How encouraging it is to see a post disdainfully critical of the media’s response to Salma Hayek’s continued breastfeeding.

Even more encouraging Salma’s extended nursing! What a wonderful role model she sets for new mothers to breastfeed their children.

Unfortunately, what is not encouraging is the general attitude towards extended nursing - with unfounded theories on over dependent children being bandied around.

As the mother of a breast fed 16month old, anecdotally I can assure any potential nursing mother that the last thing my son is over dependent on his mother - infact, he is a secure, confident and assertive young man

Congratulations Salma Hayek on giving your child the best nutrition available on earth And inadvertently becoming an inspirational role model for nursing mothers!

The media, are the disseminators of information. And as such, have a responsibility to their readers to promote truth, and accurate information, in the articles they publish.

So why is it, that mothers are still being told that formula is an adequate substitute for breastmilk, as though it’s simply an alternative - not a choice that warrants research, and a lot of soul searching before a decision is made.

The irksome truth of it is, there is a fine line betwen what is truth, and what is waylaid information. For example, an article detailing the benefits of artificial baby milk - may well be truthful, however it doesn’t have to contain the risks of artificial baby milk, nor does it have to report the benefits of breastfeeding. So effectively, the said article would be almost entirely misleading.

How do articles that are so misleading even find a place in the media? The answer to that is simple. And it begins and ends with money. The artificial baby milk industry is a multi billion dollar a year industry, and some of that revenue is well invested in advertising and editorial. Not to mention, in samples distributed through hospitals, doctors surgeries, and early childhood clinics.

It is almost no wonder that Artificial Baby Milk, is so widely accepted as the norm in the media, and promoted as such to the audiences of these channels.

What I question, is the responsibility to provide accurate and ethical information. In my opinion, allowing any article, suggesting that Artificial Baby Milk, is as good as, or as acceptable as breastmilk, is a grave misnomer on the publisher’s part.

A responsible reporter and publisher, would only disseminate information pertaining to the whole truth. Sadly these types of publications are few and far between.

The whole truth being:

1. Artificial Baby Milk, is never as good as breastmilk, is never as good as expressed breast millk, and is considered by many authorities  to even be less acceptable than wet nursing.
2. The only people who benefit from Artificial Baby Milk, are the companies selling it. The babies face the risks of allergies, intolerance, and reduced immunity.

There are of course situtations, where Artificial Baby Milk is a necessary tool. But these situations, are not for the mainstream media to comment on and publicize. They are situations of life and death, where mothers cannot feed, and there is no other alternative.

I rally for the media to promote breastmilk, as the only acceptable infant food - for mothers to be taught how to breastfeed, and supported, encouraged, and rewarded for doing so.

It would be brilliant to see more campaigns like the Be a Star campaign, publicised in the UK. Normalising feeding, and boosting it’s image.

Babies deserve the truth. Women deserve the truth. and the media has the responsiblity on their shoulders to disseminate it.

Despite the supposed outcry about Kate Garraway posing whilst breastfeeding a calf, the photoshoot alone poses some interesting questions.

Why is it so unusual to see a woman breastfeeding a calf, when millions of women world wide, will quite happily feed their children breastmilk from a cow?

Why is there such an outcry about surrogate feeding? When surely the lactated milk from the same species, is a more natural, and sensible solution than that of another species?

 Other People’s Breast Milk, one in a series of female-led documentaries, will be broadcast on Channel 4 on September 9.