EW similac ads?!

[hollytheteacher]

To the right of my screen right now is a video ad for similac...I thought mdc did not allow formula ads... The worst part is that at the bottom it says "three in a bed: cosleeping pros and cons" so it seems like it would be a mdc ttype thing...but the similac ad plays first...before it shows the cosleeping video!

[Cynthia Mosher]

We certainly don't want formula ads or anti-cosleeping info ads. That ad has been reported so it should be pulled from the ad pool soon if it is not already gone. Please let me know if you continue to see it.  Thanks for reporting it! 

[MommyofNRM]

Wow. Why so against formula? And co-sleeping? My son drank formula and slept with me until he was 5 months old. I didn't realize this website was against it. 

[Spring Lily]

I think most people on MDC are supporters of co-sleeping, and the concern about the ad is that it was anti-cosleeping.

As for formula, some of us here have had to use it, but the preference is for breastfeeding, which is the better choice (for those who have a choice). I had to use it for a couple of months with my twins, just as some moms have to use formula or supplement for medical reasons (like medication they're on or a previous breast surgery or difficulty trying to lactate with an adoption). It is very helpful if you need it or don't have the choice, but there are also milk banks that can be used instead of artificial milk (formula).

There are a lot of reasons people here are against formula, which include formula companies using unethical marketing strategies, aiming intensive marketing and propaganda at pregnant women and new mothers in the hospital. A lot of the things they do and say also undermines many mothers' confidence and self-esteem about breastfeeding, and they might not try or give up early. They pressure mothers to use formula instead of nursing, although breastfeeding increases the immune system, decreases the risks of obesity and diabetes, and lowers the mom's risk of breast cancer. For starters. They're trying to make a buck of new mothers and babies, although that negatively impacts our entire population's health--and our insurance premiums. And they know what they're doing, too.

I'm sure others could explain better, but this may give you a basic idea.

[mommyof3girls]

I don't think its fair to discriminate against women who give their babies formula. I personally breast fed both of my girls for almost 2 yrs each and plan on nursing my new baby girl when she gets here but there are some women who have to formula feed their babies for one reason or another. I obviously would not choose that for myself unless for some odd reason I could not nurse perhaps because of a medical condition of mine or my babies but don't you think its a little unfair for the mothers on here that may need to formula fee their babies to be shun or ostracized?

As far as co-sleeping I am an advocate! My 7 yr old still sleeps with me frequently and my 12 little girl even jumps in bed with me from time to time I dont think its a problem at all as a matter of fact I think that if we are loving and nurturing with our children they will find their own independence and I think this is just one example of that. My girls sleep in their beds with ease and love having their own space but there is nothing wrong with a little snuggle time!

[Arduinna]

Originally Posted by Cynthia Mosher 

We certainly don't want formula ads or anti-cosleeping info ads. That ad has been reported so it should be pulled from the ad pool soon if it is not already gone. Please let me know if you continue to see it.  Thanks for reporting it! 

Thank YOU!

[Arduinna]

Originally Posted by MommyofNRM 

Wow. Why so against formula? And co-sleeping? My son drank formula and slept with me until he was 5 months old. I didn't realize this website was against it. 

MDC isn't against co-sleeping we have had a family bed forum dedicated to it for years. Why against formula, that should be obvious.

[PlayaMama]

Originally Posted by Arduinna 

MDC isn't against co-sleeping we have had a family bed forum dedicated to it for years. Why against formula, that should be obvious.

wait, against formula?

for some reason i had the idea that it was merely pro-breastfeeding with the understanding that formula was sometimes needed by moms for various reasons that they don't necessarily need to justify.

i guess i thought that being pro-breastfeeding didn't necessarily mean that you had to be against other options.

i guess i was confused?

[Spring Lily]

Originally Posted by PlayaMama 

wait, against formula?

for some reason i had the idea that it was merely pro-breastfeeding with the understanding that formula was sometimes needed by moms for various reasons that they don't necessarily need to justify.

i guess i thought that being pro-breastfeeding didn't necessarily mean that you had to be against other options.

i guess i was confused?

That's the moderate approach. There are a lot of moderate parents here on MDC, but I've also seen quite a few who are more extreme in their beliefs. I had to use formula and for months had to avoid any discussions of it because it was so upsetting to see the judgment about it. It's just one of those things; you're going to get judged for parenting choices by someone, whether you're on MDC or on a mainstream board. I've never seen MDC moderators be judgemental about it, so I don't think it's the policy or anything.

[EviesMom]

Originally Posted by PlayaMama 

wait, against formula?

for some reason i had the idea that it was merely pro-breastfeeding with the understanding that formula was sometimes needed by moms for various reasons that they don't necessarily need to justify.

i guess i thought that being pro-breastfeeding didn't necessarily mean that you had to be against other options.

i guess i was confused?

Mothering magazine, and historically, MDC, has been very anti-formula. No posts referencing formula other than in medical forums like NICU from what I recall. There was a long list of things about formula, recommending formula, brands of formula, that could not be said on MDC.

