Paid to breastfeed?

Breastfeeding benefits mothers in another way too - it reduces their chances of getting breast cancer decades later. This correlation has been known of for a long time. With breast cancer rates as high as they are - and it's one of the commonest cancers in this country - yet another reason to incentivise women. If the voucher method works then use it I say - even if it is counter-intuitive. Which is not to say that support is not also important.

Just across the water from those of us in the U.K. is Norway, which has incredibly high rates of breastfeeding. It seems unlikely that British women are genetically unable to breastfeed when our Scandinavian cousins manage to do so well.

kellymom.com/fun/trivia/bf-rates-2004/

Norway, apparently, made a concerted effort to turn the tide and encourage women to bf with the introduction of Mat Leave and pay, way back in the 1950's. It can be done, if there's the political will to do so.

And yet it is more likely that mothers in the middle socio-economic groups will breastfeed than those in the lower socio-economic groups.

Agreed Maizie - as said before- many young, and less young mothers, live in less than ideal conditions, in so many ways - which can also make bottle feeding dangerous due to lack of hygiene and fluctuating income - withe periods where money is just not available and babies to without, or diluted feeds or solids too early, etc.

Not quite sure how to word this, but I feel a lot of the comments seem to show a very 'middle-class' bias which does not reflect the reality of many mothers. If young women do not have access to hygienic products for periods- they are very unlikely to have access to very expensive formula and ideal sterilising conditions.

^ It is ridiculous to say that ALL women can Breast feed ,no they can't .^

You can't have read the whole thread very closely, POGS; I won't say that nobody has said that, but I think you'll find it is a tiny minority.

As I said, in the past natural selection would have practically eliminated those who were physiologically incapable of breastfeeding but with the advent of reliable formula milk more would have survived their own mothers' incapacity and could pass their genes to their daughters. Which means that there are probably more women around now with the problem, but not enough to account for such a low breastfeeding rate.

I did find your post very disheartening if you believe that nothing can be done to change women's cultural expectations. Though I don't actually think that is true. Quite a lot of cultural expectations in other fields have changed during my lifetime.

I never breastfed any of mine, could not bear the thought and I have to say that now middle-aged, they still haven't become obese or show signs of having any of the other health bugbears we keep being told about but all that aside, who is funding this proposed giveaway? If it is the NHS then I am indeed disgusted at the throwing away of much needed funds.

Talking about cultural differences, I had an Indian colleague from a Muslim Pakistani family- living with in-laws and the 'matriarch' was very bossy. She wanted to breasfeed the baby, but the MIL insisted on baby being put on bottle so she could feed and control his upbringing from day one (first boy grandchild). When I told OH and a friend who is a BF advisor- they both said it was very common.

"the husbands who objected." Perhaps they're jealous of the baby .
Back to Singapore and a visit to the Tiger Balm Gardens - there were lifesize models of scenes in chinese history and culture.
One showed a lactating woman with the baby on one breast, and her husband on the other.

The 'culture' of not breastfeeding that nightowl mentions is what I was driving at when I mentioned the husbands who objected. I think it is a very strong influence. Perhaps the health experts who want to encourage more women to regard breastfeeding as the norm need to first understand that culture. Deep-seated cultural attitudes are hard to change.

New mums aren't given the expectation of the joy of breastfeeding. That first contact with DS1 was one of the best moments of my life. I was quite sad when, at 7 months, he took the unilateral decision to reject breastfeeding. My mum breast-fed all three of us and we all continued with our own children. All of my GC were breast-fed as well. It does run in families.
There is nothing like the happiness of sharing a smile with a feeding baby.

I agree POGS .

We hear so much on this forum of a woman's choice yet offering cash/vouchers to sway that choice is accepted

Giving them money to breastfeed is not the same as making them feel guilty if they don’t?? I think people are confusing the middle class imperative to breastfeed causing guilt for those who can’t (or don’t want to) with working class cultures where it is not the norm and therefore not even considered.

Yet again people are talking about their own experiences instead of reading the article and understanding the scheme.

If as some posters have eluded to it is the choice of women from poorer backgrounds to bottle feed then that makes no sense what so ever as baby formula is expensive. If cost were the factor they would breast feed wouldn't they .

. It is ridiculous to say that ALL women can Breast feed ,no they can't .

