tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69054240999572152302024-02-21T04:45:12.255-08:00Loquacious LactatorBreastfeeding politics and culture.loquaciouslactatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15642383263914156851noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905424099957215230.post-87484765573483023952013-03-22T05:53:00.003-07:002013-03-22T11:21:21.222-07:00<h2>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">6 Reasons I Hated Formula Feeding and Would Never Do It Again</span></h2>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmT8GWUI00WtsWH-UlYYh2Jt7gQOCdm42gEAmc0qhV8BTuIrN6xaiisT9w6dkSF2n3AY0C1jK-J-MMrQb5vGWe3GgyVOcnfP1M4xleybIw37ARCnxu8qVppTjQH1RcA1J3k_DNir1yRws/s1600/freeimage-6845200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmT8GWUI00WtsWH-UlYYh2Jt7gQOCdm42gEAmc0qhV8BTuIrN6xaiisT9w6dkSF2n3AY0C1jK-J-MMrQb5vGWe3GgyVOcnfP1M4xleybIw37ARCnxu8qVppTjQH1RcA1J3k_DNir1yRws/s1600/freeimage-6845200.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hmm. How shall I say this? I should probably put on some sort of protective armour before making this confession -- but here we go: </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I hated formula feeding. HATED it. Despised it. (There. It’s said)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But once I’d started my breastmilk dried up so I had little choice but to stick with it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'm totally aware that telling the world that formula feeding just wasn't for me will probably result in my being called a nazi, but I'm willing to do it, because this needs to be said. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">When I had my son two years ago, I had every intention of formula feeding him exclusively. He took to the bottle fine and, as my milk came in and then dried up, I told myself a thousand times “I can do this” and swore to stay with it even though my breasts felt engorged with milk. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But then when it consumed my life and made me even more tired and low than I already was, I realized that formula feeding was never going to be my cup of tea.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">By that time it would have been so much work to relactate so I didn’t. If I ever have another child I’ll breastfeed from the beginning and ditch the bottles without hesitation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I’ll reiterate: I hated formula feeding. And here are a few reasons why.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1. <b>It's all I did</b> -- OMG. Those bottles needed constant washing and sterilising and then, because formula milk isn’t sterile, I had to make up one bottle at a time making sure that the water was hot enough before waiting for the milk to cool down. As soon as the novelty wore off for family and friends it turned out that I was giving that baby all its feeds anyway and by the time I was done I had to wash up and sterilise again, not to mention all the washing I had to do because everything was covered in formula puke.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2. <b>I needed sleep</b> -- Not being able to safely co-sleep because it’s not recommended for formula feeders really took its toll on my overall well being. My husband helped with some of the night feeds until he had to go back to work and then I had to get up every damn night, make the bottle, and then listen to the baby cry while it cooled down.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">3. <b>It hurt like the baby like hell</b> -- I have always been jealous of those mums whose newborns can bottlefeed with no discomfort or pain. Mine wasn't one of them. I spent a fortune on different bottles and medicines to try to alleviate the trapped wind and I was constantly burping him, which often made him vomit. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">4. <b>My baby was too full</b> – Physiologically, all babies are surprisingly similar, born with tiny stomachs, but because my baby’s stomach was stretched with formula as soon as he was born he got used to taking massive meals infrequently. He was very sleepy in demeanor because he was constantly trying to digest foreign enzymes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">5. <b>It made it hard to go out</b> – Almost all my friends formula fed so I knew I’d fit in with the crowd, but what I didn’t realise was just how much stuff I’d need to take with me when I wanted to go out with my baby: clean bottles, formula powder, heated water in a flask. And if I ran out of milk while I was out or he vommed it all up I’d have to go back home. Sometimes I bought ready-made formula to make it more convenient, but it costs a bomb.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">6. <b>I wanted my body to be used for its natural purpose</b> -- I know it might sound weird, but after being pregnant for nine months, I felt a physical bond with my baby that I wish I’d continued. People who breastfeed tell me that the closeness is something really special and that it turns out that boobs can be for babies and for sex. Who knew?!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://thestir.cafemom.com/baby/152925/6_reasons_i_hated_breastfeeding" target="_blank">Reasons I Hated Breastfeeding at The Stir</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>loquaciouslactatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15642383263914156851noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905424099957215230.post-75213433818875353402013-02-28T07:36:00.000-08:002013-02-28T07:36:48.970-08:00<h2><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We're Having a Giveaway</span></h2><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />
