It is time for us to get organized about TLC - Baby Story and Bringing Home Baby

[Kodama]

This is getting absolutely absurd.

Even for me, this is making me a lacitivist and wanting to say enough!

A small background on my breastfeeding issues.

I am the unlucky mom of the rare 1% child who cannot tollerate breastmilk. He is on elemental medical food now due to his issues. See my sig if you want more information. I am the unlucky mom of the rare 1% child who had seizures so bad she bit down while breastfeeding and causing literal injury to me. I pumped for her and she got breastmilk until the age of 2. I am proud of that. Both kids were preemies with issues.


The excause breastfeeding is too hard after a week does not fly with me unless there is medical reason for it. Period.


I saw Brining Home Baby yesterday. It made me absolutely sick. Sick does not even describe it. A mom gave breastfeeding a week and then switched to formula. The dad was all "I perfer it because I can bond with the kid too". There were 3 formula comercials. You could see the Pampers in the background.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! Every show I have seen has the same "OMG! BREASTFEEDING IS SO HARD!!!!!!!!!!!" line. The one show with the preemie, the mom actually breastfed. They never show premature infants or infants with real medical issues. That is another point, but I personally would love to see one with an infant home on oxygen, an apnea montior, a feeding tube and the mom lovingly pumping for her child. They use jaundice as a reason to not breastfeed (where do they get their medical information...from the bottom of a can of Enfamil?!?!?!).

All the medical misinformation and the crap spewed there is infuriating.

Perhaps a boycott on TLC should be in order? This is absurd!

[paquerette]

I expect that, in order for any real change to happen, we'd have to fork over more advertising dollars than the formuco's do. Doesn't matter what public opinion is, they won't have a show if they're not paying.

If only natural products like slings and cloth diapers had the advertising dollars to work with, they could come up with a more crunchy show and seek ad space from those folks. Win win situation. Except for the massive cost of TV advertising.

[Kodama]

Discovery Health has a show about a pregnant mom modeling agency.

A few mom's there are very crunch and they have discussed slings, cloth diapers, and have kids with complex medical issues.

[Narn]

This is why I don't watch those shows. They make me so mad I want to scream and break things.

[sapphire_chan]

Don't they usually show some doctor telling BS about breastfeeding on those shows? Maybe if we sent letters to the doctor's licensing board?

[didkisa]

Oh I hate those shows! I stopped watching when a woman said, "I wanted to breastfeed sooo badly, but I had to give up after four days!" WTH????? Whatever! :

[donttrustthesystem]

Every Single Show is the same. I may have written them once last year, I think I did actually. But what I would suggest is organizing it online, with who to contact and then having everyone write them and send it out to all their friends to write too.

What I would suggest asking TLC for is FREE LACTATION HELP for the moms, LCs and LLLI consultants right there instead of that SAME narrator woman's voice ALWAYS saying, "___ tried breastfeeding but it didn't work" in her singsong way. It has been going on for over a year at least.

[kalynnsmom]

I saw the description for an episode of Bringing Home Baby that said "Breast-feeding goes from bad to worse". Drives me NUTS!! Why not show moms who actually succeed at breastfeeding? I mean they do, but it's few and far between.

[MWeller1]

Call me crazy, but I just had a thought... forwarding these ideas in a well-constructed letter to the Tyra Banks and Montel shows. One of them might actually pick it up... I've been wanting to send them an email suggesting a show on the latest upswing for revirginization and vaginal tightening surgeries... hmm...

[pumpkinhead]

I've sent letters. They're excuse is that they're like a wildlife show: there to document but not interfere. They make me ill.

Seriously, step away from the TLC.

[avedagrrl]

Well, people apply to be on these kinds of shows, right? We can write to the show and encourage them to seek families that intend to breastfeed and CD. Or perhaps there is someone in this community that might want to participate and be an example of a family committed to breastfeeding. Or, perhaps not, but it's an idea!

[G8P4]

They're excuse is that they're like a wildlife show: there to document but not interfere. They make me ill.

Yep, just like wildlife shows....they interfere like crazy on those shows too!!!! Look at all those shows that sabotage mother bonding for non-human mammals....and end up with artificially feeding also.

I can hear the voice over now:

" Elsa has just given birth to two cubs (lights, camera, action) ....which the zoo staff have carefully measured and weighed.....(and photographed in cute poses, aren't they just adorable?)....Oh but what a shame, Elsa seems to be rejecting the cubs....we can't understand why, but it happens sometimes....in order to save their lives they will have to be hand reared now... (isn't it so cute to feed them with bottles, so the zoo staff can bond with them? )

[carriebft]

Where is the AAP on this one?

OH, yeah, that's right...they are busy complaining about a fictional TV show concerning vaccines/autism.

[diascia]

Has anyone seen The Baby Diaries on Discovery Health? I don't watch baby shows, but I happened to stop on this one the other day. They were featuring this couple who apparently are the type that likes everything to be scheduled because they had an actual OB/GYN lecturing that breastfeeding must be on demand, and not scheduled. He went on to say that if the baby wanted to eat every two hours "that's the way it's gonna be" He really seemed knowledgeable. How refreshing.

[shayinme]

Originally Posted by avedagrrl

Well, people apply to be on these kinds of shows, right? We can write to the show and encourage them to seek families that intend to breastfeed and CD. Or perhaps there is someone in this community that might want to participate and be an example of a family committed to breastfeeding. Or, perhaps not, but it's an idea!

I agree with this, I also wanted to say that a couple years ago there was an MDC Mama on Baby Story, she a friend of a friend, so I don't directly know her but I recall her posting when the show aired.

Just wondering though how many of us who are AP/NFL leaning would really want to be on one of these shows.. to me it would feel like a huge invasion of privacy at a really private time in my life. I suspect I am not the only one who feels like that, just thinking back to 2.5 years ago when dd was born and I literally spent the first couple weeks naked on the top trying to get the hang of nursing, suspect that would not make for TLC approved tv. But yes I think if more BF Mamas applied to these shows we would see some improvement.

Shay

[HappyMommy2]

I used to love these shows! Now I hate them! Not only Bfing ... but EVERY woman is induced too ... and usually for NO reason! Scary andsad - that this is what many PG mamas are watching and expecting.

[honeybunch2k8]

Funny y'all should mention this... Those shows are actually what turned me off to hospital births!

I have seen women on those shows breastfeed, and one lady (props to her) hired a lactation consultant. I do see where y'all are coming for though. I think part of the problem is that some people think breastfeeding is nasty and low class (read, if you have the money just buy formula). Not to mention the lack of support breastfeeding women get.

Another problem is that people think it's supposed to hurt.

I can't really stand those shows anymore anyway.

[APmomto3boys]

These shows drive me INSANE also. You know I emailed TLC while pregnant to tell them that I was pregnant with a cleft baby... I never see any shows about clefts. I researched my a$$ off to be able to bf him and I need to share what I learned! I thought it would be great to document one and one that bfs!! But they never replied.

[polykow]

Originally Posted by APmomto3boys

These shows drive me INSANE also. You know I emailed TLC while pregnant to tell them that I was pregnant with a cleft baby... I never see any shows about clefts. I researched my a$$ off to be able to bf him and I need to share what I learned! I thought it would be great to document one and one that bfs!! But they never replied.

Congratulations to you for doing so.
Most moms give up because of way less hassle.
As you can see in those shows.

[delphiniumpansy]

If the shows are marketed towards moms and they are supported by formula companies, you have to replace that marketing and financial support with something else OR you have to lobby for there to be stringent limits on formula sales. Otherwise, nothing is going to happen. Money makes the world move.