Breastfeeding Vouchers

[sp1814]

What are your feelings about a scheme to give new mums shopping vouchers for breastfeeding?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-30083090

[pixie373]

Typically, too late. I fed 4 for 12-18 months each. I can't see why money would make a difference to those who don't want to or can't.

[Cloverjo]

I think this has been discussed here before. It sounds good in theory, but how does a woman prove she is breastfeeding? Health Visitors don't visit anymore in many areas, as I learnt on AB, so won't see it. For some women it is not easy to do, and is unfair on them.

[Svejk]

It's none to clear who's paying for it. I can see Sheffield Uni? are running it but I wonder who pays.

[Mamyalynne]

This is from November last year and adds a little more info, though not all.


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

[woofgang]

I have just seen this on TV and the Mums who have tried the scheme said its not the money (tokens) its the support and group stuff with other Mums that they found helpful....so why not spend the money on support and not on tokens?

[sp1814]

I don't get the recognition support thing. If I were a new mum, the health of my child would be all the recognition I would need.

Also - can I ask the women here...is it true that breastfeeding is actually really painful?

[Old_Geezer]

It can be if mum gets cracked nipples or the baby has teeth. OR indeed anyway. I know my sister had to be persuaded by my mum to persevere.

Meanwhile any such scheme just further indicates how nuts the world is going. Who's paying for this. Not the ratepayer I hope.

[pixie373]

It is really painful for the first few weeks with the first one, but it wears off.

[Mamyalynne]

Sp,curiously for something that is so natural it can be very problematic for many reasons - my main down on the voucher scheme is that Mum's who already struggle are given another label as a failure.


I was very lucky with my two and fed them for over six months, but not without some Mastitis which is agonising at times.

[pixie373]

Teeth make no difference, unless they bite:-)

[Mamyalynne]

OG from my link above

//funded through a collaboration between government and the medical research sector.//

[Mamyalynne]

They rarely bite as they have been sucking for months by then.

[pixie373]

Mine did sometimes when they were teething.

[Svejk]

Couldn't women who find it painful 'express'? the milk and bottle it?

[Old_Geezer]

Government has no mandate to give our tax money away willy nilly. We need better controls.

[sherrardk]

It's ok once you get the hang off it, but you have to remember to swop which side you feed from or it can cause problems - by the time I got to feeding thing 1 and thing 2 I could feed them both at the same time and read a book (not something I would have done in public though).

[pixie373]

It's no different svejk.

[Butterbun]

Personally, I don't think mothers should be rewarded for breastfeeding their babies. They either want to or they don't. It should be a natural thing, not something to be paid to do.

[Svejk]

Do you mean it's painful to express it?