"Lactivist" is a popular term for an advocate (generally quite a militant one) of breastfeeding. When I got pregnant I presumed I would breastfeed but didn't think it would be the end of the world if we went on formula, although I knew it would be annoying to do all the faff with bottles.

3 months after Rowan was born, we're happily and successfully breastfeeding, with the occasional bottle so I can help David, and (although we do this rarely) so I can get some extra sleep. During this time I seem to have gotten somewhat more enthusiastic about the whole thing for a variety of reasons. Firstly, I've read lots of stuff about the benefits of breastmilk, and without wanting to be judgmental, the risks of formula feeding your baby. A good example is this article

I've also noticed how terribly uneducated mothers are about this - we're not given the facts and statistics of the matter before birth, not told about the risks to your supply of mixed feeding - certainly not told how to manage expressing and bottle/cup feeding if we want to leave our baby elsewhere. We're not told how milk production works, so many breastfeeding mothers worry terribly that their breasts are empty, that they're not making enough milk - that they can't manage to feed their baby properly, when in most cases this is simply not true.

However, although I try to encourage people gently, I seem to be becoming a ranting militant mother, which does not help. Its effectively too late for the mothers I see that have already made the decision to switch (its not really but it would take a lot of work to return to breastfeeding - far more than just sticking in the first place). Those who are mixed-feeding or considering it are prime targets, but it seems that they're defensive about their decisions and my advice to try to help them to stick, or give expressed milk instead of formula often seems to be drowned out by the formula feeders discussing different brands and suchlike.

I really wish I could do more to help these women, but it seems that advice is not really welcome from someone with no more baby experience than them - who has just read as much as she can. I don't want to judge them as I don't blame them for making decisions based on the (small amount of) information they have been given and an aggressive marketing campaign from the formula manufacturers.

Anyway, I am managing to do something positive. I've volunteered to attend a pro-breastfeeding exhibition in London next Friday with Rowan - presumably to answer questions etc. I'm looking forward to it, although I worry that to some extent I'll be preaching to the converted (although I have deliberately volunteered when a school group is due in in an attempt to influence some young minds)

I am considering training as a breast feeding peer supporter, but am not sure how much help I could be as a non-driver.

I don't expect our normal audience to find this very interesting, but hopefully someone else will find this post, and the other similar ones that I am sure will follow.

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