Be a great Dad! Give your baby formula so mom can have a break!

[J2]

Listening to the radio today, a blurb from familyminute.org came on. Part of it went a little something like this:

- Obviously Dad can't nurse babies, but they can certainly pour some formula and water in a bottle and give mom a break.

It also went on to mention how dad can change diapers and spend a saturday with his children. But not mention on baths, or burping, or story reading to bond with his children. Dad can bond in MANY ways that don't involve feeding and then possibly sabotaging a mother and baby's breastfeeding relationship with formula so she can have a "break". (Um, her breasts will not feel like they are having a break while they fill up with milk.)

At then at the end, it said something like:

- For other ways to learn to be a great parent, go to familyminute.org and click on the relationships tab.

So now a way to be a great parent/Dad, is to give you baby formula so mom can have a break!

I think we need to write some letters. At this exact moment though, I can't think enough to do so. I'm a pregnant mama with a toddler, who is sleeping right now. So I need to go sleep too!!

[Artemnesia]

Oh brother. I'll go check out the website.

[LittlePeanut]

Horrible I wonder who their main sponsors are?

LP

[elanorh]

It's part of the Focus on the Family outreach (Dr. James Dobson). I sent an email (which means they have my email address : ) -- it's wonderful to suggest that fathers spend more time caring for their children, especially their babies, but I'd suggest that they do things which are productive, as mentioned above (burping, stories, baths) rather than undermining their wives' breastfeeding.

[mytwogirls]

Yeah, if my husband EVEN tried that formula thing I would be so pissed.....but fortunately he is smart and knows better..haha

[Aquafina]

:

[go0ber]

oh bother. well hopefully in a few months time dad can be the one to take the baby to the doctor after getting sick. or dad can be the one to run to the drug store for some diaper rash ointment. or dad can be the one to wash the load of laundry that baby spewed all over.

[christyc]

email sent!

[Lit Chick]

!@#$

And we wonder why so many women have problems BFing. I hear so much "BFing's best, but"

At every turn, BFing moms are undermined in this culture. GGRRR!!!

[GooeyRN]

They could have suggested mom pumping/hand expressing a bottle of milk to leave instead.

[elvispupy]

To the OP: not saying you didn't hear that, because I definitely could see them saying that, but I couldn't find the particular broadcast on their website and I'd like to hear it in context before I send off a letter to them. I'll keep looking and post a link if I find it.

Personally, I've found a lot of the parenting advice from FOF to be helpful even though I don't agree with everything they say, and honestly, a few things have made me cringe. I don't think they hate children or anyone though. Take the good, leave the rest.

[indiemamma]

Letter sent! Education and knowledge is power!

[annettemarie]

Please remember that namecalling, no matter who is it directed at, is against the User Agreement. I have removed several posts and will try my best to comtact people later this evening, but I have a wedding to go to.

[sapphire_chan]

Originally Posted by elvispupy

Take the good, leave the rest.

How can people tell what the good is if the only other sources they're exposed to only have the bad?

[frontierpsych]

I always find it odd when the first thing mentioned as far as dad and bonding is always first bottles (which can risk the bf relationship) and then diaper changes. Why diaper changes? How many dads are like "Oh, well, my wife's breastfeeding so I don't get to feed the baby, but man do I love getting poop on my hands!" lol! Not that diaper changes aren't a chance to bond, I just don't think it's the best example. What about bath time? Or holding and rocking the baby, or playing with baby? Those seem like they'd get dads a lot more excited about bonding than diaper changes!

[shannonnc78]

I'm not sure I'd bother with these people...a quote from their website on discipline (regarding a 15 month old), "A small amount of pain goes a long way at that age..." They advocate hitting children. Trying to educate them about bfing is probably a lost cause. These people are way off base.

[YesandNo]

And we wonder why so many women have problems BFing. I hear so much "BFing's best, but"

At every turn, BFing moms are undermined in this culture. GGRRR!!!

I think the assumption is that babies are formula fed. Don't make mom mix all the formula, dads, do it yourself sometimes.... which, hey, that is true for FF babies.

Focus on the Family is so

[MaryJaneLouise]

I'm going to write and reference this page as a good explanation of the dad-difference:

http://www.normalfed.com/Why/dad.html

For as long as there have been babies, there have been fathers. But no father in the history of the world ever nursed a baby. If fatherhood doesn't mean feeding, what does it mean?
Everything else!

Then it goes on with great non-feeding ideas.

[woodchick]

I found the broadcast. First go to this site and click on 'listen now'. Then you'll have to click on the 'topic' tab and then 'parenting' on the left nav bar. Scroll down and it is titled "Babies and Dads"

I just listened to it and unless they changed it, it didn't seem too bad to me. He says that it is easy for dad to "serve up some breastmilk or formula in a bottle" and then goes on to say that burping, playing on Saturdays and changing diapers are great ways to bond with baby and for dads to "step up to the plate"

I can't say I'm a big fan, but it doesn't sound like he's promoting formula over breastmilk.

[frontierpsych]

But no father in the history of the world ever nursed a baby.

Think again!
http://www.unassistedchildbirth.com/...s/milkmen.html