New Zealand Gov pulls ad over outcry of dad feeding baby

Stifler's - posted on 03/06/2012

I just couldn't do the breastfeeding thing with a 16 month old jumping on us and trying to headbutt the baby. Bottle feeding was so much easier.

Julie - posted on 03/06/2012

...and if the mother had died, would they be upset?

BREAST IS BEST - but my hubby helped out occasionaly by supplementing with a bottle ... I had 3 other little ones -

Janice - posted on 03/05/2012

Sorry to leave you hanging Meme. I got pulled away Friday and then never made it back ;)

IDK if it even matters now but went back and reread, yes I did miss things. Sorry.

I also then tried to do more research. Every article I found said 2 things

1. The HSC asked 3 organizations on their view of the bottle-feeding shot and that they all stated in some form or another that the picture could undermine the campaign to encourage breastfeeding.

2. There was an "out-cry"



What was the "out cry"? That they gave their opinion which they were asked for?

I do see in some way how LLL and the others could see the ad as not working well alongside the breastfeeding campaign. I get why they advised to pull the shot.



I must restate that I completely disagree that the shot actually should have been pulled from the ad. Dad's don't have breasts so of course they all must bottle feed.



Unfortunately the only thing pulling the shot has done is pit bottle feeders against breast feeders -Again! grrrr

Pam - posted on 03/04/2012

absurd really... like many of you have already said, no one knows what was in the bottle, breastmilk, water, formula... whatever. I saw the father taking an interest in feeding his baby and giving mommy a break. How nice is it to see that? if anything it conveys a message to fathers "bond with your child" Its not always about us as mothers, I mean we are the world I know lol~ but sometimes daddy needs to make an appearance if we are to instill it in the minds of dads that this is a normal part of fatherhood. I pump at times, and go to the gym or shopping with my mom for them lol~ and he feeds the baby, and honestly, its attractive to see a father feeding his baby..

Ashley=) - posted on 03/04/2012

Janice i so agree..who made LLL god, that the needed to ask for there opinion.I know were they can shove there opinions lol.:-P

I do support b/feeding don't get me wrong at all.I support the rights of b/feeding mothers especially in public.However i feel some go way to far in the promotion of breast is best.I have spoken to many wonderful LLL ladies who seemed to have a head on there shoulders however you always get a few rotten eggs in groups like those.Who honestly make them all seem overbearing.



I had more info on breast feeding as a first time mom that when i had to go to formula due to my baby being ill, i had no clue as to how to go about picking formula and making it was another headache.I had to ring around public health nurses for them to drop up formula feeding leaflets.So i think this whole formula thing taking over is crazy.I was bomb barred with b/feeding info and this was 7 years ago.Second time around the LLL ladies were there in the waiting room of my antenatal appointments.



With a wide range of info etc, which was brilliant as i got to b/f the second, but you could see many mothers felt comfortable and i saw no info on formula at all.What about the rights of those mothers and there choices, the have a right to info on what they chose.It should not be all one sided.

Ashley=) - posted on 03/04/2012

I fed both ways and feck anybody else who has a problem with that.So much criticism on mothers for ever thing..if the use formula, not okay, if the b/f but express, not okay, if the best feed for a few weeks or mths nope someone has a problem with that too.Its a vicious cycle.Not just on formula feeding moms but b/feeding mothers feel it to from b/f crazies..i know my sis did and she b/fed for 2 and a half years.

I respect both ways of feeding an infant and feel both are equally as important and acceptable in our society.



That's the message i want my daughters to grow up with.I want them to feel comfortable for there choices as mothers when the time comes.

Stifler's - posted on 03/04/2012

How sad. This is as bad as my mum lecturing me for wanting to go back to work on my husbands days off because then I will be abandoning my kids (with their own FATHER mind you not a daycare). I bottle fed both my kids out of necessity and I have no time for crazy people telling me only 2% of women can't breastfeed and that formula is the devil.

MeMe - Raises Her Hand (-_-) (Mommy Of A Toddler And Teen) - posted on 03/03/2012

I was also bottle fed, I am healthy and I like to think I am intelligent. ;)



There is nothing wrong with either choice. Just feed your baby! They need to eat...

