I taught a bf class today of 12 lovely clever smart people and NOT ONE of them knew what formula was made of

[harpsichordcarrier]

not single one of them knew that formula is made from cows milk.
in fact they looked very surprised.
and in about four weeks time about half of them will probably give some to their babies.
weird, isn't it?

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TBh, I'm amazed that you even brought up the subject of formula at a class. When I was pregnant it was all v hush hush and "we don't mention that kind of thing here dear!"

No-one is talking about the people, much less naming them. We are talking about the issues. An ante-natal class isn't AA!

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I wouldn't have known the answer to that question before I had my first child either. It's just something I'd never ever thought about.

I didn't know that! I too exclusively breastfeed, so didn't really think about it. Well I never...

Chequers: she isn't trying to say that the women were ignorant lets all laugh and point.
she was trying to show us how the formula companies don't tell us the real truth. and that we just trust that it is 'just like breast milk' when it obviously isn't.

Given that other bfcs on this thread have all agreed that their classes tend not to know either, quite likely you'd be mistaken in assuming you recognised your specific class.

Personally I'd be chuffed at "lovely clever smart people".

I don't think I knew before I had dd but it also wasn't mentioned at my ante-natal classes. I bought a carton of formula to have in the house just in case when dd was small so that if I was out without her and was late home for any reason DH could feed her. When I read the ingredients on the side I was shocked! I couldn't even pronounce some of them.

When the HV and my mum were on at me to top up with formula, I read out the ingredients to my mum, and even though I was ff, she was a bit shocked too.

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I also had no idea what was in formula until I was in the intensive care and told to choose which brand should be pushed down my ds's nasal tube. I said I didn't want either but was told I had to pick and they couldn't give me any information how to pick as that would be promoting formula. I read the ingredients and was shocked. And picked the one without fish oil as I'm vegetarian. I don't think it was possible for me to make an informed decision and it was a horrible position to be put in when I knew I wanted to bf.

Wish now I had researched formula when I was pregnant.

Chequers, people share things they have heard in antenatal classes all the time on mumsnet - there's nothing especially sensitive or judgemental about it. I think you are being unduly critical. Harpsi (and I) were not mocking the parents, just reporting what they didn't know.

It is a dilemma - how to be honest and upfront about the contents and effects of formula, without hurting the feelings (and memories) of mothers who have used formula.

I don't think the dilemma is always resolved happily.

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Chequers it was portandlemon's comments you were responding to not mine.

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I agree with chequers. I wouldn't be happy with my ante natal teacher discussing my class on the internet, although I don't think the OP mentioned the word 'ignorance', an there is certainly no mocking involved. But it could have been done without any of the specifics.

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NOt sure i have ever given any thougt to what it is made of, and I have fed it to 2 DS

There are antenatal and breastfeeding classes all over the country every Saturday. By the sound of things, in the vast majority of them the participants won't know that formula is made from cows' milk. And I'm at a loss to think what anyone who doesn't realise it's made from cows' milk could think it was made from, other than "chemicals" or "in a lab", so in the vast majority of those classes those would be the suggested origins. OK, not all those classes will have 12 participants (although that's the standard number at NCT classes here) but I'd guess there are a couple of dozen classes, at least, countrywide that could have met harpsi's description.

I can see that saying "Sophie, 32, from Berwick-upon-Tweed (see photo on my profile) didn't know what formula was made from" would be indiscreet. I don't see that "Some unidentified people from an unidentified part of the country didn't know what formula was made from" is indiscreet, especially when followed up by "which is the position of the majority of the people in the country". Is "several unidentified people think the same thing as the majority of people" really indiscreet?

It woudn't bother me in slightest my AN group leader discussing things our group had said on the internet.
As long as no-one specific was named I would be pleased there was a chance it could help inform other Mums/Mums-to-be with some positive benefits
Am shocked no-one knew it Harpsi but just proves you are doing an important job!

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I am sure I am uber-nerd then because I have always known what formula is made of. Well, since I was able to read.

It says so on the back of the box. I was eight or so when i started to make up formula for my little brother and read the 'ingredients'.

I am thoroughly amazed that so many adults don't know what is the primary ingredient.

But then again i wasn't raised in the UK.

I think that's true Sprogger. Antenatal classes are there to educate people who want to know. I didn't know anything about formula milk before becoming pregnant because it wasn't relevant to my life at that time. But I did have a vague feeling that it was just as good as breast milk.