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<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>loquaciouslactatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15642383263914156851noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905424099957215230.post-46530547323813636042013-02-20T02:32:00.001-08:002013-02-20T06:51:42.061-08:00<h2>
#Firsthour Freakout: the media response to a breastfeeding campaign</h2>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">This week, reputable international charity Save the Children
launched an initiative to save the lives of a </span><span style="color: #444444;"><a href="http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/news-and-comment/news/2013-02/breastfeeding-could-save-830000-lives-year" target="_blank">potential 830000 babies worldwide</a></span><span style="color: #444444;">. In the UK
this was met with uproar. Why?</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Because it was about breastfeeding.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHH-snyQGQAFrbMnDf6Q_Bugx1iWE-dWjyGuDqrK0LJc3bhQjzt2K2sr3TraSt1mWW_JEsM9CsqOBkY-dQHy7EFTsm8RmhBQuyCHJBCH6MLoeCFs0X6DV-R6mJNWcp6NNcN6RilKqRzbM/s1600/Superfood_for_Babies_UK_version.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHH-snyQGQAFrbMnDf6Q_Bugx1iWE-dWjyGuDqrK0LJc3bhQjzt2K2sr3TraSt1mWW_JEsM9CsqOBkY-dQHy7EFTsm8RmhBQuyCHJBCH6MLoeCFs0X6DV-R6mJNWcp6NNcN6RilKqRzbM/s1600/Superfood_for_Babies_UK_version.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">The Save the Children initiative, called #firsthour, is
essentially the publicity launch of its new, extensive report ‘</span><a href="http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/sites/default/files/images/Superfood_for_Babies_UK_version.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Superfood for Babies’</span></a><span style="color: #444444;">. The report suggests that if more babies born in developing countries
were given breastmilk (colostrum, to be precise) in the first hour after their
birth this could potentially raise the health profile of these babies enough to
save up to 830,000 babies worldwide every year. The report describes colostrum as
“the most potent natural immune system booster known to science.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">‘Superfood for Babies’ is not all about formula milk; that
is simply one of the ‘four barriers to [developing world] breastfeeding’
detailed in the report. The others are:</span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Community and Cultural Pressures - young mothers are often
relatively powerless to make infant feeding choices compared to their husbands
or mother-in-laws</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Lack of Health Care Workers – up to one third of births
happen without any trained attendee</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">And, Lack of Maternity Legislation – maternity leave
provision is scarce in the developing world, especially when women have casual
and labourious jobs.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJLSk1jl938iyEB_rQhW249FVquxdGHtCn2Dw9RvNH7PJqtZ8sfI-cheHoc1zKiXURitk__s9Mh9hjoei02PrcvOomAHmd9dwQTuJPdTaLAlLmhFCAvTlM_h0LPAc1rstqlxlLkWtbdBM/s1600/freeimage-6845177.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJLSk1jl938iyEB_rQhW249FVquxdGHtCn2Dw9RvNH7PJqtZ8sfI-cheHoc1zKiXURitk__s9Mh9hjoei02PrcvOomAHmd9dwQTuJPdTaLAlLmhFCAvTlM_h0LPAc1rstqlxlLkWtbdBM/s1600/freeimage-6845177.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The report talks about formula marketing under the heading ‘The
Big Business Barrier’. Sadly, the dubious practices of the BMS (breast milk
substitute) businesses are nothing new. We know that they have almost
universally ignored the 1981 International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk
Substitutes (the Code) wherever they can get away with it, and that they have
been pushing their product on populations that can barely afford it, and who
cannot access clean water or fuel to make it. The BMS businesses sponsor health
care professionals (think, free pens and prescription pads) in order to
increase infiltration of their product and encourage midwives to tell new
mothers that their breastmilk isn’t nutritional enough for their babies. In
just a couple of generations this dubious message has become common ‘knowledge’
and resulted in the deaths and illnesses of millions of children who, with
breastmilk, could have been saved.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This is horrible. So why the uproar? Well, tucked away at
the bottom of page 45 in the report (remember, this is a report focussing on
developing countries), in the recommendations section, one tiny paragraph:</span></div>
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</span><br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">While the
International Code states that companies must include health warnings and details
of the benefits of breastfeeding, in practice these warnings cover a small
proportion of packaging, are written in small type and are designed to be unobtrusive.
