Firstly let me say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported and/or shared your stories with ‘Just Call Me Daisy: A Breastfeeding Mothers Story’
The book is now complete and has been entered into the voting cycle on WEbook. In order to be published ‘Just Call Me Daisy’ needs to finish in the top 10% on the 18 November to be in with a chance. So if you would like to see this project on the shelves supporting many breastfeeding mums world wide, then please cast your vote now:
http://www.webook.com/vote and choose ‘Parenting and Families’ from the ‘Select a Genre’ drop down menu.
There are many other projects up for voting too so why not have a look. In order to vote you need to join WEbook by providing an email address but it is really easy.
Again I am so grateful and overwhelmed by the fantastic response ‘Just Call Me Daisy’ has received but have enjoyed every minute bringing the project to life. So lets get voting, ‘shout out’ about breastfeeding mums and share our motivation and encouragement.
‘Just Call Me Daisy: A Breastfeeding Mothers Story’ is progessing wonderfully and we now have the option to submit the book for publication into the WEbook Voting Cycle. The deadline is 3 November 2008.
However, in order to do so we only need 10 more quality submissions averaging 1100 words each and the book will be ready. ‘Just Call Me Daisy’ is accepting both stories and poems to give you the chance to share your breastfeeding adventure.
It would be fantastic to submit the book now as so much had been acheived in a short time. If, however, we are unsuccessful and the book isn’t chosen for publication this time, all is not lost. We can use all the judging feedback to improve the book, ready for January submission as originally planned.
It’s an opportunity not to missed!
So if you do have a breastfeeding tale to share and would like to see it in print, then please contribute your story or poem now. You will be part of a project which will provide a truly motivational and inspiring breastfeeding book supporting mums worldwide.
‘Just Call Me Daisy:A Breast Feeding Mothers Story’ is now accepting poetry submissions as well as stories. Please help motivate many mums worldwide to breastfeed by sharing your true breastfeeding story.
Have at look at the official website: www.justcallmedaisy.moonfruit.com where you will find links to the book as it currently stands, pictures of the mummies involved already, much more information about the project and links for you to submit your story.
Please also email me personally at lyndseyemmapage@hotmail.com should you have any ideas for the project or have any questions.
I am also available on facebook under ‘Lyndsey Bradley’ (my soon to be married name) if you would like to find me there.
‘Just Call Me Daisy’ will be submitted for publication in January. Please enter your stories as soon as possible so we have plenty of time to gather feedback. This can then be used to help us create an award winning publication.
Finally if you do submit your story or poem please include your top breastfeeding tip at the end!
Happy Feeding and a huge thank you to all those supporting this project.
It is that time of year again to think about the breastfeeding challenge.
**Join the Global Breastfeeding Challenge 2008!** Women around the world will be putting their hands up and being counted in on October 11th at 11am local time. This fun health promotion event is for the most children at one site, the country with the most participants and in North America the Challenge is for the largest number of participants in one area. Whether you have organized a site before or not join us and take part!! Sites vary from one or two mothers to hundreds and every child counts. Register a site today. It costs nothing and is very easy.
This year the event has gone global! Currently, there are 17 countries and 283 sites involved and we hope that every area will be well represented. We would truly love to show the media that all of the world is concerned about breastfeeding. It does not matter how big or how small one’s site is, every baby counts. We hope you will join us this October 11th in showing not only the rest of the world but your community, how important breastfeeding is for a good start in an infant’s life.
Please help support breastfeeding by sharing this invitation with your contacts who may be interested.
Is anyone here going to organise an event for this?
Dear fellow breastfeeding supporter,
**Join the Global Breastfeeding Challenge 2008!**
Women around the world will be putting their hands up and being counted
on October 11th at 11am local time. This fun health promotion event is for the most children at one site, the country with the most participants and in North America the Challenge is for the largest number of participants in one area. Whether you have organized
a site before or not join us and take part! Sites vary from one or two mothers to hundreds
and every child counts. Register a site today. It costs nothing and is
very easy.
This year the event has gone global! Currently, there are 24 countries
involved and we hope that the UK will be well represented. Currently, UK
does not have a single site registered in the challenge. We would truly love to show the media that all of the world is concerned about breastfeeding. It does not matter how big or how small one’s site is, every baby counts. We hope you will join us this October 11th in showing not only the rest of the world but your community, how important breastfeeding is for a good start in an infant’s life.
