Make Breastfeeding Normal exhibition and National Breastfeeding Awareness week

[theAfkaUrbanDryad]

Morgan's blog has a fantastic article about National Breastfeeding week and the problem with those awful posters. At the bottom, my account of my experience yesterday at the photocall for the Make Breastfeeding Normal exhibition - and the points that need to be made about that.

It's quite long - but there are things said in there that I could not say as eloquently and i feel this is an issue that needs to be in the public domain as much as possible!

Very good article. THe bottom part about the London trip was particularly interesting (and concerning).

Loved this quote "What's one person's discreet is another's fandango up the market in knickers and ostrich feathers" !

Oh UD - shocking! (You and Morgan write really well )

And those posters. I am open-mouthed.

(Can you email me, UD? petrovafossil at gmx dot de - Thanks)

hadn;t seen the posters before - aren't they vile?

I hope you contacted the organisers and pointed out what a complete shambles their event was

Interesting - went to an exhibition of these posters in Spitalfields (east London), and I had a very similar reaction.
I think it is quite ironic that the people asked to design these posters were 20 year old students - with very little if any experience of parenthood.

I feel sick about this.

All of it.

But fucking outrageous re Avent - the rest of it is appalling, as Morgan says - but Avent is unforgiveable.

Can I email a link to the article to Joan Reid? I got the last minute urgent help needed email too... I want her response.

This is awful, dreadful. Sheer ignorance and incompetence.

As for the posters - words fail me.

Posters are shit though, largely. How is a poster going to help anyone breastfeed?

The thing about breasts belonging to men makes me really uneasy. Are we going to see campaign posters for testicle checks with well-manicured dainty hands checking men's undercarriages with the slogan "Keep them unlumpy for your lover" on them?

I feel so depressed about the level of incompetence at all levels in our society. Who are these people and how are they given responsibility for important things and then make such a mess of them, and apparantly get away with it????

It seems to be everywhere - health, education, all government departments............

A large part of the problem is that a lot of people who can actually do something about it have had bad bf experiences themselves - either them personally or their wives or girlfriends. So you get obstructive council workers, NHS staff, etc, etc - after all, how many times do we hear stories of doctors who give their own personal judgements about bf, based on personal opinion? It's an emotive topic and it's something we should challenge with a simple "Is this evidence based advice, or is it informed by your personal experience? If the former, can I see the research, please and if the latter, please desist."

I am sitting here seething. How can I help? I really want to help.

I think we need to get involved at a higher level with the BF Manifesto stuff - the decision-making level. Because this decision ought never to have been made. Mind you, the NCT uses sodding Davina "Garnier-Nestle" McCall to front their home birth campaign - they told me when I complained about this that it was a "tough decision to make" - they made the wrong fucking one though, eh?

But hey, she's "worth it" [vomits]

Was it that lot off The Apprentice who designed those posters? Good God!

awful awful awful posters and terrible event

so. we need better, alternative ways to promote bf awareness (beyond just feeding ds everywhere). I'm with bellabear - what can I do to help?

i couldn't read all of that..too many words for me after a sleepless night!

Am and at those posters though....wtf????

hunker have emailed you.

those posters are terrible truly awful

very good blog

how the fark do you make breastfeeding normal when they present airbrushed tits, taut tummies, leapord print bras and bustier?

I am not finished reading the blog yet. I will have to drag my optimism off the floor and hoist it's dead weight back onto my shoulders when i finish reading it.

Kiski, yes, am thinking - thank you for email Will reply v soon.

Really worth reading to the end of this - you have to get to the account of the BF Awareness day. I wish I had gone now, actually...

can't believe how off the mark the posters are - complete rubbish.

UD, please complain to the organisers of the event

d'you know. i am not yet at the end of it (finished UD's acct) there are tears in my eyes. hormones dee,dee, hormones.

Have already emailed them Hunker - am still awaiting any kind of response!

I think Morgan's final point "YOU HAD BETTER START TO DO BETTER THAN THIS" sums it up perfectly for me.

Avent have no place at this type of thing - they are code breakers and their marketing is dubious to say the least. The Vicki Scott debacle proved that. And kiskidee's point of making breastfeeding normal with an airbrushed model in a leopard print bikini...

They're not making breasstfeeding normal. They're making breastfeeding sexy, which completely misses the point.

but would a big flabby belly covered in stretch marks with veiny boobs do any better to promote breastfeeding? i think its trying to make it glamourous to young mums who do get their flat bellies back and do still wear sexy bras, i think its trying to aim itself to the 'have it all' generation.

agree with the meet up thing tho, glad i didnt go now, "show more flesh" and AVENT. booooo

great blog