jemjabella

jemjabella is a Nestle Free Zone

When I was in school, my drama teacher told the class a story about women in Africa who'd been given Nestle formula milk samples shortly after they'd had a baby. They used the samples, believing that formula was superior to their breast milk, which led to their milk drying up. They were then forced to buy formula they couldn't really afford, preparing it 'watered down' to make it last longer. In worse case scenarios, babies died either of starvation or of improperly prepared bottles¹.

Out of ignorance, I assumed that these women were stupid believing that their breast milk was inferior, and promptly went out and bought a KitKat.

10 years later, I'm nursing my own child, and I come across this image:

Unless you've seen this image before, it may shock you to realise that these babies are twins. The woman was told that she would not be able to sustain both babies, and so breastfed the male twin and had her grandmother bottlefeed the female.

The girl died the day after the picture was taken.

After seeing this image, I bought The Politics of Breastfeeding² so that I could learn the true extent of the problems of artificial feeding in undeveloped countries. As it turns out, the women affected by the free formula samples weren't stupid... they were misled.

Misled by Nestle, primarily; misled by their saleswomen dressed as nurses telling new mums that Nestle artificial milks were the superior infant food; misled by health care professionals who were given kickbacks for encouraging mums to bottlefeed; misled by labels on cans of formula claiming "protects", "more calcium", "brain building blocks", "brain nutrients" etc etc.

Despite multiple bans on various aspects of Nestle's marketing, they continue to directly approach new mums, continue to market their artificial milks unethically, and continue to make misleading 'scientific' claims about the ingredients in the milks. Babies continue to die³ because of these milks, fed because of companies like Nestle.

And so, I boycott Nestle. I no longer knowingly buy any Nestle products (and there's a lot of them!) No KitKats for me.

I've received criticism for supporting this boycott. "It's a woman's right to choose to feed her child how she wishes." I totally agree. I am, and always have been, pro-choice. However, I believe in an educated choice. I believe that women should know both the implications and consequences of choosing to either a) breastfeed or b) formula feed. If 'educated' women like Sarah Jones ("Bottle feeding is just as natural as a mother being able to breastfeed. It has the same nutrients and everything.") think that formula and breastmilk are on par, we cannot expect women in undeveloped countries who many not have access to the array of information that we have, to be able to make that choice properly. Why? Because of the marketing of companies like Nestle.

¹ To prepare bottles properly you need access to clean, hot water. Hands must be washed. Bottles, teats etc must be cleaned and sterilised. Hands must be washed again. Boil water to prepare the formula with, letting it cool to no lower than 70 degrees C (powdered milk is not sterile, it needs to be that hot to kill the bacteria). Add the water to the bottle, then add the exact amount of formula. Cool the milk to the desired temperature by running the sealed bottle under a cold tap or by placing it in a jug of cold water. The whole process can take up to 45 minutes.

² The Amazon link is 'clean'; it does not contain my affiliate tag. I didn't think it appropriate somehow.

³ WHO estimates that 1.5 million infants die around the world every year because they are not breastfed.

You Are a Fucking Twat

Yes, you. Firstly, for this:

...and then for the "I Don't Support Breast Feeding in Public" Facebook group.

But, let's assume for one second that you're simply an ill-educated fool who doesn't have a clue about babies feeding, and break down every single word of your stupid Facebook group to give you a little education:

I am not a mother myself and I was breast fed as a child. In public though I was given a bottle. I had a bottle since day one. I simply switched back and forth between breast feeding and a bottle.

Well done. Your mother risked nipple confusion because she was a prude. Nipple confusion, caused by the totally different suckling method between bottles and the breast, that can cause a baby to totally reject the breast. And what happens if she rejects the breast? No more breast milk. Yay, score one to the formula companies!

I do not believe I should have to watch other woman breast feed.

I do not believe I should have to watch fat people jiggle their bellies out of the top of their tight-fitting clothes. I do not believe I should have to watch teenagers chewing gum like cows chew cud. I do not believe I should have to watch couples sticking their tongues down each other's throats. But they do, and I live with it, because it's none of my fucking business. It doesn't harm me, therefore I "live and let live".

There are private lounges, bathrooms, and other private area where you can go if you have to breast feed.

Some places have private facilities where breastfeeding can be done. Some of these places are too hot, too cold, too smelly, too uncomfortable for me to even consider going in them. I don't see why any breastfeeding mother should have to put up with that for the sake of one or two prudes.

As for bathrooms - do you eat in the bathroom? Do you consume food in a room where bacteria lingers for hours on every surface after a toilet is flushed? "If you flush with the lid up, a polluted plume of bacteria and water vapour erupts out of the flushing toilet bowl. The polluted water particles float for a few hours around your bathroom before they all land."

Otherwise I feel you can give them a bottle. [..] If the child is fussy or hungry enough it will take the bottle or give it a pacifier.