To strengthen the power of these warnings, national laws should specify that
health warnings should cover one third of any breast-milk substitute packaging.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">Cue Daily Mail screaming about ‘</span><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2280270/Baby-formula-milk-cigarette-style-health-warnings-telling-mothers-breast-best-says-charity.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394;">cigarette style warnings’</span></a><span style="color: #444444;">,
rolling our Claire Byam Cook to tell us that it will pile guilt on UK mums
(and, by the way, breastfeeding isn’t that great anyway), and over one thousand
comments like this one:</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">oh that's the
way to go, make all of us who cannot breastfeed feel worse than the world
already makes us do! my daughter was allergic to breastmilk and soya formula
for her was the best thing since sliced bread give the formula companies a
medal for saving all us mothers and babies but I swear if I have to justify it
anymore to show-off naturalists like that lot I will scream!</span></i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvZFnLsj9nW-_74bKw4nBCxZx23kfITNGQu55GvkqOJcmYEHVLbjqm3Vt1huwdZy9jZBmmDJeaQiysl4PloKWZQtAZU7VfMQxL200gl2QsXxR9tsDUdtklb47vCAYcung2SM763qBqcwg/s1600/Myleene%2520Klass%2520in%2520The%2520Philippines-1715261.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvZFnLsj9nW-_74bKw4nBCxZx23kfITNGQu55GvkqOJcmYEHVLbjqm3Vt1huwdZy9jZBmmDJeaQiysl4PloKWZQtAZU7VfMQxL200gl2QsXxR9tsDUdtklb47vCAYcung2SM763qBqcwg/s1600/Myleene%2520Klass%2520in%2520The%2520Philippines-1715261.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">And
that wasn’t all. People have been calling for others to stop giving money to
Save the Children, Mylene Klass, one of the campaign’s celebrity faces, has </span><a href="https://twitter.com/KlassMyleene/status/303432781369843714" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394;">had to defend herself</span></a><span style="color: #444444;"> on Twitter, and many blogs, </span><a href="http://goodynuffmum.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/the-formula-for-life.html?m=0" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394;">like this one</span></a><span style="color: #444444;">, have decried the
recommendation as ‘blood boiling’. The Telegraph printed a particularly </span><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/mother-tongue/9877692/Breastfeeding-may-be-best-but-bottles-of-formula-milk-arent-the-end-of-the-world.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394;">vitriolic personal account</span></a><span style="color: #444444;"> of yet another Western white woman who stopped breastfeeding
and now doesn’t want to be made to feel guilty about it (and, by the way,
breastfeeding isn’t all that great anyway).</span></span></span></span></div>
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</span>
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</span>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"></span><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Well
sorry, but I don’t care. Despite the fact that the Daily Mail’s original
outrage was entirely hyperbolic because the Save the Children report doesn’t
talk about UK formula, but rather urges individual countries to enforce the
recommendation themselves, and despite the fact that one could argue that UK
formula is often exported and therefore should have large warnings just in case
it ends up in a developing country, I still don’t care. I don’t want a single
woman anywhere to feel guilty about her infant feeding choices, but this is one
occasion on which sparing the feelings of relatively affluent Western women is not
anywhere near as important as saving the lives of over three quarters of a
million children. </span></span></span></div>
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</span>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #444444;">In the
only </span><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/feb/19/breastfeeding-saves-lives-warnings-formula-milk" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394;">sensible article</span></a><span style="color: #444444;"> that I have read on the subject, Ros Wynne-Jones asks </span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #444444;">“...<span style="background: white;">is our
world really so unfairly weighted that the hurt, guilty feelings of a minority
of western women count more than an annual loss of life that's three times the
death toll of the 2004 tsunami?</span>” The absolute bottom line is that this
isn’t another excuse to have a pop at the ‘breastfeeding mafia’ or an
opportunity to talk about any individuals painful nipples, this is a chance to
save the lives of human beings. The British media have entirely missed the
point by focussing on the warning label issue but, for the record, I would
happily contend with one third warning labels on anything I buy if it could
make a positive difference to that many families.</span></span></span></div>
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</span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03837624771949893962noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905424099957215230.post-64443576486926916342013-02-14T07:46:00.000-08:002013-02-15T06:52:34.970-08:00<br />
<br />
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>I breastfed my baby but...</b></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If you’ve ever been inclined to read the bottom half of the
internet when it comes to breastfeeding articles then, apart from the usual ‘formula
is just as good’ and the occasional troll-like ‘bitty!’ comment you’ll almost
always find somebody explaining that, while they breastfed themselves, they
were extremely careful not to rub it in anyone’s face. These comments often go along the lines of ‘I
breastfed my baby for eight months but I think that the breastfeeding mafia go
too far’. Or ‘I am pro breastfeeding but
I think that it’s everyone’s personal choice’. Here is a real example:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Breast
milk or formula...who cares. What's important is your child is fed. I'm a
breastfeeding mom and I don't pres my views onto others. If you want to give
your child formula....great! Go for it. I hate how everyone seems to have a
view on how other children are raised and fed. Get out of other people's
business.</i></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXlfLmZLRkdF5OVRHhhyLLnBl0p1IpR4sReWaGaDeseFZlriDFy_SFinBBbpz6Da-qUPJswc0ycpfxFYxk1mBos1BtaCKYWliLR9JTDZd9ylOrS0GBALbIsysiS_lkQPkrc8vM73CfkzU/s1600/cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXlfLmZLRkdF5OVRHhhyLLnBl0p1IpR4sReWaGaDeseFZlriDFy_SFinBBbpz6Da-qUPJswc0ycpfxFYxk1mBos1BtaCKYWliLR9JTDZd9ylOrS0GBALbIsysiS_lkQPkrc8vM73CfkzU/s1600/cover.JPG" /></a></div>
<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This
breastfeeding ‘mom’ has carefully aligned herself with the cultural premise of
personal choice and distanced herself from those who have an opinion about
(breast) feeding. This seems to be a popular position. Breastfeeding mothers
are in the ideal position to criticize ‘lactivists’ because they can’t be
accused of feeling bitter due to guilt (as formula feeding mothers sometimes
sadly feel). They can say ‘look, I breastfeed but I’m not going on about it’.
