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The highest rates of breastfeeding are often from some of the poorest countries in the world (Bangladesh, Nepal, Rwanda) yet in here in Australia and in the US there are so many women who struggle even with access to breastfeeding education, LCs and like. Surely our easy access to formula has something to do with that?
[QUOTE=BellyBelly;2421712]
Renee: i agreed that it is best to breastfeed, i was a breastfeeder. i'm just saying that it isn't something that should be allowed to be a law. aren't we at the moment, arguing the right to not have vaccinations be mandatory as it goes against freedom of choice? we can't just say it should be a law if we agree with it, you have to look at it from all sides.
about an hour ago · Like ·
Funnily enough, the stats on BB alone suggest over 30 % here think that vac'ing should be mandatory, but so far everyone has said the *right* to b/f / not BF is personal choice... I guess the right to personal choice is only a good thing when you agree with it yourself... ;)
What a stupid statement. She could of bought some really good light and focus on the importance of B/F and the need for MUCH more support... shame really.
Yes, i have noticed more advertising from formula companies recently :( They do it by advertsing the toddler milk which is packaged in an almost identical way to the baby milks... same colours on the tin etc. Makes me so cross. I don't judge any woman for using artificial baby milk... I have had to use it on occassion... but why advertise it? In an ideal world 'formula' should be quality controlled so that it's all the same just like any other artifical body fluid replacement. Do they advertise insulin for diabetics? No, of course not... Do they advertise thyroxin (an artificial thyroid hormone replacement for people who have had their thyroid gland removed)... no they don't! So why artificial milk?
FWIW, I do think her heart is in the right place and her intentions are good, but I think she should have taken the foot out of her mouth and switched her brain on before she spoke is all. If this is something she passionately believes in, then putting a little more thought into what she was saying would have made this gone down a lot better than it has. I'd like to see her put her money where her mouth is and lobby her Govt for more support for women so that they are more likely to BF for longer.
In my classes, it was touched upon (side note - I was the only one in the class of 14 or so that held the baby doll in the right position :redface:) but as you said, not in much detail. The hospital had a BFing class as well, but that would have started in March so I obviously couldn't go.:
Before reading this thread, I was among those thinking formula should be prescription - even just one you can get easily - but after reading the idea of it just being sold in chemists, that seems better. Just adding an extra step to the process *might* be all it takes for some women to give BFing a shot, but those with genuine problems would still have easy access.
Giselle's way is a little too heavy handed, I think we all agree on that ;)
Now, I know it's for the babies best interests, but there is no way you could MAKE people do it.:
My son was born with a cleft palate and couldn't attach to the breast for feeding. I tried a nipple shield and my son had a mouth plate made up (on his first day of life) - all to hellp us *try* to breastfeed. It didn't work... Nothing I could do would make him feed from me, so I expressed as much as I could (hourly/two hourly some days - even through the night) and I still could only do 3 months (supplementing with formula for a few weeks either side).
I know of two friends who absolutely couldn't breastfeed. They just had no milk... nothing, nada...
Both of these circumstances could not have been improved by legislating mandatory breastfeeding. And trust me, if I could have accessed donor milk, I would have. But it wasn't available in my area.
My son has been on formula nearly all of his life (barring about 8 weeks where I managed to get enough expressed milk) and has had far less health concerns than most other children his age (that I know). But then again, he doesn't go to childcare and they do... so maybe his health has got more to do with that than the breastfeeding and formula? But then, I'm just opening up another can of worms, aren't I? ;)
I think directing more funding into support and milk banks is a good idea. Mandating breastfeeding for all is not. As Arimeh said - what a way to make someone feel, hey?
Again - I could not produce enough milk for my son. Women like me *do* exist. I saw two lactation consultants in hospital, I spent every moment that I wasn't breastfeeding on the pump, I took the maximum dose of motilium, I had the constant support of a wonderful LC, I took my son to have his very mild tongue tie corrected. I weighed him constantly, and he was not regaining his birth weight. I did everything that I could, and managed to exclusively BF him for 12 weeks. That was the absolute best I could do. There just was not enough milk. If I'm lucky enough to get pg again, I have every hope that perhaps next time around I will be able to BF, but in all honesty I think that my reproductive hormones aren't the best, and as I had trouble conceiving I also have had trouble BF. I will give it every shot again and do hope that it might work a second time. But I gave it everything I had the first time around. It wasn't for lack of trying that it didn't work out. I think that women like me are more common than the '99% of women can BF if they have enough support/try hard enough' line of thinking suggests.:
I would actually love to know stats of women who "couldn't" breastfeed their first, who went on to long term breastfeed subsequent children. You see it all the time right here on BB women that have surrounded themselves with support and information and successfully breastfed next time around. So it mustn't have been that their body "couldn't" produce milk. Yes, I know there will always be cases that truly can't breastfeed for a variety of reasons, but I really do think a lot can be said for those that go on to breastfeed later children and how it really was the 'system' that failed them first time around.