And what if the child will take neither a bottle or a pacifier? My daughter does not know HOW to drink out of a bottle. She has no need to, therefore has never learned. If you place a bottle in her mouth, she sticks her tongue out and tries to make a back-forth motion with her tongue as she would to remove milk from the breast. This achieves nothing with a bottle, and would serve to frustrate her further if she was "fussy or hungry enough". Likewise, she will not take a dummy/pacifier, and it's easy to see why.

Let's suppose, though, that Isabel is unique. That she's the only baby in the world that cannot drink from a man-made nipple on a man-made bottle. What are all of these babies who're out in public going to drink? Breastmilk? Not all mothers can express milk. It's hard work. Imagine having your breast placed inside a hard plastic funnel, and your nipple tugged at unforgivingly by a stream of air powerful enough to pull your eyeball out. Yeah, I'm going to sit there and do that every time I need to nip to the shop just in case Isabel needs a feed... not. Of course, there's an alternative, formula! Except that it's inadequate and unnecessary when there are large milky breasts just waiting to be emptied.

The child will not starve to death in a few short hours.

A newborn infant has a stomach roughly the size of a marble/walnut (little people, little bellies). Furthermore, breast milk is digested rapidly; more quickly than artificial milk. It takes roughly 20 minutes for a baby to make use of that lovely, healthy milk. It makes sense, therefore, that it would require frequent small filings to keep a baby from going hungry. As the baby grows so does the stomach, but this is a slow process, and infants are designed to graze at the breast constantly (much like adults graze on snack food constantly, but we don't expect them to eat in a bathroom).

It's only in the West that we try and push a baby to go hours between feedings. No, a child will not starve to death in a "few short hours", but a child does not know the meaning of "few short hours" and a baby that is hungry enough to cry for food needs it there and then, not in 3 hours time. Or would you rather listen to a hungry baby crying, wailing pitifully because its only source of nutrition is gone?

Anyone who says yes to that has clearly never heard a baby crying for food.

I don't think I should have to watch you breast feed in front of me.

So turn around?

Breast feeding may be natural, but so is peeing and so is sex.

Have you ever tried to make an infant hold in their pee? It's like asking them to wait for milk. It's impossible. They have the need and the desire to urinate (or drink) now now now. They are not adults. Applying adult logic such as "suck it up, I'm to prude to watch you pee!" to a baby or a small child is just as stupid as "suck it up, I'm too prude to watch you eat!" hence why babies have diapers (nappies). So, while you can hold your full bladder, or your empty stomach for "a few short hours", a baby cannot hold it for that long.

And if you can't wait until you get home to have sex? See a doctor.

My baby's needs are more important to me than your stupid, immature objections to a woman breastfeeding. If you don't like it, look away.

Letter to Fisher Price

I wasn't going to post this, but it was requested.

To whom it may concern,

I have recently become aware of a page on your website titled "Breast or Bottlefeed? How to Decide" (URL: http://www.fisher-price.com/fp.aspx?st=665&e=expertadvice&catparcode=ps_nttfd&ccat=PS_NttFeeding&content=38918 )

I think this page unfairly represents the choice between breastmilk or formula. The only positive aspect to breastfeeding you list is "breast milk is the ideal nutrition for babies" - in fact, the preceding paragraph almost undermines even that, by making breastfeeding out to be so hard that only "almost all" mothers can do it. On the other hand, you list 6 specific benefits to formula feeding. This directly contravenes Article 4.2 of the WHO International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, which states:

Informational and educational materials, whether written, audio, or visual, dealing with the feeding of infants and intended to reach pregnant women and mothers of infants and young children, should include clear information on all the following points:

1. the benefits and superiority of breastfeeding;
2. maternal nutrition, and the preparation for and maintenance of breastfeeding;
3. the negative effect on breastfeeding of introducing partial bottle feeding;
4. the difficulty of reversing the decision not to breastfeed; and
5. where needed, the proper use of infant formula, whether manufactured industrially or home prepared.

I would suggest that one-sided articles such as this not only make it harder for new mums to choose to breastfeed, but demonstrate a total lack of support for those who do. As a new mum who is choosing to breastfeed, the last thing I need is a massive corporation making light of my commitment, encouraging the majority to see formula feeding as the norm.

I propose that the page should be updated to make reference to the points above, as well as making clear the health implications to both mother and child if choosing formula (increased risk of gastroenteritis and allergies in child, increased risk of certain cancers in mum). I would also like to see the so-called positives of formula feeding balanced with positive breastfeeding related notes, e.g. as a comparison to "Mom doesn’t need a breast pump, nursing bras or other special clothing." one might note "Mom doesn't need to spend money on bottles, steriliser/sterilising solutions and formula".

As a web developer, I would be happy to donate my time to bring the page in line with the WHO code if necessary.

Look forward to hearing from you,

Jem Turner
(number removed)

Given that Fisher Price produce bottle feeding paraphernalia, I doubt it'll have any effect.