Adverts

[Nic'n'Keeley]

I've seen adverts on tv about sma and thats for babies under 6 months

Urchin i was gonna pot this in the feeding section but i didn't know if that was right or not

 

[Rosieroo]

I've seen adverts on tv about sma and thats for babies under 6 months

Nope, just comes across like it because SMA are the worst for advertising. They really aren't allowed to advertise for under 6 months at the moment. Your comment proves why companies like SMA need coming down upon.

I don't see why the adverts are so beneficial anyway. What do they tell you? 'If you choose this milk then your OH can feed and look how happy and fat your baby will be'. I can't see why the content of the adverts are full of info? They're just like shampoo adverts! Full of made up ingredients that sound good and all promising the same thing

Lou - I think the problem with advertising lies in the fact that if a woman (not all btw!) is breastfeeding and struggling during the early days and sees an advert telling her that the formula is soooo close to breastmilk, the baby looks all happy and daddy can help feed too then she's likely to chuck in the breastfeeding and turn to the bottle without trying to work through the problems she's experiencing. As it's been shown that some bottle fed babies are more likely to suffer from certain infections etc therefore this is going to cost the NHS millions a year in treating them, I believe it's right that the formula adverts are toned down. The only way the government are going to be able to start changing things is by reducing the formula advertis and also by putting money into supporting mums during the early days of breastfeeding which is when most women are having problems, not having to put more adverts out there to compete with the formula manufacturers (who will always win as they have millions to put into advertising each year).

 

[beanie]

I agree with you in part Lou but tbh we live in a society where it is the norm to bottlefeed, where you get tutted at in public because you are breastfeeding, and where all dolls come with a little plastic bottle as it is the norm. I personally would like to see more images of breastfeeding, on tv, in the media etc but it won't happen at this time.

Yeah I totally agree. I'd honestly never thought about them things I can't believe people would tut at you in public for breast feeding. Its a natural thing to do. As for the dolls I can understand them having a bottle, I mean how else can little girls pretend to feed their babies, its a tricky one isn't it! I would also like to see more images and promotion of breast feeding but I don't think the answer is to take away bottle feeding advertising.

Perhaps the little girls could pretend to breastfeed. we have bought Seren a doll, you had to buy the feeding set seperately so we didn't.I imagine when this baby is born she will pretend to breastfeed, which I will fully ecourage as I want her to grow up thinking that breastfeeding is perfectly normal, though if she wants a break I will get her a little bottle so someone else can feed dolly for a change . I used to shove my teddy up my top to feed him.

 

[Lou]

I can see this topic from all angles and appreciate everyones take on it. I couldn't breast feed so I had to use formula. The reason I gave him SMA was because thats what the midwife went and got for me to feed him. I wasn't asked what formula I would like and wasn't given any information as to what to do next. Once Isaac had been given formula the midwives never mention breast feeding him again. The day I got home I could feel my boobs were hard and hot but I don't know if it was the milk coming or what? When I brought Isaac home from the hospital he had bad wind so my SIL suggested Cow & Gate comfort and infacol so Jed went straight down tesco's and got them and that was that for the next 6 months!

Maybe if I had more help and information I would have been able to breast feed and if the answer to that is stopping formula advertising then so be it but that solution to me doesn't seem logical. If the midwives weren't so under staffed they maybe would have had more time with me to help me breast feed and if my HV had been more attentive then maybe she would have helped more too. Its like I was 'written off'. Thats how I felt. I understand the point about women struggling to breast feed and giving in and going to formula and for that reason I can see why the advertising of formula would be damaging rather than helpful.

As for the breast feeding dolls it reminds me of them anti-natal lessons when you have to hold a dolly up to your 'knitted nipple' lol Did anyone else do that or was it just my crazy HV?

P.S....sorry this is so long!!!!!

 

[beanie]

No we had that too here, though no knitted nipple, just held up dolly to our boob. Totally prepared me, I mean a real life screaming wriggling baby is so similar to a still doll

I am not unsympathetic to the struggles women have had. When I was in hospital my milk took ages to come in. I had no idea what was happening. The first night when Seren woke up hungrey and I was trying to wake up and figure who's baby that was, a MW came in and physically handled my boob which completely shocked me. Seren was very demanding, and would scream the place down, and I was convinced nothing was coming out. They told me to express some colostrum. Half an hour later I had one drop in the bottom of this cup, was in bits as this was reaffirming my fear and then another MW came by and calmly told me that it was normal not to be able to express colostrum. I eventually begged them to give her formula and was made to feel like shit. They would not let me hold my baby, instead they would take her away and feed her. It felt like I was completely unfit as a mother. All the time I had someone in the cubicle next to me going on and on about how much milk she had and how her baby always seemed to be asleep.I wanted to kill her. Then at home I never got much help, part of my nipple came off, I had a blood blister thing come out and had no-one to talk to - it was horrendous. However I was so lucky in that I had this forum and Urchin, Kina, Emilia etc helped me through it all. This is why I am so passionate about post natal support, it really angers me that the advertising people spend a fortune on advertising formula yet our goverment spends 14p per baby on breastfeeding. I trained as a peer supporter and one thing we did want to do was go into the hospital and help new mums if they wanted it but we can't get the permissions. As breastfeeding is so rare in this country there is little family support either, whereas before mum, sister etc would show you how to breastfeed, and not suggest formula top ups all the time. I was breastfeeding Seren when my best mate had her baby and showed her how to latch him on by letting her watch me feed Seren and she said it helped. All I had in hospital was a bloomin leaflet with pictures and I would have this leaflet in front of me trying to copy it -is funny now but at the time was a very lonely place.

