Would you sign a petition to make formula only available on prescription?

[FourArms]

I've just been sent a link to this petition.

I don't think there is any way this would happen now in the UK, but would it be better than the current situation?

The further petition details are:

Breastfeeding has always, and will always be the best way to feed a baby. If Infant Formula Milk is only available on prescription, it will mean that a mother will have to physically talk to her doctor about any issues (including physical, emotional and mental)she has with breastfeeding. This will mean that the incidence of breastfeeding will increase and the level of support that women have with their breastfeeding will also increase. It will also mean that there will be fewer illnesses in babies and young children, costing the NHS millions less in resources, and leading to a generally healthier population.

I was a tongue-tied baby. Except my mother didn't realise it (indeed even I didn't until my doula pointed it out recently and then it seemed obvious).

This meant I couldn't latch on properly, and in days of yore would probably have died due to malnutrition, However my mother had the good sense to give me formula in a bottle instead, which my poor little mouth could manage.

If formula had been prescription-only, I am sure there would have been a lot of doctors around telling her she just wasn't trying hard enough, and other people saying I should have had surgery in order to let me bf, whilst I failed to thrive, but in the event formula use has had absolutely no effect on my long-term health whatsoever. Whereas surgery might have damaged me.

I have four children and done a lot of bf/extended bf personally, and the only benefits I have really found are quicker recovery from upper respiratory tract infections, and less nappy rash. It is good for mother/child bonding, and pretty convenient when you are out, but that can be achieved in other ways as well.

So people should be more tolerant of both forms of feeding, IMO, and not seek to harrass new mothers.

BYT, your evidence is hardly statistically significant, is it? And your knowledge of breastfeeding and the issues involved is patently inadequate. And I say this as someone who was lucky enough to be able to breastfeed both my children easily.

Absolutely not!

That would be utter madness. Women need more support and midwives, hvs and GPs would need to brush up on their bf knowledge if it was to happen. Some of the ones I had dealings with were scarily ill-informed and gave out ignorant and contradictory advice.

I bf my dd for 5 months but I really punished myself to keep going - it made me physically and mentally unwell.

And, fwiw, no, of course I wouldn't sign. What makes me sad is that people like the creators of this petition are seen by some (many?) as the public "face" of breastfeeding, or breastfeeding promotion, more accurately - most people promoting bf are getting on with it in a quiet and supportive way, understanding that sometimes women want and/or need to ff, but that many times women want to bf, but feel they can't or have to give up for a wide variety of reasons. But because they don't use such emotive language, what they say doesn't stick in the mind as much as some of the more bonkers and intolerant comments from the minority.

I haven't read all of this thread so apologies if this is repetitious but saw BYT's comments about breastfeeding being the most natural thing in the world and how people should just get on with it.

My baby was born after an EMCS and latched on beautifully shortly after I came round from the GA. For three days in the hospital she gave every impression of feeding well - I was checked a number of times by midwives and the hospital breastfeeding counsellor who were all happy - and then she had a blood test after developing a temperature and it turned out she was severely dehydrated. For a couple of days I top up fed her with formula - she didn't take much but we thought that was because she was getting the rest from me. Another blood test showed she was even worse and the doctors told me to only feed her from a bottle . I expressed small amounts but mainly she was formula fed.

I don't know why I didn't produce enough milk - possibly it had to do with the EMCS and the fact I couldn't eat for 24 hours after it because they couldn't hear bowel sounds which meant I didn't eat from the Tuesday night when I went in to hospital to be induced until the Friday morning when they finally cleared me to eat. However, the point is breastfeeding is not natural for everyone though I am sure most people can with help but attitudes like BYT's help no one and are potentially dangerous. My baby wmight have died without formula.

Mind you, that doesn't mean I am necessarily against formula being available on prescription. At least that way it would be a bit cheaper for those who have no choice but to FF.

There is absolutely no fucking way I'd sign this petition.

BYT you are exactly the type of bf zealot spouting mantras,and casting aspersions that really gets mums upset

reasoned debate is based upon listening,and cogent points.you lack these skills

when dealing with mums and their emotions,preferences,and peer/cultural pressures you need to listen a lot.impose not at all

All I can say is some people really don't know they've lived.

i think 'bf zealot' is inappropriate, particularly when the one thing that many people call for is women being more supportive of one another. fwiw, there are quite a few formula feeding mums who are incredibly zealous in their opinions on this subject, in their assertion of their right to choose, at whatever cost to their child, the environment, and society; any word against them / their choices, however, is met with immediate castigation. i think this is double standards.

Not the way to make the changes in peoples mindset thats needed

But Ruby, the fact that there are zealots on one side doesn't mean there aren't zealots on the other - if you assert double standards on the part of (a small minority of) formula feeders, then really you have to accept the same double standards on the part of (a small minority of) breastfeeders. Either way, zealotry is generally not helpful, nor is language which will make people instantly defensive of their own position.

brightyoungthing Wed 24-Feb-10 11:41:24

"Sometimes I wonder how people think the human race managed to evolve at all!"

Perhaps you should have paid more attention in biology lessons. The principle of evolution is not that every individual survives: it is the opposite! Evolution depends on all individuals who are not adapted dying off before they can reproduce, so that the species can evolve.

Difficult childbirths and struggles with breastfeeding fits perfectly well into that, as do predators, periods of starvation, epidemics etc etc.

Evolution is what happens when children like mine die in infancy because they were not the fittest to survive.

Evolution never meant everybody getting an easy ride. Many animals also struggle with childbirth, animal babies are born deformed and die, or die because their mothers are unable to feed them. Anyone who knows anything about wildlife knows that. The runt of the litter dies.

