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

demon word?

Seriously?

I dont misunderstand at all custy.

I have responded pretty consistently to people the whole way through this thread. I havent singled you out at all.

Why you think so is beyond me.

Perhaps you just want an argument? Not doing it, sorry.

X posted, custardo.

Advertising of formula undermines the choice to breastfeed (there is research on this in different countries).

Advertising does not inform women, so their choice between different brands is made more difficult than it might me.

So - how does advertising support choice?

hmm, agree that sentiment is worthy but name is rather off-putting.

Also, I think focussing on those mothers who struggle to bf in the crucial 1st weeks and give up (as most do by 6 weeks) should be the focus, not those who may theoretically be "stopped" from bfing in public after 1 yr. And I speak as a mother who bfed way after this point and never had any problem doing so the v few times I did in public.

We're crying out for decent, supportive, realistic bfing/formula feeding support for new mums - appalling bfing rates in this country are evidence of this. I think that's more down to a lack of proper support, unrealistic advice from mws, hvs, NCT helplines etc (and before I get leapt upon for daring to say this, I speak from personal exeperience of this!) than advertising of formula milk.

I am assuming, tiktok, that people think that any measures to restrict underhanded tactics and bad practice by companies who produce formula, is deemed to be a direct and/or indirect attack on those who use formula.

When it is really nothing of the sort. It is about supporting parents in their choices, and making sure they arent duped or misled.

Being duped or misled is not pro-choice. It is being duped or misled. Unfortunately, I think that emotions about feeding babies run so high, that the water becomes muddied by the very mention of anything that appears to be negative about formula - even it if is only negative about the company that makes it, and the bad practice within.

thank you for that information TikTok.

I agree that there should be a more equitable distribution of information for choices available

the government has a responsibility to promote what is best for infants and bf is best for them. by lobbying them to allow women to bf in public without harassment we are promoting what is best for infants

advertising as tiktok says makes no difference to choice but seeing more women bfing in public places, normalising bfing and ensuring women can do it without being worried may help more infants to be bf in the future

ff has become the socially acceptable norm in this country and we need to ty to change that

andiem now ducks for cover

I think what the pro-advertising argument is, is this:

"If formula advertising is banned, this makes it seem as if formula is an evil product and that mothers who use it are bad. When we see something advertised, it makes us feel good about the product being advertised, so when we see ads for formula, we do not feel bad about formula feeding."

This is such bollocks. If advertising and promotion become banned, you won't miss it! Very quickly, you'll forget it was even there. I mean, do you ever see ads trying to get you to wear tights instead of socks? No....do you miss them? No.....do tights wearers feel they need to see ads to be affirmed in their choice to avoid socks? No.

When the advertising goes, you'll be able to ask for information, and your healthcare professionals will be able to share it - the good, the bad, and the ugly. For instance, they'll be able to tell you where the prebiotics come from, and how other countries don't permit them, and the concerns some people have about their effect. They'll be able to say they really don't know if the specialist formulas (the ones like Stay Down or Comfort) have been researched for effectiveness but they can find out for you, because the information will be out there and accessible.
And so on.

im all for bf wherever, but banning formula advertising is way ott. We are not all perfect daisy's who can pump out milk on demand. I for example can only produce for 3 days even with mediation to increase my milk flow. So my dc had no choice but to be formula fed. Only ds2 was lucky to get my milk because he only needed 4mls per feed so lasted him ages!

well andie - formula feeding shouldnt be socially unacceptable either. But I am sure that is not what you meant.

Custardo - so are you agreeing that advertising does not equal information, but in fact makes it less easy to be informed?

And if you agree, why would you be in favour of advertising?

This is the sole source of nutrition for our youngest, most vulnerable population - and we put commercial interests ahead of it.

Don't you think it stinks?

andiem, of course the gov has a duty to promote bfing as being best for infants but is what's being campaigned for here really the central issue? Shouldn't we all be pressing for better training of mws/hvs/GPs in these issues, more mws and support workers to help new mums in hospital etc etc? I honestly don't think the fear of being stopped from bfing in public is what puts most women off, it's becuase bfing can be bloody difficult and often painful in the 1st weeks and many need a lot of support to get through htis time but don't get it.