Are you kidding me??
This debate makes my blood boil so i will try and stay calm as possible.
Ok im all for breastfeeding BUT i only did it for a maximum of 8 weeks with both kids i think..
DS was hungry ALL the time, i was feeding him non stop and it was a 'pro breastfeeding' midwife that actually suggested i should try formula.
I was going insane, i felt like a cow as i always had my boobs out, i was hardly sleeping or eating because i was too stressed.. in the end i ended up with PND and i started drying up.
Formula saved mine and DS's life. If it had of been 'illegal' for me to FF, i would have ended both of our lives. no joke.
DS and DD have been brought up on Formula since roughly 2 months of age and there is not 1 thing wrong with them.
As for taking formula out of supermarkets and only putting it in chemists, ive never heard of anything more rediculous in my life!
Wow are we going back to the dark ages and taking womens rights away??
so to answer your question Should there be a law making BF compulsory for the first 6 mths of a childs life
No, i dont think there should be.
I agree it should be AT VERY LEAST 6 MONTHS.
Formula should only be given if the mother is unable to breastfeed. Whether is be for emotional or physical etc reasons. I dont believe it is a 'choice' when you have a baby to bf or ff. Im sorry just my opinion.
If future parents were educated on all the aspects of ff vs bf, I can saftly safe parents would bf if they were emotionally and physically able.
It is not all the same and its not 'as long as the baby is fed'.
Formula is there for a reason, lets not abuse that reason.
This!:
I am concerned that breastfeeding and the effort to continue is linked to PND. Surely this is an example of lack of support.
Yes I spent the first 12 weeks with my boobs out, dripping milk, often crying and feeling crap. I did no housework, I stayed home a lot, I lamented my lost 'life'. But this is motherhood in the western world isn't it? Isolated, alone, feeling inadequate, unable to care for the baby.
Its called lack of support and that's why forumla is more available. Its easier than supporting mothers, than creating a milk bank, than rallying and possibly feeding someone elses baby so the mum can get a break.
Many women CAN'T breastfeed in our society, but making it compulsory ain't gonna change a thing.
Its total revolution people. That's what we need!
Gisselle honey lets pray that you can successfully BF any other children you birth, either naturally or via c/s.
We wouldnt want you eating your own words now would we love.
I really agree with this, Bath. Formula is sold as a breast milk supplement. It is carefully labelled to suggest that you should see your doctor before starting you baby on it. And then, you can just buy it from your local corner shop. I think the restrictions on advertising and point of sale need to be tightened.:
Most medications are safe to take when breastfeeding, even when the manufacturer says they are not. The WHO publishes a document that summarises many of the most commonly used drugs and their safety during breastfeeding.:
Well, it seems to be the de rigeur way to treat those who choose, for instance, not to vaccinate, in our society.:
Not to sidetrack the conversation into the topic of vaccination, but just as a thought experiment - a very similar conversation is going on in a thread about vaccination, but the opinions seem slanted in the opposite direction - surveys that find that the majority of people surveyed think that childhood vaccinations should be made compulsory.
In all seriousness, I think that formula should be made prescription only. Formula is not a normal food for babies. It is a milk substitute. When not prepared properly, it can be dangerous, even lethal, to babies. Watered down too much, it can cause electrolyte imbalances. Made too concentrated, it can cause osmotic diarrhoea and rapid dehydration. Made with contaminated water, it is a massive killer in the third world, and a significant cause of gastroenteritis in young babies in the first world.