Please help support breastfeeding by sharing this invitation with your
contacts who may be interested.
This is Kate Garraway posing breastfeeding a calf as promotion for her documentary -’Other People’s Breast Milk’ which will be broadcast on Channel 4 on September 9th 2008.
But this version has comments! How I love comments!
“How strange that people have no problems with giving a baby milk from another species, yet seem horrified at the thought of another human mother breast-feeding a baby!
“A common rubric now, is that mothers lactate, and babies breastfeed. This is a neat reminder that babies are the active participants, the ones doing the suckling. A vital point to make, in this world that positions breastfeeding as a lifestyle choice on behalf of the mother, thus neatly removing the baby’s needs and desires from the equation. So it’s a phrase I like, even as I rue that the mother-baby symbiosis has disappeared from ‘lactation’ to some extent.
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And that’s not just because I’m a word geek. Or rather, it’s because I’m a word geek I rue the changes. Because some language development is good, some less so. Words embody concepts, and those concepts have power when we use them. As we grow as a culture, and find new things about ourselves, or find we need new ways to describe how we feel about old things… we make new words. Breastfeeding, for instance, is a really new word. It’s only been around for about a hundred years. You could argue, this is only since the rise of bottle, and formula, feeding. For up until then, there was no need to mention how you fed the baby other than to say you were feeding it!
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Nursing, of course, is about the oldest we can track. We’ve always nursed babies at the breast. It’s how we got the other type of nursing, the bandages and taking temperature type, as an extension of the original meaning – to nurse a child. The actual definition of breastfeeding in some dictionaries, is to nurse a baby. I like nursing as opposed to breastfeeding. Nursing brings with it warmth, and love, and caring, and snuggles. But it can get confusing to use nursing, and sometimes you have to stick to breastfeeding to be heard. But I do invite you to use nursing for one day, everytime you’d use the word breastfeeding, and see what happens! You might like it as much as I do! But, like I said, we sometimes have to use breastfeeding, to be clear and precise. .
For that reason, we didn’t hold nursing picnics, or lactation picnics on July 21st, across the UK, we held breastfeeding picnics!
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And great fun we had at them all, and very successful they were too. A great fun day out for all concerned, whether it was milling in the mobs at Bournemouth, or fighting off the traffic in Westminster, or waving your flags for the camera at Durham, all around the country, mothers and babies showed off their suckling skills.
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And others showed off less attractive skills… .
Kenneth Gray wrote: Look Sorry but I dont want to see women getting their breasts out in public It needs to be done in private It makes people feel uncomfortable Not politically correct but TRUE
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… which was, after all, only to be expected… but others, perhaps, were more forthright…
. Posted by: jpcm24I’m sorry, but it is a ‘restaurant’ where people are eating. If I am in a restaurant I don’t want to see that. I don’t care how great you think it is that you have a kid and how great and special you think your kid is. .
Comments that most mothers have seen and heard during the past couple of years in the UK, when feeding babies is discussed. These sorts of comments are common, and mothers get pretty fed up of hearing them. And when we tell others that we get fed up with it, they tell us not to be so sensitive, it’s not like people are meaning to be nasty….
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Posted by: Tom I do not object to breastfeeding, i do object to seeing it when i am walking through a park though.What next….. Sex in public in front of children because it is a human right????
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or offensive…
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Posted by: women I think they are a bunch of perverted women who get turned on by a baby sucking on a tit in public and men watching and when they are still letting the baby suckle at 1 year plus should be classed as paedophilia
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or just racist…
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Posted by: Mr Britain Walking naked down the high street is also natural if you live in darkest timbuctoo – but in Oxford one would be locked up – why is it one law for the native and another for the law abbiding citizen , personally I think women should be allowed to breast feed in public , in the toilets of restaraunts , but not at the table sat next to me whilst i am tucking into my scoff- what about my rights to the enjoyment of my meal without some unwashed old baggaage feeding their spewing brat at the table
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or simple misogyny…
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Posted by: HughBreast feeding in public will involve ever increasing degrees of nudity from the aggressive mother who will use this power of public exposure to discomfort and drive away those who are not in their family group.
