Paid to Breastfeed: would it have encouraged you to do it?

peachyprice

Gigglepig wrote: »

Not saying anyone should be forced, just that it seeems fair enough that people pay for it themselves. Should imo only be free if there is a medical need.

I guess that makes you better that those who say it should only be available on prescription, full stop, no if's no buts.

poet123

I don't/haven't breastfed - no I wouldn't have done it

Gigglepig wrote: »

Poet123 yes I think limited resources should first be allocated where they are needed for medical reasons, before we contemplate paying for lifestyle/parenting choices. the state is never going to afford to pay for absolutely everything, we must prioritise and imo needs are more important than wants. There is still a choice for people to spend their child benefit and other benefits on formula, or on other things they would rather have.

As far as lifestyle choices go, i would rather subsidise for example full time nursery spaces to give women more of a real choice whether to work full time, than the lifestyle choice to feed formula if there is no medical reason not to. I see the societal benefit in women working and contributing to the economy but I don't see the societal benefit in women feeding formula so my vote would not go to promoting/subsidising it in cases when not medically necessary.

Where do you draw the line on not making body related lifestyle choices free? Does Abortion fit the bill?

And the term lifestyle choice suggests that it is done from social convenience, rather than it just not being the right choice for any given mother and her child.

Gigglepig

Sorry but sponsoring formula when there is no medical need just isn't something I feel should be a priority requiring ear marked public funds. People run their own budgets and pay for all sorts of other parenting choices so why not just budget for formula if that's what one wants to use? People just spend their money how they see fit?

poet123

I don't/haven't breastfed - no I wouldn't have done it

Gigglepig wrote: »

Sorry but sponsoring formula when there is no medical need just isn't something I feel should be a priority requiring ear marked public funds. People run their own budgets and pay for all sorts of other parenting choices so why not just budget for formula if that's what one wants to use? People just spend their money how they see fit?

You didn't answer the question re Abortion.

dizziblonde

Gigglepig wrote: »

Not saying anyone should be forced, just that it seeems fair enough that people pay for it themselves. Should imo only be free if there is a medical need.

Do you have any idea of the battle you can end up having to go through if you need to get formula on prescription for a medical need if you've got an obstructive GP?!?!?

My younger child has an allergy to cows milk protein - while thankfully not the type of reaction likely to go anaphylactic, it's a very marked reaction nonetheless - she'll be screaming in discomfort within a few minutes, projectile vomiting, prolonged exposure led to her having a skin rash wherever the vomit had landed on her body... a horrifically unhappy little girl. Health visitor liasing with the community dietician team arranged a fax to be sent to the GP requesting hypoallergenic formula to be prescribed. This stuff comes in tins just under half the size of normal formula, so when you're up to the point before a child's hitting weaning, you're talking a couple of tins a week for it... GP resented being asked to prescribe this so at one point we hit the ridiculous level of one can at a time being prescribed, and me having to go and get it ordered in via the pharmacy which takes days - so I was doing an hour walk to the doctors and chemists with severe mobility issues most days trying to sort this out... then we had amounts requested for the prescription being altered to such an extent I was having to ration feeds to a point where my daughter was falling through weight centiles.

When the dietician discussed things with the GP the GP lied and claimed that my daughter was refusing to take this food and needed a much cheaper food (that she reacts allergically to) instead - totally against what we later found out that the dietician wanted prescribing. We had a phonecall at 8.30pm at night accusing me of swindling the NHS and lying to get something I was not entitled to... and then more lies to the health visitor about how this conversation had gone. At this point I started quoting the NHS PCT prescribing guidelines for infant formula to the GP and the health visitor stormed into the surgery numerous times in order to ensure that my daughter actually had something to be fed on.

Currently - after a massive blasting from the health visitor, dietician and me invoking complaints proceedures up to the eyeballs we've got a secure source of being able to feed this little girl - but the GP apparently has bragged that she's only ever had two children in the practice on prescription formula and I've found out via other sources that she's hounded and obstructed another seven families off the practice list in order that they don't need to be put through the hoops I've had to fight for in order to be able to feed their children (my younger little girl is incidentally now thriving, an utterly different baby, bright, bubbly, giggly and a total flirt with the little old ladies)... but I've ended up with panic attacks reappearing, stress related insomnia and eczema from the whole thing and back on anti-depressants because of the hell that we've had to go through to get formula needed for allergy reasons prescribed... so god help anyone who needed to convince this woman that they needed formula because of an inability to breastfeed!

