers of prenatal alcohol exposure. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists advises against drinking at all during pregnancy. Nevertheless, only 24 percent of obstetrical textbooks published since 1990 recommended abstinence during pregnancy, despite 30 years of research since the first publications proposed a link between alcohol exposure and birth defects. Scientific evidence amassed in these decades has fortified the rationale for the original advisory against alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Continuing research has generated a wealth of new knowledge on the nature of fetal alcohol-induced injury, the underlying mechanisms of damage, concurrent risk factors, and the clinical distinction of alcohol-related deficits from other disorders. Alcohol-related birth defects are completely preventable. A number of resources are available to assist healthcare and social services professionals in advising their patients to reduce and refrain from alcohol in pregnancy. These resources include the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH (www.niaaa.nih.gov), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/fas/), and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (www.fascenter.samhsa.gov/).

Increase bf on TV and in magazines. I think BF is still off the radar for large sections of the population.

High rate of tax on formula?

Financial payment to breast feeding mums eg to compensate for lack of use of NHS funds for the miriad of minor illness that bottle fed babies are supposed to suffer from (can't remember what they are) but remember my mum listing all these dreadful things taht baby would get if I didn't breastfeed them.

I think formula feeding is too easy. I breast fed my first for a year but second I gave up at 5 months when I went back to work. It wasn't as much fun with the second as you didn't have that gorgeous quiet time before bed to nurse them as I had a rowdy toddler vieing for attention. I feel bad for it as second baby does suffer lots of minor skin conditions and colds and lactose intolerance. None of which DD1 had. No idea if related or not, but I always feel guilty when she gets something else wrong with her as I did put her on bottles for my own reasons rather than for her benefit and she didn't get a say in the matter.

If I'd known how revolting the nappies of a bottle fed baby smelt I don't think I would have switched. I was SHOCKED at tht.

fedup, yes we are absolutely sure that Norwegian and other Scandinavian mothers are mainly fully or predominantly breastfeeding, at least for the first months. You can check details if you put european breastfeeding statistics into google - a pdf comes up which I can't link to for some reason.

Nothing to do with tongue tie or nipple shield use, as far as I am aware (these factors do no more than tinker at the edges of the stats) but just the way society supports it, no one thinks it's rude, and midwives and others know how to explain to mothers about the normal needs of a newborn.

'Punishing' people by making it harder or more expensive to use formula is no good - I wish people would stop suggesting these ideas, which will never see the light of day, and which only target the more vulnerable anyway.

Flum, but being a bottle feeder I didn't need to use a breastfeeding counsellor and didn't need help with feeding whilst on post-natal ward so I used less NHS resources.

It probably evens out.

Higher tax on formula won't put off those who really don't want to breastfeed, any more than higher taxes on booze and fags have decreased the number of smokers and alcohol related medical problems.It would just financially disadvantage the family in general, including the newborn baby.

I think tumble drying clothes is too easy, lazy and environment damaging in terms of unecessary use of energy. (although I do appreciate that not everyone has somewhere to hang clothes outside but in winter I happily put up with clothes horses in the kitchen or next to radiators for the sake of the environment. I wouldn't however advocate higher taxes on tumble dryers.

Lets start with taxing junk food first. I know at least 2 breastfeeding mums locally who went on to feed their carefully nourished babies chicken nuggets/chips/white bread/sugar laden breakfast cereals and processed pseudo cheese when they became toddlers. One was particularly halo wearing when breastfeeding and definately made judgemental comments in our post natal coffee morning type days. I lost touch with her when I returned to work. Imagine my surprise to meet her again 2 years later and see the poor quality food she is now allowing her kids to eat on a regular basis.

Oh ok then. Maybe they are a bit harsh -

Well what about having a little chip on the cans of formula that activates when they are picked up in the shop and announce in a loud metallic tone ' I AM A BAD MOTHER AND FEED MY BABY ON POWDERED CHEMICAL RUBBISH' may be that would work.

Or what about putting sharp spikes on the formula lid tops that stuck into the Mothers hand when she opened it causing both pain, irritation and possible minor scarring with flagrant disregard for her poor defensless childs health.

Or what about midwives wandering around with fierce looks manhandi];ing delicate boobs into newborns poor delicate mouths. Oh yeah they do that one already don't they.

Will try to think of some more for you to.

{stnds back a metre or so from pooter so sparks don't catch her chintz frock alight]

First off, I'd like to say Difers, well done! A very sensible post there. As a bottle feeding mum, I can say with experience that I was extremely disappointed that I didn't breatfeed (my little un had a very traumatic delivery at an overstretched maternity unit - very short version, advice given to me as 1st time mum was to leave baby latched on all day, causing such severe damage, I didn;t repair until milk had gone). However, I really resent some of the attitudes I have encountered since. My baby does not go to the doctors every 5 minutes with minor illnesses, she is growing, thriving and very happy little girl and we are extremely close.
Although I'm sure its well meaning, the very string views on bf and suggestions such as taxation or only on prescription do nothing to make new mums feel more relaxed or that encountering problems is common. I think support for bf is vital and I do not disagree for a moment that all mums should give it a go, but perhaps a gentler approach would be best.
A have a close friend who is Swedish, living near Stockholm and interestingly, there is little pressure or preaching on any aspect of parenting and look at the bf rates there, coupled with the fact it was recently voted as only second to the Netherlands in the best place to raise a family.

I spose seriously it is just a cultural thing. If there are lots of women in your family breastfeeding then it is probably easier. So bigger, closer families could help.

Fedup, you say:

" but being a bottle feeder I didn't need to use a breastfeeding counsellor and didn't need help with feeding whilst on post-natal ward so I used less NHS resources.

It probably evens out. "

No it doesn't, sorry. On an individual level, no one can say, but in public health terms, there is absolutely no doubt that less formula feeding would mean a great deal less cost to the NHS. If you are unconvinced, I can give you references.

"....any more than higher taxes on booze and fags have decreased the number of smokers and alcohol related medical problems."

In fact, the higher cost of tobacco and alcohol is one of the few measurably effective "anti" measures. But this sort of punitive taxation is not appropriate when it comes to infant formula, IMO.

" I lost touch with her when I returned to work. Imagine my surprise to meet her again 2 years later and see the poor quality food she is now allowing her kids to eat on a regular basis."

That's judgemental and assumption-jumping, fedup, unless you actually live with this mother and know what she does every day. If she does give her kids poor food, then it's a good job she breastfed, then, as it has been shown to reduce inequalities in health, including the inequalities exacerbated by formula feeding.