Whilst in this instance the topic is breast feeding surely irrespective of who and where the finances come from if it is simply a case of ' the receiver ' of money/vouchers only having to say that is what they are doing to obtain money then it is a folly because you are relying on nothing more than honesty. How on earth could facts and figures at a later date provide evidence of anything when it relies on nothing but honesty , it is wide open to abuse.

If mums want to breast feed they will do so. Mums who don't will not be bought with cash/vouchers but they will possibly take what's on offer . I understand the point whole heartedly that breast feeding has many advantages and educating new mums is the correct thing to do, certainly not by making them feel guilt! but if the babies health and the cost of baby formula as opposed to free milk doesn't make them to choose to breast feed then their mind is made up . There are so many reasons why a mum chooses to breast feed or bottle feed and whatever works for her is her choice to make.

I used to work in a 6th Form College- and some of our students became pregnant in teens. Often from difficult/broken homes, poor, with little support- any incentive to help them would have made a difference.

But incentives are not enough- proper support is the key.

Some of the comments on 'choice' seem to disregard the reality on the ground. If support and incentives supports these women and helps them make 'the best choice' for the baby- then why not? The reality is also that many live in less than ideal accommodation, where bottle feeding can be totally unsafe for hygiene reasons- and where, if money is short to pay the bills one week, or at the end of the month - then baby will go without or with extra diluted milk until money comes in again, and solids given to fill them up like rusks- putting the baby at risk too.

If a woman wants to and can she will , some women do not want to , their choice , being pregnant and preparing for a new life is enough without pressure or being made to feel guilty

GracesGranMK2 is right. It was a study trying to change social attitudes. As Carolpaint says it’s an education thing.

We all know it’s best, but at midnight with a new baby, mums need someone to “value” their effort when all their family is saying “just give them a bottle”.

I know. My lovely daughter in law was under a lot of pressure to bottlefeed from her family where no one, friend, colleague or associate was known to have breast fed.

If a small incentive gives even one in a hundred the strength to persevere then this can have influence in future on many many more.

I did try with both of mine. But I wasn't very good at it so gave up after a few weeks.

It is believed the reason the UK has the lowest world rate of breast feeding due to social pressures. The OP is FAKE NEWS. It was not a suggestion to 'pay' mothers to breastfeed but to offer incentives - to try an balance the very pressures I feel I have seen on here in some posts.

If they aren't checking up on the mum's they are paying then it all seems a complete waste of cash!
I know a lady of my mum's generation who thought breastfeeding wasn't what her breasts were for and didn't (she was a nurse!!) and yet my dd (16) did breastfeed my dgd for as long as she could as I had done with her. It HAS to be personal preference. You cannot force women who can't or don't want to with money/vouchers!
I thinks it's an insane waste of resources.

I am reminded of someone I babysat for when I was a student. She was a well-educated musician and said she couldn't breastfeed because "it would make me feel like an animal". I kept schtum but I was thinking: "You are an animal".

Was I just lucky in having babies who seemed to know what to do? I do know there are babies who have sucking problems but still... most mammalian babies just get on with it, don't they? We can't be so very different, generally speaking, can we?

I agree that lack of good support, and conflicting advice, is part of the problem. But what can you expect in a country where breastfeeding rates are so low that even the medical professionals are likely to have no experience themselves of breastfeeding, or, have never had children and only know a little of the theory?

The money would be better spent on more support for all mothers to breastfeed. My own daughter is struggling right now to bf her newly-born first child. Support is available but so much of it is contradictory, even from midwives in the same hospital! One told her to do X, then the next midwife said 'Oh no, don't do that, do Y,' instead. My poor Dd doesn't know if she's coming or going.

Only 5% of women are physically unable to breastfeed. That many more women have been/are unable to bf is probably down to lack of support and knowledge of the right techniques, because we no longer live in a society where is it something every woman sees going on around her.

Surveys show that 80% of women who give up breastfeeding early, do so reluctantly. Women want to breastfeed, they're just not given the tools to enable them to do so. I can't see that money will make any difference to that.

My children were born if different hospitals in the 70's. The assumption in both was that you would bottle feed and you were presented with your new baby and a small prepacked bottle of Royal brand milk. There were 25 mothers on a very large Ward in the Whittington Hospital and only one bucked the trend. She was American. When you left (10 days later) you were presented with 12 of these little bottles to take home (just to get you started dear). None of my friends breast fed. It didn't occur to us.

When I had DD1 there were quite a few young mums living in the same area of Edinburgh who, when I got to know them (as we had our second pregnancies and babies) didn't breastfeed because they said their husbands wouldn't like it.