I wrote to Tesco...

Dear editor.

This morning i finally received the Tesco baby club magazine (birth to 3 months).
I have just read your feature on infant feeding and i was very disappointed to see that none of the three mums featured were following the WHO guidelines to exclusively breastfeed for six months. One of the mums started weaning off breastmilk at five months and the other two either exclusively formula fed or combination fed from a very early age.
It would have been really nice to see some examples of mums who breastfed for longer and enjoyed it. The world health organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding until six months and to continue feeding breastmilk until age 2. All the mums in your feature talked about the difficulties involved in breastfeeding and how this was the reason they either gave up early, or never started. Whilst i agree that breastfeeding can be difficult in the first few weeks, many mums find it a truly enjoyable experience, but this wasn't mentioned at all. The mum who breastfed the longest (Melanie) said: "i got to the point where my whole life revolved around breastfeeding... By five months, i was absolutely exhausted." Another mum, irene, started introducing formula top ups when her daughter had her first growth spurt. Growth spurts and cluster feeding is perfectly normal in a newborn, but i am afraid your feature normalises formula top-ups when these are rarely necessary.

While i respect the three mums' feeding choices, I am very disappointed in Tesco for not presenting a more balanced view of breastfeeding. None of the mums mentioned how, after initial difficulties, it is easy, convenient and enjoyable.

While you're not breaking any laws regarding formula marketing in this feature, the overall message comes across as breastfeeding being a bit of a hassle.

I hope you consider these comments in future publications.

Yours sincerely
Jenny Svenny
Happy breastfeeding mum and tesco customer