This kind of political positioning seems to be highly acceptable.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Women (<a href="http://www.breastfeedinginc.ca/content.php?pagename=drjack" target="_blank">and the occasional man</a>) who do hold strong opinions about breastfeeding, however, tend
to be vilified. It’s acceptable, even in mainstream media, to label us as <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jan/16/breastfeeding-sting-cleaners" target="_blank">‘mafia’</a>,
<a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2262664/Boob-Beanie-Cheeky-new-baby-hat-ultimate-Breastapo-accessory.html" target="_blank">‘breastapo’</a>, and <a href="http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/fed-up-with-breastfeed-nazis/story-e6freon6-1225748766258" target="_blank">‘nazis’</a> amongst others. I used the term ‘lactivist’
tentatively above because, although <a href="http://www.lactivist.net/" target="_blank">it’s been somewhat successfully reclaimed</a>,
it still has negative connotations. I don’t actually know what term to use.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Of course, one
reason for the objection is that our opinions offend people. Most Western
parents give their babies formula milk. If you suggest that formula milk, on
balance, is potentially harmful and that breastmilk should be the norm that’s
going to irk a whole lot of people. Nobody wants to be told that they are
putting their child at risk and some are going to respond by shooting the
messenger. It’s not a new idea amongst breastfeeding commentators that <a href="http://bfmed.wordpress.com/2010/05/03/why-we-still-need-to-watch-our-language/" target="_blank">the phrase ‘breast is best’ is harmful</a> to the cause because it carries the implicit
message that formula feeding is standard; most people are satisfied with being
standard and suspicious of overachievers.
A preferred message is that breastfeeding is normal, but then the
implication is that formula feeding is inferior. What would happen if that was
the explicit message: formula is potentially harmful? Respondents to this very
question of my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/loquaciouslactator" target="_blank">Facebook page</a> were pretty sure that this would not be met
gladly. In this area of public health we’re more concerned with ensuring that
we don’t offend those who have already made a choice than providing
information to those who are yet to make one. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzad4rmBTu-IlSKDPMRp37cNUXB3tbXOAyNwTdkuCcoB0LmPvvYnJ2IgzxTqGO3A0M0d8HJpyOwpqmLlV5vJ4moZlQwo5PzmVF4_qo8Lvp52e5BqKHN91saism0D13hSA4iJonNmN4IZ4/s1600/Young-Ones-Neil-Exams-Lucky-Gonk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzad4rmBTu-IlSKDPMRp37cNUXB3tbXOAyNwTdkuCcoB0LmPvvYnJ2IgzxTqGO3A0M0d8HJpyOwpqmLlV5vJ4moZlQwo5PzmVF4_qo8Lvp52e5BqKHN91saism0D13hSA4iJonNmN4IZ4/s1600/Young-Ones-Neil-Exams-Lucky-Gonk.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Another potential
reason why the general population seem to be turned off by the ‘breastfeeding
gang’ is that we’re perceived as being a bit weird. While I cannot even pretend
for one second that I have any data to back up this assertion, parents who are
interested enough in breastfeeding to get political about it are often the same
parents who babywear, use cloth nappies (or EC), baby-led wean, co-sleep, and
buy organic produce. We’re hippies. And it’s easy to take the mick out of a
hippy. Of course, I’m not supposing that this is always the case. There’s a
spectrum. But it’s about perceptions. That’s why it’s so important for us ‘booby
mob’ to flag it up each time a famous woman says she’s nursing; it raises the
profile of breastfeeding as a whole (sadly, accompanying articles invariably
talk about ‘baby weight’ loss, but I must be careful not to complain about
everything).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_SdaIsMfnEVl5Y-8afxcNAElAX9E0jh10btPl88yCQhmrvViH8uUmJkWLvjym5MUyRGql4iSz-o_ivIUY32SSOV19VEm2JoGZLkhVnoRd9QpNpKtg_gU4Hq2OjcMM7gcz1-9F5tvTZ_4/s1600/feminist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_SdaIsMfnEVl5Y-8afxcNAElAX9E0jh10btPl88yCQhmrvViH8uUmJkWLvjym5MUyRGql4iSz-o_ivIUY32SSOV19VEm2JoGZLkhVnoRd9QpNpKtg_gU4Hq2OjcMM7gcz1-9F5tvTZ_4/s320/feminist.jpg" height="320" width="272" /></a><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Whilst I don’t
have the space or inclination to pick apart the minutiae of it here, one
element that shouldn’t be dismissed when trying to establish why the ‘nursing
clan’ are so utterly vilified is feminism. I will undoubtedly be invited into a
boxing match of fact presenting for announcing this, but I am a feminist. I
sincerely believe that a person’s sex or gender shouldn’t define their
opportunities. I don’t think that men and women automatically display different
traits (not all men are ‘masculine’ and not all women are ‘feminine’) but I do
think that we’re foolish if we try to ignore sex altogether; biological males
can’t get pregnant and they can’t breastfeed. There is a brand of feminism that
argues that women are not viewed as equal – particularly in the workplace –
because they are forced by society to undertake the burden of the majority of
child rearing. I’m not saying that this is not true, but this type of feminism
would have it that breastfeeding is one of the causes of this and that, just like
