The Tuesday Debate - Paid to breastfeed?

[Pubey]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-24908670

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-24900650

This is research that some colleagues in my department have been working on.

Basically, women in deprived areas (where breastfeeding rates are low) are paid £200 worth of shop vouchers to breastfeed.

What do you think about that?


Points to consider:
- how much better is breastmilk than formula?
- what about other nutritional/environmental factors that will contribute to child health?
- does it penalise those who can't breastfeed?
- does it tackle the actual problem?

DISCUSS!

 

[Uncle Leo]

How will it be monitored?

While my wife was pregnant I did find all the breast feeding propaganda in clinics, hospitals, etc a little unsettling. I appreciate that a lot of evidence says it is better for the long term health of the child, but there seems to be an element of making women feel shameful if they don't feed.

For the record, my wife breastfed for some time, but with twins it was really difficult. When she did give up, she felt pretty guilty and I guess that's kind of what I'm driving at. Motherhood strikes me as being tough enough as it is, without the state having a dig.

 

[Pubey]

Good points James.

A couple of things:

1. I'm not in any way involved in this research project
2. The project is a feasibility study, not a definitive study - the aim is to identify issues and see if they can be resolved before it's tested fully

The way I understand it is that monitoring relies on honesty - when you have post-natal appts with the midwife you're asked how things are going, if you're breastfeeding etc. The incentives rely on these notes. There probably is an opportunity for gaming.

 

[Pubey]

Also - hope this isn't too Mumsnet.

I'd love for a traditional DtS poll...

 

[Uncle Leo]

Also - hope this isn't too Mumsnet.

I'd love for a traditional DtS poll...

We're getting old. This was the main thing we were talking about on the desk at work first thing. I hate international weeks...

 

[MK Shrimper]

Like UL, my wife was given so much different advice from midwives to paedotricians. Basically, the midwife mantra was breast is best - and when my daughter lost weight and was put on a light machine due to jaundice, the paedotrician told my wife to stick her on the bottle. Which we did, and she thrived. In my eyes, my daughter hasn't suffered in any way shape or form.

My niece is a midwife and nearly burnt herself out breast feeding.

I'm not qualified enough to write off breast feeding, but I think there's so much crap peddled by women who don't understand the realities of it.

 

[Ricey]

Not really sure on the pros and cons but when you ween a baby off the breast you put them onto formula which is made to emulate the same as being breast fed. So why would it matter if you choose to use formula from the start or breast feed? Surely they both get the same nutrients etc. 10-20 years ago maybe it might of been different but nowadays we are so advanced technology wise you'd think it wouldn't be such an issue.

I'm obviously wrong as it is an issue as this new incentive has been brought in. My wife has previously and will breast feed again once our baby is born. So for us it's not an issue she was always going to do it.

What about diet? If someone eats ****, drinks, smokes, takes drugs will that effect the milk that is produced through the breast so surely using the formula would be a better option? Again I don't know I'm probably just talking crap but that's my view on it.

 

[superblue24]

Dumb idea and a waste of money imo.

My wife trained to be a midwife and breast milk is far better for babies, generally speaking. And anyone who has a baby will know that more or less every midwife will tell you that breast milk is better than formula (in varying degrees of confidence)....Why would there be such an overwhelming majority of experts (let's not forget that they are exactly that) in favour of it if it weren't true? It's like saying my auntie has smoked 50 a day since she was in her early teens and is now mid-sixties....perhaps smoking isn't as bad as the doctors say, or perhaps that Fanta gives us just as much nutritional value as drinking a freshly squeezed orange because it has "Vitamin C" written on the can.

Either way, the discussion of breast feeding being good or unnecessary is a distraction from the initial question, and that is whether we should be paying mothers £200 to do so. Why should we be paying a mother to breast feed? It is a perfectly natural thing that mothers should want to do, not have to be encouraged to do with money....And those who choose not to because they are unable to, or baby is unwell enough to, or just because they say they don't want to.....Should they be penalized the £200 the breast feeding mums have gained? Also, as someone mentioned, how on earth can you control such a scheme? Are we going to have to employ more people to go to people's houses checking for formula packets in the bins? Totally stupid, unenforcable, and a little irresponsible.....

I bet Barna voted it as a good idea.....Oh look, he has.

 

[blues_r_best]

Surely by breastfeeding they'd have saved £200 in the cost of formula? I'm surprised in deprived areas there are low breastfeeding rates due to the cost of formula.

 

[OldBlueLady]

Surely by breastfeeding they'd have saved £200 in the cost of formula? I'm surprised in deprived areas there are low breastfeeding rates due to the cost of formula.

I have a feeling that if you're on benefits then you are entitled to free formula if you visit your health clinic, as you're supposed to (or were, back in my day) for your weekly check.

For the record, I think this is wrong. Not every woman CAN breastfeed for a variety of reasons, and having ended up in hospital when my mastitis developed into cellulitis when my son was 3 weeks old, I can assure you that it wasn't for the want of trying that it wasn't a successful experience for me. When the same symptoms began to develop when my daughter was 10 days old, I gave up straight away. If breastfeeding works for you then fine, you're very lucky, but if it doesn't then you shouldn't be made to feel guilty. Now, if you choose not to at all......that's not quite the same thing. I think everyone should give it a try but the breast is best police need to understand that we can't all do it. When you're feeling all weepy and everything anyway with your hormones, you really don't want the added insult of being made to feel a failure.

The way I looked at it is that if you can get those first few days over, so baby has had the cholostrum, then you've given it a good start. Even if you can't manage that, there is a powder form so you really shouldn't feel that bad.

 

[Berrichonne shrimper]

Breast was beast for me and the kids got a bit as well.
As for paying chavs to breast feed youd be paying them to breath next,crazy idea.

 

[Hotman]

I think sacrificing £200 and cost of formula for a better set of jugs after the event is a wise move.