Bottle feeding culture in the UK

[TeenyQueen]

This morning I saw a Facebook photo of my former colleague's newborn baby being bottle fed by her older sister (toddler). I suppose it was a cute photo, but I fundamentally disagree with the idea that anyone should be able to bottle feed a baby. What I mean is not just the baby's parents but all sorts of friends and relatives. Isn't infant feeding part of bonding? When did it become a 'thing' for siblings to feed a newborn?

I have three issues with this. 1. Breastfeeding mums are still being told that breastfeeding in public is undesirable and photos of breastfeeding are censored on social media (but it's ok to have pictures of bottle feeding).

1. We seem to be moving away from this idea that feeding a baby is part of social interaction and bonding between the baby and parent.
2. We're teaching young children that bottle feeding is the normal and usual thing to do and breastfeeding is not.

FYI the baby was in a completely wrong position for feeding anyway and didn't look very comfortable.

Any thoughts?

You never actually showed the leaflet though did you? Just wrote it down... who's to say that is from a leaflet....

And if you look down the thread a few people have mentioned about that 'leaflet' not just me

@grumpyorange But the fact of the matter is, all of those points (give or take your wording) are true based on a huge amount evidence. You can't hide from those facts. The NHS have a responsibility to make parents aware of these facts so that fully informed choices can be made.
I can guarantee you that nowhere in an NHS leaflet it would (falsely) state that "your baby will die in the first year of life if you do not breastfeed." It simply wouldn't be true.

@grumpyorange I agree what they put on the leaflet sounds bad but it's not the same as "your baby will die if you give them formula". Would you rather they lie and say these aren't possibilities?

Oh what rubbish' your baby will die is, nope she's 21 and just taking her finals online, stop scaremongering lead your own life and leave others alone

There is only one message which should be given to new parents - fed is best.

@Port1aCastis There simply would not have been an NHS leaflet that stated that in the first place.

@Parker231 But that's technically not true?

@SpillTheTeaa because in DS 10 months of life I haven't left it pinned up on the fridge. All my notes etc have been packed away. I don't keep it on display and to hand just in case I need to prove what it said on MN.
After I received the leaflet from the HV I did put in a complaint as did a number of other mums under my trust. They then changed the wording and layout of the leaflet which I hope will help those mums who are just starting out.
As you've said your trust is more balanced and doesn't offer lots of support for BF mums. Mine was only focused on BF and nothing else was discussed, every trust seems to be different which is apparent on every thread discussing this topic.

And on the breastfeeding leaflet it doesn't state for example that BF children have higher links to asthma than FF. it doesn't state that BF children tend to be the ones that develop allergies etc. Which are both scientifically proven etc.

There are benefits and drawbacks with every method. What I feel is that both choices should receive the same level of support and attention within the NHS and they should give a balanced view of both.

@Parker231 wouldn't it be better to educate parents about the benefits of breastmilk so that they can make an informed decision?

No - people should be educated (or do it themselves) of the pros and cons of both. We are all able to make the decision as to how to give our DC’s the best start in their lives.

Fed will always be best

@grumpyorange BF babies are more prone to asthma and allergies? That's shocking!

Please can you let me know where you found this? Was it on an old, thrown away leaflet by any chance?

@Parker231 well obviously no child should be undernourished. That's not the argument here

The discussion here has taken a whole new turn. I use the word discussion because we all are entitled to have an opinion, we can disagree but calling someone a btch and telling them to f off is a bit out of order.

If a mum decides to ff and is happy with their decision there's no need to start slagging people off. If a mum tries to bf but is unable to do so for medical or practical reasons there's no reason to jump at people who promote breastfeeding or ask genuine questions about the reasons behind the UK's low bf rates.

Any woman who suffers from PND as a result of, or feels intense guilt around breastfeeding should have professional support. I don't think swearing at a total stranger on a public forum will help treat anyone's mental health problems. We should be able to discuss infant feeding even if it makes some people feel uncomfortable or annoyed.

BF children have higher links to asthma than FF. it doesn't state that BF children tend to be the ones that develop allergies etc. Which are both scientifically proven

Source please?

Depends where you find your "research"...

www.nhs.uk/news/pregnancy-and-child/breastfeeding-cuts-childhood-asthma-risk/

www.nhs.uk/news/pregnancy-and-child/breastfeeding-cuts-childhood-asthma-risk/

Apologies - meant to post this one:

www.llli.org/breastfeeding-info/allergies/

You come across as extremely judgemental and entitled, OP.
There is no such thing as "bottle culture" anywhere, as if it would have depended on my HV I'd still be thinking that I'd ruined my child's life for not being able to breastfeed her.

It's not so hard to understand: FED IS BEST

My ff DC’s don’t suffer from allergies, hay fever or asthma but their bf cousin does. They are always exceptions and wasn’t part of my decision to ff.

@Parker231 Possible confounding variables such as family history of allergies within family of bf cousin?

If you look up studies most cite that especially if the mother has asthma herself there was an increased risk of developing asthma if exclusively BF.
For those mothers who didn't have asthma the results showed that BF had no impact on protection when compared to FF babies and slightly more developed asthma but they were unsure if this was just the sample group they had selected

My nephew is the only one with allergies out of the cousins and no one else in family has any.

@grumpyorange in the study @RainMinusBow posted they studied 250000 babies over 30 years and found the asthma risk was lower in those that were breastfed. I'd say that's pretty conclusive that it doesn't cause asthma in most cases.