Opinion
Both Mom and Dad sent me a link to the Opinion Journal from the Wall Street Journal Editorial Page. It talks about the efforts to ban “gifts” of formula and it’s promotion in hospitals, in order to give all babies the immunological benefits of breastfeeding. It sounds a little crusade-like at first but it’s good.
There are parts that sound extreme. I agree that hospitals and other organizations should promote breastfeeding over formula feeding. I know some moms won’t even attempt breastfeeding, so I do think that there needs to be more promotion and edcuation of it, but I also think that there needs to be a focus on changing the workplace. Not all moms have the luxury of staying at home, while some states have laws that require employers to provide an area for pumping, not all do. My friend was able to pump at work, but the breaks were short and she couldnt produce enough, so there was a need to supplement with formula.
I know there are plenty of women who aren’t comfortable attempting it, and some who think it’s a great idea but not up to doing it in public. I admire those who believe it to be good enough to maintain through pumping because just the few times I’ve done it have taken some patience. There are some women who must work and some who choose too. I am really blessed to have the ability to be home and spend my day getting to know Sara Ellen as I have always wanted to do.
Hopefully, those who are working on this will be supportive and encouraging, not pushy and critical.
I think it is wrong to dwindle the readily available formula in hospitals because depending on the mom, it can be worse for the baby to only depend on mom for nourishment. I know that would never be an issue with you, Rebekah, because you don’t do drugs or drink till you can’t see, or not have enough REAL food to eat, but some moms don’t have it so good. Formula is often the one thing that is going to do them good and if mom can get it, as much as she needs, free from the hospital, I think that is awesome. There are a couple of hospitals up here in Baltimore that would make you rethink the whole formula paradigm based on the scary fact that some of these moms can’t even drive yet but have 3 kids and are in a drug program. Free formula is a necessity. If free formula means the baby is going to eat at fairly regular intervals, instead of having to depend on an irresponsible mom who will wait till they get home to breastfeed and not realize that a baby needs to eat when the baby needs to eat and cannot wait 6 hours to be feed again, then I think free formula wins out. At 1 of the hospitals I work at least 90% of the girls/young women there are on WIC and free formula is a godsend because, although formula may be used to placate the baby, at least the baby is getting some sort of positive bonding time.
I myself have put off getting a breast reduction because I want to breastfeed, but not everyone is successful at it, either physically or mentally, and I don’t believe the baby should suffer because of it. I kind of see it the same way I see a baby shower, when you have a baby you need all the help you can get, and a lot of people want to help you and give you free things. Not everything that is offered to you is something that you may have wanted but you may find that you need it one day or another and it is good to have it there at your disposal.
I think breastfeeding is wonderful and that all healthy and able moms should be encouraged, in a mature and positive way, to attempt it, but I don’t think free formula should be at all related to the issue. It should always be a safety net that is easily, and shame-free, available.
Excellent points. I am pretty cozy in my little corner of the world and it is good and vital to have a broader perspective of the issue.
I was just reminded and informed of a couple things. In Norway hospitals have milk banks, milk given to babies by nurses is only breastmilk from other mothers. There was a day I pumped and I knew that when I didn’t have Sara Ellen she still had something from me. Mom said US hospitals used to do that, so at least in hospitals babies would get that benefit so babies could get a great start! Perhaps WIC could do something like this?
Mom also told me there is a book called “Defining your Own Success: Breastfeeding After Breast Reduction Surgery” by Diana West. She had reduction surgery in her 20′s and still breastfed.
A little while ago there was all this media coverage on “black market breast milk”! It was hilarious and sad at the same time. They had footage of moms meeting other parents in mall food courts selling and buying breast milk like it was an illegal substance. It was crazy because some news channels portrayed as a “deviant” act where as others were more sensitive about it.
I remember something scary about HIV transmission thru the milk and other unscreened baddies hiding in the stuff… it is late, I am tired, excuse my nonsense words!!! lol ! But specialists were saying it was unsafe (doing it yourself and from strangers) because it wasn’t a CONTROLLED substance and stuff like that.
Anyway, an interesting blog thingy about it
http://thelactivist.blogspot.com/2006/01/more-on-black-market-for-breast-milk.htm
(the LACtivist =awesome name right?!)
That would be AWESOME if WIC could run a safe milk bank (but I wonder if during the process of screening milk donations the beneficial factors would be diminished, or corrupted… I guess I need to read about milk banks and safety)!
Breast reductioness :I had a consultation about it, without inquiring about your mom’s previous cup size-!!! AWKWARD!!! LOL!!!- I have to say that I, a 38 DD, Was told it was more likely that I couldn’t, just based on the type of reduction that would be required, my sister-in-law was a 40 FF and they took her down to a C and it messed her up REALLY badly, and thusly scared me even more! But I promise you this, mwah ha ha; after I have children I plan on spending a nice chunk ‘o’ change on the surgery! lol
it is fun to “talk” with you
btw
In a magazine fairly recently I read something about using “alternatives to breastfeeding” in HIV-ridden areas. I looked that up and while I know drugs and other things ingested by the mother pass through, it’s very little bad. Breastmilk is the best stuff in the world! Though even a little bad stuff is bad. Mom didn’t have surgery but she knows the woman who did and got a free copy of the book for helping with some fact finding.