Why are formula companies allowed to target advertising at pregnant women?

[levan]

I've been looking at a copy of Mother and Baby magazine, and noticed advertisements from two formula companies both inviting pregnant women to join their 'clubs' and receive information, advice etc. I know they are not directly advertising formula, but surely they are exploiting a loophole - if it's illegal for them to advertise first milks why is it legal for them to target pregnant women?

What do others think?

[Mellieandmin]

Don't know if anyone has said this yeat but Formula companies are only allowed to advertise follow on milk featuring babies. All first milks cannot have a picture of a baby by law, that is why they use building blocks or fluffy chicks, teddy bears etc.

[juuule]

Abigail - I didn't know anyone at all who had bf when I had my first baby. My mother had ff myself and my siblings. However, I decided to bf my ds. I bf my 1st for 3m, 2nd for 5m and 3rd for 3m. I changed them over to formula when I did as I didn't know how to carry on once I went back to work. With the next 6 babies I bf until between 10 - 15m as by then I'd become sahm.

My sister also intended to bf but gave up after a couple of weeks due to the pain.

So it doesn't always follow that if your mother didn't bf, then the daughter won't either.

As regards formula, I used the one that the hospital had used while I was in with my first baby.

[hoppybird]

When I was pregnant with my first, I was surprised that my midwife asked whether I would be bf or ff. I knew nothing about babies at that time, all I knew was that my mother bf, and only one of my friends had a child and she bf. The reason I was surprised was that it was presented as a choice - I guess I thought everyone tries to bf at first and some carry on and others don't. It's interesting that the DoH's survey confirms that you're more likely to bf if your mother did - parental influence and support is so important when establishing bf, it must be so hard to do if absolutely no-one in your immediate living family has bf.

Anyway, WRT formula comapanies - my MIL (God rest her soul) being a very helpful person, gave me information leaflets about childcare and breastfeeding, aimed at pg first-timers, issued by SMA. Fast forward to the SCBU, where I'd had my ds 5 weeks early - I was expressing at the time while he was nil by mouth for the first 5 days. I wasn't doing well, only about 30mls at a time, though this didn't initially matter as once he'd started getting my milk, ds only needed minute amounts by NG tube. However, the nurses asked me, "just in case they needed to give him formula" which brand - C&G or SMA? I asked what the difference was - they couldn't tell me either way, so I said SMA, as it was the only brand I had associated with myself because of the leaflets. There did happen to be an occasion when I was late into the hospital with my meagre supply, and so in my absence, ds was given SMA for 2 consecutive feeds - according to the nurses (and in his notes), he completely vomited the whole lot back. I didn't know if the other brand would have had the same effect, as on the other couple of occasions the staff had none of my milk, ds was given donor EBM. (I subsequently managed to establish bf, so ff was never an issue again for me).

My point is though, SCBU nurses were unable to help with a decision, unable to tell me the difference, and I guess cost or supply prevented them from offering donor milk first. No problem eventually for me as I was able to bf, but if I hadn't, like everyone else choosing a formula, I would have had to rely on adverts, hit and miss, see if this one is any better etc. It's a crying shame that the decision on what to feed your child should be based on marketing rather than an unbiased comparison of what is available.

[lizzytee]

Abigail

The Department of Health's infant feeding survey, published every five years, confirms that a) you're more likely to bf if your mother bf and b) you are likely to bf for longer if your mother bf.

[abigaillockhart]

Going back to original comments, I think I somehow did believe that one formula was superior to another - whether subliminal or not I guess the formula companies are managing to influence us somehow.

[pruners]

Message withdrawn

[abigaillockhart]

Slight deviation but is there a known link between whether or not you are breastfed and if you will go on to breastfeed?

I was not breastfed so when I had problems with DS my mum freely admitted she didn't know how to help. He was admitted to hospital at 2 weeks with hypothermia caused by dehydration and I was beside myself as I felt I had 'caused it'. Turned to a bottle soon after as I couldn't monitor if he was feeding enough.

Wanted to try again with DD but got in such a state about 'starving' her that again I went on to formula feed.

Is it now likely that if and when her time comes, she will be less likely to suceed at breast feeding?

[Aitch]

yep, i was goiing to bf, had seen my mum bfing and my pals all did it, it's very much the norm round here. i also knew that it would likely be a pita to get going but just didn't realise that it would be so difficult. for me, the problem was that dd would rather sleep, and it's very difficult when you have people commending you on how well your child is sleeping to then wake them up and have them screaming at the breast. that's where the hcps should have seen the warning signs and stepped in, but they didn't until far too late. useless bastards.

[BoysOnToast]

tiktok/aitch's point about not thinking past birth... i didnt think past the birth either. not because of fear, but more a kind of go-with-the-flow attitude mixed with not having the foggiest idea what was in store anyway.

i did think about feeding, i knew i wanted to bf. i knew it was much much better... but i was hazy on details. i was lucky enough to have a strongly pro bf mother, watched her bf my younger siblings, always assumed i would. which stood me in good stead when it turned out not to be the easy ride i thought it would be... i had to fight to make it work.

but thats all i thought, pre birth. just some vague notion that i wanted to bf. so yes, i think marketers would be aware that a huge number of new mothers are operating in an information vaccuum. (as should the relevent HCP's , as aitch points out!)

