Comments on: Should Hospitals Really Lock Away the Formula?

By: mustardseed2007

mustardseed2007 — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 22:35:16 +0000

Amen Alison Stella!

By: anne

anne — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 18:39:29 +0000

Heather, my formula fed father’s IQ is 167 and my breastfed IQ is 149. Average is 120.

I breastfed or pumped about 12 hours a day. I pumped in between feedings and did not sleep AT ALL for the first two weeks. I still had to suppliment at that time as well, using a syringe so he would not take to the bottle. He gained weight and I was told I could stop supplimenting ( yay!) went back to nursing constantly. Five days after only BF, brought him to be weighed and he lost weight! I cryed hysterically as he downed formula in the ped office. I had to stop nursing eventually because my starving baby was too tired. 5 different lactation consultants, expensive pump, bleeding nipples, four weeks, no milk. The judgment hurts, but these posts are right, we need empathy for others inability and lifestyle choices

By: Jen

Jen — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 01:11:35 +0000

This sounds like a waste of resources. If a mom really wants to use formula, she’ll go buy it…I have 3 kids and I did half formula half breast for all of them and it worked for me. I had annoying ass lactation specialists coming in to lecture me every day and it did nothing but make me feel like a bad mom! The hospital wants to lock up the formula? Thanks for the heads up, I’ll pack my own! Sheesh, Bloomberg is pushing it…same as his soda ban, pretty useless..if someone wants to drink that much, they’ll just buy two..who will enforce this? Will NYC pay for the formula supplies that hospitals otherwise got for free from the companies in exchange for handing out a few coupons? Or will that get billed to the parents? Ban on giving coupons? Way to help people save a little money! There are a lot of reasons parents feed formula..production issues, sickness that could affect a baby..politicians need to mind their business when it comes to these things.

By: Carrie

Carrie — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 05:15:41 +0000

uh, I would blame your hospital staff for not understanding what your wishes were. I was a bottle feeder and I was harassed about not breast feeding. I finally lost it and told them to keep the lactation pushers out of my room. They almost ruined the first two days I had with my son.

By: Carrie

Carrie — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 05:06:21 +0000

I agree that making comments to breast feed women is terrible! However, believe it or not, I have had RUDE comments made to me when bottle feeding in public (“Don’t you care about your child’s immune system?”), as has a girlfriend of mine who was feeding her daughter breast milk that happened to be pumped. Your comment about giving your baby “the best”? Ignorant. What’s best for you isn’t necessarily best for everyone else. Do you think this magic purveyor of breast milk is available everywhere?

By: Carrie

Carrie — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 04:55:23 +0000

I think this is TERRIBLE. I didn’t breastfeed my son because I had to take a medication that would cross into the breastmilk. I felt guilty though because of all the messages out there that act as if I were spiking his formula with heroin and be putting his health and immunity at risk. Thankfully, my doctor and all her partners are wonderful and supportive and reassured me that it was OK… that an unhealthy mother is much less likely to be able to care for and raise a healthy baby. I was so worried and my precious son is a gorgeous, happy and VERY healthy two year old. In fact, he has been MUCH healthier than most breastfed babies I am acquainted with. We ALL know breastfeeding is better for the baby… the religious right has made sure we all know that (for those of you who don’t know, the La Leche League was started by the religious right) but babies have been bottle fed for centuries and I don’t think it is akin to the crime against humanity that the message has become.

When random strangers approach women who are bottle feeding in public and make condescending judgmental comments like “Breast is best” without knowing the circumstances (true story!) it puts added pressure on a baby’s care giver at a time when they need support more than ever!!! I love that the message is out there to take care of our babies and I agree that in most circumstances, breastfeeding is ideal and I don’t even have a problem with promoting that message but I DON’T understand why we have to VILIFY the choices of others. I know a woman with twins who strictly breast fed her babies and they were significantly underweight at their checkup with the doctor telling her to supplement. Would it have been better to let these babies suffer when the only voice they have is their tiny cries? The mom was so dedicated to doing the “right thing” which is commendable but in this case, I don’t think its a grey area. Let’s give these little angels the nutrition and food they need so their little brains and bodies can become healthy and strong. Why don’t we use this energy spent on this ridiculous campaign to fight the people who are trying to sell their babies at fast food restaurants and people whose parenting skills need work like the woman who kept her daughter locked in a bathroom alone for years? Or the tan-orexic woman who brought her 7 year old daughter into a tanning booth? One of the worst child pornography ring in history was just broken up with the youngest victim in the photos being 16 days old… and we don’t want women to have options when it comes to how they nourish their babies.

By: Melanie

Melanie — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 07:10:58 +0000

They are NOT saying you can’t choose to formula feed and all you have to do is ask for the formula. They are not violating any rights and to be honest if you’re going to get your panties up in a bunch over having to ask for a free sample then go buy your own formula. It’s not the hospitals responsibility to feed your child, it’s yours.

