Join the campaigns to BF in Public and stop Formula advertising!!!!!!

[Difers]

I got this e-mail today and thought that some of you may be interested in supporting these campaigns

Dear Friend,

We have a short, but important window of opportunity to influence policy and implement two of the Breastfeeding Manifesto?s objectives. As a supporter of The Breastfeeding Manifesto I am writing to ask for your urgent help to influence two important proposed laws which could see the implementation of objective 5 and 7 of the Manifesto- if you act now. Visit www.breastfeedingmanifesto.org.uk and send the emails to the government ministers on the ?How You Can Help? page. It?s quick and easy!

Objective 5-Breastfeeding in public

Objective 5 of the Manifesto is: ?Develop policy and practice to support breastfeeding in public places.? The UK government has released The Single Equality Bill for consultation. This means that everyone including organizations and members of the public can submit their comments on this proposed new law. The Single Equality Bill covers a range of issues but one of its aims is to stop the discrimination against breastfeeding mothers in public. We are delighted that the government is finally addressing this issue. However, we feel that the bill as it currently stand is worrying; it only provides protection for those mothers who are breastfeeding a child up to the age of 12 months. By only protecting Mothers breastfeeding children under the age of 12 months the UK government is sending out a message that it is unacceptable to breastfeed a child over the age of one and therefore suggesting it is acceptable to discriminate against them. The World Health Organization recommends that babies are breastfed for two years or beyond and so we believe that the cap on 12 months could be damaging to children?s health. We need you to send the email at the bottom of this pagewww.breastfeedingmanifesto.org.uk/make_your_voice_heard_1.php to ask the government to change the proposed law to ensure all women are fully protected to feed their babies in public beyond their first birthday.

Objective 7- Advertising of Formula Milk

Objective 7 of the Manifesto is: ?Adopt the World Health Organization International Code of Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes and subsequent relevant Resolutions.? The Food Standards Agency is currently consulting regulations for the advertising and promotion of formula milk. You may have read the recent press coverage and out cry surrounding OK, the model Jordan and SMA formula milk. It is this kind of promotion which we want to stop. However the proposed regulations would not cover this kind of promotion and so the regulations are inadequate for protecting parents and babies from the influence of formula-milk promotion. Parents need reliable information based on evidence, not commercial pressure from baby milk companies. Non commerical, independent information will benefit all parents including those who bottle feed. However, the proposed regulations are inadequate for the job of protecting parents and babies from the influence of formula promotion. Objective 7 of the Manifesto calls for the implementation of The WHO Code on the Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes and it provides an excellent model for the law that is required. We need you to send the email at www.breastfeedingmanifesto.org.uk/make_your_voice_heard_2.php asking the Foood Standards Agenncy to go further than they propose to go.

It is only with your help and when we work together that we will be be able to influence the government and have lasting affect on children?s health.

I urge you to please visit this website and send the emails, your voice really matters.

Best Wishes

Alison Baum

Co-Founder and Spokesperson, The Breastfeeding Manifesto Coalition

Rainbow, I think if someone has grown/learnt something and changed their mind, then surely that is a good thing?

Elsbells - technically, mostly it does not harm - but there are exceptions, e.g. where it is pushed in countries without sanitary water to mix with it, or if it is not made with boiling water (as once the tin is open, it is not sterile)
The age old debate you will see on some threads is whether choosing on purpose not to give something that can help a baby's health (bm) is equal to causing harm. (obviously not if it is not possible, but through actual choice)
I am still bf-ing dd (17 mo) where/when I like but think freedom of choice is too important a priviledge to take it away fro anyone

hm...I can only assume that that midwife had mabe very strong opinions on nutrtion in general....like possibly being vegan or simply just believing that cows milk is not made for human consumption, etc....but of course Mc Donalds milk is a really bad term...especially if you think that Mc Donalds is meant to be fast food in terms of availability, so therefore actually Breastmilk is the real fast food, and not just in availability terms, really...well, if it all works etc...

hi - i've only skimmed the thread, but just wanted to say, wrt to the banning of formula advertising:

Recently there was an advert on TV which was apparently for follow-on milk (SMA). It showed a man (father) saying "I promise to do my part," (ie, my share of the night feeds etc) then showed him in the kitchen at night making up a bottle of (apparently) follow-on milk. Now, there are a couple of issues here. Firstly, follow-on milk is a drink, so why would you be making up night feeds with it? Secondly, the baby shown is quite a bit under 6 months, and so wouldn't be drinking follow-on milk. Lastly, there is a shot of SMA Progress, which is a follow-on milk, which is still a breast milk substitute, but which isn't covered by the law.

Now, to a young, inexperienced mum like me, that suggests that it's ok to give follow-on milk for night time feeds! Which is - as far as i know - incorrect. The blanket ban of formula advertising would hopefully give rise to correct, factual information about formula for parents, rather than the soft, fluffy, insidious "buy our product" stuff that's out there at the moment. I honestly don't see how that would be a bad thing.