modern science gave us the Pill to give women freedom of reproduction, it also
gives us formula milk to free us from the shackles of lactation. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">To my mind,
feminism should not be about establishing methods to allow women to become more
male-like to increase their chances in a patriarchal workplace, it should be
about respecting and valuing femaleness, one defining factor of which is our
ability to perfectly nourish an infant. In a recent <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2013/feb/10/breastfeeding-best-debate" target="_blank">collection of self-promoting articles</a>, professor of gender studies Joan Wolf asserts that the old adage that
breastfeeding is free is untrue because it supposes that a woman’s time is
worth nothing. She uses this as an argument against breastfeeding, but <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Politics-Breastfeeding-When-Breasts-Business/dp/190517716X" target="_blank">other researchers</a> have suggested that this is, instead, an argument against the devaluing
of women and of their contribution (via breastmilk) to the health and wellbeing
of society. Wolf invites readers to “<a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/why-breast-isnt-always-best-8490328.html" target="_blank">imagine if</a> men had functioning mammary
glands. Would breastfeeding seem as urgent? Or would we say that its benefits
were marginal...?” I’d like to suggest that we certainly would see
breastfeeding as urgent. We’d throw resources into examining breast milk and
proving its fabulous properties, and we’d establish a culture that allowed for
men to continue to nurse while continuing to add value to society in other
ways, such as on site crèche facilities, breastfeeding in the boardroom, and
lengthy paternity leave at full pay. This would ultimately benefit everyone.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc1kZV0pXnFVPA5DnOcHdfIdzGsrJgL2fI_Yx3LuYTzraK16BhP-cdkJn2vjx2jzRm88r1UmjjB5NIPv7CYHaE1xS81Le1M2RKiFoti1v8HR9Sj_WFwPNVi7aSdBlPY6pMsSsxmAX0nm4/s1600/offended.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc1kZV0pXnFVPA5DnOcHdfIdzGsrJgL2fI_Yx3LuYTzraK16BhP-cdkJn2vjx2jzRm88r1UmjjB5NIPv7CYHaE1xS81Le1M2RKiFoti1v8HR9Sj_WFwPNVi7aSdBlPY6pMsSsxmAX0nm4/s400/offended.jpg" height="235" width="400" /></a><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Us ‘bap chaps’
(nah, that’s crap) need to be aware of how we are perceived by others but this
shouldn’t stop us being political. It’s fine to have an opinion about infant
feeding. It’s good to want parents to have the correct information. And it’s
great to try to change the world. In fact, it’s not about changing the world;
it’s about reversing the damage. Damage that has created financial gain for one
industry and resulted in measured harm to the rest of society. So shoot the
messenger, but it won’t be in my back because I’ll be facing you and I’ll be speaking
my message.</span></span></div>
loquaciouslactatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15642383263914156851noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905424099957215230.post-22211640964173665412013-02-08T10:24:00.001-08:002013-02-14T07:44:16.418-08:00<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<h2>
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Making Feeding that Little Bit More Simple: Unpicking Mothercare's Innosense Ad</span></b></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I've been watching the response to the latest <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7qlbbU5Ld8" target="_blank">Mothercare ad</a>
with interest. The interesting bit is that, even on pages aimed at breastfeeding
mothers, most people are fairly sure that there’s nothing wrong with the advert
at all. To be fair, if you’re an advertising executive or a multinational baby
kit supplier, the ad is pretty awesome. If you’re interested in increasing the
rate of breastfeeding prevalence for the benefit of mothers, children, and
society at large then it’s somewhat crappy. Let's examine why:</span></div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It Contravenes the WHO Code</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7RljB02Jv8sUB8U9n4K9cSpY58ND-HGrGHhZetYtxs_T7cQwpDgUp8Zo3K-oFxaKvcDx9eC9v00Jv2IPrY3gP4vMN_XsCiuCx_7POczAmzp3z-sQpaHrhDL9IzEatVimw2100icHkNMc/s1600/advertising+executive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7RljB02Jv8sUB8U9n4K9cSpY58ND-HGrGHhZetYtxs_T7cQwpDgUp8Zo3K-oFxaKvcDx9eC9v00Jv2IPrY3gP4vMN_XsCiuCx_7POczAmzp3z-sQpaHrhDL9IzEatVimw2100icHkNMc/s1600/advertising+executive.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ad execs love breastfeeding</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The<a href="http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/9241541601.pdf" target="_blank"> International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes</a>
was drawn up in Geneva in 1981 and subsequently agreed to by many countries,
including the UK. It recognises that the advertising and promoting of certain
products fundamentally undermines breastfeeding. Most people are aware that
advertising infant formula is against the code (a clause which formula
companies have side-stepped by heavily advertising almost identically labelled <a href="http://cavemother.blogspot.co.uk/2009/09/myth-of-follow-on-milk.html" target="_blank">‘follow on</a>’ milks suitable from six months) but the WHO code also applies to bottles
