Quote:
Originally Posted by Georgetown HB Mom  Formula is not dangerous. I have never heard of a baby dying because they were fed formula. And to say that BF decreases the risk of obesity is absurb. My mom was FF and has never been overweight. Both of my children were FF and neither is overweight. However my cousin was BF and has always been overweight. The real culprit to obesity is the way American's eat and the way so many parents feed their kids happy meals for dinner four times a week. As for diabetes, well once again look at how America eats. Also, the only member of my family to have ever had diabetes was BF. And don't even get me started on the intelligence debate. And neither one of my children are allergic to anything.
Lisa
|
Lisa, I disagree completely when you state that Formula is not dangerous. And I am sad to hear you say that you've never heard of a baby dying because of formula feeding. There are babies all over the WORLD that die.... YES, DIE because of being fed formula vs. breastfeeding. Many more babies are injured or more severely ill because of not breastfeeding.
The AAP Dec. 1997 Policy statement "Breastfeeding and the use of human milk" stated that "Feeding on breastmilk has been shown to reduce the incidence and/or severity of diarrhea, lower respiratory infection, otitis media, bacteremia, bacterial meningitis, botulism, urinary tract infection, and necrotizing enterocolitis. There are a number of studies that show a possible protective effect of human milk feeding against sudden infant death syndrome, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, lymphoma, allergic diseases, and other chronic digestive diseases. Breastfeeding has also been related to possible enhancement of cognitive development."
Now, if you "weissinger" it, you can easily realize that if you say "feeding on breastmilk reduces the incidence and or severity" of something, then, conversely, NOT feeding on breastmilk, which would be FORMULA feeding, INCREASES these risks!!! Many of the above listed illnesses and diseases very often end in death.
Now I don't want to go off on a rant but this is so very near and dear to me.... whether or not eventual clients choose to breastfeed and for how long is something each midwife has to deal with in her best, most informed and most professional way. BUT I must continue to stand up for the infinite superiority of breastfeeding and say, also, that your ancedotal "my kid is fine and I formula fed" and "my cousin is fat/diabetic/not smart/whatever and they were breastfed" is just that. Ancedotal. It means NOTHING. Sorry... it just is not relevant to the truth of the matter, which is that formula feeding puts your infant at greater risk for injury, illness and death.
Yes I totally agree that there are situations that make BF more
difficult but I contend that we have a social (we-general human beings, not midwives only) responsibility to provide resources and help, counseling, therapy or other relevant and useful tools to give the mother that needs it the absolute BEST opportunity to breastfeed.
Saying that a mother can't or won't breastfeed because of a history of sexual abuse is insulting to those mothers who have OVERCOME this obstacle in their lives. Saying that it's not fair to make mothers feel "guilty" for not BF because they have to work is just pointing the finger in the wrong direction.
We should be making employers feel guilty for not providing adequate support for BF mothers. There should be in-house child care, breaks, storage and support for mothers including increased mandatory PAID maternity leave and less penalization for mothers in general, including reducing the pay disparity.
There are just so many people that attack the breastfeeding advocates and are blissfully ignoring the TRUE problems that plague mothers ability to sucessfully and happily start and nourish a BF relationship with their young.
I would wonder why you felt the need to be so defensive of your choice to formula feed? I have never felt the need to "defend" my choice to BF. I just breastfed. I've never had anyone ask "why would you bf when you could have just formula fed and it would have been easier/better/more convenient".
It wasn't always easy to BF my four kids. I'm still nursing with my 2.5 year old and it's not always "fun" or "perfect" but it's always been totally, completely and MORE than worth it.
I guess, for me, I always wanted to, and still do, give my kids the best I possibly could. BF was just the beginning in doing everything in my power to ensure the health, happiness and safety of my kids. I would hope that I can be a good enough educator and support person to actively encourage and support my clients in their parenting beginnings, including doing everything I can to promote the normal and healthier and safer way to feed. I would have serious concerns with a client who was blase or adamantly against BF. As a potential client, I would have grave concerns about a healthcare provider who did not actively support breastfeeding as the unequivocal BEST method for feeding human infants.
That's really the main reason I have replied here. I'm so concerned, Lisa, about your attitude about breastfeeding. Why continue to insist that
your kids are just fine, having not breastfed? Don't you agree that BF is the normal and therefore the superior method and should be strived towards when at all possible? If you're going to be caring for women and babies, at least a rudimentary knowledge of the mechanics of BF and an open attidude about bf would be highly desired. I'm concerned when I hear about a person going into maternity care work who doesn't seem to feel that BF is one of the essential components that should be encouraged and advocated and supported whenever possible, for the best care possible for both clients, mom and baby.
Sincerely,
Jen D.
Babies in third-world countries are probably dying as I type this because of formula.
seriously
I didn't think such creatures existed.
I still think formula is sub-standard to breastmilk.
