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Infant feeding

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Original poster

Did no-one else see Casualty? BBC managing to normalise FF again.

218 replies

evenhope · 04/05/2008 10:08

I've checked to see if anyone else started a thread about this but it seems no-one has.

Maggie's daughter was whining that she was having trouble feeding the baby and she was going to switch to bottles. Maggie said "breast is best".

Switch to the staff room and Tess is handing over a bottle trotting out the "happy mum happy baby" line.

Then in the pub the mum tells Toby she's "claimed them back" and is no longer feeding.

Why does the BBC persist in this anti-breastfeeding stance? What is the relevance of a BF storyline in Casualty anyway?!!

OP posts:
TigerFeet · 04/05/2008 10:12

I saw this and thought the same

I rather hope that the storyline would be continued and Maggie would persuade her daughter to BF again

Also, I thought that if I had suddenly stopped BF like the character did - had I clasped my norks in that way the next day I would have been in agony and would most likely have spurted breast milk everywhere

All in all a crap storyline, and as you say, unnecessary.

harpsichordcarrier · 04/05/2008 10:14

"claimed them back" ! ffs

sounds like a banal and cliched storyline anyway

Liz79 · 04/05/2008 11:05

What particularly annoyed me was the line "magic formula always works" Raaaaaaaaarrrr

harpsichordcarrier · 04/05/2008 11:07
Angry
MrsTittleMouse · 04/05/2008 11:07

WTF does "claimed them back" mean?

TigerFeet · 04/05/2008 11:11

I really hope the storyline is turned round.

AitchTwoCiao · 04/05/2008 11:14

that's really outrageous, i'm shocked.

youngbutnotdumb · 04/05/2008 11:18

I don't think she meant the formula when she said
'Magic Formula always works' she had said she was havuing problems getting her to sleep and Tess said well when she does try and get some rest maybe. Then Tes said 'If mums happy, Babies happy' 'It's the magic formula, always works'

Well thats how I took it!
Guess who had a crap Sat nite eh?

youngbutnotdumb · 04/05/2008 11:19

Oops soz didt read the OP properly :D

hercules1 · 04/05/2008 11:23

I saw it and it was fairly ambigious whether she meant the 'formula' itself being magical or happy mum, happy baby being the magic formula. Bit strange to use the word 'formula' though in a conversation about formula if you're not refering to formula itself.

Personally I don't have much of a problem with it as I don't think tv programmes have a particularly strong responsibility to be always morally right and trying to lead by example.

VictorianSqualor · 04/05/2008 11:24

There might be good reason for the BFing to have stopped, Ruth looked a bit strange with the baby last night and then there was a 'ooh guess what ruth does' type advert, so maybe* the bottles play a part in the storyline, fi they do, then it's reasonable to stick it in there, but^ I didn't like the claimed them back line, it could've actually been her saying 'Well, Toby. you can drink whilst you BF, but I've stopped doing it now...' and therefore got some info into it, but no

hercules1 · 04/05/2008 11:26

I think they should be accurate in their medical claims though. A doctor asking whether she should be drinking as she was breastfeeding will make people think you can't drink and bf.

Original poster
evenhope · 04/05/2008 11:31

MrsTittleMouse she grasped her breasts while saying she'd claimed them back!

As TigerFeet said, had she really been BF that would have hurt and caused leakage!

OP posts:
Jojay · 04/05/2008 11:34

I got the impression that the storyline isn't over yet.

Poohbah · 04/05/2008 13:49

The writers of Casualty are abysmal....

They are really biased in many ways and also always portray welsh people as the stupid characters.

I'd given up watching it as the storylines are so repeditive so at least they have a new storyline.

I am suspicious about Media Types and their anti breastfeeding stance though.

Roca · 04/05/2008 13:59

I am still shocked how many of my 'intelligent' friends don't even consider bf - I am 11wks pg with dc3 (bf my other 2) and just got my baby pack from mw - I want to leave info open on the page that says with bf your child is less likely to have ear problems, urine infections, skin probs, bowel probs plus you are less likely to have ovarian cancer etc - I just don't get why this wouldn't make you bf even if you didn't want to. 2 of my fiends kids have ear and urinary tract probs all the time and no bf - do you think this ever crosses their minds?

KaSo · 04/05/2008 14:12

The use of the phrase 'Magic formula' with it's double meaning was just crass and frankly, unacceptable in a national television channel which was at the time representing the NHS.
I know if I complained to the BBC they would argue that the character meant HAPPY MUM=HAPPY BABY was a 'magic formula' but I know that the actual meaning was 'Processed cows milk is magic' as its known as 'formula'.
Very clever as they wont' accept any complaints about it I'm sure.
The fact is, that if a Mum is happy to beat her child senseless or take heroin, does that make for a happy baby? It's a stupid formula anyway and in no way magic.

harpsichordcarrier · 04/05/2008 19:16

happy mum, happy baby is pretty crass all round.
where does that leave women with PND? with sad babies? fgs

AitchTwoCiao · 04/05/2008 20:48

do you know i've never thought about that before, harps, much as i've always loathed the expression. god, it's even more crass than i'd previously thought.

tortoiseSHELL · 04/05/2008 20:51

I thought it was a crap moment on an otherwise fairly good episode. Was that there wasn't a thread earlier!

claraquitetirednow · 04/05/2008 20:58

It did seem like a strange storyline to me. I think it'll probably continue - Maggie is obviously being portrayed as the "sensible" one and her daughter as the no-good 'un. And from someone who recently stopped breastfeeding (and yes, shock horror, I am now using the "magic formula" ), I can confirm that there is no way I would have been able to just stop feeding and go out that night without lots of pain/leaking etc.

Perhaps she'll get a blocked duct or mastitis. That'll teach her to be such a hussy and snog old Dr Toby "I'm a completely crap doctor but at least I'm nice to my patients"....

NiceShoes · 04/05/2008 21:05

gawd you have nothing better to do than scan tv for examples of ff skulduggery.watch the telly and dont be so anal.so what if a fictional character fictionally feeds.it is tv NOT REAL

AitchTwoCiao · 04/05/2008 21:15

oh fgs. do you have nothing better to do that make silly-arse comments?

tortoiseSHELL · 04/05/2008 21:15

Well I don't scan the tv, but I do often watch Casualty, and it leapt out. The BBC have a responsibility to not mis-educate imo - if popular culture portrays ff as being the norm (eastenders) or bf being problematic and ff the solution (casualty) then women are going to accept that that is the way, and it will compromise breast feeding.

Twinklemegan · 04/05/2008 21:15

I was also surprised there wasn't a thread last night, but was in no mood to start one. I think the BBC should be ashamed of themselves. They bend over backwards to be utterly PC in every respect. Then they have a golden opportunity, not to promote bf necessarily but at least show it in a positive light, and what do they do? Trot out all the old myths. Good one Auntie Beeb.

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