A New Breastfeeding Debate

The news is full of stories of breastfeeding this morning and the most surprising story is that new mothers are being offered £200 to breastfeed their babies for a least six months.  You can read the article here.

Great – I am in for a bonus……..oh wait – it’s just a pilot scheme in South Yorkshire in a deprived area with low breastfeeding rates.
It does seem a bloody stupid idea in my opinion. Do you remember the £200 pregnant women got towards healthy eating back around 2008 – I think my payment went towards a pram rather than healthy food (I was eating healthily anyway).
I digress – I have been very lucky to have been able to successfully breastfeed all my children well into toddlerhood, but that was my choice.  I was in the minority when I had my first born in the fact that I was 18 and wanted to breastfeed.  As a single parent it was the easy option for me – not messing about with sterilising bottles, making up feeds in the middle of the night and carting bottles around as well as being best for baby.
Breastfeeding hasn’t always been plain sailing – I suffered horribly for the first two months with Eliza because she couldn’t latch properly but thanks to support from my midwife, breastfeeding counsellor and finally my chiropractor who diagnosed the problem and resolved it almost immediately, I got through it.  These women need support, clear advice and encouragement not cash or vouchers.
People need to be educated and breastfeeding be taught as the norm from school age.  I was quite shocked by a work colleague that said she wouldn’t even try breastfeeding as she saw her boobs as hers and her husbands – but that was her choice to make.
Breastfeeding in public should be accepted as the norm too.  I’ve been asked to leave places before now, despite feeding my child discreetly but I do acknowledge there are some women who do spoil it for others by leaving it all in display – there is just no need with all the nursing tops available these days!

The Government should be investing in midwives and Sure Start centres to give the very best aftercare to mums after giving birth, after all they are the best placed people to help and advise new mums who may not have even attended antenatal classes if they are from a deprived area.  Women should be given a choice and supported whether they choose to breastfeed or not!

7 thoughts on “A New Breastfeeding Debate”

  1. Im with you on this Kara, I tried so hard to breast feed my 3 but it wasnt meant to be. The money should be invested as you say into training of midwives and health visitors to enable more women to breast feed.
    I got asked to leave M&S cafe of all places when I was feeding #1….I had to finish the feed in the bra fitting room in tears as I was so embarrassed.

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  2. I couldn’t breastfeed S due to his cleft palate and I was absolutely distraught. If this idea had beem flung around back then I really think i could have been at risk of post natal depression. It’s hard enough feeding a baby who can’t suck.

    As for mums being asked to leave public places due to breastfeeding I have always been appalled by this reaction. We have breasts for feeding babies..that is their actual purpose.

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  3. Great post. All most women need is support and a society that sees breastfeeding as the norm. I can’t believe you’ve been asked to leave places when breastfeeding! That’s shocking 🙁

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