Should you feel inadequate for giving your baby formula? I guess that depends on why you are doing it. Do you have valid, medical reasons not to breastfeed? Then you should feel no more inadequate than a mother in a wheelchair should feel inadequate for not being able to walk with her child, or a mother with pre-eclampsia should feel guilty for not having a natural birth. Your decision to formula feed is reasonable and understandable. Let go of your guilt. We are not judging you. But don't pretend that formula is "as good as" breast milk, because it is not. And yet, we let it be marketed as if it is.
Hmmm. Some great, thought provoking responses!
what do i think? i think this country has a serious lack of resources and support for women to BF. Rather than guilting woman and making it comulsory, or formula by prescription only, how about better hospital support, compulsory visits from nurses of LC to womens home after birth, more widespread BF classes pre and post natal??
Whoa this whole topic is a headspin.
Ok in regards to limiting the availability of formula, I really can't understand how that's fair. Can you think of anything worse than running out of formula for your baby and having to trek across the city to access it? What about if you run out in the middle of the night and it's only available from stores that are open office hours? It's all well and good to say that as a theory but the practical implications for women who were forced to or chose to formula feed are enormous, and I do not think it's fair to inflict that upon them. I agree with the comment that parents would resort to more readily available milks that aren't suitable for babies at all.
Also, how exactly can women not have the right to feed their babies how they wish?! Are we going to start legislating how women can birth? How they can soothe their babies? Where their babies should sleep?! I can't fathom the absurdity. Shall we ban the sale of cots and basinettes and force all women to co-sleep whether they want to or not either? Ridiculous.
In regards to vaccination, the arguement is that if your child is not vaccinated they can pass the disease onto other children. Whether a child is breastfed or not only affects them.
It really seems like the mothers who formula feed are on one side of the fence and the mothers who breastfed are on the other. Well I've been on both sides of that fence, I'm struggling to breastfeed after successfully breastfeeding my first born into toddlerhood. And from my personal experience, having to prepare bottles and always be sure of having enough formula is incredibly stressful. I've been caught out having left DD2s bottles at home when I've been out running errands and having to buy a new bottle and a tetra pack. Imagine if formula was only on script! She would've had to starve until I got home (which takes HOURS on public transport btw). So really, lets be practical here. There are better ways to encourage women to breastfeed.
Also, as far as "the majority of women can physically produce milk" there's a bit more to it than that. It's also up to the baby to be able and willing to latch. Obviously babies have the natural instinct to do so but if a baby has a clef lip or palate this can prevent breastfeeding, or if a baby has a high palate as mine does. What about women who return to work but are not able to successfully express? It's very, very easy to see breastfeeding as black and white when you're able to do it, when you're on the other side of the fence dealing with (possibly) your own feelings of guilt and (definately) the judgement of other people who've never been in your situation, you can see it is far more complex than it appears.
I love the fact some of you have brought up great ideas about LC going to new mummas homes etc and more support for the mother and more education, makes a lot of sense:)
Problem is, who will pay fr all that, certainly NOT the government as they make wayyyyyyy to much money from mothers buying formula:(
Just wish they cared about Australia's future adults (the babies we feed today), to offer all those wonderful ideas:(
I said its not a 'choice'. I think I also said, educating the parents on ff vs bf, and I mean REALLY show the hardcore facts! I can almost say 100% of those body and mind, able, would bf.:
I would just like to point out that there is a subtle difference between CHOOSING to vaccinate your child or not and being FORCED to use formula due to illness and requiring unsafe medications or just not being able to produce milk. For me it was never a CHOICE. Formula was it because the option to breastfeed, for us, simply did not exist.
I have much to say on the "most medications are safe to take while breastfeeding" line. But I shall leave it out.
BW
another side to this story are the mothers that simply don't want to breastfeed, for whatever personal reason. this doesn't mean they are bad mothers.
i'm probably going to go off in a bit of a tangent, but i do have a point.
i think it's really disgraceful, how we, as mothers are so quick to condemn other mums, why do we have to be so opinionated on every one else's choices? does it make us feel better about our choices?
for example. the whole homebirthing debate, where a lot of the paraphenalia is ends with 'i'm just educated',. well guess what ladies, i have 2 degrees, so i'm educated, but i birthed in a hospital. i'm so friggin over the judgement.
good on the ladies that are so pro-breastfeeding, but how does somone else formula feeding affect you and your child?? IT DOESN'T, so why bother making some women feel like crap for decisions that they made?
i think instead of being so judgemental, women need to band together to instead fight for the rights of a mother to parent how she sees fit for herself and her children, support a woman in the choices that she wants to make. what happened to sisters-in -arms?