♥♪Megan♫♥ - posted on 03/03/2012

I believe the same thing Barbara. My husband was breastfed and I was bottle fed, yet you really can't tell the difference between us. In fact I believe I may be smarter and healthier than he is.

Barbara - posted on 03/03/2012

I am so sick of all the complaints about bottle feeding. Dads don't have working breasts! Neither do adoptive moms. I guess we should just leave those babies in potentially harmful situations though, where they can have an actual breast to feed from, since bottles are so harmful. I actually asked my very experienced pediatrician about formula versus breast milk. He told me that in twenty years he had never been able to medically tell a difference. With smoking parents, parents with bad eating habits he could, but not with formula versus breast milk.

MeMe - Raises Her Hand (-_-) (Mommy Of A Toddler And Teen) - posted on 03/02/2012

La Leche League, along with other rabid breastfeeding enforcers had see that an advert was to be launched in which Piri Weepu was seen bottle feeding his daughter and had contacted the authorities and campaigned to have it removed, thus slighting every woman who had ever needed to use formula as well as disrespecting and criticising a national hero.



Did you read it Janice?? I know I did and multiple times at that. ;)

MeMe - Raises Her Hand (-_-) (Mommy Of A Toddler And Teen) - posted on 03/02/2012

hmmm, I think there was a protest and fury!



But the ad was re-edited after a furious response from breast-feeding advocacy groups, led by the La Leche League and the New Zealand College of Midwives, who said it undermined campaigns to promote and support breastfeeding, particularly among Maori.”

Janice - posted on 03/02/2012

I do think that LLLs advice was bad advice in this particular instance. Promoting father's to be involved with their babies is always a good thing. And it is a bit of a stretch to think a MAN using a bottle to feed his infant would lower breastfeeding rates.

Janice - posted on 03/02/2012

Not the original Link Meme the one that Celeste posted.



LLL did NOT protest! The company making the ad asked LLLs advice and then the ad company made their own decision. It was a bad decision.

MeMe - Raises Her Hand (-_-) (Mommy Of A Toddler And Teen) - posted on 03/02/2012

Yep, I read it and it makes me mad. I am all for breastfeeding, I did it for 22 months... But, I could careless about what "someone" thinks. I also formula fed for 9 months... I am tired of all the crap associated with breastfeeding is ONLY best and people (companies) worrying about what other's are going to think. This was a non-smoking ad and the father should be able to feed with a bottle no matter if it is breast milk or formula in it. The opinion of other's should not matter...



While the government's decision could be viewed as a victory for La Leche League, which protested the ad, some observers have concluded that the decision is a sad day for dads.



The New Zealand case was even more peculiar because the ad was actually part of an anti-smoking campaign. (Watch the ad below.) It had nothing to do with the breast versus bottle debate. But La Leche League still didn't approve of the bottle-feeding image it appeared to promote.



I read it and they protested and did not agree with the bottle appearance... I say BLAH BLAH to LLL... I don't like any group expressing their opinion so whole heartily when we are talking about a baby and food, there are choices for a reason, as long as they are healthy choices then there should be no problems.



Not to mention a Dad should be involved and well, they can't help but use a bottle. I think it was great to represent a Dad feeding their LO, it showed a heck of a lot more in regards to Dad's being involved than using a bottle not a breast... Maybe it would've enlightened some Dad's out there to get involved more, telling them it is OK to take a role in feeding their baby.

Janice - posted on 03/02/2012

Meme & Ashley did you read the post that it was not LLL who demanded the ad be pulled? The ad company asked LLL advice and they said it may promote formula. The the ad company pulled the ad in fear of backlash from breastfeeding moms. Obviously the ad executives are dumb-asses.

Janice - posted on 03/02/2012

This is craziness. The ad never should have been pulled. The ad executives didnt really need to ask LLL opinion and now because of it breastfeeding supporters are again painted in a bad light. Dads feeding their babies should never be seen as a negative.