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or just simply perverse…
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Posted by: John Thomas What about my rights – I want to be able to have a swift one off the wrist on a bus – masterbation is a natural act so why am I discriminated agianst make you voice known vistwankingonthebus.com and vote to petition governemnt
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All of which would be funny, if it wasn’t so serious. Two of the Mums were harassed on their way home from the London picnic, for instance. Both on their own with a baby, both on the Tube. Emily Pulling, whilst feeding her son, was actually shouted at loudly by a male commuter, telling her he didn’t want to see that sort of thing. She responded vigorously, but reports she was shaking like a leaf at the time. Others sat back in the carriage and let this man abuse her and her son.
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It’s no shock to us, of course, we who ran the picnics and organised the press coverage. we’re used to this sort of lactaphobia. Daily, obscene and aggressive comments are made about breastfeeding babies and their mothers, particularly in the UK and the USA. I often feel that what they say isn’t as shocking as the fact that they feel safe to say it. Would such comments be made about colour, race, religion or sexuality?”
I was at the two breastfeeding demonstrations on Parliament Square on 18th and 21st July.
We sang my campaign song, which was inspired by Morgan Gallagher who organised the Monday BF picnic. Feel free to use it, as long as you mention my name!
Protect my baby, protect me (tune: It’s a long way to Tipperary)
Please protect me, protect my baby at our breastfeeding time,
for it keeps us both fit and happy, and it should not be a crime.
We ask the nation’s leaders injustice to reject;
please protect me, and protect my baby, and show us respect!
Nursing Matters is an advocacy organization working on supporting, protecting and aiding breastfeeding infants.
Breastfeeding is a global issue and we recognize that whilst much of our direct work is within the UK, breastfeeding priorities and issues cannot be dealt with solely at local levels. Therefore we work where, and when, and in whatever way, infants need us to.
We campaign directly on behalf of all breastfeeding infants; to ensure their human rights are upheld by all agencies, statutory or otherwise, who deal with the infants and their families.
We will support any and all other breastfeeding support agencies in furthering awareness and support of breastfeeding priorities.
We offer practical support on breastfeeding matters for breastfeeding infants whose mothers, or mothers to be, are disadvantaged economically and politically, by immigration and asylum policies.
We do not provide lactation support for individual mothers and their breastfeeding babies, but will liaise with the organizations which do so, in order that each and every breastfeeding baby gets the practical help and support they and their mother require.
We are a voluntary organization and as such are dependent on donations and fund raising in our work. We adhere strictly to The WHO/UNICEF International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, and will not work, liaise or enter into sponsorship with any company or individual that breaks Code in any way.
If you are a mother in need: contact us for help and advice.
If you are interested in donating supplies and/or money: contact us here.
If you wish to join our organisation and help mothers in need: contact us here.
UK mothers who breastfeed their children, are celebrating after the government clarified today that mothers are, and always have been, free to breastfeed in public places. Breastfeeding mothers are also protected in law under the provision of goods, services and facilities section of the Sexual Discrimination Act when breastfeeding, whatever the age of the baby, in places such as cafes, restaurants, libraries, surgeries etc.
When Harriet Harman announced plans for the new Equality Bill three weeks ago, she could not have known that people around the country – and around the world – would respond so strongly to her proposal to include the word ‘breastfeeding’ in the definition of maternity.
Under the new proposals, the government was stating that a mother, breastfeeding a child of six months or less, would now be more rigorously protected by law from discrimination. It was this six month cut off point that started panic amongst breastfeeding mothers who, in accord with WHO and Government Health guidelines, seek to breastfeed well beyond six months. They were concerned that they could now be discriminated against, for feeding a child older than six months when in public.
As Barbara Follett, Deputy Minister for Women and Equality, stated: “The law is not as clear as it could be. People are unsure of their rights and their responsibilities in this area. Some people also think that women can be charged with indecency for breastfeeding in a public place. This is utter nonsense and completely wrong”.
Barry Durdant-Hollamby, a communications specialist for The Art of Change, became concerned that mixed messages were being given out to the public, when he was alerted to a newspaper story suggesting that it was an offence to breastfeed in public. ‘I found it hard to believe that there could be a law suggesting that breastfeeding in public was an offence. And yet there was this story suggesting it was. And then I thought of all the young, vulnerable mothers – and of all the service providers such as the managers of food chains – reading that same article and acting according to what they had read in the article. I had to get to the bottom of it. It has been a challenge, but I feel we can spread some positive light on all this now.’