What a joke.
My son would be dead if I was forced to breastfeed him for six months. My body went into shock after a long labour & subsequent c/section & failed to produce any milk. There are no milk banks in my area & at that stage there was noone around me that had children so there was literally no option for me but to use formula.
I can understand her thinking that if it was law then more mothers would breastfeed & that's a good thing. She does however forget that there are circumstances in which breastfeeding is not going to happen. What about adopted children? Women how cannot breastfeed physically? Women who mentally cannot breastfeed due to whatever reasons holding them back? What about babies with illnesses that cause it to be difficult? Are you going to force the mothers into expressing several times a day for six months?
Like I said. A joke.
Of course the Govt should pay because it is a health service that is being provided. The Govt funds dietitians to help adults learn how to better feed themselves and their children, and this is an extension of that isn't it? LC's teach and help mums how to feed their babies better.:
My 2 cents-
No i dont think it should be made compulsory. i do however think that there should be more support pre and post nataly.
i had no pre natal support in regards to breast feeding, once baby was born every single midwife that came in my room or home had a different way of doing things, i ended up very very confused! i am in NO way blmaing the midwives nor am i saying they should spend more time teaching women how to breast feed, thats not their job but there should definitly be more LC's available to women.
On to the other arguement- yes breast is best, we all know this, but atm there is only 2 choices. Breast milk or formula, if u could go down to the shops and buy a bottle of breast milk im sure we'd see the number of FF babies drop. but this isnt an option sadly.
FF mothers have made their desicion to do so based on the knowledge they have and noone can slam another mother for making a desicion that she thinks is what is going to benifit her baby the most.
Kass u said its not a matter of 'so long as the baby is fed?' so what happens to mums who make insificiant milk or none, or who have lazy suckers ect, do we just let their babies starve to death?
This is an arguement that will never be settled, so we need to support one anothers choices, even if we dont agree with it. We as mothers are told all to often that we're doing the wrong thing, even if in our own minds we know that we are, and im not just talking about feeding im talking about the whole parenting journey. there needs to be less you're doing it wrong and more you're doing a wonderfull job
No because I also said physically and emotionally able:) xx Im talking about the people who I have come across trying to justify themselves to me about their ff vs my bf. When Im just sitting their feeding.:
Or sil trying to down play bm goodness;)
Wow i am in two minds on this:
1. good on her for standing up and making a point about BFing
2. Where have a persons rights to choose gone, should our governments and 'rich list' get to control EVERYTHING?
BFing is best, we know this, instead of making it LAW how bout offering people the correct support to try and establish breastfeeding, not putting added pressure on them to get it happening.
There are people that can (for some reasons) just NOT BF, it's not their faults, they don't particularly choose not too so why should they be punished?
And you know what even if someone CHOOSES not to BF that is their CHOICE, we are supposed to be a free society, why not aim these efforts at things that REALLY harm society, lets ban production of cigarettes (both for an adults health and those of unborn babies and children who are 'passive smoking').
Well done to her for speaking up about BFing but i think the idea itself is rubbish.. how on earth would you police it anyway?
I did giggle, thinking, along with you calling about hoons to the police there will be people dobbing in ff mums :lol: little dumb....:
Hmmmmm....This could open a can of worms!!
Its a nice thought. But in an ideal world breastfeeding would be a complete breeze for all Mum's. But thats just not the reality of it.
I think if they were going to bring in a law such as this they would need to back it up with intensive breatfeeding support/lactation consultants in ALL hospitals.
Because the issues isnt that Women don't want to Breastfeed, its that there are challenges which come with breastfeeding and not enough support to counteract the challenges.
So personally I don't think this is the answer.
Just another pressure on new Mum's and Bubs!
I think education and support are the keys to encouraging breastfeeding. I have breastfed all of mine for extended periods (10mths, 16mths and 11mths). My milk has never come in until 5 or 6 days past the birth. I was llucky to have supportive midwives the first time that kept me in hospital until my milk came in and breastfeeding was established. If not for that I probably wouldn't have ended up breastfeeding any of them.
Having said that I CHOSE to breastfeed. If someone is fully educated and has the support available and still CHOOSES not to breastfeed - well that is their decision. They are and should be free to do as they wish, not what someone else wants them to do.
