Ed Milliband and breastfeeding

[rebmadrid]

I know its a matter of personal choice etc but should Ed Milliband really be going on the news from a Dudley Tesco publicising the fact that his new baby takes formula rather than breastmilk? Shouldn't he now be doing valuable work promoting 'breast is best'?

Should he lie? Would that make you happier?
How his partner chooses to feed their baby is none of your business

smoe folk get indignant about fuck all

scottish mummy I'm not saying she did struggle. I'm saying if.

Point being that just because formula was maybe bought, doesn't mean the OP is right to assume there is no BFing going on as well, in which case the thread is misguided.

Not helpful to anyone either way.

they have a new baby feed it,love it,cuddle it

I know he is a bit chubby and assume that if viewed naked would have some decent man boobs but not sure he could breastfeed.

He's a tosser!
No more or less a tosser due to how his partner feeds their baby but a tosser nonetheless!

awww he isn't chubby

it's puppy fat

He's a puppy?

That may explain the lack of policies...

I saw it on the 10 o'clock news.

He was in a supermarket.

He pointed to a a display of formula, and said' Ah, Aptamil 0-3 mths....that's what we use.' Camera follows with close up of display (that's done afterwards and edited in - I think that's how it works). Someone says, 'ah you're an expert now, ha ha.'

He and his partner can feed their baby what they like - no one else's business.

However, he should know better than to name a brand in this way, and the TV should know better than to emphasise it.

And if he brings his personal life and his family's feeding choices into his public world - he was working at the time, the Tesco visit was work - then of course he should expect comments on it.

Yes, tethersend, I thought just the same as you and so I had to start it...

have just posted on the other thread about this.
He can feed his child how he likes, but actually i think the clip was promoting or at least normalising formula and therefore should not have been shown.

My betting is that while walking round Tescos he mentioned several "brands" while chatting to the staff and it wasn't his decision to leave that part of the filming in.

I think perhaps if there isn't any finger to point it would be at the BBC/editor of the news......not ED.

i hate these sort of threads. all of a sudden it seems like BF is just anotehr stick to beat politicians with, first DC now EM. it's none of anyobody's business except his partners and his.

"normalising formula"? So formula isn't normal?

in terms of infant nutrition formula isn't normal. breastfeeding is normal and formula is the closest alternative.

as long as you feed your baby who cares if it Formula or not.

Maybe they mix feed. Maybe his DP hates BF-ing. Maybe she can't. Maybe they have a box of Aptamil in reserve for emergencies. Maybe he was just making conversation.

People are making far too much of this. It's madness.

Well it does sound like a politician endorsing it to me - whether intentional or as the result of editing, someone made the decision somewhere along the line.

This got me really hopping mad after seeing it on the News at Six. I couldn't care less what Ed and his wife feed their baby. For all I know she desperately wanted to BF and couldn't....what I do object to is the BBC showing the clip and then showing a close up of the cartons . Aptimil must be rubbing their hands in glee at all that free advertising they've got...especially as by law it's illegal to promote first formula. Shame on you BBC

I bet some ignorant sod at the BBC was told to take a tiny chunk out of the video of his Tesco visit to insert in the rest of the story.

He/she (I'm guessing a he ) probably thought - oo baby stuff, that'll appeal to the public and show him in a good light as being involved with his new baby "cut, paste" job done

I'm not bothered about whether Ed Miliband's baby is bf or ff, I'm more bothered about the BBC naming in a couple of seconds both the supermarket and then by way of a clip the brand of formula. Totally against editorial guidelines. Naughty Nick Robinson, shouldn't have been allowed to get that past the producer!

What granted said (but I am still EBF my 2.9 year old ...)

Who knows what's behind it eh?

Just watched it again... on second look it's really naughty actually. It's a big no no in the editorial guidelines to mention unnecessarily (in this case) any brand names and the edited close up of the box of formula is totally wrong (wouldn't matter if it was formula or tins of beans, it's still wrong) As a BBC News picture editor that wouldnt' have got past me I'm afraid.

I agree with HF. I thought it was naughty that a particular product was mentioned i.e Aptamil. If he had walked past a bottle of Echo Falls and said "ooh Echo Falls thats our Friday night tipple" that would have been no more or less annoying.

The whole normalising bf argument is a little boring. Its really up to them how they feed their child. You have to remember he is a man and the whole bf v ff issue probably never even occured to him.

Actually, I'm going to go out on a limb here.

Both DC and EM engaged in publicity opportunities with their newborns. They are using those babies to promote themselves.

Therefore matters such as how these babies are fed are of public interest, since both politicians have commented on it.

Neither of these opportunities were spontaneous, they were no doubt discussed endlessly with the Tory/Labour press committees, about how DC and EM could come across as nurturing yet authoritative men.

It was up to both of them to refuse to discuss any aspect of their babies' care and feeding regimes. They did, therefore we can discuss their (partners') decusion.

That I heard EM saying "breast is best" indicates that neither of them, nor their advisors have a clue. Breast is not best. Breast is normal whether you like it or not. It would be nice if they acknowledged this, rather than perpetuate the silly belief that bf and ff are somehow equivalent "choices".

Wouldn't it be great if either partner spoke up and said that she'd wanted to bf but couldn't, and been frank and open about that?