Incidentally I would gladly have paid the tennerish a week toward any blooming formula available that would have been suitable for my daughter - indeed at one point I was begging the HV to tell me the least-awful non-prescription buyable option so we didn't have to go through the hell we were going through to get prescriptions done.

TeamLowe

dizziblonde that's a horrendous story and i'm truly sorry that you had to go through all that just to feed your child just goes to show how dangerous a judgemental attitude can be

It also highlights the true problem with stopping vouchers for formula- it will only be the babies that suffer. If the parents can't afford the formula there's a very real danger that they'll reduce the amount of formula they're mixing with water at every feed to make it go further and that can make babies very very sick indeed.
That's more than likely the reason for the vouchers in the first place- it's not cash so it can't be spent on something else but gaurantees that they have access to the formula their baby needs.

nodiscount

I couldn't breastfeed for medical/personal reasons

TeamLowe wrote: »

dizziblonde that's a horrendous story and i'm truly sorry that you had to go through all that just to feed your child just goes to show how dangerous a judgemental attitude can be

It also highlights the true problem with stopping vouchers for formula- it will only be the babies that suffer. If the parents can't afford the formula there's a very real danger that they'll reduce the amount of formula they're mixing with water at every feed to make it go further and that can make babies very very sick indeed.
That's more than likely the reason for the vouchers in the first place- it's not cash so it can't be spent on something else but gaurantees that they have access to the formula their baby needs.

I'm sorry but can somebody now explain what child benefit and tax credits are for then if it's not to pay for formula?

£3720 odd quid per year is not enough?

What about the low income working mothers who can't breastfeed? Why should they have to budget when others get it for free?

I'm not saying make it available on prescription only but it shouldn't be free either.

nodiscount

I couldn't breastfeed for medical/personal reasons

dizziblonde wrote: »

Do you have any idea of the battle you can end up having to go through if you need to get formula on prescription for a medical need if you've got an obstructive GP?!?!?

My younger child has an allergy to cows milk protein - while thankfully not the type of reaction likely to go anaphylactic, it's a very marked reaction nonetheless - she'll be screaming in discomfort within a few minutes, projectile vomiting, prolonged exposure led to her having a skin rash wherever the vomit had landed on her body... a horrifically unhappy little girl. Health visitor liasing with the community dietician team arranged a fax to be sent to the GP requesting hypoallergenic formula to be prescribed. This stuff comes in tins just under half the size of normal formula, so when you're up to the point before a child's hitting weaning, you're talking a couple of tins a week for it... GP resented being asked to prescribe this so at one point we hit the ridiculous level of one can at a time being prescribed, and me having to go and get it ordered in via the pharmacy which takes days - so I was doing an hour walk to the doctors and chemists with severe mobility issues most days trying to sort this out... then we had amounts requested for the prescription being altered to such an extent I was having to ration feeds to a point where my daughter was falling through weight centiles.

When the dietician discussed things with the GP the GP lied and claimed that my daughter was refusing to take this food and needed a much cheaper food (that she reacts allergically to) instead - totally against what we later found out that the dietician wanted prescribing. We had a phonecall at 8.30pm at night accusing me of swindling the NHS and lying to get something I was not entitled to... and then more lies to the health visitor about how this conversation had gone. At this point I started quoting the NHS PCT prescribing guidelines for infant formula to the GP and the health visitor stormed into the surgery numerous times in order to ensure that my daughter actually had something to be fed on.

Currently - after a massive blasting from the health visitor, dietician and me invoking complaints proceedures up to the eyeballs we've got a secure source of being able to feed this little girl - but the GP apparently has bragged that she's only ever had two children in the practice on prescription formula and I've found out via other sources that she's hounded and obstructed another seven families off the practice list in order that they don't need to be put through the hoops I've had to fight for in order to be able to feed their children (my younger little girl is incidentally now thriving, an utterly different baby, bright, bubbly, giggly and a total flirt with the little old ladies)... but I've ended up with panic attacks reappearing, stress related insomnia and eczema from the whole thing and back on anti-depressants because of the hell that we've had to go through to get formula needed for allergy reasons prescribed... so god help anyone who needed to convince this woman that they needed formula because of an inability to breastfeed!