and teats. It’s actually irrelevant whether the bottle is full of expressed breastmilk,
formula, or caramel latte; it’s the bottle and teat that’s against the rules. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Article 5.3 of The Code says that there should be “...no point-of-sale
advertising, giving of samples, or any other promotional device to induce sales
directly to the consumer at the retail level such as special displays...” I
wonder if Mothercare's extensive programme of posters, television advertisements
, website and youtube promotions count as a ‘special display’.</span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It Pretends to be Pro-Breastfeeding</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The TV ad starts with a Mum breastfeeding a baby in a
creepily clean house. I say ‘breastfeeding’, the baby is shown to be latched on
(which is further than most ads go, I’ll grant) but active mouth movements are
obviously a step too far. A mere 25 seconds in Mum is transported to the
kitchen and it’s Dad’s turn to gaze at the baby. Mum pops the lid on one of the
fantasta-bottles, which contains some white liquid, and brings it over to Dad:
bottle in mouth, smiling Dad, sleeping baby, smiling Mum, family cuddles. The
whole ad is underpinned by Mum’s disembodied whisper about how much she loves
baby, and it’s interesting to note that words like “protect” and “amazing” are
rolled out when the bottle is in shot. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitMoWYdMVRerJKc3ByPDnjK6lDJ6JSxRFziHADz2dOaQZNBmGV2sou-ceV4f8QJ-i-Yomz8KWb2D7gBIfZ27YgZEsYJKiktXNnZO-cQUA2R1o88sqVjRYjQL7TQ-pCx9dEdLBc5WwdBCY/s1600/dad+bottle+feeding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitMoWYdMVRerJKc3ByPDnjK6lDJ6JSxRFziHADz2dOaQZNBmGV2sou-ceV4f8QJ-i-Yomz8KWb2D7gBIfZ27YgZEsYJKiktXNnZO-cQUA2R1o88sqVjRYjQL7TQ-pCx9dEdLBc5WwdBCY/s1600/dad+bottle+feeding.jpg" width="215" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Not from the ad</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Now, I’m not saying that bottles have no place in
breastfeeding. Many parents find that ability to leave expressed milk for their
babies when they go to work or elsewhere means that they can avoid formula
altogether. That’s great. Important also are the Mums who tirelessly express
milk to preserve their supply while breastfeeding problems are ironed out. But
this ad shows neither of these scenarios. The Mum is in the same bloomin’ room.
The whole thing rides on the back of years of formula marketing which profligates
the message that Dads should bottle feed in order to <a href="http://www.thealphaparent.com/2012/11/breastmilk-storage-bags-modelled-by-men.html" target="_blank">bond with baby</a>, along with
thousands of ‘well-meaning’ mother-in-laws in a chorus of “you’re hogging that
child”. We now know that the action of a baby suckling is the best way to
balance milk supply and that breastfeeding isn't simply about the milk itself,
but about the physical act of feeding. We know, for instance, that the <a href="http://kellymom.com/pregnancy/bf-prep/how_breastmilk_protects_newborns/" target="_blank">mother's body ‘reads’ pathogens</a> from the baby and their shared environment to produce milk with the required antibodies for that point in time, and that milk produced for a three month old has a different composition to the milk of a toddler. Pumping, storing and bottle feeding is not an equal
alternative. Necessary sometimes, but not equal, and certainly not required for
Dad to bond. And that’s without even touching on the potential for nipple
confusion or overfeeding that are associated with the use of a bottle.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm4S7WZLwdlYrtWRHIr5hMz0cLiQN2Nwyas1G_cDFdhsQ66gvXQr7aUcJE6tfoDRbs9GpSdvVcrJv3YofJhh6m2031-JmLZ4KWCLj4fsfH6dNTi9DeGIOgLG4kXE5i3Wvk9g4ftotSnkA/s1600/innosense+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm4S7WZLwdlYrtWRHIr5hMz0cLiQN2Nwyas1G_cDFdhsQ66gvXQr7aUcJE6tfoDRbs9GpSdvVcrJv3YofJhh6m2031-JmLZ4KWCLj4fsfH6dNTi9DeGIOgLG4kXE5i3Wvk9g4ftotSnkA/s1600/innosense+poster.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Poster campaign</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The accompanying poster ad, for some reason, seems to have
gone in a completely different direction, proclaiming that a smorgasbord of
bottles, teats and sterilisers are “everything you need to feed your baby”...
except the boobs. They don’t say that last bit, which is kind of the problem.</span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's Extraordinarily Pleased with Itself</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The Innosense bottle’s tagline is ‘feeding from a new angle’
alluding to the fact that somebody has made the teat a bit jaunty to reduce the
swallowing of air. The tagline for the entire range (as far as I can gather) is
‘making feeding that little bit more simple’. If Mothercare were really honest
they’d concede that having to use a heap of accessories is always going to make
feeding quite a lot more complicated, actually, and that there’s nothing wrong
with whatever angle Mum’s boobs happen to sit at. Of course, as with all of
this kind of advertising there is a queue of people ready to denounce anyone
who complains as petty, over-thinking, and of being a member of the ‘breastapo’.
