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

whitewing

I couldn't breastfeed for medical/personal reasons

I think it could be quite dangerous in a minority of circumstances.

Someone who really needs the money may attempt breastfeeding and, because they are breastfeeding, may refuse antidepressants for post-natal depression because of it passing to the baby.

I also understand that milk production is linked to serotonin levels, and again, someone who is depressed may not be able to feed baby properly (at least I couldn't). It was bad enough having failed at breastfeeding, let alone pay for formula, without missing out on £200.

I guess people can lie? I can't see how they'd be able to police it.

lau_dicker

I couldn't breastfeed for medical/personal reasons

kathrynha wrote: »

No not every woman can.

I desperately wanted to.
I tried really hard to despite no support at all.
My baby ended up in intensive care because of me trying to BF her, and her managing to do a good enough impression of a baby feeding well to fool doctors and midwifes.

Formula feeding saved my babies life, and I am now the mother of a little girl that is top of her year group at school, has a reading age over 2 years above her actual age and has had 100% attendance for the last 2 years, so it definately hasn't effect her intelligence or health.

Very similar to my situation. I told the midwife at the GPs that I thought I'd have (medical) problems with bf but I wanted to try, she said it'd be fine, every time I went, I mentioned I was worried I wouldn't be able to bf, she said it'll be fine, didn't even ask what I was worried about. So my son was born, I tried, the nurse in hospital signed my notes saying she'd seen me breast feed when she hadn't, the midwife who came to my house 2 days after my son was born said he wasn't eating enough and someone would be round in the morning, no one came, I had to ring 3 different departments in tears when I should have had to have made one call and get someone round, in the end they sent a student (who was lovely, but that's not the point), no one came to support me even though I rang every day and at my son's 5 day check we were admitted to the hospital because he'd lost over 20% of his birth weight ... I saw a specialist breast feeding midwife who gave me some nipple shields and my son fed every hour through the whole night, that's all it took. Easily fixed. Or not, as the case was with me, my son drained my supply and I never got anymore milk. My son is now 21 months old and I am still suffering with PND because of the failure I felt because I couldn't bf him those first 5 days, that was my baby and I caused him so much pain because he wasn't getting any milk. He had a bottle that night in the hospital, plus my whole supply of milk, and 2 bottles in the morning, and had gained weight that quickly even though he had weed and pood! He is now 21 months old, bright as a button, on the 75th centile for weight and height, never ill, he's a really happy little boy. I would have carried on bf if my milk had come back, but these things happen, I realise that now, but those 5 days were meant to be the happiest days of my life, you tell that to my GP who has to put up with me and my PND!

On a lighter note! I was formula fed as my mam (and my nana I later found out) had the same problem as me, I'm from a working class background (first in family to go to uni, parents have no qualifications), I have a BSc, a MSc and working towards another MSc, and working as a Molecular Biologist, I know there is evidence that bf babies are cleverer, but I think there's more to it than that

pukkamum

kathrynha wrote: »

No not every woman can.

I desperately wanted to.
I tried really hard to despite no support at all.
My baby ended up in intensive care because of me trying to BF her, and her managing to do a good enough impression of a baby feeding well to fool doctors and midwifes.

Formula feeding saved my babies life, and I am now the mother of a little girl that is top of her year group at school, has a reading age over 2 years above her actual age and has had 100% attendance for the last 2 years, so it definately hasn't effect her intelligence or health.

No that's incorrect, that's the myth, you can breastfeed, all you need to be able to breastfeed are boobs and nipples, it comes down to baby's ability to suckle.

pukkamum

nodiscount wrote: »

I must admit I felt very guilty when I failed to carry on bf after 3 weeks but at least I tried. It is not mothers like me who should feel guilty it's the ones can haven't even bothered trying who should feel guilt.

No no no no no.
No woman should be made to feel guilty for how she chooses to feed her baby, who are you to decide who should or shouldn't feel guilty.
What on earth is there to feel guilty about?
If baby is thriving and happy then great job well done.
So you manage to make a woman feel guilty for not trying, to what end?

poet123

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

MoneySavingMamma wrote: »

I stand by what I say, as the posts after mine show mothers who TRIED, but couldn't. That I have no problem with.

I didn't feed for long, but again I TRIED.

I am referring to those who flat out refuse to TRY with first baby.

I didn't try. I knew from day 1 of pregnancy that it wasn't for me. Why should I have tried and made myself miserable at what should be a time of great joy?

Quite frankly, I find your judgmental attitude sickening, however I accept you are entitled to your opinion. I was entitled to choose my feeding method.

ampersand

First, look here:

http://www.laleche.org.uk/

I was first pregnant in France in the 70's and there was a good prime for allaitement[and still is in another form]. I sortakinda managed for 5 months, but this determined me, in UK, to succeed with 2nd child. La Leche League leaflets from Australia helped hugely. For birth reasons, this success was a huge bonus, as was tum pulling in v.quickly and - let's say it - the luscious sensations that accompany breastfeeding and innate bonding which seems to come in consequence.
Sans doute, part of Mother Nature's cleverclogness.