Incidentally I would gladly have paid the tennerish a week toward any blooming formula available that would have been suitable for my daughter - indeed at one point I was begging the HV to tell me the least-awful non-prescription buyable option so we didn't have to go through the hell we were going through to get prescriptions done.

I'm sorry to hear about your experience but Not all doctors are the same as the one you describe. A story of a doctor who is, perhaps, not acting in the best interests of patients is not enough evidence to suggest all doctors will do the same.

peachyprice

nodiscount wrote: »

What about the low income working mothers who can't breastfeed? Why should they have to budget when others get it for free?

If they're working and on a low income they'll be getting CTC, which will entitle them to free milk.

sacha28

I couldn't breastfeed for medical/personal reasons

dizziblonde wrote: »

Do you have any idea of the battle you can end up having to go through if you need to get formula on prescription for a medical need if you've got an obstructive GP?!?!?

My younger child has an allergy to cows milk protein - while thankfully not the type of reaction likely to go anaphylactic, it's a very marked reaction nonetheless - she'll be screaming in discomfort within a few minutes, projectile vomiting, prolonged exposure led to her having a skin rash wherever the vomit had landed on her body... a horrifically unhappy little girl. Health visitor liasing with the community dietician team arranged a fax to be sent to the GP requesting hypoallergenic formula to be prescribed. This stuff comes in tins just under half the size of normal formula, so when you're up to the point before a child's hitting weaning, you're talking a couple of tins a week for it... GP resented being asked to prescribe this so at one point we hit the ridiculous level of one can at a time being prescribed, and me having to go and get it ordered in via the pharmacy which takes days - so I was doing an hour walk to the doctors and chemists with severe mobility issues most days trying to sort this out... then we had amounts requested for the prescription being altered to such an extent I was having to ration feeds to a point where my daughter was falling through weight centiles.

When the dietician discussed things with the GP the GP lied and claimed that my daughter was refusing to take this food and needed a much cheaper food (that she reacts allergically to) instead - totally against what we later found out that the dietician wanted prescribing. We had a phonecall at 8.30pm at night accusing me of swindling the NHS and lying to get something I was not entitled to... and then more lies to the health visitor about how this conversation had gone. At this point I started quoting the NHS PCT prescribing guidelines for infant formula to the GP and the health visitor stormed into the surgery numerous times in order to ensure that my daughter actually had something to be fed on.

Currently - after a massive blasting from the health visitor, dietician and me invoking complaints proceedures up to the eyeballs we've got a secure source of being able to feed this little girl - but the GP apparently has bragged that she's only ever had two children in the practice on prescription formula and I've found out via other sources that she's hounded and obstructed another seven families off the practice list in order that they don't need to be put through the hoops I've had to fight for in order to be able to feed their children (my younger little girl is incidentally now thriving, an utterly different baby, bright, bubbly, giggly and a total flirt with the little old ladies)... but I've ended up with panic attacks reappearing, stress related insomnia and eczema from the whole thing and back on anti-depressants because of the hell that we've had to go through to get formula needed for allergy reasons prescribed... so god help anyone who needed to convince this woman that they needed formula because of an inability to breastfeed!

Incidentally I would gladly have paid the tennerish a week toward any blooming formula available that would have been suitable for my daughter - indeed at one point I was begging the HV to tell me the least-awful non-prescription buyable option so we didn't have to go through the hell we were going through to get prescriptions done.

This is an appalling abuse of position! I had similar problem with my GP regarding my son's health. He had an ear infection for 8 MONTHS and perfed his ear drum 5 times yet he refused to refer to ENT as he felt he was 'too young' and that the perfs were 'relieving the pressure'. Funny how a letter to the practice manager outlining the the GP was failing in his duty of care to my son and he was willing allowing my son to suffer changed things. I also outlined that I would be visiting a medical solicitor should my son suffer permanent hearing loss through his negligence.

3 days later I was phoned by the ENT department at our hospital to arrange an urgent appointment with a consultant. The doctor said it was one of the worst cases of ear infection she had seen in a long time and an appointment should have been made after the 3rd course of antibiotics. He had also suffered loss of hearing, but wouldn't be permanent (phew!)

I get the CB argument. I use my son's CB to buy anything he needs, it is his money after all