(For more information about Wyeth's dubious tv advert look here)

Urban, like I said earlier, I am sure I did anywya, lol....Formula was solely invented because of the advertising laws as they are, because they are not allowed to advertise first milks, etc...and the advert you mention does really show the danger of it, doesn't it....like you say, they don't legally as such do anything wrong...but teh image they are creating is a whole different cup of tea....

Urbandryad - Spot on, that ad is basically an advert aimed towards babies under 6 months - which is illegal. I think it is saying that Bottle feeding gives fathers the chance to be involved so that mums can still look sexy and glamourous in stead of looking knackered whilst hubby sleeps in another room whilst a BF mum BF's.

It is completely unrealistic an doesn't show a man like my husband not washing his hands and then rinsing a teat under a cold tap to "sterilise" it..thank goodness we stopped the whole bottle business by 6 weeks!!!!

Difers - unfortunately, because of the rubbish law in this country, it isn't illegal, because they're advertising a follow-on milk. No, really, they are. Look, there it is, at the very end of the film.

I thought the exact same thing about that SMA ad - night feeds past 6 months with FOLLOW-on milk especially wouldn't happen!!!

How they got away with that is beyond me.

Jacks - you should be dead proud to still be BF. Like I have said earlier, I am not great at it (twice now) but I TRIED. Hey maybe next time (if I am mad enough to have another DC).

Urbandryad - This is why we must campaign isn't it, it makes me very angry too! Have you e-mailed the guy at the food standards agency???

ok vvv i eat my words.

i'm THRILLED that desi is now in favour of extended breastfeeding toddlers in public

"night feeds past 6 months with FOLLOW-on milk especially wouldn't happen!!! "

I see what you're saying, but you know, if only there were no 5am feeds with follow on milk at 9 months.

I thought the exact same thing about "night feeds past 6 months with FOLLOW-on milk especially wouldn't happen!!!" Ha! Come by my place at 3am sometime.

And I've seen that SMA commercial -- all it made me want is a more sentimental dh!

but macnell - why would you do a night feed with follow-on milk which is a drink?

Urban, follow on milk is the same as formula really, just with some extra minerals, etc...as far as I believe....and it's cheaper then other formula

Jackstini don't mean to pick on you but...

Formula is not sterile even before the tin has been opened. This is one of the reasons why it is so important to prepare feeds properly.

Also I would turn this comment on its head;

"The age old debate you will see on some threads is whether choosing on purpose not to give something that can help a baby's health (bm) is equal to causing harm."

Many would argue that breastmilk doesn't help babies health but is the feeding norm. Any other form of feeding is therefore substandard. It is not that breastmilk is better it is that formula is not as good IYSWIM.

oops
Both my DC'd dropped the middle of the night feed within 3 months (I did mix feed the 2 so not sure if that had an impact)

I just associate it with the newborn stage.

Elsbelss...lucky you...but I don't think it's the norm...you were lucky

"but macnell - why would you do a night feed with follow-on milk which is a drink?"

Um, maybe I'm doing it all wrong here, but the packet says for 6 months plus and she wakes up at 5am (earlier this morning, the crazy minx, jumping around in her cot) and has milk. If we were doing breastfeeding, then that's what I'd give her, but I'm not so I give her the milk the manufacturer says is age appropriate because it contains a bit more iron and about 7 more calories per 100ml, not that any of that is important, but I might as well use the one indicated for her age. When you say it's a drink, do you think it's like water or SunnyD or something? I'm honestly not trying to be fighty, I just have no idea what you're talking about.

macneil, when I did use Formula....with es from about 4m, and with ms from about 10m...I also used Follow on milk...because it was cheaper...and it was nutrtionally not really different from the ordinary Formula...and I always treated it as I would Formula, or even as if I was still bf...I would give my child a milkfeed when they needed it...no matter what time...

macneil -- i've been using follow-on formula (6mo+) for my 8 mo for the last month or so. Of course it is formula.

I've read numerous posts on other threads saying that there's never any need to use follow-on milk and it's all some scam by the formula companies. I really think that most of the posters are just repeating eachother rather than speaking from knowledge or info. As I understand, the 6mos+ milk contains additional iron, protein, which I think are beneficial for my db who barely eats any solids.

snoozer the point is there is no real benefit to follow on milk as opposed to 0-6 mths formula.
what is the benefit over giving ordinary formula?

snoozer, teh only advantage for the user is, that it's cheaper...the added few bits really do not make a blind bit of difference...and it's not just repeating blindly, that Fomrula has solely been invented so that tehre was still a way to advertise their product, because, well, appanrelty it doesn't target new mothers...as such...but it does keep the slogans and logos and names in our heads...which will create brandloyalty...

BC - completely agree with what you say, formula is substandard to bm. I can completely understand people using it when they have to and it has it's place, just hard to understand why anyone would choose it over bm.

macneill - yes i did honestly think it was a drink like water (not like Sunny D, unless it turns you lo orange? ) but am happy to stand corrected. i have heard (not just on here but from BFC and HV) that it's no different to normal formula and that at 12m+ you can go onto organic cow's milk and it's all much of a muchness.

but as i say, happy to stand corrected.

SunnyD turns your children ORANGE? It must be very high in beta-carotene, then - they do say it's good for you.