Make Breastfeeding Compulsory for 6 mths? WDYT?

[Liz]

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.

[lyra stardust]

I really do take exception to the comments that almost all women can breastfeed. It makes me feel like people think I am lying when I say that I couldn't, or that I could have if I had just tried hard enough. You can't ignore the women who really, really, really wanted to exclusively BF but simply could not make enough milk for their baby. I actually think that I might have bonded better with my son if I'd started supplementing with formula sooner, because for 12 weeks all I thought about was my inadequate milk supply. And I really did try everything that there was available, I just couldn't make enough milk. I would challenge anyone who suggests that my son is less intelligent because he has had some formula.

I totally agree! Where exactly does this 1% come from? I too feel that people think I'm exaggerating the difficulties or that I just didn't want to enough. I was told by a very senior and experienced lactation consultant that in the "olden days" I would have had a wet nurse or my child would have wasted away. Well I didn't have a wet nurse offered to me so I turned to formula. I have heard similar stories from SO many women who wanted to breastfeed but couldn't. That MUSt be more than 1% surely?? As for having to go into a chemist and ask for formula over the counter like I;m giving my child some drug, and have to listen to a (well -meaning) pharmacist giving me a lecture bout the benefits of breastmilk- I would find that humiliating and adding insult to injury. I understand why this was suggested- education is key- but what people need is hands on support from experienced breastfeeding experts, not another lecture. And SUPPORT when it doesn't work out.

[Rivlas]

WOW....what a wonderful thread.

I am from a family of 7 and my Mum desperately tried to feed her forst 3 children but she never produced milk. We were all fed boiled cows milk (we lived on a dairy farm) and I think we turned out OK.

I have 2 children who were BF but i had to stop at 9 & 7 months due to losing to much weight, they then went onto cows milk.

DD1 has 2 children and she fed longer than I did.

I never bought formula as it was not encouraged as much as it is now.

I think breast feeding should be part of the classes you have before the baby is born. Yes, you think about BF before the baby is born but there is not much taught. By the time you have the baby bf is another thing you have to get your head around but if you had a bit of knowledge before hand maybe it would not be so daunting to a new mother.

I would never condone a mum for not feeding her child, that is her choice and rightly so but I think there needs to be more support before and after the birth and not just for a few days.
Everyone is different, so is their milk supply.

[kungfubecca]

bathsheba that's a good point we don't want formula companies providing advice through the pharmacy.

Handled well i think it could work though and could also open up the world of donated milk. I live in a regional area at some point if donated milk were to take off a place for both doners and purchasers to access will be required and pharmacies could be the answer to this for both collection and distribution.

Pharmacies even in some small arears are more accessible than GP's, mchn, and LC I can access a pharmacy until about 9pm every day of the week, if it became the norm and it were the only place you could purchase formula surley it would be affordable to have a lc or 2 on staff and other staff being trained to refer properly, and most improtantly not judge.

on a side note, has anyone else noticed that formula is being advertised more and more, despite the fact that there is meant to be a restriction on which formulas can be advertised all are being advertised latley.

[allycat06]

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?

[Pretty Butterfly]

[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.

[Bathsheba]

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?

[Trillian]

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.

[TeniBear]

I think breast feeding should be part of the classes you have before the baby is born.

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 ) 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

[Floweryfields]

I found this article this morning.



I know it's a silly article but I just thought I'd raise the question.

Should there be a law making BF compulsory for the first 6 mths of a childs life?

Now, I know it's for the babies best interests, but there is no way you could MAKE people do it.

[Nettie]

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?

[Honeybee]

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.

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.

[Muffy]

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.

[Kazmar]

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.

[Arcadia]

"The risks (as already mentioned by others) of PND? "

I think it is important to say that current evidence suggests breastfeeding mothers are less likely to have PND. Just as an aside.....often it is the whole experience of having a new baby and what comes with that that are likely to cause PND, not just 'breastfeeding'.
I do not agree with making breastfeeding compulsory, despite being pro-breastfeeding. I think women should know more about the choice they are making and options like 'donor milk' should be available to all breastfeeding mothers. It is much more easier I would think to discuss the risks of formula feeding (not to offend, just stating a fact) when you have a viable safe alternative for mothers.

Education and support are by far so important to give to mothers and if, a mother has made the choice after everything, to formula feed, that choice should be supported. I do believe women can still be pro-breastfeeding and encourage others to do the same, even if their journey has lead them to use formula.

Giselle, is obviously high on the exquisiteness that a breastfeeding relationship can bring to many women. The good thing that it has brought up is the lack of choices available for women and access to education and support and other recommendations such as donor milk. That part, can hopefully lead to good discussions and the possibility of change..

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!

[maz]

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.

[Schmickers]

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?

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.

The risks (as already mentioned by others) of PND? the risk of reactivating PTSD in certain women? How about the risk of causing serious illness or damage to the baby due to medications the Mother needs to take for various medical conditions? Arthritis medication, medication for depression, drug addiction, HIV, Hepatitis, schizophrenia, cancer etc.

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.

hmm... so I should be thrown in jail because my milk didn't come in when Sam was born? I should be thrown in jail for being sick enough to have to take scary bad medication just so that I could reduce pain levels to the point where I could hold my son?

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.

[tattoo_mama]

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??