does anyone else not really care what other women feed their babies? - Page 10

[nycapmom]

Originally Posted by Quirky

Re: why I care so much about breastfeeding - yes, formula (when not contaminated through the manufacturing process or with dirty water) provides a decent enough source of nutrition for babies when there's nothing else to eat, so arguably it saves lives.

But formula also kills. At least a million babies die every year - including upwards of 700 a year in this country - because they weren't breastfed. Most of this mortality is in developing countries, where parents are poor and can't afford enough formula and don't have access to clean water. The babies who die in this country because they weren't breastfed die of leukemia and asthma and other diseases that they wouldn't have gotten if they'd been breastfed.

Breastmilk is far more than just food, so comparing breastmilk to fruits and veggies and formula to french fries falls short of the mark. Breastmilk is also necessary for normal immunological and neurological development. It is about much more than a feeding "choice."

Formula feeding is a risk. Sometimes it's necessary to take that risk because of whatever life circumstances have presented themselves - adoption, PPD, and mastectomy have all been mentioned on this thread.

As a PP said (sing it, annettemarie and Tiredx2!) it's not about criticizing an individual mother, especially not in the grocery store but about getting the word out that FFing has serious risks, and should be reserved only for cases of absolute necessity. (Just like there are kids who for medical reasons can't ride in regular car seats - there are alternative car seats available that are not as safe, but that's a risk that has to be taken because of individual circumstances).

[bartleby]

[QUOTE=EFmom]I don't particularly care, either.

I am a bf advocate, and I do think that women often don't receive adequate support and education about bf and that needs to change.

My kids, abandoned at birth adopted past infancy, were ff. I do sometimes get a little annoyed at the "formula-is-poison" comments. My kids and hundreds of thousands of others like them would be dead without formula.
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Yes, thank you, EFmom and Leatherette.

I usually avoid these types of discussions because, well, to me they seem somewhat pointless. If I were a bio-mom, my baby would be getting breast milk, to the absolute best of my ability. But, I'm not. So, she gets formula. In the end, I just am having to decide that I can choose to feel guilty about it or I can choose to focus my energy and attention on being a loving mother to my baby.

As for what other people think? If anyone wants to make a judgment about me (to my face or silently) when they see me in the store with my daughter in a sling, putting a can of organic formula in my basket, then, hey, whatever. That's not my problem. I know what kind of mother I am. And, some may disagree, but I don't think that one can make slippery-slope assumptions about another mother solely based on her purchase of formula. I buy formula=I don't/can't breastfeed. That's it. That's all you can safely assume about me. Period. It doesn't tell you anything about any of my other parenting decisions or how attached I am to my child.

So, no, I don't care if other people care about what I feed my baby.

[the_lissa]

Why throw the organic in? Is it a judgment against those who use non organic formula?

[Foobar]

Originally Posted by TiredX2

OH GOD NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not the "cause" arguement again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Um, Ok, Then can I have a peer reviewed research article that explains the link between formula feeding and leukemia and asthma....

Is that better wording? The original quote I am questioning is:

The babies who die in this country because they weren't breastfed die of leukemia and asthma and other diseases that they wouldn't have gotten if they'd been breastfed.

[annettemarie]

Originally Posted by the_lissa

Why throw the organic in? Is it a judgment against those who use non organic formula?

girl:

[Foobar]

Originally Posted by Foobar

Um, Ok, Then can I have a peer reviewed research article that explains the link between formula feeding and leukemia and asthma....

Nevermind. A quick web search found 3 references to ONE article that was to be listed on a non-existent website, however a search of pubmed found at least 4 peer reviewed articles that showed NO or borderline statistical evidence of breastfeeding lowers the risk of childhood cancers and 1 peer reviewed article that found a negative link (ie, breastfeeding reduces the risks).

Another paper on pubmed reported that the PATERNAL age seems to have an effect on childhood cancers... Interesting.

and BTW- Lower risk does not mean that children who are breastfed will not get the cancers, it means they are at less risk.... Learn your data before you repeat it

[bartleby]

Originally Posted by the_lissa

Why throw the organic in? Is it a judgment against those who use non organic formula?