What that doesn't take into account is that advertising makes a difference to
more than just the people who are deciding what to buy. The <a href="http://www.analyticalarmadillo.co.uk/" target="_blank">Analytical Armadillo</a> put it succinctly (if not cynically) when she said “<span style="background: #F1F2F6; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">Adverts don't influence
what people use/buy, they're just a way for very rich companies to get rid of
spare cash - they're actually a source of unbiased information, ask any
marketing exec....</span>” Of course, if the opposite were not true there wouldn't
be billions spent on making us decide what to eat, wear, buy and think. Anyone
who considers that they are not affected by advertising is, I’m afraid, utterly
naive. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: #F1F2F6; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">That
said, I sincerely wish that the defenders are right. I hope that this blog post
and all the complaints about Mothercare's most recent endeavour represent a
massive waste of breath because the Innosense range will have no bearing
whatsoever on any future breastfeeding relationship. I fear that my wish is in
vain.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRVWTGBgU09LH5mDy0KaBsP_25sI_It-5w03UtjopMXjeLevzD1AGX0R_wpXlpefm4QlkPspBsRktKHVixj6xrsvBnZGJwcRF3CThuzappQC2Zc5n7cFXDWn5-Io6R2ZXe8FPFKm4T9Mw/s1600/mothercare+spoof+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRVWTGBgU09LH5mDy0KaBsP_25sI_It-5w03UtjopMXjeLevzD1AGX0R_wpXlpefm4QlkPspBsRktKHVixj6xrsvBnZGJwcRF3CThuzappQC2Zc5n7cFXDWn5-Io6R2ZXe8FPFKm4T9Mw/s1600/mothercare+spoof+1.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Michelle Atkin's awesome spoof of the Mothercare ad. Check out her <a href="http://easybreastfeeding.org/" target="_blank">breastfeeding coach page here.</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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loquaciouslactatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15642383263914156851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6905424099957215230.post-8638750629029749592012-04-26T09:28:00.000-07:002013-02-14T07:46:55.094-08:00<br />
<h2>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Under Pressure</span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjivVlAK6BqGzzhBQRXqSvN5mMgYEC2ovAGq7J-ahU7F2aFR6Ws8gK1FnSKMjf12yf7YURe2HG02zARygrm-3nN1GnhT049Iogjw-y1qC9bFtN1gNx63RIh5QoUEcj4zGyse8d-N_FnJ1Y/s1600/queen-david-bowie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjivVlAK6BqGzzhBQRXqSvN5mMgYEC2ovAGq7J-ahU7F2aFR6Ws8gK1FnSKMjf12yf7YURe2HG02zARygrm-3nN1GnhT049Iogjw-y1qC9bFtN1gNx63RIh5QoUEcj4zGyse8d-N_FnJ1Y/s200/queen-david-bowie.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Women are under too much pressure to breastfeed, my friend
complained recently, and that’s not fair to those who choose to formula feed. I’ve
been digesting this for a while. And, actually, it’s an argument I keep on
hearing. I suspect I’m not the only one?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">At first I wanted to dismiss this. I’ve never felt a
pressure to breastfeed. Not an external one, anyway. If this perceived pressure,
however, is resulting in feelings of negativity towards breastfeeding and
breastfeeders, then it must be taken seriously, surely.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWcVnFMXIr4JZHBp536wyA9WOXeah0HcNtWs9kqiqRALQHR8E-vYZoisr7d6zeMV9nmW-PeYnT1HqJYu64FHf79SG51wajl7Q2xDlFaZDICr18pMKdTY2g0BsKAUp62Gzo-Yizkd7-elQ/s1600/Chocolate-cake-recipe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWcVnFMXIr4JZHBp536wyA9WOXeah0HcNtWs9kqiqRALQHR8E-vYZoisr7d6zeMV9nmW-PeYnT1HqJYu64FHf79SG51wajl7Q2xDlFaZDICr18pMKdTY2g0BsKAUp62Gzo-Yizkd7-elQ/s200/Chocolate-cake-recipe.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Initially, I want to think about what pressure is. We don’t
tend to talk about feeling pressured to do things that we find easy and
enjoyable; I don’t feel pressured to eat this slice of chocolate cake (I wish I
had a slice of chocolate cake) although, technically, I probably was by
advertising, special offers, and the fact that my mate told me she had some
chocolate cake last night. You probably don’t feel pressure to take a bubble
bath, cuddle your partner, or read that juicy novel you’ve been into. These are
nice things to do even though they sometimes require a little effort. Perhaps
those women who feel pressured to breastfeed don’t see nursing as an enjoyable
activity. That’s not to say they don’t see nursing as beneficial; passing exams
and earning money are beneficial, for instance, but much more likely to be loaded
with feelings of pressure because they’re hard work. To what extent do women
who feel pressure to breastfeed see it as being an unpleasant and difficult
activity?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAr6-YyaVSP7-Mp6tGJqXRpBdRK_jvDK_F8S4axIO5nGe72zkeEjXFlZ2TQFLGZfEsX0k4zAUNr9PVVg270pGNz7TaiaWQ20zCodxHysvDxIClSDl6ElpJ8i27Vkt5gDfEqGdm8ckbAh0/s1600/nursing-room-sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAr6-YyaVSP7-Mp6tGJqXRpBdRK_jvDK_F8S4axIO5nGe72zkeEjXFlZ2TQFLGZfEsX0k4zAUNr9PVVg270pGNz7TaiaWQ20zCodxHysvDxIClSDl6ElpJ8i27Vkt5gDfEqGdm8ckbAh0/s1600/nursing-room-sign.jpg" /></span></a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I suppose to answer that we need to think about who is
