I have written to several people about this and thought it right to alert you, as the lactivist, to something that has completely appalled me. The article in this month’s Mother & Baby magazine (July 2010)
“I bottle-fed. So what?” In which a mother chose to formula feed from
birth because “I wanted my body back (And some wine)… I also wanted to give my boobs at least chance to stay on my chest rather than dangling around my stomach”. She goes on to say “They’re part of my sexuality, too
- not just breasts, but fun bags. And when you have that attitude (and I admit I made no attempt to change it), seeing your teeny, tiny, innocent baby latching on where only a lover has been before feels, well, a little
creepy. I don’t think I’m the only one, either – only 52% of mums still breastfeed after six weeks. Ask most of the quitters why they stopped and you’ll hear tales of agonising three-hour feeding sessions and – the
drama! – bloody nipples. But I often wonder whether many of these women, like me, just couldn’t be fagged or felt like getting tipsy once in a while”
On the matter of the positive aspects of breastfeeding, she said: “…
there are all the studies that show [breastfeeding] reduces the risk of breast cancer for you, and stomach upsets and allergies for your baby. But even the convenience and supposed health benefits of breastmilk couldn’t
induce me to stick my nipple in a bawling baby’s mouth.”
In all, this diabolical article is summed up in her own words:
“Breastfeeding: the most natural thing in the world. But what if, like me,
you don’t really fancy it?”
I am completely appalled, this woman is none other than the deputy editor of Mother & Baby magazine (though this is not made clear in the article – the picture used and header “Viewpoint” would have you believe it were a
regular reader writing in).
This surely cannot be allowed, for a woman in her position to be so unapologetically negative regarding breastfeeding, sneering at breastfeeding mothers and generally spreading misinformation.
Even if nothing can be done, I think it is appropriate to alert the breastfeeding community that Mother & Baby magazine are quite obviously pro-formula (I counted no less than 16 formula/bottle feeding advertisements – some of which directly targetted breastfeeders).
Sincerely,
Elle
Update on the 22nd June by Lactivist Admin
I set up a facebook group – Mother-and-Baby-Magazine-please-support-breastfeeding and in a day it had more members than the Mother and Baby facebook group!
The Editor of Mother and Baby has responded on that page:
“This is Miranda Levy, the editor of Mother & Baby.The lady who set up this page is reacting to a one-page opinion feature in our July issue by a writer who – for reasons explained in the piece – decided to go straight to bottle-feeding. This was her personal experience, and certainly has a place in the ongoing parenting debate. We have been inundated by supportive emails applauding her ‘refreshing’ point of view: we have made readers feel ‘normal’ and less of a ‘failure’ for managing to breastfeed -a situation which is incredibly common.
I’d also like to point out instances where we do support breastfeeding – in the May issue we had a 6 page special on getting started and sticking with it, July has a one-pager on the best breastpumps, and in August we’ll be running a trouble-shooting feature about problems in the early days.
The way you feed your baby is not a moral issue, and at Mother & Baby we seek to support all new parents in what is a glorious, but often difficult and emotional time.
Many thanks
Miranda Levy”
I am so impressed with the strength of opinions and responses to this campaign. And it is not just the ‘breastfeeding mafia’ that think the article is derogatory, a formula mum has also posted in to complain about it.
Maybe, just maybe we can all make a difference here.
Lisa
Any Old Cow – Shopping Bag 
“Any old Cow” Short Sleeved T 6-12 months 
“Any old Cow” Short Sleeved T 3-6 months 
Mummy Milk Rocks – Shopping Bag 
Care Instructions – Shopping Bag 
I cannot believe this article ever went to print. What a disgraceful piece drivel in a prominent magazine. How do the columists ever get this into print because it isnt even written properly. To refer to a hungry child as a ‘bawling baby’ is insensitive to say the least. Breast is for feeding a baby. There is plenty of time for it to be considered a ‘lovers sex thing’. It is not even factual. I breast fed my two boys for well over nine months and my breasts do not reach my navel. I got my figure back and it was a very convenient method of ‘food on tap’
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I am shocked and stunned at this whole issue. I am proud to say that I have breastfed all three of my children and have even managed to donate milk to the prem-babies at Chester hospital.
Surely having a drink can wait until after feeding your beautiful new baby. I have concerns that if this is opinion of this woman, what did she do when pregnant?
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I think she should be appaulded- not all women want to breast feed and it is refreshing to have someone who will stand up and say how she felt letting other people who feel the same that they are not alone.
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I was really depressed when I read this article. It actually cooincided with an old work colleague asking me last week if “breast feeding is really as disgusting as it sounds?!” I am just so disappointed in this attitude – I think because I niaivly didn’t realise it existed. I loved breast feeding my baby until he was 4 months and have just had to give up to go back on some medication. I was really devestated to have to do this. It was a struggle to start to breast feed in the first place because my baby was in intesive care and was tube fed and then bottle fed for the first few days. So giving up b/feeding was even more upsetting given that it was so hard to start in the first place.
