'Bribed to breastfeed'

[AmIThough]

On Good Morning Britain today, they're talking about a new scheme to offer mothers shopping vouchers in return for breastfeeding.

Personally I think it seems unreasonable. As mothers we do what's right for us and our children. Breastfeeding isn't right for everyone and there's already a lot of pressure for us to do so.

All of my friends and I tried to breastfeed.

I have been successful but choose to combination feed which works best for me.

Some friends haven't been able to continue breastfeeding for various reasons - pain, MH etc

One even got told she needed to FF as the baby wasn't getting enough nutrition.

Would this have made a difference to the choices you made?

I breastfeed but as you say it’s personal choice it would have changed my decision stall

Patronising bullshit.

The anguish of struggling to feed was a factor in my PND I'm sure, it wasn't that I just decided I couldn't be bothered.

But not all mothers do best for their children.

My HV has told me about women who won’t even try to breastfeed because it will make their boobs saggy! Are they thinking about their children’s needs first?

I’m not sure if this idea itself is the best but something needs to be done to improve bf rates in their country. We have the lowest in the world and that’s is a shocking statistic.
The NHS would also save millions every year if breastfeeding rates improved. The entire culture around breastfeeding in this country needs to change.

I agree nucky something needs to change. Like I said I breastfeed and luckily been ok with latch etc.. but my area alone there very little support and I still think breastfeeding is seen as a why is she doing that in a public place

@nuckyscarnation wow I didn't realise there are women who actually think like that! That's awful.

The worst thing for me was "if you're doing it properly it won't hurt". Because it does in the beginning. I almost gave up because of the pain but DP supported me through it and kept me going.
I don't imagine shopping vouchers would have had the same effect.

Terrible spelling/grammar there. It’s early.

Personally a scheme like this would have made no desire to my difference to feed, but that’s not to say it wouldn’t for some people. It’s a bit of a clumsy concept, but I think anything encouraging breastfeeding can only be a good thing. After all we’re bombarded with imagery of formula/bottles etc ever time we go to the supermarket and people don’t even bat an eyelid. There’s a poster in my local Argos at the minute with “everything you need for your new baby from bottles to buggies” There’s a subtle but powerful subliminal message there and advertisers bloody well know it!

@kellyw1989 I agree. I cannot breastfeed in public and I think women who do are amazing.
But I do love breastfeeding.

No but it would have made me feel worse about stopping. I’d rather the money went into better breastfeeding support in hospital and in the community.
There’s already the money benefit of not having to buy formula and to give shopping vouchers essentially treats women like idiots. We’re not children to be bribed and yes breast is best but formula is not harmful.
I’d rather they “bribed” mums not to smoke in pregnancy

I breastfed exclusively for nine months and only stopped because of a nursing strike we couldn't resolve. I think that's an awful idea. Patronising as someone said (maybe some shopping vouchers will make the little women toe the line).

It is up to every woman what they do with their own body, and if they're done sharing it after nine months of pregnancy that's fine with me.

Are they thinking about their children’s needs first?

And

I didn't realise there are women who actually think like that! That's awful.

Bloody fucking hell.

@AmIThough I really struggled breastfeeding in public at first and got to the stage whatever. No I just do it but it’s so like people think it’s wrong

Sometimes it’s a bit like living in Handmaids Tale some of the things said about women deciding what to do with their bodies.

@AmIThough My HV said she knows more than one women with that attitude. She also says she has met quite a lot of women with the attitude that they just can’t be bothered to try even though they acknowledge the health benefits for their baby.

Yes I hate the myth that breastfeeding doesn’t hurt at first. Of course it does! I think there needs to be more education on the realities of breastfeeding and more support for mums to get through the difficult early stages. We have any entire anti breastfeeding culture in this county. Hence how discussions occur about whether woman should be ‘allowed’ to feed in public. We shouldn’t even be having that discussion in the year 2019

@Thoughtlessinengland sorry, no offence meant.

You're right - women should be allowed to choose how they feed and I shouldn't judge those who do it for aesthetic reasons.
I was surprised and didn't think my response through properly.

@Thoughtlessinengland I don’t believe that a woman who is thinking about the shape of her breasts over how to feed her child in the manner that will give him/her the most benefit is putting her baby first.

Unfortunately those women are victims of a society that puts emphasis on women’s breast as sexual objects and devalues their prime purpose which is to nourish children.

I’m in the baby stage of life... I don’t know a single mother who has had to use formula who doesn’t feel terrible about it.

nuckyscarnation I get what you’re saying that it shouldn’t be a reason not to breastfeed but I think that’s a society problem about body image and being expected to bounce back after having a baby. I breastfed and it changed my boobs forever and not in a positive way; I don’t regret it and I will do it again but it’s bloody hard to accept that my body will never be the same again and despite being in my thirties and knowing this logically I still find it hard. When you have a baby you sacrifice so much and sometimes sacrificing even more of your body feels a step too far.

I agree that money would be better spent providing support for mothers trying to bf. There is very little support and an awful lot of misinformation easily found online which I'm sure contributes hugely to low bf-ing rates.

@nuckyscarnation totally agree, it’s a conversation that in 2019 shouldn’t take place, but it does. Lack of support is the issue I think. I think speaking from experience that boobs are seen as a sexual aspect and not to feed baby

YABU to assert a blanket “as mothers we do what’s right for us and our children”. Millions of women have smoked during pregnancy for example, and social services lists contain plenty of mothers who’ve made far worse choices.

Breastfeeding is not in the same league as either but your post is indicative of something that always irritates me on MN: dividing parents (mothers) into two groups - the majority who are doing absolutely everything they can and couldn’t possibly parent any better, and scum who won’t change no matter what you do. It’s a polarising pattern I see over and over again on so many issues (food, school runs, attendance, homework) when in fact most of us are muddling along in the middle and could probably do better in some areas with a bit of encouragement. Bear in mind that bf measurably reduces your risk of breast cancer: it’s one of those things like losing weight or drinking less or exercising more that are easier said than done.

Breastfeeding can be very difficult & many women worry about feeding in public. Perhaps these vouchers could be used to help women, who otherwise may not be able to afford them, to buy especially designed breastfeeding clothes?

I wonder how they intend to police this!? How would you "prove" that your child is breastfed in order to get the vouchers? What if the child is combination fed, or fed only with expressed milk? Needlessly complicated.

@Metempsychosis I haven't split mothers into those two categories - you have.

So this post is meant to start out as "let's not judge its up to the individual to choose" then on jumps judgment.

So what if someone doesn't want to breast feed due to the fear of saggy tits? So what if someone didn't even try? WTF Has is got to do with you?

@Scrumptiousbears RTFT. I apologised for my reaction to that comment. I responded without considering the point properly.