An incentive to bf!

[RyansMum]

It is a stupid idea. I agree, more money should be spent on supporting those women who choose to breastfeed plus it will make FF Mum's feel more guilty and 'divide' the Mums further IMO.
I also wonder about the statistics. I was in the minority as a FF Mum not the other way round!

[*Ali*]

I agree it is ridiculous.

I think the stats are pretty reliable actually because the data should be taken at every check a baby has in the uk and it is a requirement if PCTs to collect this data. If anything I think the stats would be wrong the other way around. I.e. People are more likely to say they are breastfeeding when they aren't than to say they are not if they are, yk?
http://www.nice.org.uk/usingguidance/commissioningguides/breastfeed/commissioning.jsp
Maternal age, educational attainment and socio-economic position have a strong impact on patterns of infant feeding. So younger, uneducated women with a low income are more likely to FF than older, educated women with a higher income. That is just what the stats show.

Maybe you were in an area where BFing rates are a bit better RM? I don't imagine Hampshire is at the bottom of the Bf table anyway .

I think it is silly to be giving a mum whose family earns £100k who would have BF anyway £200 worth of vouchers. I sure hope the retailers are donating the vouchers to some extent and it isn't just being paid for with people's taxes.

[RyansMum]

Perhaps you are right but there are plenty of low income families in my town. Regardless, the money would be better spent supporting women not giving them vouchers.

[barbaraz78]

I agree it is ridiculous!
And an offense to the mums that could not bf. And also to the mums that bf, like the only reason you give your child bm is to receive money! I agree, it makes a personal choice so impersonal.

I also wonder about statistics. Here the majority of mums that I know actually bf, but probably the majority do not ebf until 6 mo. The tendency here is ebf until 3-4 mo, then introducing formula for some feeds (working mums have full-paid maternity leave until 3-4 mo so having formula in some feeds is easier) or fruit. But until 3-4 mo the majority of mums here are definitely ebf and continue to bf even it not exclusively after.

[*Ali*]

The stats quoted in the article are just for the UK. BFing rates in Italy are much higher and among the highest in Europe.

[barbaraz78]

Really? I didn't know it. Thanks.

[shivi]

how ridiculous.

Remind sme a bit about an over-used law here. Here every mum on going back to work has 5 hrs paid free per week for breastfeeding if they are breastfeeding. It was either 2 half hour pump breaks (on top of lunch) per day or arrive at work 1 hr early or leave one hour later.

All I had to do to get it was have a letter from my gynaecologist for my HR manager to prove I am lactating.
I had this hour off (was great mainly as I could go home for a later afternoon feed, bedtime feed and then do my paperwork and prep for school once baby or baby plus toddler were in bed...didn't actually give me 5 hrs off, just I could leave the building).

Anyway, plenty of my non bf friends jumped on the bandwagon and also took the time off, cheated the system and even with 2 yr olds, still got the letters from their doctors!?! Really got me peed off at the time as once my kids were old enough not to need the feeds during the day (I had 16 weeks and 22 weeks mat leave) I didn't overuse the labour law....anyway, this to me was a big thing when going back to work ft as a bfing mum. Vouchers? Don't think it would change things too much in UK or in my native Ireland which has some of the worst bfing uptake stats in the world (around 50% of mums don't try to bf at all, babies go straight to formula).

S x

[Fiver]

Agreeing that money would be better spent on support and education.  HVs and MWs in the UK (in my experience) are woefully inadequate in providing any sort of BF support (of course, there are some notable exceptions!)  Their only requirement is the short (is it one day or one hour? I can't remember) UNICEF BF course which provides the absolute bear minimum in terms of education, whereas and ABM BFC takes around 1-2 years part-time to complete a multiple unit course covering the biology of the breast and lactation, effects on baby, effects on mum, possible things that can be hurdles to BF etc etc etc.

If the average HV and MW had half as much information imparted, they would be in a better position from the word 'go' to support and advise women on BF.  I don't know what the stats are, but it does seem that a lot of women stop BF before they even leave the hospital because of poor support and the offer of formula (or insistence that LO should have it) - and these are often women who have been keen to feed.

Others further fall away when baby has "lost too much weight" and "needs supplementation with formula" rather than support being given on how to increase milk supply, latch, frequency of feeding, positioning and help to stop any pain (identification of TTs, etc).

Community based support groups are amazing and a fantastic resource and I have a huge amount of respect for those running them (my friend included), but they are sometimes underutilised by MWs and HVs.  So mum has an issue and instead of referring to the local experts, they try to 'fix' it themselves, but don't have the relevant experience. 

Urgh.  It all makes me so sad that there are women out there who have been desperate to BF and then end up reluctantly switching to formula and feeling guilty about their decision as it's not what they actually wanted to do.  This scheme isn't going to fix that. 

[michaeljacknnugg]

Well said, Amanda. I think you summed it up perfectly.

[Fiver]

Thanks, I'll get off my soapbox now