Breast feeding a “little creepy”, says a Mum and Baby magazine

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDJun 28 2010

Dr Ananya Mandal, MD

In an article with a headline “I formula fed. So what?” that appeared in Mother and Baby magazine a casual comment from deputy editor Kathryn Blundell has shocked mothers worldwide. She was explaining why she bottle fed her babies instead of breast feeding when she said, “I wanted my body back. (And some wine) …I also wanted to give my boobs at least a chance to stay on my chest rather than dangling around my stomach.” The author horrified many readers saying, “They are [breasts] 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.”

She added that, “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 agonizing 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.” However she agreed that there are, “studies that show [breastfeeding] reduces the risk of breast cancer for you, and stomach upsets and allergies for your baby.”

The Department of Health recommends that babies are fed only breast milk for the first six months of life. The article read, “The Milk Mafia can keep their guilt trips. Bullying other mums about something as special and nurturing as feeding their babies (and yes, bottle feeding can be lovely and intimate) is a depth that even Vicky Pollard wouldn’t sink to… So, let’s hear it, ladies, for modern nutritional science, but most of all for our freedom of choice.”

A campaign was launched in the social networking site Facebook and it gathered 600 supporters who have made at least six complaints to the Press Complaints Commission. The campaign is calling for Blundell to apologize. Many mums, even those who have used the bottle to feed their babies have complained about the tone of the article more than the contents. Many mothers feel that this may discourage new mums who are having two minds about breastfeeding. As it is, they say, only one in 100 mothers choose to breastfeed in UK.

Miranda Levy, the editor of the magazine, has said the article “a constant and vocal supporter of breastfeeding” and reflected a “personal experience” and had been praised by some bottle-feeding readers for making them “feel 'normal” and less of a “failure” for not being able to breastfeed. She concluded that, “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.”