I am really puzzled by Blundell’s quite sick attitude. Would she have the same attitude to kissing her baby/child on the lips?! Very strange.
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This article makes me really sad. My parents and family members had similar negative attitudes towards breastfeeding, but I was so determined to feed my little boy and I’m pleased to say that I successfully breastfed him for 6-and-a-half months. Yes, it was tough going and this deputy editor is right in saying that there are many ‘horror’ stories surrounding breastfeeding… I, too, had to endure hours and hours of feeding in the early days and, even towards the end of the 6 months I breastfed for, he was still on hourly feeds. But… anything that is worth doing is never easy, is it?! I decided to become a mother and, therefore, put my baby’s needs before mine (at least in the short term). Isn’t that what parents do??!! I can see the author of this article resigning (or else being encouraged to by the magaine!) by the end of the week. She would fit in well in many other magazines.. just not one that is supposed to support the health and wellbeing of mothers and their offspring!
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What a bunch of uptight women you are! Shocked and horrified are you? God,you have obviously led a sheltered life to react in such a way. Haven’t you heard of irony or does that bypass what passes for your sense of humour.
Forumla milk isn’t poison,Danielle.You say to Emma isn’t that what it is? No,it may not be the same as breastmilk,but hardly poison.
As for those of you hiding the mags in shops.well have your opinions,but let others have theirs.
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Obviously I can see some women are so wrapped up in their carreers a child is a side show, that’s sad and the artical written by the deputy editor of the mother & baby mag was vile, sick and disgusting, that woman does not care about babies or children, she’s a witch.
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Sorry guys and gals – whilst the positioning of the article may’ve been unfortunate given the magazine, it is just one woman’s account of a feeding attitude. We applaud balanced views in most things; breast/bottle should be no different. Having a child goes way beyond the first six months of feeding and there really is nothing wrong with wanting your body back.
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I just can’t except that. Breast-feeding is the most natural thing in the world. Surely people want the best for their children and it is the best way to get your body back to your original size!!!Having a child goes way beyond the first six months you are absolutely right so think about the the poor child whose mother thinks more about herself than her child and the article certainly suggests that. It was an appalling article and the lady in question certainly shouldn’t be editor of such a magazine.
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It’s you lot that disgust me not the writer of that article!!! You are the same rude, uptight, judgemental women who give me the evils in a coffee shop as I bottle feed my daughter as you so proudly have your 4 year old shoved under your tops! Indeed, breast is best but some of us aren’t lucky enough for it to work for us. This is one woman expressing her own personal opinion, whilst I don’t agree with her 100% I found it incredibly refreshing. Get over it and get a life for gods sake!!!
I have actually be ‘tutted’ at by a woman when feeding my child and when my daughter was 9 weeks old I had someone mutter ‘poor baby’ under her breath! Did these women know that it was completely my intention to breast feed, I had it highlighted on my birthplan that I wanted my baby to be put straight to the breast after birth regardless o howy birth went (c sec etc) but aftr 4 days of labour and a very scary and traumatic birth ( we thought we were going to lose her) I was drugged up to the eyeballs and being sent for MrI scans and it took SIX HOURS fr someone to help me feed my baby, by that stage she was too tired to latch properly so I hand expressed the colostrum and feed it to her via a syringe. Over the next 5 days I had 7 different people grabbing my breast, shoving it in my childs mouth and the walking away! She never latched. Correctly so I started using breast sheilds to help her. We nursed every hour for three weeks, I took her to get weighed and we discovered at 3 weeks old that she was still under her birth weight! After a scary rich to A&E we were advised to start topping up each feed with formula. We started to gain weight but also rejected me in favour of the bottle. So I pumped for 5 weeks, by week 4 of pumping my milk supply was decreasing, I bought 2 more pumps in the hopes they would help, but they didn’t. By week 5 of pumping I was ppimg for a total of 6 hours a day for ONE 5oz bottle!!!!
So before you judge formula feeders please realise that you don’t know everyones story, women like me feel bad enough without added guilt from the breast feeding mafia (who strangely seem to think they know best about many things!). Just because you succeeded at bfing does not make you a better mother than me.
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In nearly every other aspect of parenting, people accept that what works for one family might not work for another. Yet when it comes to breast feeding, so many advocates insist their way is best, creating pressure and guilt for those mothers who, for whatever reason, choose to bottle feed.
There’s a good page on the issue here:
http://www.squidoo.com/breast-feeding-sucks
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for god sakes get on with your own lives and stop judging others everyone is entitled to their own opinion.so its ok to have all pro babysitting articles but no negative experiences printed? we live in country of free speech! there are so many other factors which influence whether a baby grows in to a happy, healthy child the most improtant thing is that it is loved cared for and not abused or neglected.im sure this woman is a very loving mother just because she dosent like the idea of brest feeding SO WHAT!many other women dont either for whatever reason they want articles they can identify with too and as for hiding the magazines at he back seriously?get a hobbie!
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as for breastfeeding a four year old i find that incredibly creepy eurghhhh that is definatly for your benifit not the childs!
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