feeling this pressure. To me, two groups are distinguishable: those who already
have first-hand experiences of breastfeeding, and those who haven’t. The
feelings of pressure will be rooted in different places for each of these
women. Women who have previously breastfed but feel pressure to do it again are
likely to have had negative experiences, which are possibly wrapped up in guilt
and since that’s another blog post let’s take the ‘virgin’ breastfeeder first: </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrVp5DbJKAlk8lQKL85jeKcU2xq8-ANLCImnMrxb2VX2IlEPUJJJTWZ3GC5oVHchUmfEKbbT1HgasnhrcLexZLODY-_Wux5letiyE5t4UKMk8IV7rZd_RUusEMhp6QAowc-vpREtqN7yc/s1600/DSC_0003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrVp5DbJKAlk8lQKL85jeKcU2xq8-ANLCImnMrxb2VX2IlEPUJJJTWZ3GC5oVHchUmfEKbbT1HgasnhrcLexZLODY-_Wux5letiyE5t4UKMk8IV7rZd_RUusEMhp6QAowc-vpREtqN7yc/s200/DSC_0003.JPG" width="193" /></span></a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">For a woman who has never breastfed her first encounter of
pressure to do so is likely to be from the midwife she sees while she is
expecting her first child. Whether or not you or I would interpret the midwife
as pressuring is irrelevant, really, as this pregnant mother does and it’s her
response that we’re currently concerned with. We have to remember that it’s
highly likely that this mother’s experiences of baby-feeding, right up until
the point of conversation with the midwife, have been formula-skewed. It’s
likely that she would have been formula-fed herself at some point and that her
brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews would have been too. She would also have
seen bottles everywhere; almost ubiquitously hailed as the icon of baby feeding
and printed on cafe walls, bibs, and baby clothes. The chances are pretty high
that when she played with dolls as a child she ‘fed’ them from a moulded
plastic bottle (or one of those where the ‘milk’ vanishes if you turn it upside
down if her parents had the cash). She would have seen acres of shelf space
given over to SMA and Aptamil, and a fair few formula...sorry, follow-on milk
adverts on TV. Statistically, her friends with babies will have started off
breastfeeding, before moving to formula. This will result in her having heard
plenty of explanations as to why breastfeeding ‘didn’t work’, ranging from the
painful (“my nipples were virtually hanging off”) to the mysterious (“the baby
just wouldn’t latch on”). She’ll have heard that ‘breast is best’, but she’ll
also be pretty damn sure that it’s hard work. If she was raised in Western
society – as we’re assuming she has been – our pregnant mother is almost
certain to have been bombarded with images of unobtainable female bodies and
sexualised breasts for two or three decades and therefore have a deeply
ingrained understanding of how she should view her own boobs (imperfect and
rude). She’ll probably never have risked exposing her nipple in a public place.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2eaFK_6YZntPYYKQVoMESGxUN9O-2PmLcdPac2QvyOdRAomBs85B64g7L7KuOjPfMLQWtp-nHblReX7tKZBnsxV-s74lr2-02Yo8R0XhGQWHIogAOWjk96UICaleTfG4wEU5cxUmbZr0/s1600/1184890551_katie_downesmaxim_uk_mag_august_2007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2eaFK_6YZntPYYKQVoMESGxUN9O-2PmLcdPac2QvyOdRAomBs85B64g7L7KuOjPfMLQWtp-nHblReX7tKZBnsxV-s74lr2-02Yo8R0XhGQWHIogAOWjk96UICaleTfG4wEU5cxUmbZr0/s200/1184890551_katie_downesmaxim_uk_mag_august_2007.jpg" width="138" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Cue the midwife and her leaflets about the positives of
breastfeeding. Leaflets that tell her she must outdo all her friends by
exclusively breastfeeding for six months. Leaflets that turn over at least half
of their printing space to troubleshooting ‘common problems’. And leaflets that
are often accompanied by a demand for intentions right there and then. When the
midwife asks our pregnant mother how she is going to feed her baby there only
seems to be one correct answer... and it’s not the one she’s used to being
exposed to. I’m not saying that the picture I have painted is representative of
all expectant mothers, but if she was part of a society in which breastfeeding
was seen as normal, pleasurable and public, would she feel pressure to nurse?
Or would she just do it because that’s what people do? What if she lived in a world
in which the question wasn’t asked because breastfeeding was so near-universal?
Would she feel more or less pressure in this situation? Would the nursing be
more or less achievable?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The experience of pressure doesn’t just come down to which
side of the argument is louder or who spends the most money on advertising. It’s
about perceptions of normality and about the extent to which an individual
feels comfortable about what she is being asked to do. People don’t have to be
persuaded very hard to do things they see as easy, positive, and normal. The
pregnant woman sees the midwife’s leaflets and questions as pressure because her
mind’s already made up how she’s going to ultimately feed her baby. Her mind
has been made up for her.</span></div>
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<br />loquaciouslactatorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15642383263914156851noreply@blogger.com8