As a result of Durdant-Hollamby’s investigations, the Government Equalities Office has confirmed that:
1) There is not, and never has been, any law that prohibits a woman from breastfeeding a child of any age in public, for example in a cafe.
2) The 1975 Sexual Discrimination Act created legal protection for a woman under the provision of goods, facilities and services section. This protection covered a woman breastfeeding a child, of any age, by implication, and meant that she could not be discriminated against for breastfeeding in places such as restaurants, cafes, surgeries, libraries etc.
3) The 2008 amendment to the SDA brought in more specific cover under the wording of ‘maternity’ – this also brought in the first mention of a six-month period, as it is tied to broader maternity rights covering 6 months before and after birth – whereby a mother could also challenge the owner under the grounds of maternity
4) The Equality Bill seeks to make it even more explicit that this maternity protection includes breastfeeding, by including the word breastfeeding in the statute.
So, for example, if a mother who is breastfeeding a 27 week old baby on a bus or in a café is asked to leave or to stop breastfeeding, she can take legal action on the grounds of sexual discrimination. If that same mother was feeding a child under 26 weeks, she could take action under the grounds of maternity or sexual discrimination.
Mike Brady, Campaigns and Networking Coordinator at Baby Milk Action, said: “We, and our colleagues in the Baby Feeding Law Group, are pleased to see the Government making it clear that women are free to breastfeed in public and stating that these women are already protected under the Sexual Discrimination Act. During the consultation phase for the Single Equality Bill, we have also asked for there to be no age limit specified on the additional protection (provided under ‘maternity’) for breastfeeding in public. In many countries I visit, mothers do not give a thought to breastfeeding wherever they may be, which is quick and convenient and nobody sees it at odd.”
Only this week, the need for clarity was demonstrated when the junior manager of a McDonald’s asked a breastfeeding woman to leave the premises. Fortunately Head Office understood the law and offered an apology to the woman involved. It is this type of confusion that Durdant-Hollamby was determined to lift.
Deputy Minister for Women Barbara Follett concluded: “Mothers have to be confident that they can breastfeed their infants in a café, restaurant or shop without the embarrassment of having the owner ask them to stop. This type of discrimination has in fact been unlawful for more than thirty years, and the mother – with a baby of any age – could challenge the owner under the Sex Discrimination Act.”
It states that they should give their newborns nothing but breast milk for the first six months, then continue breastfeeding once the baby is on solids for a further 18 months.
The recommendations have been issued amid growing evidence that breastfed babies may have a higher IQ and better general health.
But last night critics warned the move would make mothers who struggle to breastfeed feel guilty and could even put women off trying breastfeeding altogether.
The new guidance is being produced by the Scottish Government’s health education body, NHS Health Scotland, in a DVD that will be given to all pregnant women.
The current advice is that women should breastfeed their babies for six months, with no other foods or drinks, for the best health benefits.
A spokeswoman for Health Scotland said the guidance was based on World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations. She said: “A breastfeeding DVD will be launched in the autumn. A copy will be provided to every expectant mother in Scotland.”
Recent research suggests that women who breastfeed are at lower risk of breast and ovarian cancer. Their babies are at lower risk of a range of health problems than those fed on formula. Breast milk is believed to protect against the risk of cot death, childhood leukaemia, gastroenteritis, obesity, asthma, eczema, ear infections and diabetes.
But there is debate about whether breastfeeding offers significant benefits beyond the age of one. There is also concern that the WHO guidelines – which include developing countries where the quality of water supplies and food can be poor – are applicable in Scotland.
Scottish Conservative health spokeswoman Mary Scanlon said: “No-one could have missed the message that breastfeeding is good for baby and mother. But telling mothers to breastfeed for up to two years is becoming a political dictatorship.
“Some mothers find breastfeeding very difficult and painful and they should not be made to feel guilty if they can’t breastfeed for one month, six months or two years. The Scottish Government has got a bit carried away with some of its public-health messages.”
Carrie Longton, a mother-of-three and a founder of the popular parenting forum Mumsnet, said the prospect of breastfeeding for two years might put mothers off altogether.
