Jamie and Jools Oliver have revealed they are expecting their fifth child, with Jools displaying a gorgeous growing baby bump at the European premiere of Eddie The Eagle in London’s Leicester Square.
More: How to be a breastfeeding advocate without being a jerk
We’re delighted for them and, after four kids, they certainly don’t need any advice about parenting. However Mr. Oliver does need some advice on breastfeeding and pretty simple advice it is too: just stop talking about it.
The TV chef does love a good old crusade and we’re right behind him when it comes to tackling childhood obesity and making sugary drinks less accessible. However we don’t think he’s the right person to get more women breastfeeding.
Nonetheless he’s decided this will be his latest mission, reports The Telegraph.
Oliver said to London radio station LBC: “We have the worst breastfeeding in the world. If you breastfeed for more than six months, women are 50 percent less likely to get breast cancer. When do you ever hear that? Never. It’s easy, it’s more convenient, it’s more nutritious, it’s better, it’s free.”
His comments immediately attracted controversy, with many women pointing out that they did not always have a choice when it came to how they fed their baby.
More: My breastfeeding story doesn’t always get the response I’m looking for
I wish Jamie Oliver would just stop. He's now taking power away from women to choose. STOP. #JamieOliver#breastfeeding
— 🌜🦇Luna 'Tiny Witch' Pixie⚓🌛 (@RedLunaPixie) March 18, 2016
https://twitter.com/MurderOfGoths/status/710731566583037952
https://twitter.com/HEW02/status/710724974311546881
Going to start bottle feeding my kids just to spite #JamieOliver. 10yo will be annoyed it's not lasagne but it's worth the sacrifice.
— Claire C (@wotclaire) March 18, 2016
You’d think, after having four children, Oliver would have some understanding of what the early days and weeks with a newborn are like. If Jools found breastfeeding “easy,” well then she’s one of the lucky ones. Speaking for myself and the majority of my friends who breastfed, I certainly wouldn’t use that word to describe it. “Challenging,” “painful,” “stressful” and “bloody difficult” come to mind for starters.
For many new mums breastfeeding doesn’t work out for various reasons. Others choose to bottle-feed and that’s perfectly fine too. We have all the statistics and scientific studies at our fingertips should we choose to read them but, ultimately, every woman makes that choice based on what she thinks is best for herself and her child.
Oliver, 40, and Jools, 41, who celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary last year, are parents to Poppy Honey Rosie, 13, Daisy Boo Pamela, 12, Petal Blossom Rainbow, six, and Buddy Bear Maurice, five.
More: The epic way to respond if your breastfeeding photos get “reported”
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