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?

Such triggered women on here

all BF babies are supposed to have extra vitamin D drops added as breast milk does not contain enough

There’s no way to know if “breast milk doesn’t contain enough” without testing every bf mum and baby individually.

It’s cheaper, easier and less invasive to mass supplement. Much like our diets need supplementing with fluoride in water and fortification of bread.

It’s not that breast milk is always lacking, but that supplementing everyone catches those that are...

@grumpyorange Breastmilk very likely to pass on antibodies if mother has had Covid-19. Formula simply can't offer this protection. But I can supplement bm with Vit D very easily.

@Nicknamegoeshere as you said further down there is no know benefits for BM and covid. You said it yourself so pipe down. If you want to BF then do so. If someone wants to FF then they can do so.

No one is any better than the other and those who think they are need to get a bloody grip

@grumpyorange but one is better than the other, just because you refuse to believe it does not make it any less true.

@sqirrelfriends you really are obtuse!

Whenever anyone has posted their reasons for not trying to breastfeed you've said well yes that's understandable etc therefore those women are doing what is best for their families and babies.

Best is not a simple answer it is dependent on all sorts of variables. You yourself have agreed this so why keep arguing?

Get a grip and settle down

@grumpyorange You are again misinterpreting what I have said. Please read my earlier posts carefully.

Nowhere have I said women should not choose. But breastmilk remains superior to formula.

Did anybody find that NHS leaflet?

@Nicknamegoeshere the leaflet stating that FF babies will probably die? Doubtful... imagine if such a thing existed? The Daily Fail would have a field day.

@Nicknamegoeshere so if a women was at high risk for PND so decided not to try BF because she was worried that she would become a suicide risk would she not be doing what is best for her baby?

@squirrelfriends

Well what else do you call it when it lacks a vitamin that you have to give the baby via supplement?

@grumpyorange In that case she would be deciding that, given the family circumstances, the overall best thing for her baby is to feed them the second-best nutrition.

@grumpyorange I will defend breastfeeding and it's benefits as long as people are still arguing that formula is just as good, Mums who use formula aren't the only ones who feel judged you know...

@Leah00 so in that situation formula would be best.

@grumpyorange Bf'ing mums can equally "become a suicide risk". What we need in many circumstances is more bf'ing support. It was very sadly lacking for both of my boys and bf'ing was initially a huge struggle. I had a lot of issues and bleeding which was very difficult.

Some posters repeatedly refuse to accept that other posters are well educated, loving parents with their DC’s health their main concern and capable of making an excellent decision as to how to feed their DC’s but is different from theirs.

Breast milk IS superior to formula, but by how much?

Just stating it is superior then sitting back smugly does not give an accurate picture of how breastmilk is better than formula.

There is not a single condition that breastmilk is a guarantee of protection against. Not one. It's all '20% more likely to protect against this' and 'contains antibodies' but nobody can say how great the effect is on the immune system.

And a lot of the 'benefits' of breastmilk cannot be separated from other outside factors.

@Nicknamegoeshere so if a women was at high risk for PND so decided not to try BF because she was worried that she would become a suicide risk would she not be doing what is best for her baby?*

She would be doing what's best for her family, which in that specific situation would also be best for the baby. Not the best nutrition, but formula is adequate and better than a suicidal mother.

@Nicknamegoeshere I haven't said they can't?

What I have said is if they made the decision not to breastfeed as they were likely to suffer from PND then they have made the BEST decision for their family and baby.

@sqirrelfriends so in FF can be best for baby in some cases.

The point is that it's still the second-best nutrition compared to breast milk. If you choose to use formula because of specific circumstances you don't then have to go around ignoring or discrediting all the facts that show breast milk is superior nutrition. Just own your decision that you decided, in your circumstances, to go with the second-best nutrition, because the risks associated with formula were outweighed by other considerations.

There needs to be more support for new parents - bf and ff.

@Parker231 Just the same as other posters repeatedly refuse to accept that breastmilk is superior to formula. Your baby, your choice absolutely but that doesn't make formula better than breastmilk.

@Leah00 but why should Mums who FF for whatever reason get told they are doing what is second best.

It is not second best to keep yourself alive for your baby

Stop making parents feel that they are second rate for their feeding decisions.

@grumpyorange that's extremely presumptive! Breastfeeding=Suicide...
How many women actually develop PND and how many of those women go on to commit suicide? PND is obviously a serious issue, but if a woman is so seriously unwell immediately after birth that she's at risk of suicide she needs to be in a mental health facility, not shopping for formula and bottles.

The biggest risk factors for PND are previous mental health problems and bereavement, if either was the case with a pregnant woman her antenatal team would obviously discuss this with the woman and make a plan. Successful breastfeeding reduces the risk of PND. The issue here is that initiating breastfeeding is a reversible decision, you can try it and quickly move to ff if it doesn't work. If you start with FF
it's very difficult to attempt breastfeeding after that. You and a lot of others assume that bf is hard and difficult when most women are able to bf successfully.