MeMe - Raises Her Hand (-_-) (Mommy Of A Toddler And Teen) - posted on 03/02/2012

You know it is well known that breast is best but in my opinion FOOD is BEST! Whether it comes from the breast or a can of formula. What did many of our parents and their parents grow up on? Carnation Evaporated Milk! If someone did that today and let it be known, they'd be ridiculed not only by breastfeeding Mom's but by formula feeding Mom's too. WHY? Because now there is FOOD designed for babies called formula. Formula is created and meant to nourish and promote healthy growth. Yes, if you can breastfeed and it feels good for you then go at er' but for crying out loud, don't judge another mother for making a different choice but is still FEEDING her baby nourishment, just like you (the general "breast milk is not only best but a MUST you", the LLL YOU). The kids need to eat, they don't need to eat what YOU (LLL) say! Get a life and over yourself... geesh...

Ashley=) - posted on 03/02/2012

People getting way to high and bloody mighty within themselves.I have to say i am so sick of it..this whole breast feeding lark.It has to be the crazy b/f advocates who did this.They need a good slap of reality.



Its a slap in the face to us because there saying its going to make us bottle feed decreasing the numbers of breast feeding mothers etc like were all trained animals.Do what we see mentality.Sorry to burst your bubble we do have minds of our own.



I know many mothers who express and dad feeds the child.Its a huge part of parenting for so many..we would of been lost without that in our home.Dad loved feeding his daughters and bonding with them.



I would of never of taken that away from him.Nor will do that the next time.

Tracey - posted on 03/02/2012

So if I'm breastfeeding my baby I might stop because I saw a picture of a celebrity bottlefeeding his infant? Don't think so.



Using their logic I had better not see pictures of the Jolie Pitts kids or I might jump on my husband and demand more children.



When my kids were younger the midwives / health visitors recommended expressing milk so dad could feed and bond with the baby.

Jaime - posted on 03/01/2012

i don't think that's right, honestly, to have a commercial pulled from the air because it had a father feeding his baby from a bottle. like another said before me, after all the work we do trying to get fathers to have more to do with their children, and something like this happens...sigh.

Celeste - posted on 03/01/2012

I don't like the spin that these articles are portraying the LLL as over the top breasfeeding advocates. They (along with other sources) were simply asked their opinion and they gave it. The LLL didn't protest. No one was being judged.



But, I do feel that it was a bit over the top to remove the ad because he was bottle feeding for a non smoking ad.

MeMe - Raises Her Hand (-_-) (Mommy Of A Toddler And Teen) - posted on 03/01/2012

I heard about this and thought and still think it is absurd! I breastfed both mine but I also bottle fed with formula my second (omg I should be killed). However, no one knows what is in a bottle and it is no one's damn business.



It's sad. It's sad that men are constantly being given a bad name for not being a stand up dad but then when one tries to make an appearance - in a NON SMOKING commercial - they are looked at as not being good then either because they are using a bottle. They have to use a bottle, what else do they want them to use? I think I'd be pretty pissed if he was letting them suck his hairy nipple!!



It's just stupid and utterly disappointing.



ETA: I don't care if he was god, it shouldn't matter. It was a damn bottle and parents have the choice and should not be questioned or judged for feeding their baby, breastmilk or formula or both!

♥♪Megan♫♥ - posted on 03/01/2012

Thanks, but it's still silly to remove an ad simply on the chance that someone may use formula. The government should've grown a pair.

Celeste - posted on 03/01/2012

http://thenaturalparent.co.nz/blog/?p=46...



At first, I was outraged because I thought, hello! How else is the dad supposed to feed the baby??



But, then, I read the above link. LLL and a couple other sources were asked their opinion. They gave it and the Health council decided to pull the ad. LLL didn't protest.



From the above link:

"



TNP and the Piri Weepu story

February 6, 2012

By Nadine

During the 2011 Rugby World Cup I watched with awe and respect as All Blacks halfback Piri Weepu swept all before him. The 2011 ‘Maori of the Year’ winner demonstrated unparalleled skill and strength across the entire length of the competition and his name has been written into the history books.