It's the lack of a proper infrastructure that leads to so many women giving up so soon (after all, most say they don't want to), not advertising of formula, IMO.

Careful tiktok, you are bordering on contraversial there

sugar: you say your experience breastfeeding was difficult and short and you needed to use formula. How on earth can you connect that with formula advertising? You needed to use formula, and the formula was available (thank goodness!) - banning advertising would not have any impact on that!

However, the advertising and promotion of formula milk is likely to have made your choice of brand difficult to research.

no that's not what I meant. what I meant was it has become more acceptable to ff than bf therefore it is more the socialised norm that doesn't mean ff is unacceptable

It depends where you are, in many areas/groups I'd say it was the other way round and ffing can be severely frowned upon.

Oh, I said I wouldn't use VVV's name again but here I am - I can't resist... (Tis Hunker posting...)

I don't mind if accurate information about formula is given to every pregnant woman. I object utterly to inaccurate advertising meaning women are spun a web of lies that will undermine their choices at every turn (not least because women who are desperate to bf are often told a ream of useless stuff by HVs and well-meaning friends and family who have been advertised at by formula companies).

As for the "there are more important thing to worry about" thing - getting support in place for every woman takes time and effort and training and all sorts of things. And if the people who are entrusted with setting that support up are reading adverts that say "formula's lovely stuff, just the same as breastmilk", they won't be that fussed about setting the support up for bf. And that does happen. I know it does.

"I honestly don't think the fear of being stopped from bfing in public is what puts most women off..."
actually I disagree with that misschief, many women I talk to do find that hugely offputting and restricting and feel like they have to go home if the baby needs feeding.
and the positive right to do so sends a supportive message.
as does banning formula advertising.
it is not to say that these are the only issues, but they are relevant and important and can and will makea difference imo

That's what I thought you meant andie, just wanted to clarify for you

(continuing being controversial without fear!! )

MissChief - of course you are right about training and support, and it's not 'either' we ban advertising 'or' we promote training and so on. It's both. The decision to use formula is a complex one in many cases, often influenced by the type of help and support available - no one would argue that.

This is why (for example) NCT trains breastfeeding counsellors and healthcare professionals, to increase the help available to individual mothers, as well as campaigning for government attention to be brought to all aspects of the situation,

BTW, you said 'NCT helplines' gave 'unrealistic advice' - sorry if that's your experience, can you give more details?

That confused me for a second there

You cheeky beggar

But yay!

misschief I do think that attitudes towards bf influence women's choices about how they feed. yes women need support I cannot deny that but bf rates are much higher in other countries where they do not have the attitudes that we do in this country so something is obviously influencing women other than the difficulties. Or those women just seem to get through the first difficult weeks and maybe that is because more women do it so there are more positive role models etc etc

Fear of bf in public is a major reason for some women, MissChief - there is a ton of research on this, looking at people's feelings about bf. It is certainly enough to make women feel uncomfortable about starting to feed, and continuing, too.

We get lots of calls to the NCT breastfeeding line about expressing to put the milk in a bottle when taking the baby out and about - so the mother is there, with the baby, but using a bottle with EBM because she is worried about 'doing it' in public.

Younger women, too, who live with their families and siblings, cite lack of privacy at home as a reason for not breastfeeding or not breastfeeding for long.

Sad, and mad.

and tiktok is right about hcps being bombarded with advertising. In my professional journal this month there is a double page spread by C&G about their prebiotices so hcps get targeted by the formula companies all the time.

andiem, I agree that a postitive attitude towards bfing within society is going to help, of course. It's just that in my experience as mum for quite a few years now, going to lots of different groups and working wihtin an area connected to health I see that the main reason why most women give up is simply that they find it painful and don't have the appropriate support to help them through this. That's it. It's not that they're thinking "what the hell, formula's just as good/nearly as good". Like smoking, the message has gone out that bfing your baby is best. Mothers give up because they feel they can't go on, often in desperation, often in tears.