This blog started life as a Twitter thread, written as we watched the Parliamentary ‘debate’ on 8 March about breastfeeding support. Read and weep for women’s rights, autonomy and evidence-based healthcare policy!
Continue reading “Parliament ‘Debates’ Breastfeeding Support”Category: Uncategorized
Tell MPs About Your Experience of Breastfeeding Support (and What You Think of This Biased Survey!)
How to conduct a biased survey: Firstly, ask loaded questions that preserve your key assumptions (in this case that breastfeeding ought to be encouraged and stopping or not starting is a bad thing). Secondly, distribute among groups who support your mission (e.g. breastfeeding advocacy groups).
These are the questions asked by MP Alison Thewliss in this survey to inform a debate in parliament on Tuesday 8 March:
Continue reading “Tell MPs About Your Experience of Breastfeeding Support (and What You Think of This Biased Survey!)”More on NICE Guidelines for Postnatal Care
We recently contributed to a ‘topic engagement’ on the NICE guidelines for postnatal care. We previously submitted detailed comments on the full set of guidelines for postnatal care, which you can read here.
This time, NICE wanted comments on its ‘quality standards’ and areas for quality improvement in postnatal care. We said the following:
Continue reading “More on NICE Guidelines for Postnatal Care”What Do Women Really Think of the Baby Friendly Initiative?
Are you ready to hear what women really think about breastfeeding and pumping in the context of a so-called ‘Baby Friendly’ setting? This recently published paper in the journal Breastfeeding Medicine gives some very interesting insight.
Continue reading “What Do Women Really Think of the Baby Friendly Initiative?”We Say a Farewell and Seasons Greetings to All
At the end of this year, we said farewell to Dr Heather Ryan. Heather is going to work for Nestlé and has left IFA, since she will now have a conflict of interest. We wish her very well in her new role and we thank her for her contributions to our work.
We wish all of our members, followers and friends seasons greetings and best wishes for the new year. We hope that 2022 will see a renewed focus on compassion, autonomy and safety in infant feeding policy and practice. We will continue to shine a light on harmful effects of current infant feeding policy and practice on UK families. Onwards and upwards!
Whose Guilt is it Anyway?
Roll up, roll up! This evening we review another paper looking at guilt and shame in infant feeding by researchers at Liverpool University.
The paper starts, as most papers in this field do, with a recitation of the WHO creed that breastfeeding has, like, a million health benefits, and six months of exclusive breastfeeding is recommended and then breastfeeding for two years alongside other foods… Fear not: this paper will commit no heresy!
Continue reading “Whose Guilt is it Anyway?”RCM Ignores Feedback and the Evidence
Last week, the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) was accused of two crimes, when it published new guidance on safer sleeping.
Crime 1: Making no mention of women or mothers in these guidelines. Is RCM guilty of this crime? No. The guidance mentions the word ‘women’ or ‘woman’ four times and the word ‘mother’ or ‘mothers’ twice. Despite this, RCM confessed to the crime, apologised profusely, took the guidance down and are revising the language used.
Continue reading “RCM Ignores Feedback and the Evidence”We Discuss a New Paper on Experiences of Breastfeeding Pain
We are going to look at a recent study of women’s perceptions of breastfeeding pain using online forums. It starts, as almost all papers about infant feeding do, with a recitation and affirmation of the creed that breastfeeding has many benefits. Oh boy…
Continue reading “We Discuss a New Paper on Experiences of Breastfeeding Pain”Breastfeeding Insufficiencies: A New Review of the Evidence
We would like to draw your attention to this review of the literature on breastmilk insufficiencies. It was written by a fellow mother, Dr Vera Wilde, whose baby suffered excessive weight loss as a result of insufficient milk intake, while exclusively breastfeeding.
Continue reading “Breastfeeding Insufficiencies: A New Review of the Evidence”Our Comment on ‘Reluctant Feeder’ Guidelines
It is likely that anyone following us will have seen recent news articles about failings at a Nottingham NHS Trust that led to avoidable deaths in their maternity unit. We were alarmed to hear of a baby who died after his parents raised concerns about his poor feeding. Continue reading “Our Comment on ‘Reluctant Feeder’ Guidelines”