It does make me sad when I see some mums not have that education and support make the formula feeding decision, but I can understand it, and I will NOT judge them. They are the only ones who can make that decision.
furthermore, breastfeeding is ALOT of work and takes up massive amounts of time. To tell someone they 'have' to do it won't work - they will just end up resenting the situation and possibly their baby. And it is not as easy as saying that people can express. I have breastfed easily but after about 3mths I am unable to get anything out with my expressing pump. Don't know why. I atill have good supply (hell I still have suplly even mths after giving up breastfeeding), but I am unable to get that milk out without baby actually suckling.
Im sorry I havent read the whole thread... only the first few lines of the article and I just have to say that woman can go **** off! Dont think for one minute I didnt try my heart out to breastfeed both my girls and the guilt associated with it for "failing". I had plentiful supply and poor attatches and for dd2 ongoing expressing was just not working for my mental health because I would have been on the couch all day milking, feeding, then cleaning machines and dd1 would have lost it. I chose the best option for my children after a good hard go at it, albeit only a few short weeks. If they limited formula it would be totally unfair. Not everyone can successfully breast feed and I respect that. She should just keep her opinions to herself.
Sorry if I have covered stuff alsready, but just the start of this thread has infuriated me and I cant bring myself to read it all just yet.
most of the women here agree with you darl, unfortunately, some celebs think being well known makes them a professional. funny she's only been a mother for about a month but anyway...:
See, now this us why I like the debates sometimes (even when I'm a wuss about it :lol:) - I didn't even think of "what if I have to buy it in the middle of the night" when I agreed with selling it only at chemists (even though I personally know of more 24 hour chemists than 24 hour supermarkets)!
Right, being a terrible fence-sitter now and saying there should be more focus on education/support for BOTH sides of the argument ;)
A perfect world we all would BF until 2. But it's not. And not everyone that can BF does for that long anyway.
My DS was BF constantly for the first 2 weeks of life and I was not coping. After having breast is best shoved down my throat everywhere I turned and being told (by health professionals and otherwise) that FF was failing, it took a midwife threatening me to put DS on formula as he was losing weight. I developed anxiety attacks that need to be medicated. The first time I made him a bottle it took hours! I sobbed and sobbed making this little bottle of 'devil juice' as everyone had made it out to me to be the worst thing for DS. That ended with a trip to the hospital with me on meds to prevent 'silly attacks' as the nurse said.
With my DDs I read EVERYTHING. I bought pumps and feeding pillows and BF friendly clothes, there would be no excuses this time, triplets can be BF!
But pre eclampsia, a c section under GA, not seeing my daughters until they were over a day old, and being so heavily drugged up that we couldnt attempt expressing until they were confident I was ok after blood transfusions etc meant I went two days post birth without attempting it. I went home after day 5 with only getting to feed DDs twice and for short bursts as they still had their NG tubes. Sienna was in there 21 days then she came home, Bella and Ruby came home 4 days later. The 4 days I had with DD1 were great I BF most of the time and pumped often in the hope of BFing DDs 2 and 3. They came home and after day 1 all together, the formula came out. Bear in mind I had a very active little 18 month old boy and as a single parent the 2 hours they needed to feed, with only an hour break before they fed again, meant poor Aiden was often ignored, his meals were fit around his sisters and the dog was his new best friend. I was a mess. But I still BF one baby a day until 5 months.I FF the other 2 and I rotated who it was so not to favour them. When the girls started to refuse the breast I cried and DF offered to take BFing pics for me but by then they were done.
Massive rant I guess and all over the place, but by this arguement, I have now failed 4 children, denied them what is best for them and have now stunted them for life. I challenge anyone who is whole heartedly supporting this 'idea' to come see my poor kids and tell me my choices were wrong. I have wonderful smart beautiful children. MY DDs are prems but you wouldnt know it. At 8 months they are crawling, pulling themselves up on furniture and playing with their big brother, who by the way despite having a learning difficulty is a wonderful healthy kid.
Im going to be honest and hope no one takes offence.
I think her heart is in the right place. In the end, we all know breast is best but not always suitable. I think alot of the breastfeeding issues stem from inadequate mother support and education. Breastfeeding is hard. It requires being completely selfless and as a pp stated giving up alot of time and effort for a good long period of time. I dont think alot of new mothers realise this. In the end if you know all the facts on bf vs ff and still choose to ff then more power to you.