Now a couple of months ago they dumped the print mag and made the User Agreement about 20 times shorter, but it did used to be anti-CIO, anti-formula, anti-spanking, anti-circumcision, pro-no-vax/delayed-vax/selective-vax. Historically I heard that this was because there were many places on the web to discuss CIO, formula feeding, circing, CDC schedule vaxing, and MDC wanted to support other choices that don't often have safe havens to discuss. 

I haven't looked lately at all the sections, but I'm pretty sure gentle discipline still says no spanking discussions are allowed, the ages and stages babies I saw still says anti-CIO. I have no idea what they'd do with formula posts or threads, other than they clearly don't belong in breastfeeding. And there's still a breastfeeding section, and no formula feeding section. Hmm... I'll have to see if CaseAgainstCirc is still there. 

Personally I think every woman should be able to choose for herself, and I would like to offer support such that any woman who wants to breastfeed can, for as long as she would like to. I don't have any judgement for women who choose formula or need formula. However, I think many formula companies do use deceptive and inappropriate advertising tactics (married to an ad man, who does not work for formula companies, but used to work for other unsavories, ie-tobacco). Many  "lifestyle choices" are sadly not actual choice but are instead pawns in the marketing game. Now, that said, I still respect women who choose/need to formula feed, but it is a reason to disallow formula ads, formula promotion, any ties to formula companies. 

[Galatea]

No forum can be everything to everyone.  MDC has a clear vision and focus.  It is not about judgment or discrimination, but about focus and purpose.

[JamieCatheryn]

You can be anti unethical advertising of formula without hating on the (over 92% of US) mothers who need to or choose to use it at some point. Honestly, everyone knows formula is available, constant reminders of it only undermines those who would breastfeed.

[Mothering]

We absolutely recognize that breastfeeding is not always possible and that formula may be necessary. We respect and uphold a mother's right to make that decision for herself and her baby and we do host such discussions too. However, Mothering upholds the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and that is why we do not host formula ads.

 

It is not accurate that formula discussions were only recently allowed. They have long been discussed in forums such as Life with a Babe, Nutrition and Good Eating, and even in the Breastfeeding forums. If you do a search for "formula" you'll find thousands of them. I've never known of us having a list of formula topics that we restricted. That's news to me! 

Yes, our user agreement has been revised to make it simpler and more straightforward. Over the years we developed rules and policies to address issues we faced in moderating MDC to maintain a comfortable posting atmosphere. As a result we ended up with a long and wieldy UA that was too much for a new member to read through and was sometimes difficult to interpret when enforcing. We decided to cut it down to the very essentials and use forum guidelines for specific forum needs. We are still working on revising forum guidelines too. 

We still do not host advocacy of topics that Mothering is inherently against, which would include pro-formula, anti-breastfeeding, CIO, physical punishment, and pro-circ posts. And when I say "pro" I mean advocacy as an agenda. We do allow discussions about these topics so that those new to the philosophies of attachment parenting and natural family living have room to post about their choices and thinking so they can explore through discussion what the ap/nfl options are. And yes, many of us do not practice everything  - which is why you'll see people describe themselves as "slightly crunchy". 

Hope that clarifies things a bit. 

[EviesMom]

Originally Posted by Mothering 

We absolutely recognize that breastfeeding is not always possible and that formula may be necessary. We respect and uphold a mother's right to make that decision for herself and her baby and we do host such discussions too. However, Mothering upholds the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and that is why we do not host formula ads.

 

It is not accurate that formula discussions were only recently allowed. They have long been discussed in forums such as Life with a Babe, Nutrition and Good Eating, and even in the Breastfeeding forums. If you do a search for "formula" you'll find thousands of them. I've never known of us having a list of formula topics that we restricted. That's news to me! 

If you say so, I suppose it's true, but a 2 minute search turns up mostly people saying "I am thinking about formula" in the same breath as "I hope the mods don't delete this" or "move this to NICU or Working Moms forum if need be." I seem to recall there being stuff in the old UA about what could and couldn't be discussed about all sorts of topics. Whether it was a specific list or a general attitude I can't say. Personally, I haven't seen much in LWAB and I've never seen anything positive about formula in Breastfeeding. Though I haven't had occasion to hang out in either in a few years. 

Edited by EviesMom - 4/19/11 at 7:42pm

[MusicianDad]

Um...

http://www.mothering.com/community/forum/thread/1051852/user-agreement-revision This thread...

Particularly this post http://www.mothering.com/community/forum/thread/1051852/user-agreement-revision/20#post_13316505 where JessicaS (formerly Abimommy) says

[Cynthia Mosher]

By "merits" we meant to advocate for and actively promote formula feeding. That's what Abimommy intended when she said "There is a difference between discussing *merit* and *reason*"

We have hosted formula discussions across the forums for years and never had a requirement to prove medical necessity. My understanding of Abimommy's clarification of medical necessity was because that was the specific question asked, not because that was the only permitted discussion allowed. She did not expand her explanation to say that other formula discussions are permitted but I can only guess she assumed everyone would understand it from her saying ""There is a difference between discussing *merit* and *reason*"

EviesMom, we have moved some formula discussions from the Breastfeeding forums because that's not really a place to talk about wanting to formula feed. So that may be what members were thinking when they mentioned concern about their post being okay or not.