When, therefore, the Health Sponsorship Council (HSC) looked for prominent and respected New Zealanders to lend their support to the new No-Smoking campaign Piri Weepu was a top choice. Piri is an athlete, and an extraordinarily talented one. His recommendations and advice are treated with respect and many New Zealanders aspire to be like Piri.



During the making of the campaign there was a query over the section where Piri was feeding his daughter a bottle and the HSC, clearly not wanting to undo on one hand what they were hoping to fix with the other, contacted LaLeche League (LLL) the breastfeeding support charity, Plunkett and the New Zealand College of Midwives for advice and input.



All three organisations reported back that the image of Piri, such a powerful advocate for the health of the nation, could have a negative effect on breastfeeding rates in New Zealand.



The HSC understood that if including Piri in the no-smoking campaign could reduce smoking then there was a risk of him unwittingly being seen to endorse bottle feeding over breastfeeding. The success of breastfeeding often hinges on the support a woman receives around her. If her family feel ‘If its good enough Piri Weepu, its good enough for my son/daughter’ the number of babies receiving breastmilk could fall, along with the number of smokers.



It was with shock therefore that I read the story that was printed in the NZ Herald.



“Sometimes you can’t hear yourself think for the noise of special-interest groups. A Health Sponsorship Council anti-smoking campaign, which starts on television tonight, was to have featured All Black halfback Piri Weepu bottle-feeding his baby. The imagery – advancing the campaign’s key message about rejecting a future of smoking – emphasised the role of parents in bringing their kids up as non-smokers.

But the ad was re-edited after a furious response from breast-feeding advocacy groups, led by the La Leche League and the New Zealand College of Midwives, who said it undermined campaigns to promote and support breastfeeding, particularly among Maori.”



Piri’s supporters were outraged!

Families all over the country who had used formula were outraged!

How dare LLL and the College of Midwives condemn a national hero in this way! Mothers who had used formula felt their parenting choices were being disparaged and heartbreaking stories of women who had fought hard to breastfeed but ultimately needed formula for the health of their child and themselves were posted all over the internet. Breastfeeders were also outraged to be portrayed in this way and many found it deeply offesive. Facebook and social media sites across the internet lit up as the story went viral.



During this entire time the public finger of blame was pointed directly at LLL, the New Zealand College of Midwives and any group which was seen to be publicly supporting breastfeeding in New Zealand. The Natural Parent Magazine took its own share of the anger and disgust and some virulent posts were made on our Facebook page. The story had gained momentum and had snowballed into this:



La Leche League, along with other rabid breastfeeding enforcers had see that an advert was to be launched in which Piri Weepu was seen bottle feeding his daughter and had contacted the authorities and campaigned to have it removed, thus slighting every woman who had ever needed to use formula as well as disrespecting and criticising a national hero.



As a breastfeeding mother, Editor of The Natural Parent Magazine, and Administrator of our Facebook page with over 3000 families I can tell you that this is untrue.



The advert was a health promotion advert, part of the HSC campaign to reduced smoking.

LLL were contacted prior to publication because they have experience in this field. Concerns had been raised because the community in which they wished to affect the most change was also the one that would most benefit from a positive image of breastfeeding. Breastfeeding and child health rates are lower in Maori groups and the government and research state that there are links between the two. It would not have been appropriate to link Piri to such an issue.



No criticism had been made of the families that were already using formula. None, including Piri’s own. The decision is entirely their own: LLL, The Natural Parent Magazine and others are there to give parents advice and support so they can make an informed decision about what is best for them and their children. We do not dictate. We wouldn’t stand for it ourselves and we don’t do it to others.



Piri Weepu was never criticised for feeding his daughter from a bottle. There was discussion over whether or not there was formula or breastmilk in the bottle, but there was another message here, that of a father caring for his child. He was proving how a powerful and talented man can be tender and caring with his family. The Natural Parent Magazine members and staff had universal respect for this."

♥♪Megan♫♥ - posted on 03/01/2012

What's even better is according to the link, this ad wasn't even about breast vs bottle is was about not smoking! FML

Jen - posted on 03/01/2012

Ok, that's BS. Do we want to completely eliminate the strides we've made in making public fathering a good thing?



Man, My brain hurts reading this.