I think alot of the time the reason why mothers arent breastfeeding is skewed. Ive been one of those mothers, before anyone jumps all over me that Im picking on ff mothers; both my first and second babies were on formula from a young age (under 4mths). Thinking back, at those times I had a list of reasons why I ff instead of continuing with the breastfeeding; my eldest has a bad latch, he wasnt interested, my second he was a too frequent feeder, I must have been starving him not to mention the latching issues (which may actually have been truth in hindsight to his speech issues today). If Im honest with myself right now and at the experienced end of having fed baby #3 for 11mths and would still be feeding if it werent for uni study; majority of those "reasons" werent really reasons at all, they just made me feel better. In the end I can see now that Ds1 was a normal baby and no different to what Ds3 was like in the early days. Same goes for Ds2 and his frequent feeding. I had no breastfeeding support for the first two; no one to push me in the right direction of the ABA or a LC. No one who had actually breastfed their own children and could give me experienced personal advice. It was completely on me that breastfeeding wasnt successful. I have alot of regret about how clueless and maybe a teeny bit selfish I was. Cant change it all now, and Ds1 and Ds2 are happy healthy little boys so no harm done, but to know that it didnt have to be that way is a bit saddening.
Ive met so many mothers recently who have all manner of reasons why they dont breastfeed. It horrifies me to know that there are health professionals out there giving out ridiculously outdated or completely incorrect advice. That alot of mothers dont even know who the ABA are or that there are LC's who can help. That the first 6wks are the hardest and you really cant make a call on whether its working for you until that time has passed because alot changes once hormones and supply settles down. That society has made it so that the current lifestyle of most of the world doesnt support things like breastfeeding (or even extended breastfeeding).
We're being let down as women by any number of people. I can understand Gisele's passion esp because its connected to her son and we all know how passionate people get about their kids. I just think making breastfeeding compulsory isnt the way to go but something definately needs to be done to facilitate better breastfeeding rates and mother education.
Ok Im done you can all start throwing rotten fruit at me now :o
I am pro b/f. I b/f both my boys exclusively for 6 mths and then for another 3/4 months until my supply dropped to virtually nil. I feel very honoured to have been able to b/f for as long as I did, and I am proud of myself for doing this as I had some HUGE challenges at the start, where I believe many others would have given up. But that was my choice to make.
That being said, would I ever judge a mother for FF her child? NEVER! How could I judge another mothers decisions? I have not walked in her shoes, I do not know the reasons she has chosen/been forced to use FF.
In my mind, as long as the mother and child is happy and healthy, that is ALL that matters. Nothing else!
In an ideal world all women would be successful at breastfeeding their babies but unfortunately lack of education, lack of help and mis informatin is failing babies to be given the right to breast milk.
I would never judge a mum for whatever she does with her baby and I dont think Gisele is either...do you think more people are up in arms with her comments cause she is beautiful in some peoples eyes, cause she is a celebrity and because BF came naturally to her? Would it be different if it was a average housewife saying this? I dont think we need to be name calling her she is trying to set an example and I think she has gone about the wrong way but at least it has people talking about feeding?
BF has been very easy for me...we ll I have had my hard times...cracked nipples the pain when they first latch with toe curling and screaming..the refusal...but I chose to bit my lip and get on with it as I was not going to give up it my was choice...but where are the babies choices? You talk of human rights and peoples choice...arent babies humans? Im not bashing FF I just chose not to use it ever and will use donor milk if I ever had to...but thats not here nor their they are my choices and we all ahve to make them :)
I dont thihnk it should be law thats just silly but sometimes I think we forget babies are little people who dont get a say and I wonder what their choice would be?
We all try our very best...well you hope we all do and we have to make tough descions every once and a while..and the only person who can make you feel guilt or saddness is yourself...so be proud mumas who BF...be proud mummas who FF...lets just be proud woman are starting to speak up and get stuff noticed!!!!!
I think they would be happy to have a full belly and be content, no matter whether it was from breastmilk or formula. So as long as that would be fulfilled, I dont think they would have a stronger choice than that.:
Congratulations NeeNee!
