A housewife who has only £ 100 to live a month after paying her bills reveals that she is diluting her baby's formula to make it last longer

FORMULA milk is so expensive that for a mother struggling to cover the cost of feeding her nine-month-old baby, she had to dilute it.

Hayley, mother of two full-time Kent children, must rely on her partner's salary to support her family and admitted that she was so broke that she sometimes did not eat just for that their children do not go away.

Channel 4

Kate Quilton, host of the Channel 4 Dispatches series: The big scandal of formula milk, Hayley makes a startling confession.

Explaining that his partner earns £ 1,000 a month, including £ 900 on bills, they have to work the remaining £ 100.

"Some days I would not eat, I would let my daughters eat," she said. "It's heartbreaking to see your baby crying because you can not afford to pay for your milk and she was starving."

Kate asked her how she would do to make the preparation last. She cried admitting that she needed to add extra water. "I just have to stretch it … it's horrible."

Love Productions. The images of channel 4 must not be modified or manipulated. This photo

Experts worry that adding more water is becoming more and more common. Kate adds that this could mean that the baby will not necessarily get the nutrition he needs.

Dispatches reveals that, despite the cost differences between well-known brands and cheaper private label formulas, this does not affect the nutritional benefits of the product.

The Channel 4 study found that £ 175.99 bought the Sainsbury's Little Ones formula for six months.

This amount only purchases SMA Pro First Formula for 3 months and Aptamil Profutura Stage 1 for 2 and a half months.

All have the same essential nutrients. And the researchers said that additional ingredients beyond the minimum requirements of the guidelines are not necessary for the growth of a baby.

Shel Banks, specialist in infant feeding, said: "All we need in the first 12 months of life – according to our NHS, according to the World Health Organization – it's these milks for infants first step. There is nothing to choose between them in terms of nutrition. "

The program reveals that some doctors, midwives and other health professionals recommend certain brands after manufacturer-sponsored training events.

"My healthy visitors and midwives recommend Aptamil, and I was told to use Aptamil and nothing else," echoed a mother in the program.

"Usually at the hospital, it is recommended to use Aptamil to start, so if all goes well, stay with Aptamil. I thought it was better for baby because it was the most expensive, "adds another mom.

Love Productions. The images of channel 4 must not be modified or manipulated. This photo

The experts also warned against misleading claims, especially on the reduction of eczema, incitements to colic, a better night's sleep or "hungry" milks.

Dr. Laura de Rooy, Neonatal Consultant at St George's Hospital, agreed with suggestions that these types of products be removed from the shelves.

She added: "All these training days do not necessarily provide these health professionals with unbiased information.

"The other really important point is that if there is advertising of these brands among these health professionals, pediatricians, they will be more likely to prescribe them.

"Thus, even advertising intended for a scientific audience, an audience of pediatricians, can be misleading."

News has found that In England, 59 out of 195 clinic commissioning groups have registered at least one violation of the World Health Organization Code since 2014; in Wales, five of the seven local health councils registered an offense.

Professor Anthony Costello, former director of the WHO, said: "This is outrageous, if you are a company and want to promote your products, you want to reach the most influential people.

"So it will be pediatricians, dietitians, nurses, midwives, health professionals, companies are now right in the NHS, which is extremely worrying.

"More disturbing is almost the same label as the NHS and they are basically advertising their products, which is quite confusing for health workers."

The British Specialist Nutrition Association, an agency representing brands of milk powder, said in response: "We believe that we have the responsibility to provide information. [to healthcare professionals] so that they can advise parents on the feeding of their babies.

"We are only allowed to make legally approved requests and we think it is irresponsible to suggest to parents and carers that they can not trust them.

However, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs said: "Parents have the right to receive accurate and impartial advice from health professionals and it is totally unacceptable to health care providers or to health professionals. workers to receive financial incentives of all kinds to support certain brands. "

The big scandal of formula milk: Dispatches is on Channel 4 tonight at 8 pm

In other parenting news, we talked to mothers who are happy to push their little darlings to become divas.

One out of four tired moms shared a candid snapshot of her badfeeding, cooking and homework.

And experts have also warned that sleeping with your baby "dramatically increases the risk of sudden infant death," despite the fact that 3 out of 4 parents still practice it.

Trolls told me that my stretch marks favor an "unhealthy lifestyle," but I refuse to hide them.