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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

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

310 replies

FourArms · 17/02/2010 08:35

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.

OP posts:
gaelicsheep · 17/02/2010 23:39

X posted.

I don't think anyone need worry though. Does anyone actually believe that the PM pays any attention to these petitions whatsoever - or is even aware of most of them?

pigletmania · 17/02/2010 23:45

The petition as it stands is basically bullying people into bf which is not the way to go at all!

mummygirl · 18/02/2010 05:26

imagine the WASTE of GP appointments for every mother who decided to use formula. Including bfing mothers who want to mix feed after a certain point. And the doctor's time to sing ALL the repeat prescriptions every week...

How would this make any sense financially and would "cost the NHS millions less in resources" is beyond me

ladylush · 18/02/2010 12:01

Terrible idea I bf both dc but strongly believe it is the right of parents to choose which way they feed their dc based on their own specific circumstances. A lot of women feel they have failed if bf doesn't work out - why should they be made to feel even worse?

citronella · 18/02/2010 12:15

Absolutely not.

LadyThompson · 18/02/2010 13:05

No.

I'd chop my arm off sooner than sign it. How offensive, for a multitude of reasons.

AppleAndBlackberry · 18/02/2010 13:36

Total waste of NHS resources. Could also possibly be dangerous to babies if formula was less readily available as some people could end up resorting to cows milk.

mcflumpy · 18/02/2010 15:14

No I wouldn't sign it. I bf and think this petition is an awful idea.

Ziggurat · 18/02/2010 15:41

"This will mean that ... the level of support that women have with their breastfeeding will also increase."

How charmingly naive is this??!

Support would have to increase before anything like this was even considered. And given that levels of support are already nowhere near where they should be, it's a (deluded) pipedream.

This wouldn't save the NHS money - it would cost is money, given that children get everything on prescription free.

I am very pro-breastfeeding but this is misogynistic in the extreme.

BooHooo · 18/02/2010 16:08

cows milk and all sorts of other alternatives I suspect appleandblackberry

it is just unthinkable how negatively this would impact on Mothers and babies. The mind boggles.

pigletmania · 18/02/2010 18:59

That woman is in cloud cukoo land and its people like her that encourage the sterotypes of breastfeeding matrons or nazis. How do we stop the petition, and has she got many signitures. By the sound of peoples responses on here, and MN is very pro bf it has not got many at all, what a load of bull

pigletmania · 18/02/2010 19:01

oh she only has 15 not many then!

cory · 18/02/2010 19:27

No.

Who the hell is going to come up with doctors' appointments when your breastfeeding fails on Friday night? In many places you have to wait a week to even get to see a GP for anything but the most dire emergency. What are you supposed to do in the meantime: tell baby to tighten his belt?

Can't imagine a GP signing a prescription for formula just to allow dh to carry off his newborn baby to see his dying dad at the other end of the country either (I couldn't do the 5 hr train journey in each direction due to recent caesarian). Not to mention that he couldn't even have got an appointment as it was at a weekend. But it meant the world to all of them. And I just resumed breastfeeding when they got back.

I would like to point out that in other countries with an exceptionally high breastfeeding rate, formula is readily available in the shops. Whatever it is that keeps Scandinavian mothers latching on, it's ot lack of access to t'other stuff.

cory · 18/02/2010 19:30

As for dd, no doctor could have signed a note saying she had a medical need for formula as the reason for her inability to latch on was not diagnosed until 10 years later. Up until then I had always assumed it was my fault for being a lazy and incompetent parent.

choufleur · 18/02/2010 19:32

utterly ridiculous. some people are just naively stupid.

whensmydayoff · 18/02/2010 20:15

The people who started this petition are lucky bastards.

They must have had a baby that didn't have any problems and after the initial 6-8 weeks of getting started.

They must have been lucky enough to enjoy seeing their babies thrive happily being BF instead of my screaming babies with GERD (reflux disease).

They must have been able to feed without it taking 2 hours per feed even at 5 months old while their baby arched and screamed and screamed with the pain.

I gave myself depression to feed my DS for 5 months and now im depressed trying to feed my DD with much much worse reflux.

The few times ive lost my mind and DH has given her a bottle she has sat calmly taking it then slept after it.

Im gutted that I know im going to crack up and give up soon. The odd feed I do have that is calm is wonderful, easy, feels good doing it but that doesnt happen often for me or many others.

PISS OFF all smug BFdrs who have opinion on bottle feeders - there might be a genuine reason and they should be able to drive to ASDA in the middle of the night when they physically can't feed a screaming starving baby.

Pofacedagain · 18/02/2010 20:24

It is never going to happen is it, this prescription for formula nonsense. No one will take it seriously. So not really worth getting het up about. It is a bit of a distraction from the real crime - that breastfeeding is still so incredibly hard and there is still so little support for those who want to breastfeed. If it is difficult, which it very often is, then you are very likely to give up as the support is thin on the ground and so many HVs have no clue whatsoever. So this petition is a bit of a muddled waste of time.

itsallaboutpootle · 18/02/2010 20:37

No I bloody wouldn't. It is personal choice and we live in a democracy. I am sick of BF Nazis on MN.I wanted to BF but did not produce enough milk, medical fact before you all jump on me about persevering blah blah blah. But I know plenty of people who chose not to BF.

tiktok · 18/02/2010 23:49

I think this thread has run its course - not one person has thought the petition is a good idea, it did not start on mumsnet, and yet we now have a post denouncing bf 'nazis' on mumsnet and castigating smuggery as if it did start on mumsnet and was getting widespread support.

pootle - it is not considered acceptable on mumsnet to talk about bf nazis. It's offensive in many ways.

You might want to withdraw your post, out of courtesy - up to you.

tiktok · 18/02/2010 23:50

And pootle...no one is going to jump on you for not breastfeeding.

FGS.

electra · 18/02/2010 23:59

No I wouldn't.....awful idea.

tiredlady · 19/02/2010 00:01

hear hear tiktok

eggontoast · 19/02/2010 08:38

It is worse to call someone a 'bf nazi' than to be what the person using that term is trying to describe.

To use the horrific history behind a word to portray a little snippet of it's meaning to make a point, is, imo, ghastly because it is extremely disrespectful to the millions who lost their lives because of the nazis.

I am appalled that a thread like that has started because it is, imo, extremely inflammatory; I hope it is reported and closed down actually, or at least re-named.

gorionine · 19/02/2010 08:59

Why renamed? I totally desagree with the petition but the title of the thread is not more inflamatory than a thread called "would you sign a petition to ban sugar in baby food?"

I think this thread until the last few posts was very civilised even though no one actually agrees with the idea.

I have also noted that none of the people I had desagrements on other BF threads actually did agree with it no matter how strongly they feel about BF.

By tiktok Thu 18-Feb-10 23:49:13
""I think this thread has run its course - not one person has thought the petition is a good idea, it did not start on mumsnet, and yet we now have a post denouncing bf 'nazis' on mumsnet and castigating smuggery as if it did start on mumsnet and was getting widespread support.""

I agree with you.

eggontoast · 19/02/2010 09:01

gorionine - Not rename this thread, the thread that says bf'nazis', unless I have misread tiktok's point about another thread labelling 'bf nazis'.