What a brilliant post!! I was fuming about this thread last night that I struggled to get to sleep. Everything you said is what was running through my head. Let's reiterate
- so most women can physically breastfeed (ie there is milk in there) but it is far from black and white, like many of you think so. I was one of those mums. I thought we were doing so well breastfeeding until DD has her first MCHN checkup at 3 weeks and she had only gain 50gms. I was STARVING my child. To cut a long story short, we went to HELL and back until she was 12 weeks old. She was a lazy sucker and a very sleepy baby, I was expressing around the clock (to the point where seeing a breast pump made me feel physically ill), we both got thrush TWICE (very painful for those who haven't experienced it) and I was also diagnosed with vasospasm in the nipples (OMG, ouch with a capital O!!!) by my lactation consultant at around 10 weeks. I was on Motillium for my supply (highest dose) as it had dwindled due to DD lazy sucking, I saw the doctor so many times for thrush treatment and the vasospasm (before it was diagnosed), I was expressing around the clock and living in constant agonising pain in my nipples EVEN WHEN I WASN'T BREASTFEEDING. All this and trying to deal with a newborn AND, god forbid, avoid PND which was highly likely given the circumstances and the fact I had suffered depression before. Now, please tell me how many of you would have honestly continued breastfeeding if you were in my position??? Don't knock formula until you have really done the hard yards which clearly many of you have not.
- I have done both. After our horrendous start to breastfeeding, I continued to BF DD and still do today, just her morning feed now though (yes, you heard right, we are still going!). I decided somewhere around the 14 week mark though to return the double breast pump and start supplementing with formula. It was the best decision for my sanity (I was struggling with disappointment when I only expressed small amounts, it was heartbreaking) and best of all it meant a happy mum and, in my case, a happy baby. DD was mainly breastfed but if I couldn't cope with the disappointment of expressing, DD was given formula when required. DD has never struggled with nipple confusion, she loves both breast and bottle, she is extremely healthy and reaching all her milestones. I am so grateful it is READILY available.
- my mum FF all three of her kids purely because she didn't want to and didn't enjoy BF. That was her CHOICE. I can honestly say I come from one of the most loving, fun and ejoyable families. I am blessed to have such amazing parents and a wonderful upbringing. Many friends (including DH) comment on how lucky I am. Not to mention, all three of us kids are extremely healthy. Formula feeding didn't affect us at all especially, as most importantly, we were LOVED.
- a very important note that NeeNee brought up which I've been thinking all along while reading all the posts that seem to be judging those who formula feed and that is 'Why do any of you care if another baby is fed formula? They are NOT your babies, it is NOT your decision and it does NOT affect your life AT ALL. So why on earth do you care so much?
- I think, on a final note, I should congratulate some more of you...for doing exactly what all us BB members claim to hate and that is judging other mums for the decisions they make raising their children. Well done girls, some of you just became one of 'them'
Sorry, I didn't mean to offend anyone but a debate like this seems ridiculous in this day and age, especially on BB when we are all meant to be supporting each other.
:yeahthat:
i think any baby would be happy knowing they were fed and nourished, no matter where it came from, as opposed to knowing that mummy nearly lost her mind trying to breastfeed when it just wasn't happening.
eta; my Yeah tht, was for arimeh's post..
Oh, and one last thing. How on earth did we get to this point?
I've just added to the spiraling debate. Maybe I should have just said this: :backtotopic:
Excatly!!!:
[QUOTE=allycat06;2421761]I disagree with making it compulsory but am a firm believer that formula should be prescription only. That way only women who genuinely can't breastfeed have access to it or women who simply choose not to should have to sign a conscious objection form stating that they have made an informed decision not too breastfeed. Just my opinion but I think having formula so readily available in the supermarket makes mother's a little too quick to give up sometimes without seeking help from other avenues first. Formula should be advertised as an adequate substitute for breastmilk not an alternative. Not intended to offend anyone. Just my opinion on the matter.[/QUOTE
I had help and support and plenty of milk and kept trying, but the pain, bleeding and mastitis and then the postnatal anxiety was all too much. I then should have to explain to a doctor and ask for a prescription to feed my baby? Some people have no problems breastfeeding, some have many and still succeed, but no one should be able to control my choice to formula or breastfeed.
I will try breastfeeding again this time. Wish me luck!
I think Gisele means well but come on.. How could you even police such a thing?