Anyone against the banning of formula advertising? If so, why?

[HollyWeen]

I am a student BFC and we are having a debate in next month's tutorial about the pros and cons of formula advertising.

Unfortunately, I am on the pro side and am having a hard time finding any real reasons why formula advertising is a good idea.

Would banning formula advertising make ff mums feel alienated? Would it take away individual choice?

All views appreciated!

TIA!

Yep, ready made cartons and a bottle warmer will work fine at night, though still more hassle than breastfeeding.

I take it from your last comment you are still pregnant, hence haven't decided yet on the formula etc.

Just in case you want to learn more about breastfeeding, as from your posts it doesn't sound like you have been given any up to date information on breastfeeding or real life support. Try Hunker's Blog

HTH

thanks for that and will have a look but have decided on sma gold.

Cross posted with your last post.

You can have your cake couple glasses of wine and eat it breastfeed

Well I dunno how my poor DD made it to 23 weeks on my breastmilk - I was underweight, ate allsorts including spicy food and rather a lot of cake, drank, and smoked

Most of the stuff about watching your diet is a myth. Its more for your benefit than because you can make your milk 'poor quality'.

Formula companies emphasise breastmilk in order to make the connection in the minds of parents. They want to appear caring, understanding of our wish to give our babies 'the best'. They make the assertion that their formula is just as good, which is simply not possible.

Ema - can I ask, how did you decide on Sma Gold?

Did you find any reliable, factual, unbiased information that made you feel it was superior to any other formula?

Glad you have a formula in mind. This site rocks for feeding advice, however you feed your baby. Good luck with your pending birth and if you decide to try to nurse for a feed or two or have trouble with SMA gold Mumsnet is here

it is used by a lot of people who bottle feed that i know and babies very happy. can always change my mind tho.

i have decided not to nurse/feed - think it is better not to even start. i know when the baby comes feelings can change but that is that way it stands now. i don't want to give it a go and really feel that it is best not to start for baby and me.

Thats your choice and yours alone, and you must make the one that is right for you

I just think women in your position should be able to access some real information about formula, its ingredients, preparation and storage, risks and so on. It would surely help in the decision making far mre than being forced to rely on spurious advertising claims and looking at what your friends do?

Good luck with your new baby, and as BE said, Mumsnet is the place for advice on anything, feeding to fanjos...

I think you are right not to make a solid decision now and to see how you feel after the baby is here.

TBH I disliked the idea of breastfeeding, I hated the thought of physically nursing a baby but wanted to have a go. Took a few weeks to get established and then I learned to love it. Now I'm nursing my second child

Even if the idea is unappealing post-birth, you could hand express colostrum to give your baby a big dose of immunity boost

there is so much propaganda regarding everything decisions are hard to make but everyone has to make the decision for them whatever it regards.

b/f is just one of those very contentious issue that raises strong feelings. really in some ways it shouldn't as long as people are happy with the decision they have made and read up on issues what others do is irrelevant.

i will see how i feel babieseverywhere but can't imagine changing like you did. glad you were really happy with how things turned out for you in the end and are happy.

Ema76 - 'if something spicy has been eaten for example it can affect the baby... sometimes breastmilk isn't enough for the baby...'

Really?

I respect your decision to do what you want, but the above is absolute garbage.

don't agree - know of a baby where they simply were not satisfied and mum was struggling - when she went to bottles the baby immediately settled down. it is a sometimes not everytime.

Here's whatSMA have to say about mothers diet when BF.

Ema, Because you know one mother who fed their baby formula and they settled does not mean that breastfeeding is not enough.

There is lots and lots of scientific research to back up that breastfeeding is all a baby needs nutritionally exclusively for 6 months.

I respect your opinion to make a decision about your baby, but please do not make huge general statements that breastfeeding is not enough as it is simply not true.

i read this one at first
www.babycentre.co.uk/baby/youafterthebirth/nutrition/dietbreastfeedingmum/
but thank you have just had a look at it.

i did say 'sometimes' i also know of one women who only breastfed until 6months and baby was happy

i did say 'sometimes' i also know of one women who only breastfed until 6months and baby was happy

Ema - I have a normal life. I eat. I drink. In fact, I consume a ton of chillis. It has never affected DD nor DS.

Ema, it's very rare that a baby is affected badly by mother's milk unless there is some form of intolerance, like dairy for example, then the mother can have to change her diet.

I'm sorry but can't seen any positive sides to formula advertising. As some of the posts on this thread amply illustrate women's confidence in their milk and their ability to breastfeed is eroded enough already without flooding the airwaves with doubtless nauseating images.

Oh and I breastfed all my children and eat curry all the time and have never noticed any difference at all to the baby.

If the mother's milk isn't affected by her diet, do supplements such as Fenugreek not work then? And if they do, how?

(sorry, off topic I know, but I really want to know because I stuffed myself with it!).

No idea how fenugreek works, but it doesn't work on the milk, as I understand it, but on the body's ability to produce it. This is how pharmacological boosts to milk production work, anyway - stimulation of the hormonal process of lactation.

Diet isn't going to have more than, at most, a marginal effect on that, so I am sceptical that foods like oatmeal are going to work, while acknowledging that some women really feel they have made a difference.

I'd imagine sometimes the thought that the oatmeal is helping can make you feel more confident in your milk supply tbh, and as how much breastmilk you produce/are feeding your baby is quite unmeasurable then it would be quite hard to investigate anyway.

Never occurred to me to change my diet when breastfeeding (don't drink much though).

Ema, I can homestly say I dont' think DD has ever been affected by something I've eaten.