“Some women stop breastfeeding after a couple of days because they find it difficult. They should be targeting those mothers instead, and getting these people to breastfeed at least for a little while.
“I can understand why the WHO has these guidelines as two years would be best for babies in developing countries. But we have to interpret these guidelines intelligently and I am not aware of any evidence for this to be recommended.”
The number of Scottish mothers who breastfeed up to two is not known. However, it is likely to be very small. Around half breastfeed newborns, but just 20% are still doing so nine months later and many stop breastfeeding between six and 12 months as their baby’s appetite for solid food grows.
However, Anna Burbridge, of the breastfeeding support group La Leche League, welcomed the move.
She said: “This is the optimal thing to aim for because the benefits of breast milk continue and it is still the optimal food for the child in terms of preventing allergies and illnesses.”
World Breastfeeding Week 2008
Mother Support : Going for the Gold
Breastfeeding results from a reproductive health continuum for the mother to the child with no beginning or end, from generation to generation. When a practice is disrupted, it must be restored. However, restoration of the breastfeeding culture demands more resources and mobilization.
In conjunction with the Olympics next August, WBW 2008 calls for greater support for mothers in achieving the gold standard of infant feeding: breastfeeding exclusively for six months, and providing appropriate complementary foods with continued breastfeeding for up to two years or beyond.
As every country sends its best athletes to compete at these global games, it is important to remind ourselves that, in a similar fashion, a healthy young athlete can only emerge from a healthy start on life. There is no question that optimal infant and young child feeding is essential for optimal growth and development.
The Be a Star campaign is dedicated to increasing the number of young mums in Lancashire who choose to breastfeed. They hope to do this by showcasing the beauty, confidence and pride that comes with breastfeeding, as well as providing breastfeeding information and support and highlighting the unique health benefits that it brings to both baby and mum.
“The Vatican has called for worshippers to be less prudish about seeing the Virgin Mary breast-feeding Jesus.
A vast number of paintings depicting the bare breasts of the Madonna have been “censored by the modern age” because they were too “unseemly”, according to L’Osservatore Romano, the official newspaper of the Holy See.
Lucetta Scaraffia, a church historian, has called for the image of Mary as an human, tender and loving mother to be rehabilitated. She said: “Jesus was a baby like all others. His divinity does not exclude his humanity”.
Since the 17th century, artists have been covering up Mary because of criticism about the “carnality and unbecoming nature of many sacred images”.”
If you’re planning to come to our family-friendly Breastfeeding Rally in London on Friday, July 18th, please note we are now meeting directly in Parliament Square (NOT Hyde Park) [spread the message to your friends!!!!]…and after presenting the petition, we can gather informally at Victoria Tower Gardens behind parliament to continue eating, drinking and, of course, chatting!
Meeting at parliament squ. will make it accessible for people with the ‘littlest’ walkers among them. Don’t forget to bring food, drinks, hats/shading and whatever else you and your family need to be comfortable while there.
I’d love to hear of the placards you and your family are making, and what messages you’re putting on them. My girls (now aged 12 and 10.5) are busy coming up with all sorts of things!
(I might need to do a bit of censoring LOL)
The nearest tubes are Westminster and St James’s Park. If you and your family are coming along, please drop me a note in the comments section or by email ~ so I can get a ‘rough’ idea of numbers in order to co-ordinate my stewards.
We all know that breastmilk is the best start a baby can have in life but unfortunately for Infant Formula companies there is no money in mums feeding their babies all by themselves. They will do their very best to sell artifical milk to the detriment of the health of the babies, exclusive breastfeeding protects children from all sorts of meanies, formula does not and can in fact lead to allergies.
So, if you see Infant Formula being promoted in an illegal or irresponsible way you can complain about it.
What can I complain about?
There is a law in the UK against promoting infant formula in shops and in the media (no special offers, no money off coupons, end of aisle displays or extra reward points for example) but not for follow on formula which personally I think was thought up just to slip through the legal net.
15. The labelling of any infant formula and any follow-on formula shall
(a) be designed to provide the necessary information about the appropriate use of the product so as not to discourage breast-feeding;
(b) not contain the terms “humanized”, “maternalized” or any similar term suggesting that the product is equivalent or superior to breast milk,
and the term “adapted” may be used only in relation to adapted protein and then only in conformity with the provisions of regulation 13(3).
