Yes to formula ad?

[Flossam]

Thought I would make it easy for MN to see what the lovely mumsnetters are feeling about this advert. If you don't mind it being there then post here.

when did I say it was wrong to actively encourage breastfeeding?

Good grief.

Anyway, long live Mumsnet. Regardless of that bl**dy ad!!!

Can the person that says "Groundhog Day" please come on here and say it?

don't mind, don't care! I think the assumption that the formula feeding companies are trying to present themselves as a caring community is wildly underestimating womens intelligence. The vast majority of us can think for ourselves and will make our own decisions. We don't need to be protected from advertising.

'vast majority'....fair enough.
What about the others?

"vast majority of us can think for ourselves and will make our own decisions" - yes in normal circumstances. but postnatal exhausted mums learning how to breastfeed their newborns are frequently not living in circumstances normal to themselves and become more susceptible. These are the ones such campaigns are aimed at under the guise of a "helpline".

I dont mind it being here, i had no choice but to bottle feed ds so i dont want to be made to feel guilty over it, hes a health little boy, and for people who do bottle feed why shouldnt they have ads telling them whats avialable. I get so peed off with all the 'breast is best' ad's i know its true but the last thing i want is to be made to geel guilty because my ds was formula fed. i kow several moms who have felt strongly that they didint want to breast feed but have bee guilted into it, its not fair it should be the parents choice.

God im asking for backlash writing that!!!!

I didnt mean there shouldnt be breast feeding promotions, i just think sometimes they use the wrong approach, and can come on a bit strong. eek! im waiting for it!

The "breast is best" ads are from milapu not ant bf association........

sorry

isn't that the point???? Milupa premote breast is best so what is this debate about, it's well known that fact so advertising formula is for those who need that kind of info

Charlee, this isn't about 'bottlefeeding is bad', it's about a company trying to get round the law. Advertising formula milk for babies under six months is illegal and Milupa think they've found a clever way round this by exploiting MN.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with giving your baby a bottle. There is something very wrong about a wealthy, powerful company trying to get round the law in this way so they can encourage women to give up breastfeeing by giving out untruthful information - did you see the post by someone who actually phoned their helpline?

This site is losing people who have given endless support and expert knowledge to women in very difficult circumstances - both with infant feeding and on the special needs board. That's very sad.

charlee, no-one is trying to make anyone feel guilty about whether they did or did not breastfeed, that's NOT what this is about. It's about the fact that advertising formula is illegal and the formula company are getting around that by settiing up a website, a helpline AND advertorial on mumsnet.

nannyjo, there is a reason why they do this and it's not to promote bf but to promote formula. It's underhand and clearly works. Read mears post on this.

I don't mind it - if it's enabling MN to keep running and provide impartial information to mothers then it's a good thing - no?

Should have added - I think more people will take good advice from MN than from an ad.

But that's the point. It is a way for milupa to reach middle class mums and provide biased information.

I bottlefed my children (not able to b/f) but don't agree with the underhand way formula has been advertised. I do not like any large companies who try to flout rules for profit. So, quite aside from the breast is best argument (for which there is no argument) - NO - it should be removed.

But what I'm saying is that mums will take their advice from MN - not from the biased ad.

Baby magazines are full of formula ads but I'm not going to stop buying them because I get useful information from the articles. Surely the same thought process can go into ads on MN? Sometimes it's a necessary evil to keep things going.

I work for an animal charity and we do collections in Harrods, which some may say goes against our ethics, but sadly we need to go where the people and money are.

But if you were just searching the www for a mums site and came across the homepage you could click through the ads without ever signing up to MN, whereas to join and navigate the Talk section for info takes a little more time and effort. This ad looks at first glance as if it is part and parcel of MN.

I see your point - well made

I do think i have my own mind and ad wont make me have decision. Im 1st time mum to 4m old. I always wanted tobreasfeed and i told everybody i will breastfeed my baby untill 1 yrs old. But after had DD, i had terrible time with breastfeeding, DD was crying for hunger and i was refusing to bottlefeed. I was crying and spent ages on the phone to local mw center, hospital, breasfeeding supports. They all encouraged me to keep breastfeeding so i sat there with dd on my chest for 9 hours continious sobbing with pain and tiredness. DD kept crying and crying untill she holds onto my nipples, and they were almost 50 pence size after couple days. I asked the breastfeed support team lady for breast pump ( which doctor recommended cause they were reduced price) but she insisted me to keep breastfeeding without expressing. I sent dh out for breastpump and but there was no milk at all. After 4 days, i gave up for the sake of my DD not for myself, and we bottlefeed her. Ever since she was happy little bundle slept like an angel. After her first bottle,I sat there next to her i cried and cried like i had made biggest mistake in my life, i felt so guilty and it broke my heart. It took me couple weeks to get over, Dh begged me to look forward to be happy with our little daughter, instead of feeling guilty and crying all the time i fed her with bottle. And now i think he was right, why make your life hell like that, these babies grow so quick that those early days are so precious to us. <strong>*</strong>So for me i dont mind the ad being here or there. its peoples choice, for some of them its important. Next time i will still thinking to breastfeed, who knows it may work next time

Diva it's awful that you felt so bad for doing what was best for your baby and for you. There is no excuse for demonising mothers who bottlefeed, which is what I think heated debates like this can unintentionally lead to.

Surely the point here is: is the promotion actually illegal according to the law (moral and ethical objections notwithstanding)? I'm sure MN have a legal adviser who's already worked that one out. If not then it's just a point of discussion - no more. Yes it may seem underhand and sneaky but that is a point of view. Not a point of law. And Points of view is what this site's all about.

good post wordsmith

I think its a shame as I thought formula advertising was illegal so it seems a bit sneaky.