Why is it ok to blame bf?

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Yup. And we would actually be saying the truth, unlike the people who blame breastfeeding.

i wonder how they'd feel to have someone say 'oh i really think ur baby needs to be supplemented with breastmilk'

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I wish peds would think that way. My son is "failure to thrive" so I have to supplement with a sns. When I told the ped that is how I was going to supplement, she said "oh, we just tell people to use a bottle". My response "well, a bottle's not going to help him get breastmilk...the SNS will allow him to get breastmilk AND help my supply"... Her response? "well, when they're that thin, you ignore all that and just give them some calories" (clearly implying that formula feeding is the cure for FTT and I should just give him the bottle).

*I* had to be the one to request a LC....they didn't even consider asking me if I'd like to see one...

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that's a shame.

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I did this indirectly once on my mainstream birth board before I left. Wow, you should have seen reactions. Actually, most were in denial and told me that breastfeeding wasn't going to guarantee that my baby would be smarter/healthier/stronger/better/etc than their baby. I told her that the point isn't that breastfeeding does that stuff- it is that formula puts your baby at risk for ilness, ear infections, allergies, lower IQ...

It is a shame. We left my DD's GI specialist because they kept push formula as the cure-all for her reflux. Yes, doctor, the natural, PERFECT milk my body produces SPECIFICALLY for my baby is far less superior than the milk from another species. Whatever.

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I suppose that it depends on whether you breastfeed or formula feed or are around those who do and hear their stories. You probably hear things both ways. I have heard formula feeders talking about having to switch brands and find the one that worked the best with their babies because one type made a baby too colicky. A lot of moms seem to be complaining about the DHA/ARA additives. And my mom used to claim that Prosobee made babies too fat.

The difference is that formula is seen as the standard, so whatever you have to do in regards to changing brands or bottles or timing or positions, you have to do. But if you are breastfeeder, there are HCPs out there who just don't think it is worth preserving the breastfeeding relationship and will suggest formula for every little problem. That is just plain backwards!

I just had to respond to all this talk about skinny babies, fat babies.

My daughter was born at 26 weeks and weighed 1 1/2 pounds. I gave her my milk from the beginning. The docs there insisted on fortifying the formula with human milk fortifyer and I was too freaked out to even ask them to stop.

They all (8 docs and 150 nurses) agreed that the tiny babies all did better on BM. They had a nice pumping room for us with facts about breastmilk on the walls. They told us that we could expect our milk to have 20 cals per ounce and that is why it was being fortified.

They had a machine that was used to spin a tiny vile of blood to check for elevated white count. We were able to spin a tiny bit of milk and it separated the fat out. We were then able to measure the calories per ounce and mine had 44 calories per ounce in the hindmilk and 28 in the foremilk. So my foremilk had more than formula. You could see that fat separate and it was nearly half of what was in the bottle. I just think it is amazing.

I just talked with several people who had babies back in the 50's 60's and 70's and they all said that they had to formula feed (supplement) because they didn't have enough milk. I was like, of course you didn't have enough milk, you were supplementing!! I wasn't about to judge them or question them though, just though it was interesting how that sort of thing came to be.

My local LLL person said that formula in the beginning was just water with bread soaked in it. So the baby was getting whatever tiny bit of nutrition came out of the bread. She said it was a status thing. Even though babies were dying, people continued on because you were poor if you breastfed.

What a trip huh?

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Just to be clear, I am a breast feeder and am somewhat involved in BFing activism. Also, I do understand how many cultures see FF as the standard and the ways that our language perpetuates that. I was just offering my experience because I haven't heard things both ways and I'm on "your side" LOL. I have been around both ABM feeders as well as many, many BFers and have never heard BFing blamed for anything. I was only commenting on the different perspective. I guess I'm just chiming in to say that it's not like that everywhere, which, I guess, is hopeful. Or, Maybe I'm just lucky?

I guess I do have a small "peeve" about *any* blaming because it's so hard to isolate any particular action to a specific "problem" - this most certainly includes BFing!!!

Good point thought about the idea that there are perceived "alternatives" to BFing but not so much so with FFing. I don't imagine that may FFers are encouraged to relactate if ABM becomes a health problem - maybe they should be.

Morebabies, WOW - Lucky baby!

BTW, I just saw a National Geographic photograph of a child held up under a goat - directly feeding from its teat - crazy!