Restrictions on advertising of follow-on formulae
18. No person shall publish or display any advertisement for a follow-on formula which does not comply with the requirements, prohibitions and restrictions relating to labelling contained in regulation 15.
Restrictions on promotion of infant formulae
19. No person shall at any place where any infant formula is sold by retail
(a) advertise any infant formula;
(b) make any special display of an infant formula designed to promote sales;
(c) give away
(i) any infant formula as a free sample; or
(ii) any coupon which may be used to purchase an infant formula at a discount;
(d) promote the sale of an infant formula by means of premiums, special sales, loss- leaders or tie-in sales; or
(e) undertake any other promotional activity to induce the sale of an infant formula.
Provision of information and education regarding infant and child feeding
21.(1) No person shall produce or publish any informational and educational (or informational or educational) materials, whether written or audiovisual, dealing with the feeding of infants and intended to reach pregnant women and mothers of infants and young children, unless (subject to paragraph (2) below) such materials include clear information on all the following points
(a) the benefits and superiority of breast-feeding;
(b) maternal nutrition and the preparation for, and the maintenance of, breast- feeding;
(c) the possible negative effect on breast-feeding of introducing partial bottle- feeding;
(d) the difficulty of reversing the decision not to breast-feed; and
(e) where needed, the proper use of an infant formula or of infant formulae, whether manufactured industrially or home prepared.
“Promotion of follow-on formula is permitted by the UK Law, but not the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes. It is still worth complaining, citing the International Code as this strengthens our case for bringing the UK Law into line with the Code.
The World Health Assembly has adopted Resolutions recommending exclusive breastfeeding until 6 months of age and stating that complementary feeding should be fostered from ‘about 6 months’. It is, therefore, inappropriate for complementary foods (weaning foods) and other substances such as teas and juices to be promoted for use before 6 months of age. This is not yet covered by UK Law. You could bring these recommendations to the attention of your local
Trading Standards Office and the relevant establishment where they are being broken.”
What is the WHO Code?
The “International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes” was drawn up by the World Health Organization.
This is from the
IBFAN website and you can click the link to read the full code.
“The International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes presents a code, developed jointly by WHO and UNICEF, for the marketing of breast-milk substitutes. The code applies to the marketing of breast-milk substitutes, including infant formula, and other milk products, foods, and beverages, including bottle-fed complementary foods, when marketed or otherwise represented to be suitable for use as a partial or total replacement of breast milk. The code deals in successive articles with information and education needs concerning the feeding of infants, advertising or other forms of promotion to the general public, and standards for product labelling and quality.”
And here is a useful snippet:
“5.3 In conformity with paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article, there should be no point-of-sale advertising, giving of samples, or any other promotion device to induce sales directly to the consumer at the retail level, such as special displays, discount coupons, premiums, special sales, loss leaders and tie-in sales, for products within the scope of this Code. This provision should not restrict the establishment of pricing policies and practices intended to provide products at lower prices on a long-term basis.”
New adverts to Complain About
6th March 2007Organic Life Magazine has adverts promoting infant formula which is illegal.
6th March 2007Asda has bright red acetate over the prices of its infant formula. This draws the eye to the price and is therefore illegal promotion.
6th March 2007 Here is a letter from Lactivist Jenny, asking Blooming Marvelous to withdraw their romper suits with bottles on.
Dear Blooming Marvellous,
Last year I emailed and complained about a romper suit that had the slogan “Party, Where? My cot, Time; 2am, When; every night, Bring a bottle” as things like this undermine breastfeeding by normalising bottle/formula feeding. I was in your Chester store today and I see that not only are you still selling an updated version of it, but also two other rompers with bottle motiefs and slogans on them.
Did you know that recently Marks and Spencers withdrew a romper with a bottle motief on it after complaints about it? I devote a lot of my time as a volunteer promoting and supporting breastfeeding, and things like this which make bottlefeeding out to be the normal way to feed a baby undo so much of the work that people like me spend so much time doing. Whilst these rompers are not actually in breech of the 1995 law on Infant Formula, they are in breech of the spirit of the World Health Organisation Code.