However, you will find that most parents are strangely reluctant to let their children just die to further evolution. I'd rather cheat evolution if I can! I want my children alive.

No, I'd never sign a petition like this.

If I can't be trusted in choosing what I feel is best for my child and circumstances, what else should be decided for me?? Am I even allowed to have a child without prior consultation with a "qualified professional"?

That petition is a disgrace, and about the most offensive thing I have seen against women in a long time.

It's not about the benfits of breastfeeding, its about control.

Even if I were perfectly capable of breastfeeding but chose not to, it's got sod all to do with anyone else.

I, like many of my generation, was not breastfed, however if I have a child of my own I would like to breast feed.

Thankfully the majority of posters here have treated it with the derision it deserves, regardless of their own personal choices and beliefs.

Yup, I'm a runt.

Absolutely not. Totally agree that breastmilk is best, but you cannot make people feel stigmatised for an inability to feed or an unwillingness to feed. It's like saying that home cooked food is best, you have to ask at the chemist for ready meals! You can't legislate against choice - it would put unbearable pressure on new mums, more than there is at the moment, and you would run the risk that people would be too embarassed to go to the GP so end up trying to feed their babies on ordinary cows milk or powdered milk, leading to sick/malnourished babies.

By the way I did BF DD3 for a year, used about half a dozen cartons of formula in the later stages when I'd stopped expressing, so I am v pro-breastfeeding but believe that we should be encouraging women to reclaim the natural skill of breastfeeding, not demonising those who choose not to.

I dont know if this has been said as I have not read the whole thread. But putting it on prescription just doesnt make sense, prescription are for drugs or drug related products. Formula is not a drug. It would seem mad that you can buy over the counter various drugs, some quite strong but you cant buy formula.
Also imagine you start bfing and a few weeks in you start struggling, after a long hard decision you decide it is not working and you need to call it a day. But hang on its friday evening and the docotors are not open to get a prescription till monday morning, and even then you get told you cant get an appointment for a few more days. So what do you do, you cant strave your baby but you may be unable to carry on ie milk supply problems.
There is other ways to talk to new mums about bf rather than forcing them to go to the docotors who usually know nothing about bf ime.
For a start when I was pregnant with my boys, no one talked about bfing other asking what I wanted to do. The midwifes on the ward were quick at suggesting a bottle when he was not settling. And when I had problems bfing I got conflicting advice from the midwifes and hv. The only help I got was from the nct.
I think making sure all professionals and properly trained regarding bfing and giving the same advice. And giving more advice at antenatal appointments would work better

I said above I am not against formula being available on prescription in certain cases for financial reasons but this is a far cry from it ONLY being available on prescription.

This would mean it would no longer be possible to buy it in the wide variety of places you can now including late night garages and supermarkets. We are talking here about the baby's only source of safe food.

Not only those who are embarrassed to visit their GP would be affected but also someone who is turned down by their GP becuase the GP considers their reason for FF isn't valid. Suppose they still can't breastfeed for whatever reason? Does their baby just die?

And what about anyone who is disorganised and forgets to renew their prescription on time or goes away and maybe forgets to bring the formula with them or keeps it in the car whilst travelling and the car is stolen perhaps. They would then be without their baby's only food and without access to a new prescription.

You can say these last are unlikely scenarios (I would beg to differ but perhaps I am just very forgetful) but I think there are all sorts of dangers and risks associated with restricting access to such an important product.

This is to ignore completely all the issues in relation to freedom of choice.

This sort of thing gives bf ing mothers a bad name! You decide whats best for your family and i'll decide whats best for me and mine thanks.It would be the nanny state gone mad as they say - and i breast fed all three of my children.

Absolutely not.

firstly, as others have pointed out how a mum feeds her baby is her choice, made to suit her circumstances.

Secondly how bloody impractical. I have breast fed all 3 of my children, but still switched over to formula eventually. News mums have enough to do without having to organise a prescription just to feed thier baby. imagine if you forgot the prescription? what does the baby do then

What a stupid, stupid idea.

Absolutely not.

firstly, as others have pointed out how a mum feeds her baby is her choice, made to suit her circumstances.

Secondly how bloody impractical. I have breast fed all 3 of my children, but still switched over to formula eventually. News mums have enough to do without having to organise a prescription just to feed thier baby. imagine if you forgot the prescription? what does the baby do then

What a stupid, stupid idea.

Another thing I haven't mentioned before - NHS budgets are already overstretched as it is. Where exactly are the funds covering the formula costs, additional gp training and gp time (so more gps) going to come from?

I msay have missed it but has BYT actually said if ahe's ever fed a child or not???? My baby had a tongue tie. It was recognised by a bf counsellor and fixed early enough for us to establish fairly trouble free bf, but he lost a lot of weight in the first few weeks because of bad latching, and I experienced excruciating pain. Natural it was not! My friend lives in an area with little support and her son's tongue tie was not recognised for months after she'd had to give up bf. Is that lazy????? Having a child is the most natural thing in the world - should we ban IVF and clomid?????????

It also would be a very impatient step. I am not usually a target fan, but I think this works a bit like vaccination. I think it would make more sense to set a target to get 90% of women bf for 6 weeks, then after a period of time up it to 8 weeks, then 12 weeks, etc, with targets being revised year by year so that there was some incentive for the NHS to provide bf support and help people regain the folk knowledge of bf. GPs and HVs could also make sophisticated pumps readily and freely available, and so on. Just outlawing formula is lazy and misses the point.