Social comments and analytics for this post…

This post was mentioned on Twitter by birthactivist: Tell Zales Diamonds how you feel about #breastfeeding and their new commercial. http://bit.ly/70Le7d...

I hate those diamond ads, all of them! They are just trying to be as sappy, sentimental and present ‘the norm’ to appeal to as many people as possible and that is where the problem lies.

I consider myself passionate about breastfeeding, but I have to say, I don’t really understand your outrage with this commercial. I don’t get the point being “get mom a diamond for bottle feeding.” I honestly don’t even see it being a significant part of the commercial in a way that warrants being upset from a breastfeeding perspective, but that’s just my opinion.

Did it EVER occur to you that MAYBE there’s breast milk in that bottle??? Are you so unbelievably closed minded that expressing and feeding breast milk is not an acceptable practice?? Is it SO TERRIBLE to see a FATHER feeding his own child??? I’d tell Zales thank you for showing men that they can participate in feedingtheir children and that BOTTLES are not the anti-christ, they can pick one up and feed their own child! Wow. So in your words, no bottle feeding mother deserves diamonds?? only breastfeeding mothers?? Who the hell are you to judge??

And on that note, SO WHAT if there was formula in that bottle? Is it any of your business??

For the record, I am very passionate and supportive breastfeeder. I breastfeed both my children. This blogpost is appauling!

I completely agree with Joyful, though I might have used less outraged language and fewer ALL CAPS to express it.

When I was supplementing my son with formula for a few weeks, I was in a dark place, one where I was a bad mother for not exclusively BFing and I was getting judgement everywhere I turned, from women whose opinions I generally respect. Now that I’m on the other side of that experience, I feel an obligation to protect those moms who are forced to turn to formula for whatever reason. Not to mention those who express some breastmilk so that dad can bottle feed baby and she can get a few extra hours of sleep - contrary to popular natural/attachment parenting belief, motherhood and martyrdom are not synonymous!

I actually had to supplement many of my children due to thyroid disease. I also had one child who never nursed and I had to pump for 18 months to provide her with breast milk. I’m not immune or blind to the fact that there are alternatives or choices involved. My point is simply - why can’t we ever show someone breastfeeding? Why is bottle feeding the norm? Hands down the number of ads positively displaying breastfeeding are far fewer in number than the others.

No, fair comment. It would have been just as easy for the ad to have mom in the rocking chair BFing baby while dad straightened up the crib. But there is nothing wrong with bottle feeding and it’s nothing to be ashamed of, that’s all I was saying - I think we agree with each other there

While not “outraged” I do find it sad when I see major advertisers showing bottlefeeding. While there are many reasons that bottlefeeding may be needed and in some cases best, if as a society we are truly trying to promote breast is best it would be helpful to have advertisers showing that. The only reason they don’t is because showing bf is still not considered society acceptable and until that happens we will not truly become a bf society.

I cant help but feel that its a throwback to the 40s when bottle feeding became a class issue. YES, the ‘wealthy’ bottle fed (the “I buy my wife diamonds for Christmas” kind of wealthy). Under the advisement of their physicians, who were held up on obstetrical pedestals. Through clever, unscrupulous advertisements, women were given the message that our bodies don’t work. We cannot nourish our babies-but science can. It became the ‘better’ choice. Bottle feeding shouldn’t be advertised as the norm. It is a breast milk substitute. It’s that simple. But there’s very little money to be made of breastfeeding, I’d imagine.