I really don’t care if someone choses to FF, that’s their choice but the free samples are not a right, they are a nice bonus so stop complaining about having to ask for it instead of it just being given.

By: ACV

ACV — Sun, 19 Aug 2012 00:47:03 +0000

All valid points ladies….yes, breast feeding is a choice, yes we need more maternity leave –and in these kinds forums we are preaching to the choir although I truly appreciated reading everyone’s point of view. We need more women in government in order to make these changes and to stop having men make our personal and professional decisions for us. To this I make three points.
1. As discussed in many earlier comments breast feeding drops dramatically when women return to work. This makes perfect sense – I personally work in a completely male dominated environment – and have for the past 14 years. I get to hear how their wives stay home, their wives breastfed their babies, and essentially take care of the household. The men just have to show up to work and keep their job. And honestly, most of the men accept breastfeeding, but they do not necessarily support it – and I think many prefer bottle feeding. Yes I’m over simplifying but the reality is that this translates to the workplace = there is little to no support in the workplace which translates in to government = no workplace requirements for breastfeeding support. I can completely identify with women who had to make the difficult decision to bottle feed. What is missed in many of the points above is that women who bottle feed often feel endless guilt – guilt that they don’t breastfeed, guilt that they have to work to support the child and guilt that they aren’t there for all of the milestones. Choosing to bottle feed is not choosing the easy way out or being too selfish to deal with the frustrations of breast feeding – it is often a very difficult decision with many factors that have been weighed (cultural, medical, etc.).
2. Breastfeeding, in general, and in an ideal situation, will last 12-18 months. Very critical time to baby’s development. But, what are we putting in to our kids’ mouths after that? I see so many women I know that breastfed their babies and now that they’re 3 or 4 they get cheezy crackers, hot dogs, kid frozen dinners all because it’s convenient . Since I did not have the luxury of extended maternity leave and the lack of support (and location) to breastfeed at work compounded by some medical complications I did not breastfeed , I reluctantly chose to bottle feed my daughter and she is healthy as a horse, she outperforms most of her peers in coordination, language skills, behavior and social cognition. I don’t know if the others in her school were bottle fed or breast fed, to me it doesn’t matter. What should matter is the quality time you invest in your children, the activities you do with them and the quality of what you put in their mouths after breastfeeding (or bottle feeding is over.) Look at the big picture here.
3. So ladies, take your passion to government. If you want more women to breastfeed then push for longer maternity leave – it’s the best thing we can do for moms, for babies and for the family unit. Starting it in the hospitals with the guilt ridden push of breastfeeding (believe me I’ve dealt with it) isn’t going to go far unless we get a nation behind us – not just a few hospitals in a big city. Get out and let your congressmen, senators and representatives know your cause, champion women’s needs and make a difference that way- not just by commenting on female dominated forums. I have been championing for years. In fact, I often see that women in government, in an attempt to conform to their male dominated counterparts often do not champion causes like extended maternity leave – which I am a big fan of. They feel compelled to fit in – not rock the boat. Unfortunately, I am unable to take advantage of the family medical leave act – I am in the military. I have seen the struggles of military moms for 14 years, the lack of support, the lack of understanding and the detriment that having children has on their careers – nothing is easy for us – nothing! So for the women who can’t understand why anyone would not put the best thing in to their babies mouths – maybe it’s because they can’t. I deployed to Iraq with a woman who was forced to leave her 4 month old behind. This is our choice, yes, but when judging women for not doing something that they think is best- there are many scenarios to consider. When I saw how much she struggled I chose to not have my first until I knew the threat of going back to Iraq was behind me; my husband is currently in Afghanistan as we await the arrival of baby no 2 and I am also stationed overseas with our daughter away fromthe support of friends and family- like I said, nothing is easy for us. Ladies who chose to breast feed or bottle feed – I support you! NYC hospitals- this is a bit excessive.

By: Ashley

Ashley — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 02:57:36 +0000

Anything that takes away choice is wrong. Formula should not be equated to medical marijuana; it is FOOD. Anyone who wants to tell me that I no longer have the choice to FEED my child the way I wish is downright criminal in my opinion.

By: Jenny

Jenny — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 04:29:34 +0000

I understand that everyone has opinions. However I kept over reading something about mothers not breastfeeding in the 80′s… Well 100′s of years ago there was no formula and only breast milk. Granted many people died at a young age due to lack of vaccinations and over the counter medications for fevers, I believe breastmilk is what kept our human race from extinction. Formula can never produce the antibodies that breast milk supplies. I know of mother that couldn’t supply her milk to her little girl because of medical issues, but was given the option to have another mother give her milk to her little one ( and yes they have many programs for this). I’m sorry but I just don’t understand why any mother wouldn’t want to give their baby the best… and it’s free!!!! No mother should ever feel ashamed to feed your child in public because of what others say. Your child is hungry and you are feeding them. What’s so horrible about that? They are helpless and are depending on you to provide the best care possible.