That France actually has the worst b/f rates in Western Europe has perhaps always been the driver for financial encouragement.

If a decision is currently applicable to you, I wish you a safe birth[of the world's most beautiful baby, bien sûr] and encourage you to try. Oh, the £200?....do what you like. It shouldn't be a judgment call.

Tigsteroonie

I couldn't breastfeed for medical/personal reasons

After 10 weeks of tube feeding, Andrew couldn't latch so attempts to breastfeed (well supported by hospital advisors) failed. I pumped during the 10 weeks of tube feeding, and continued to pump for 4 months after he came home.

Are these vouchers going to reward those who breastfeed, or those who feed their child breast-milk? Seems particularly harsh not to reward the latter, as most who pump do so because they've generally gone through traumatic events leading up to that decision and want to ensure their child gets the best chance.

WantToBeSE

I do/have breastfed - I would have carried on whether the money was offered or not

I breastfed my 1st child for 6 months and my 2nd for 4 months.
No amount of money would have any persuasion over me, i did it because it's better for the baby, free, less work (yes, i am lazy!) and natural.

Both of my children were quite severely ill once born (one was prem and the other decided that his lungs would collapse ) so spent some time in NICU. the docs and nurses in the NICU were wonderfully supportive of my attempts to breast feed, thats what made the difference i think.

dizziblonde

MoneySavingMamma wrote: »

I stand by what I say, as the posts after mine show mothers who TRIED, but couldn't. That I have no problem with.

I didn't feed for long, but again I TRIED.

I am referring to those who flat out refuse to TRY with first baby.

Good job no other woman needs to justify their choices or actions to you then isn't it? You seem to feel entitled to behave as some kind of supreme arbiter of whether someone "tried hard enough" or not though - something I notice is fairly common.

I've got what usually gets "allowed" as an "acceptable" excuse when people find out what went on with my eldest... but the whole thing still gets me incredibly annoyed.

No amount of glossy posters in varying degrees of focus and shinyness would have sorted out our issues.
No amount of incentives, vouchers, shiny leaflets, mobile phone covers and anything else that got pushed onto me would have sorted out our issues.
No amount of badly photoshopped stuff like baby bottles in coffins or the other stuff that does the rounds on the internet would have solved our issues, nor "oooh just have more skin to skin" or any of the other pat solutions offered. Nor would random women deciding it was their duty to tell me that my baby was on a one-way ticket to cot death either.

What might have made some difference would have been making the post-natal hellhole I was on less !!!!ing awful so it didn't have such an impact on my mental health I was able to stay longer and keep going... a breast pump motor that actually worked for more than a few weeks... a post natal ward in a major teaching hospital that actually kept tongue depressors in stock to check for tongue ties that got completely missed... a health visitor (thankfully mine's changed since then) clued up on allergies, clued up on prematurity and actually on the correct planet... and staff who had more of an attitude of support than "throw nork at baby and see if it sticks"

But yep we can throw some vouchers at women because they obviously just can't be bothered or don't want to try or whatever else... and the concept that women are stupid shallow beings who would just want to be bought onto the path of righteousness by the chance to get a nice new pair of shoes or handbags or whatever that underpins this idea is offensive to ALL women really.

Was actually the behaviour of the internet breastfeeding bullies that put me on a very low tolerance threshold for pushing through things with my second btw - so carry on fighting that fight huh cos it's really really working.

And to get people MORE annoyed - we get formula on prescription for my youngest child as she's got a fairly severe dairy allergy - so £20+ a can stuff for free. That'll be good for another few pages of insults being thrown.

MSE HQ - starting this wanting it to remain civil and non-insulting was a really really really daft idea btw.

MoneySavingMamma

I do/have breastfed - I would have carried on whether the money was offered or not

I have never made any comment about 'trying hard enough' or 'not persevering' as I have said with this baby I may last 1 day, or 6months.

I will TRY it out, see how it goes.

I have also said I breastfed too long with my first, as the struggles I was having were eventually having a negative effect on me & the baby. I should have stopped before I was distressed.

Alot of people are misinterpreting my comments, when I think I have been quite clear in saying that TRYING or ATTEMPTING to breastfeed is the right thing to do. If you are not successful, even after 1day/1 week, you deserve the same respect as the next woman who TRIED and found it easy/managable and continued for months.

My contempt is for those that don't attempt just one or two feeds. The ones I know who when pregnant have told me that no way would they TRY it's disgusting, or it'll ruin their boobs, or they don't want to.

Maybe my posts should be read properly before I am judged?