You may say that as a company you support breastfeeding, but if you continue to sell items like these you are actually almost promoting formula use, and this is immoral, unethical and irresponsible.
27th January 2007Healthy Start is a scheme where you can get free vouchers every week which you swap for milk, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables and infant formula milk. You can also get free vitamins. Healthy Start replaces the Welfare Food Scheme.
On the page describing what you can buy with the vouchers there is a paragraph about Infant formula but nothing about the benefits of breastfeeding, the WHO guidelines for BF exclusively for 6 months, nothing about support groups or helplines.
The contact us box only allows you 500 characters so if you are complaining you might need a couple of trys, unless you want to phone them for a rant on 0845 607 6823.
A big Lactivist BOOOOOO to the Life Channel who are advertising SMA in GP waiting rooms. If less babies were fed SMA there would be less people in the waiting rooms!
15th January 2007 Mother & Baby Magazine marketing mailings from
www.motherandbabymagazine.com “HiPP Organic Purely Fruits are ideal for babies and children of all ages
from 4 months onwards” Tut tut tut, we all know that the Code guidelines say nothing but breastmilk until 6 months. Of course this means that Hipp stand to lose millions of £ in sales and the magazines stand to lose advertising revenue but what is more important? Babies health or money?
thank you Stella for this. “There is major hoohah in the Phillipines at the mo because the Govt brought in a law to restrict advertising of formula in a move to protect breastfeeding and it is being challenged – by 3 formula manufacturers. The US Chamber of Commerce has written a letter to the Phillipine Govt advising them to re-consider or risk dis-investment! Please see
Baby Milk Action website for further details.”
thank you Stella for this one too.
“I don’t know if any of you have spotted the Cow & Gate advertisement for the Healthy Start initiative? It is a full page advert too. It shows a baby sitting holding an empty bottle, surrounded by healthy fruit and vegetables. It is so totally misleading. It appeared in the Daily Mail on Friday 8th, poss Mon 11th, the Daily Mirror and the Sun too! Please feel free to contact the
Advertising Standards Authority to complain – the more the better!. The advert reads:”Heard about Healthy Start but don’t know where to start? That’s why we’re here to help.” Cow and Gate logo prominent and gives the C&G helpline number. When you ring it, it gives them the chance to embed their name into your memory and all they do is give you the official Govt helpline number for further info. It really gives people the impression that C&G have something to do with the initiative – which they don’t.”
If you spot any dodgy marketing of formula and you want me to publicise it justmail me I can put pictures up too.
How to Complain
You can fill in an online form on the
The Baby Feeding Law Group website. They say to send them “information even if you think someone else may have done so. Your reports will help us to build up a picture of baby food marketing practices across the UK. We will use this in our campaign to have the International Code and Resolutions implemented in UK legislation. Where practices break the existing legislation we may be able to encourage the authorities to take action.”
You can complain to your local
Trading Standards Office saying that the law has been broken and formula has been illegally advertised. Remember that the law only applies to infant formula and that currently people are allowed to promote follow on formula but that is in breach of the WHO code.
UK baby food laws are not as strict as the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes and it is currently legal to promote follow on milk. The Baby Feeding Law Group is working to get the UK to International standards and they are the people to tell if you are unhappy with the way a company is promoting infant formula.
Baby Milk Action is a non profit organisation that aims to save babies from the ill effects of formula. Water mixed with baby milk powder can be unsafe and it is often impossible in poor conditions to keep bottles and teats sterile. Unsterile bottle feeding can lead to infections that kill children and formula is also expensive, often costing more than half the entire family income.
The International Baby Food Action Network consists of public interest groups working around the world to reduce infant and young child morbidity and mortality. They monitor the baby feeding industry and produce profiles showing how companies such as Danone, Gerber, Heinz, Hipp, Milupa and Nestlé promote formula and baby food in innapropriate ways. Check out the picture of the health worker in a Nestle apron!
These adverts are generated by Google - now and then a sneeky formula one gets in but I can block them so please email me at moomum@lactivist.co.uk if you see one.
‘Just Call Me Daisy:A Breast Feeding Mothers Story’ is now accepting poetry submissions as well as stories. Please help motivate many mums worldwide to breastfeed by sharing your true breastfeeding story.
Nursing Matters - 
6th March 2007 
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