I have 2 kids, well grown men actually and shock horror they were both bottle fed and it's never done them any harm. As kids they enjoyed very good health and rarely even came down with the usual childhood illnesses, they have no allergies and rarely even get a cold, pretty much like me really. I also didn't have the excuse of having no milk. I had so much of it I had to take steps to stop it, why cos I was a selfish cow returning to work asap and wouldn't be around to breast feed as I would be out in the world working my ar$e off to provide for my offspring and rather selfishly didn't fancy springing a leak mid presentation in front of a roomful of blokes. Cor did I take some flak from the nurses but who cares, it's my life and my kids are my responsibility, so it was my decision and I have no regrets.
I too thing that video is a load of scaremongering tosh but there's a lot of it about.

have to agree with the above two posters, such attitudes as the above, don't do mothers who can't feed their babies themselves any good at all,

What's best for a child is what suits the mother, not what the holier than thou decide what others should do.

Not forgetting vaccinations , its not propaganda , they are a necessity. To ensure we don't fall back into the days of polio/ measels epidemics....I think some people who never lived through these things can be a little nieve as to the devastation it can cause , no one likes putting vaccines into our children , but it's a lesser of many evils.


I wish some would stop dictating to other mothers what they should do with their babies, it's hard enough for new mums, without the breast gestapo getting on their backs.

I had that when my now 36 year old son was born, they seem to just think....bottle....formula I breast fed both of mine, even though the first one couldn't be done without a bottle at the beginning as he was in a baby unit due to his heart beat not being right at the time

My generation survived lead painted toys, asbestos (even on ironing boards ) and goodness knows what else - it's never been perfect.

They tell us we are all going to live longer (although I do think that is debatable) so there's a conflict of information somewhere.

I actually lied to my health visitor and told her I was still expressing (I couldn't get him to feed and the midwife in the hospital said it may never happen). I felt sooo guilty about it because everything in the hospital and what the health visitor said was breast is best and woe betide anyone who felt otherwise.

It's up to the mother to decide what they want to do and I think it's hard enough being a first time mum, without all that dumped on top of you.

Helen

havent watched the video and judging from people comment i am not sure i want to!
with regards to feeding babies tho.....we all know and its been scientifically proven that breast is best, but on the other hand formula is by no means a death sentence!
i was desperate to breastfeed my first but for various reasons i just couldnt and i tried and tried to the point the my nipples scabbed over and i got so upset at the thought i couldnt do it, so by a week old she was on formula! shes the healthiest child going and despite the fact i have exzema asthma and hayfever she has none of them!
when we were trying for our second baby i decided no way was i breast feeding after the trauma of the first time(alho i always planned to give the first feed)! then when i was advised to have a section i thought i would breast feed for as long as i was immobile i would breast feed..........16 months i fed for and i loved it and gutted when she self weaned she does have excema though so i guess those particular benefits from breastmilk didnt work!

I'm glad I'm not the only one who hasn't fallen for the marketing might (tosh?) of the companies interested in selling their wares.

There are even books out there that uncover 'Bad Science' - where companies skew facts for marketing - and show that just because clinical trials have taken place or there are supposed 'facts' to back up a claim a company is making, if it's coming from a company (with a vested interest) you should almost certainly take it with a pinch of salt.

Personally I believe ALL clinical trials should be carried out by official government labs - where all companies have to pay to get their products/pharmaceuticals tested, approved and clinically trialled. It's the only way to ensure fairness and impartiality. If the companies have nothing to hide they have nothing to worry about.

wasn't meant in the way you have taken it at all, in case you have forgotten i have just been through the exact same thing as you, emergency csection at 35 weeks with a baby in neo natal being tube fed 0 however all the milk given is mine and we had to do the whole establishing breastfeeding thing before leaving hospital.. I know how hard it is, my point was those who dont even attempt it with the attitude of its "easier" to bottle feed as then someone else can do it or denying the actual benefits of breast milk even exist. I am a breastfeeding peer supporter and perhaps by my comment you probably think i am not good at my job but i am! i didn't explain what i meant very well.

i have the utmost respect for you breastfeeding as know EXACTLY how hard it is to do after a difficult labour or section, i just WISH more people would at least attempt it AND wish the support was there in the hospital, as in my experience it isn't.....if you aren't getting the support to try and get baby on the breast then ask to speak to a lactation consultant or peer supporter in the hospital and they could get you established before you leave

so apologies if it came across wrongly and i commend you for pursuing - it will all be worth it. Noah did not feed at first from breast so was getting in tube and now i came get him off. My daughter was also a difficult feeder and it only lasted a few days before she got it !!!

bt if you aren't getting the right assistance ask / insist on it

as i have explained, i have my reasons for the comment and it didn't make it very clear, probably cos i had a baby on my lap at the time....

however I stand by my reasonings for it, which is that i think all mums should be willing to at least try it..too many excuses given when a lot of the time its down to lack of education, lack of breatfeeding in the family, or some kind of concept that breasts are for sex not for feeding the baby.

I had 3 completely different experiences and feel strongly about the breast milk definetly being best, considering i also just watched my 35 week son perk up as soon as he started getting my milk and kangaroo care, i don't think that is a coincidence.

Re the vaccinations - again i do believe in them, just not at the ages they give them nor the fact they try and force you to have 7 in 1 go for an 8 week old baby, its too much on an immature immune system and it annoys me cos its money orientated not for the health of the child.

i also have a child ( Luca ) who had a vaccine reaction so i don't give him any combined ones - yet to do that i have to privately ay £100 per jab so that he can be vaccinated as the NHS will not provide them separately - again no individual concern for my child just a budget with the NHS.


So i am not throwing this all about randomly. I have experience of both. I won't ram it down others throats but my comment stands - these are things that concern me, other things may irritate others.

Your fears are not unfounded, Dani. Vaccines have not been evaluated for their potential to cause carcinogenic, mutagenic problems or impairment of fertility.

Vaccine damage payments are extremely difficult to get but Bailey Banks, Hannah Poling and Robert Fletcher are three who were compensated - Robert at the age of 18! You cannot claim compensation for a child under the age of 2 - most kids have had their jabs before then.