Breast is best - and for very different reasons

jura2 this isn't a new story,i think if you search it has been mentioned on Gransnet before, not too long ago
Terrible all the same,none of my children were breast fed,they wee all fed on Cow& Gate, and all have grown up very fit and muscular[the boys anyway]

were not wee i wish there was an edit button, i did read it through ,honestly

When my children were born, 40+ years ago, breast feeding was actively discouraged by midwives and nurses, I tried but told that there was no point, that bottle was best and I was made to feel old fashioned and a freak. Also no feeding on demand, strictly every 4 hours. And don't get me started on co sleeping, then babies had to go and stay in their cot from day one and preferably in their own room! Now all this has been reversed by the so called experts!

Although the environmental issues weren't in such sharp focus as they are today, these aspects were talked about when my youngest child was a baby, 20+ years ago.

Thank goodness we do have formula, though, otherwise a lot of babies wouldn't have survived to adulthood.

Several decades ago there was a campaign to get people to boycott Nestlé products because they were selling baby formula where people didn't have access to clean water so formula feeding was really unsafe.

Plus ça change...

My children were born 50 and nearly 49 years ago and I was actively encouraged to breastfeed and did so. I remember the Nestle scandal.

I was encouraged to breastfeed by DM who fed all of us herself but when my first was born almost 50 years ago only 2 of us were BFeeding in the ward.
DD was told by the health visitor it was a social class thing and if your mother hadn't, it was unlikely that you would.
Her health visitor was encouraging.
My grand MiL didn't feed her babies because of her inverted nipples. She gave them cows' milk. She told me this herself as she watched me breastfeed, telling me I was very lucky.

Whatever a new mother is comfortable with is best for her newborn.

I breastfed both of mine, but only for 6 weeks as they had suctions like a lavatory plunger and I was crippled every time and bleeding because I was so tender, so I had pills to get rid of the milk and fed them Ostermilk.

This thread is not at all about BF or bottle - but about the environmental issues linked to formula production and landuse, packaging, plastics, transportation, litter, and other environmental issues.

The discussion came as we were talking about the need to eat less meat, and to buy more local- for environmental reasons. This even more so when whole continents, like Africa dn China, switch to formula as it is seen and marketed as being 'superior'. None of the above arise with BF at all- simple.

A more detailed explanation here

www.sciencealert.com › no-one-is-talking-about-..

sorry about above link

www.imperial.ac.uk/news/193226/environmental-cost-formula-milk-needs-global/

Well said GrannyGravy! They want us to feel guilty whatever we do!

I understood the point of this thread, jura but last link explains it better. There has been very little mention of the environmental impact of formula milks.

We know that breastfeeding doesn't work for everyone, but the formula companies are still allowed to promote "follow on" milks which are completely unnecessary. After 6 months, whether breast or bottle fed, and babies are being weaned, normal milk will do, diluted a bit until they're about a year.

It would be interesting to see a few more articles about the environmental effect of milk formula.

Its impossible to disagree that we need to take better care of our environment. David Attenborough has been such a brilliant advocate or getting people to think about the impact of their actions. The demonstrations by XR have made sure it's at the forefront of our minds.
It seems everything about having babies becomes increasingly demanding of young parents. The costs and benefits of breastfeeding v bottle, the expectation that young parents who are working full time return to washing and drying endless nappies to avoid land fill with disposables.
I don't mean to minimise any of these issues, only to acknowledge the possibility that campaign fatigue can hit anyone, anytime.

Exactly Iam64 new parents are and have always been made to feel guilty for whatever decision, for whatever reason!

being made aware of the facts, and the huge influence of the big formula companies in promoting their products as 'superior' to BF- and give choices in making decisions, is positive surely.
As said, I had never considered this aspect of formula. Worldwide- the environmental implications are huge. A lot of debate currently about eating less meat- but this goes for dairy too- and formula is very much part of this.

Granny gravy, blue sky..
rtft.
This is not about ff v bf it's about the impact on the environment & multi nationals making money by promoting formula..

More fool people who buy follow on milk and so on.
Every single thing these days is hyped up to encourage us to buy more and more and more things that aren't needed.

If someone can breast feed, all well and good, and if they can't, it's still well and good.

The book tilted Fresh milk is a very good read, explains the full story.

I became aware of the nestle scandal in the 80's ...

The answer to the immoral excesses of capitalistic enterprise especially the multinationals is better and better education especially for children.

Children must be taught how to use their judgement for moral and prudential matters.

It's clear there are political forces that want children to be educated to be units of production, and we must resist these right wing political forces.

in 1956 I beast fed my baby in a station waiting room during a break in a long rail journey. I was always a rebel and thought nothing of it.But a rather posh woman in the waiting room came up to me and congratulated me on breast feeding and doing so as of right. There were people even in 1956 who did what came naturally. My point is kids need to be taught to think for themselves in order to resist the multinationals. Someone mentioned Follow On milk; I imagine they sit around their conference table discussing novel ways to fleece the public

Yes OK this time it's because of the environmental impact but as I was saying, there's always been a reason to try and make new parents feel inadequate. Would follow my instinct now if I was to do it all again!

PS "beast" was a good Freudian slip. The commercial powers have tried to persuade us we are not animals.

Well done Alexa for being a rebel! Unfortunately a lot of young mums do what they are told/expected to do especially where medical/nursing issues are concerned.