 

[Melanie]

As i agree with Beanie and think that we need less formula ads and more education i wont add anything else.

I did want to tell you that Thea feeds her baby dolls by shoving them up her jumper and yelling yum yum Her Dora the Explorer doll gets a bobbie feed at least twice a day lol.

 

[beanie]

As i agree with Beanie and think that we need less formula ads and more education i wont add anything else.

I did want to tell you that Thea feeds her baby dolls by shoving them up her jumper and yelling yum yum Her Dora the Explorer doll gets a bobbie feed at least twice a day lol.

awww. Seren weaned Po (she won't play with a normal doll,it has to be Po) and all she gets these days is the remains of Seren's dinner.

 

[Lou]

I felt really crap when I couldn't breast feed Isaac but if there had been someone like you beanie at the hospital to take time to help me then maybe I would have managed it? I hated the way the midwives grabbed my boobs and tried to stuff my nipples into Isaac's mouth. I wanted to smack their hand away, obviously I didnt but I wanted to! I was so exhausted after the labour aswell that didnt help. Me & Jed did manage to get some colostrom (sp) out with a syringe but it was painstaking massaging then squeezing, but we did it.

Next time I am going to be well prepared so fingers crossed I will be successful!!!

 

[Rosieroo]

I was manhandled after DS's birth aswell. Had two MWs with me, one tried shoving my breast into his mouth but the other was a lot more helpful with showing me different positions etc. Even though I breastfed DD I still found it difficult getting into the right position with DS as I forgot how little and floppy newborns are!

 

[Krystal]

I totally agree about the support factor.. I had kinda decided bottle cos I thought it was easier. In hours after birth, even the following week I was sooo overwhelmed it didn't cross my mind until I started feeling really disappointed I hadn't breastfed, then I realised during my stay at hospital not once was I asked whether I'd considered it.. I was just givn a bottle of formula as soon as JT was born I did start breastfeeding with the help of HV but cos my milk had slowed it took a lot of effort then it dried up completely so I gave up on it.

Next baby I definately will be breastfeeding but I wish there had been more encouragement at hospital cos I regret not being able to breastfeed now,

 

[Freya]

I dont think formula should be advertised because I think that it shouldn't be portrayed as a more attractive or glamorous version of breastfeeding which I think it could be. Also by making it very acceptable you would discourage people to breast feed or at least give it a go. I think a previous poster is right it would not do a struggling breast feeding mum any good to see an advert of the 'perfect' family where everyone is smiling and happy because the child is formula fed.

My problem is that I don't think pregnant women are told how hard breastfeeding is. Sure you get the it is the best thing etc. but no-one said in any class I went in that it could be tricky - only that it was natural (by saying something is natural it sounds like it should be easy so I assumed it would be). Also I felt I was told a lot of false info. Breast milk has a natural sedative so baby sleeps better than if formula fed (I think it is well known that formula fills baby up so that they feel artificially full and therefore they can oftern appear to sleep better) Breast feeding is cheaper (maybe in the long run but not if you need to buy the bras and the nipple shields and the cream and the bottles and the expressing machine). I am not trying to be pro formula feeding here I am just saying that pregnant women should be told the truth because once you realise that somethings they are saying is to get you to breast feed you begin to doubt other things they say. That is my biggest bug bear.

 

[Rosieroo]

I totally agree Freya with how pregnant women should be told of what to expect when breastfeeding. I assumed babies fed 4 hourly, so when Ella wanted to feed 2 hourly etc I presumed I was doing something wrong and wasn't producing enough milk for her. I am sure I am not alone in feeling like this, in fact I found breastfeeding totally bewildering. Noone told me to expect to get really sore nipples, what mastitis was and how to avoid it, about growth spurts etc. I was just told it was best and apart from watching a cringeworthy video was pretty much left to my own devices.

 

[lauramumof2]

My problem is that I don't think pregnant women are told how hard breastfeeding is. .

Yep. If I had realised it might not have came as such a shock and it might have gone better.