[readytoswiggin]

Interesting...

I chose to bf not because of the benefits, of which I didn't really know of, but because at 23, in tempory (homeless) accommodation, bf came across as hassle free, cheap and ready when needed. Plus I'm too lazy to be faffing about sterilising, I'd be bound to cock it up.!

I guess it also helped that my mother bf my younger brothers, but my main reason was I couldn't be bothered to ff, for the reasons above.

I am currently bf dc3 for the same reason, with 2 others under 4 why should I waste precious time mixing bottles, although i do feel perturbed when ds tried to "suck mummy's milk". Extended bf is NOT for me!

[Aitch]

people say that all the time to me wrt weaning, actually. 'but they wouldn't have stage 1/2/3 if it wasn't necessary, would they?' there is an implicit trust i think, that formula/baby food manufacturers will do right by us. because how could they not? that would make them wicked.

third world

[BumperliciousIsStillNotDressed]

In my mum's campaign to stop me bfing she threatened to get me formula and said to me "but it said 'closest to breastmilk'" this is from an intelligent educated woman Obviously people DO take notice of these slogans.

[tiktok]

pruners, I take your point about rationalisation being something people sorta consciously do...I think I agree with you that there is an assumption that people make without thinking; maybe it is a sort of unconscious rationalisation, if you know what I mean. Something so many people do every day, and which is on sale everywhere, and which appears to do no harm, must be as ok as the other thing (ie breastfeeding).

I have not seen any survey, but I know from experience and observation that lots of people don't know that infant formula (or 'baby milk') is made from cows milk.

[pruners]

Message withdrawn

[Aitch]

i think the point that tiktok makes about women not thinking beyond the birth is so true.

i know i couldn't bear to think beyond the labour, not because i was frightened of it because i wasn't particularly, but because of an almost primal fear of jinxing the safety of dd's birth by thinking too far into the future.

i'm not the only person who felt this way, i've discussed it with my friends, so i'm sure that marketers will be poised to take advantage of it. just as bfcs ad midwives in hospitals should be, but aren't.

[tiktok]

pruners, there are 2 surveys done in the past couple of years (one of them was MORI, the other was carried out by the Dept of Health, IIRC) , each of which found that something over a third of parents questioned believed that formula was 'the same as' or 'almost as good as' breastmilk.

Formula has never been advertised or promoted in these terms at least not within living memory, but the idea persists - it's partly rationalisation, I think, and reluctance to believe anything else, but it is certainly enhanced by the slogans and the packaging, too.

[pruners]

Message withdrawn

[BabiesEverywhere]

Xenia, Just had a quick look, are you referring to either the 'Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008' or the 'Business Protection from Misleading Marketing Regulations 2008' both coming into force on the 26th May 08 from here

I think the first one might be more problematic for Formula companies, they have to back up all claims made about their product.

[Judy1234]

No, I'm just talking about some general new regulations which apply to all industries about misleading advertising and will be in force on 26 May. Unfair consumer advertising regulations or some name like that. The final version is on the BERR/DTI web site. They are causing a problem in lots of sectors including for mediums and healers apparently who need to be careful they don't after 26 May claim to be able to cure you!

[tiktok]

lulu, thanks for the cake offer

Xenia - your cow story is interesting, and yes, this is what happened....fascinating, as it showed that it was well-known that what babies ate was important and special

The new regulations have been deferred until 2010 (if you are talking about the same thing) - the formula industry took the government to court to delay compliance.

[Judy1234]

I had a baby at 22. I never considered anything other than breastfeeding. I was avidly reading NCT leaflets from about the age of 14. I don't think I know a bottle fed baby either which is amusing and perhaps shows what a class divide there is voer infant feeding in the UK and yet in the 1920s my father was very modern and rich because he was bottle fed and they even had a special healthy cow ear marked on a farm for him from which he was fed the milk I think.

There are new regulations coming out on 26th May I think which make some interesting changes to the whole of advertising and marketing law and it might be fun to see what use can be made of them against the baby milk companies.

[Lulumama]

LOL @ middle class people tend to be taller

tiktok, thank you for your kind words, you always know the right thing to say

if you are ever in merseyside, i would be honoured to take you for a cup of tea and a cake!

[PuppyMonkey]

Working class made good, both of us!
We both grew up on council estates - so lord knows how he got so tall!

[tiktok]

PM, yes, they do pay to be in particular spots.

Middle class people do tend to be taller, as you know

[tiktok]

Lulu, you are not alone...I think a lot of mothers don't see beyond the birth. You may always have some regret and I have spoken to people (because when people hear you are a breastfeeding counsellor they sometimes come out with all sorts) who look back with sadness after decades....no exaggeration.

But you will gain perspective and you will forgive yourself....we all do/don't do things as mothers that we wish we could change, and feeding is only one of many things you could pick among the long list of topics!

I think it's great you 'bottle fed as if you were breastfeeding' - this is a lovely gift and so important for an infant's emotional health and development (that vital stuff you can't really measure!).