Annabel Karmel, not content with making weaning sound complicated, has turned her hand to breastfeeding

[hunkermunker]

Words fail me

And yes, there are snippets in there that are true/useful - but HOW you dredge through the stuff that's unnecessary/nice to have but not essential - who knows?!

[VeniVidiVickiQV]

"By mamaowl on Tue 19-May-09 21:53:16
I had the unfortunate experience of having Clare Byam Cook come over to my house 3 days after I had my LO. 15 minutes later and 160 pounds poorer, I found out that I had no milk and should give my baby formula. (all this she determined from the pump). Luckily, I didn't listen to her and am still breast-feeding my DD 10 months on. She pretends to be an expert when in fact she has no idea what she is talking about. I hate her. "

[theyoungvisiter]

there are some funny typos on that website - there's a special link for LETDOWN REFLUX.

Ooo, I thought, a special NEW kind of reflux!

Sadly, upon clicking, it turns out it's merely the letdown REFLEX. Same old same old.

[PinkTulips]

poledra... poor dp had several hormonal sobbing nervous breakdown directed at him in the first few days of colostrum.... and i've bf two other kids so i knew there should only be a tiny bit and that was ok yet i still sobbed and worried!

i also cried at the social worker and waved a bottle with a measly few drops in it at her wailing 'they can't make me go home.... this is all the milk i have for him!'.... that however had the fortuitious effect of having her march down to the maternity ward and insist i be readdmitted for the night

[mamijacacalys]

Can't get the links to work but agree with general outrage. Smellen's use of the word 'commodification' to describe this bollo* is so apt.

[mumblecrumble]

What a pile of GHITE

[HerBeatitudeLittleBella]

Breastfeeding recipes?

what a cunt

[theyoungvisiter]

I have to go to bed, but I had to add this to the dubious advice (boldenings are mine)

How can I tell if he is not breastfeeding well?

Clare Byam-Cook says

If your baby is doing any of the following, he is not feeding well:-

• He keeps crying for a feed but then falls asleep after only a few sucks at the breast
  
• He becomes sleepy and listless and stops waking for feeds
  
• He is not passing much urine
  
• He is feeding for hours on end but never seems satisfied
  
• He wakes and starts crying every time you try to settle him in his own bed
  
• You can only stop him crying by cuddling him and / or taking him into bed with you
  
  Now I am no expert, but I would say the last two at least CAN be perfectly normal for a baby of any age but particularly a newborn and are not necessarily any indicator at all of poor feeding. Which is not at all what CBC says/implies.

[smellen]

Just read the CBC link ("the walnut debate"). Thank god I had never come across this woman when I BF DS1. How she can undermine breastfeeding mothers in this way is quite astonishing.

Re AK. Fellow MNers, Let's not mention firing portions of Chicken Karmel into occupied territories, could kick off a whole new round of litigation.

[MamaHobgoblin]

lol at 'breastfeeding recipes'!

There is some good stuff there, but I agree it's all. so. complicated! Why make it such a faff?

BTW, the lovely Annabel is going to be a 'guest chef' (yup. That's what I thought) at the second Children's Food Festival which is held locally at Wittenham in Oxfordshire. I'm going because it's a local event and looks like fun (Annabel is not the only invited sleb!) but it'll be tempting to ask her about some of this, if I get the chance!

Must go now, I have a jug of water, mint leaves and gnat's piss infusing...

[foxytocin]

2 things:

AK book cover. who needs a book to tell you how to make carrot and celery sticks?

Starlight: can i buy one of your breastfeeding halos? no to spinach recipe.

[moondog]

Children's Food festival y'say?
I'm afariad my immediate reaction would be to boot anyone even thinking of attending such a thing up the arse.

[MamaHobgoblin]

Moondog. Sadly, my arse is far too well embedded into the sofa cushions for you to get a good aim.

Admitted, it's Wankiness objectified. But there's lots of free food, the children get to play with food and cook and stuff, and learn about where food comes from, and there're farm visits too. Aside from the wankiness, I don't see a problem.

[mumblecrumble]

Free food?

WHere?

[HerBeatitudeLittleBella]

ROFL at the idea of a children's food festival

Because children's food is so very different from adult's food

[mumblecrumble]

Yes. i think that is exactly my problem with AK. Its like kids should eat completely alien food from the rest of the family.

££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££

[foxytocin]

lol lol
"my arse is far too well embedded into the sofa cushions for you to get a good aim."

[MamaHobgoblin]

Oh go on, then. Here. Mock. You know you want to.

Not 'children's food' as in - 'special food just for children to eat', but as in 'food made interesting for children' (and not in AK's manner of making liddle faces with mashed salmon and peas, either!).
Still think it looks like an enjoyable day out.

[foxytocin]

also telling someone that her baby is like the runt of the litter who the farmer would bottlefeed annoys me highly.

WTF??

[foxytocin]

they never have poncy food shows in my neck of the woods. more like big leek competitions.

wish i could come. looks exotic to me.

[MamaHobgoblin]

Oh god, foxy, that particular quote has been bashed a lot on MN! I mean, does the mother in question have another 7 babies of identical age?? Stupid, misleading woman. Grrr.

[MamaHobgoblin]

How big do the leeks get?

We didn't go the first time (was probably pregnant or something) but it's only about 10 mins drive from us, so stupid not to go and have a nosey. And am looking forward to sniggering at AK!

[moondog]

'Aside from the wankiness, I don't see a problem.'

But that is the problem, Mama!!
I know about this festival. That poncey kids' magazine I used to buy for some inexplicable reason, was always going on about it.

Twill be full of smug wealthy folk and thier dreadfully pampered offspring, thus reinforcing fallacy that good food is for posh people.

That is an added insult alongside the one AK peddles about special kids' food. Who the fuck buys or indeed even makes this stuff? Come to that, who makes anything from scratch? I honestly know very few people who do despite thier having lots of cookery books and watching cookery programmes.

If peopel can't be arsed to cook dfor themselves, I'm amazed they kid themselves they will for ungrateful brats.

In a way i kind of admire AK for cashing in on incredible stupidity of the great unwashed.
Do you think peopel just feel like better paretns for having broughgt the book?

[foxytocin]

and postnatal me the first time round would have believed anything in my addled state.

[foxytocin]

look at the size of his!

[isittooearlyforgin]

could this thread be going the same way as Gina Ford one?

Read recently in newspaper that the wide variety of foods AK advised mums to be feeding babies were actually unhealthy for them as they bought on allegies, that we as kids were less likely to have had as hadn't been exposed to (ie Kiwi)

Still, my kids have less reason than some to be non allergy sufferers - all comes from feeding them baked beanns and sausages from day one ( nowhere near any of that disgusting M and S pasta shite)