No. It's what I buy. Sorry, there's nothing to be read into my mentioning organic over non-organic.

And what does the little baby emoticon thing mean, annettemarie? I don't get it. Seriously. A happy, well-fed baby whose mother is fulfilling his/her nutritional needs with breastmilk or formula?

[the_lissa]

Okay, just wondering because I didn't see why you would mention it.

[annettemarie]

Originally Posted by bartleby

And what does the little baby emoticon thing mean, annettemarie? I don't get it. Seriously. A happy, well-fed baby whose mother is fulfilling his/her nutritional needs with breastmilk or formula?

Sometimes a smilie is just a smilie.

[TiredX2]

Originally Posted by Foobar

Um, Ok, Then can I have a peer reviewed research article that explains the link between formula feeding and leukemia and asthma....

Just to clarify--- I totally understand what you meant. I have just seen a lot of conversations about the "causation" of different things just devolve into a pissing contest over statistics.

[the_lissa]

Originally Posted by Foobar

1 peer reviewed article that found a negative link (ie, breastfeeding reduces the risks).

Breastfeeding does not lower the risk of anything. Breastfeeding is biologically normal. So, formula feeding increases the risk. That is like saying not smoking reduces the risk of cancer.

I don't know many articles online, but in media presented by the Canadian Cancer Society and the Asthma Society of Canada, the link has been mentioned. I think I've also read about it on the LLL web site.

Here is one article:
http://www.babyreference.com/InfantDeaths.htm

Of course a higher risk does not mean a positive causal relationship. Yes, some bf babies get asthma and cancer and not all ff babies get asthma and cancer. Just like not everyone who smokes will get lung cancer and not everyone who gets lung cancer smokes. Even if the risk is purely correlative and not causative, the link is still there.

[bartleby]

Originally Posted by annettemarie

Sometimes a smilie is just a smilie.

Ah, okay. Thanks for clarifying!

[TiredX2]

Originally Posted by annettemarie

Sometimes a smilie is just a smilie.

Not when it's the fat baby

[bartleby]

Originally Posted by the_lissa

Okay, just wondering because I didn't see why you would mention it.

Just as a descriptor, really. I could well have said, "...Similac ready-to-feed, a chocolate doughnut, and a copy of Mothering magazine in my shopping cart." (Which, come to think of it, would possibly have been the case during my daughter's first few months with us! Especially the chocolate doughnut part. Although then I would feel compelled to say it was a vegan doughnut, because that's what my local market sells. But I wouldn't want to be making a judgment toward anyone who eats non-vegan doughnuts, of course. )

[the_lissa]

It's okay. It just reminded me of when people saying a black woman or an asian man when telling a story when the race is completely irrelevant to the story at hand and you would never hear someone say a white man or white woman. KWIM?

[annettemarie]

Ah. Adjectives.

[bartleby]

Originally Posted by the_lissa

It's okay. It just reminded me of when people saying a black woman or an asian man when telling a story when the race is completely irrelevant to the story at hand and you would never hear someone say a white man or white woman. KWIM?

Ack! Lordy, no. I didn't mean for it to be a glaring detail, such as you describe. I hate when people tell stories like that too, with irrelevant racial details. Makes me cringe. (Or other physical characteristics that are irrelevant, e.g., body size, etc.)

[USAmma]

This thread has been locked because it has gone way off topic from the original post. If you wish to debate formula feeding vs. breastfeeding in general terms, the health risks of formula feeding as well as the benefits of breastfeeding, current research about those subjects, organic vs. non-organic, children's nutrition, racial issues, or any other topics that have come out of this thread, please feel free to start spin-off threads in the appropriate forum(s).

For those of you who want to further express your strong beliefs in breastfeeding, we have some wonderful breastfeeding forums where you will get lots of support and affirmation, including Breastfeeding Support and Advocacy.

Also, for those who have mentioned that they are mouring the loss of breastfeeding, there is a support group in Finding Your Tribe forum that might better suit your needs if you want to share your story. It is a support only thread, not open for debate.

Thank you.