tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536683374417960813.post1239537819822167600..comments2023-09-09T11:07:31.879-04:00Comments on Blacktating: Should infant formula be banned?Elitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01294923997458681675noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536683374417960813.post-40503090991855640282011-06-24T15:44:33.167-04:002011-06-24T15:44:33.167-04:00Banning formula would be a huge step backwards. I...Banning formula would be a huge step backwards. I am glad that others have pointed out that Formula vs. breast is only the newest choice paradigm in the very ancient history of breastfeeding ambivalence. Before this it was paps vs. breast, in much of Africa it is still the norm to give concoctions early on even with breastfed babies. Formula is better than whatever breastmilk alternative women would conjure up on their own. Prescription only formula or mandatory scare classes are not much better. If women are put through too much inconvenience, guilt or expense to get formula they could just decide "to heck with that" and make their own or dilute the formula they have. betterworld4momsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536683374417960813.post-15897645326929914012010-08-01T07:19:27.284-04:002010-08-01T07:19:27.284-04:00I wanna find more info about this, anybody could?I wanna find more info about this, anybody could?Whitening Veneershttp://www.whiteningveneers.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536683374417960813.post-80474239237755278932010-06-30T12:21:37.515-04:002010-06-30T12:21:37.515-04:00Pinkluna, I would assume that you realize that by ...Pinkluna, I would assume that you realize that by banning infant formula forever, you would be leaving no alternatives for babies born with classic galactosemia, who can have no milk products - including breastmilk - due to the galactose. Soy formulas are necessary for these babies since a diet of breastmilk or cow's milk formula would cause brain damage and death for a child with classic galactosemia (if not from inital e-coli, then from eventual liver failure). <br /><br />To sum up, unless some alternative becomes available, banning infant formula would kill children born with classic galactosemia. I'm sure you don't see this as a reasonable or moral outcome. Infant formula has its place. <br /><br />I'm all for supporting every breastfeeding mother out there and doing everything we can to make breast milk banks much more readily available and affordable for parents.Story11noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536683374417960813.post-88530974502954925292010-05-30T18:57:44.773-04:002010-05-30T18:57:44.773-04:00The idea to make it prescription-buyable only is g...The idea to make it prescription-buyable only is good as, as you said it would make it look like it's a medicine because there are serious problems and not like a food. Also I would compare breastfeeding as a sustaning way and body fluid exchange, to pregnancy as in both it's you feeding your baby through your body so why stop when the baby is out? babies should be fed outside at the very least as much as they are inside and this is what they should teach in schools since the kids are 10 (since some unlucky ones have the problem of getting pregnant at 13-14-15 and so on)pinklunanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536683374417960813.post-57192915124869893472010-05-30T18:42:58.414-04:002010-05-30T18:42:58.414-04:00Since there are many valid substitutes in case of ...Since there are many valid substitutes in case of dear need such as female donkey or female horse milk that are supposed to be the closest to human milk, or goat milk (my neighbours' son was raised on it and he's just fine), I think it would be best if Infant Formula was banned for ever, instead people that now work on that could be working on bottling alternative milks and or even better contribute to increase and work in breastmilk banks. That would be the best thing I suppose. Mothers, even poor ones could sell the excess milk they produce and not only they would gain some money but kids all over the world would gain a lot in health (given the right sanitary checks on the breastfeeding woman)pinklunanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536683374417960813.post-48600805021658419342010-05-18T20:39:51.543-04:002010-05-18T20:39:51.543-04:00Ok, So I am a baby wearing, nursing mommy, who wor...Ok, So I am a baby wearing, nursing mommy, who works as a Doula, I shop co-op and I baby wear.....but I think it is utterly rediculous that people would suggest NOT giving a mom another option. <br /><br />I believe nursing is the way to go, but it's not my job to tell them they have too, just like it's not my job to tell people they have to be married to have babies or that they are the wrong sex to get married!<br /><br />Despite my own "crunchiness" I have tubular breast tissue and can not, make enough milk. I make very little, almost nothing....but I do use a Lact-Aid, and my babies are at my breast for every feeding---but they get more formula that they do breast milk-despite all my best efforts.<br /><br />I think for me I can see it more from the other side, women who grew up seeing nursing, or have nursing come naturally don't get why and think we need ban this and that and not shop at such and such....How about rather than making the moms who do need formula feel bad, we teach our own children what is right....if each of us taught our children, the next generation will have many more people being willing to do the things we think are right-like nursing!<br /><br />I know for me, it was, and is, so hurtfull to hear how I am killing my child, or harming them in some way---because of something I can't control. And I know my situation isn't the norm-but because of nursing moms being so forward and almost mean, many women choose not to be that "person".<br /><br />With my Doula "patients" I always encourage them to nurse, I help them and we work on it.....but I would never ever tell them some of the things I have had said to me.<br /><br />We have to be careful-I know we want people to see our side, but people don't like being told what to do, we can tell all we want, but if it comes off as "I am better than you", people are going to stop listening!MelissaHeningernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536683374417960813.post-31723733015406786472010-05-14T23:52:20.571-04:002010-05-14T23:52:20.571-04:00Elita,
I agree that prescriptions for formula isn&...Elita,<br />I agree that prescriptions for formula isn't a viable/actionable solution, but it would be interesting to know how things would be different in 2010 in a parallel universe where that always had been the case.<br /><br />Thinking about this post today, it struck me that there aren't really any good analogues to breastfeeding. (Bear with me because my thoughts on this aren't clear yet.) I was trying to think: what other human activities are similar to breastfeeding? What other kind of human interaction has similar parameters? There are no other body parts or body fluids that are rightfully another person's; there is no other human relationship with such biologically-built-in inter-dependence. The bodily aspect of breastfeeding mimics the *intimacy* of a sexual relationship, but unlike a sexual relationship, there is also an incredibly basic, low-level (think Maslow) need being met: sustenance. I know I'm treading on thin ice with the blanket assertions I'm making about sex, but I hope you see my point!<br /><br />To bring this back around to formula and breastfeeding, I wonder if part of the reason we have problems with modern breastfeeding norms isn't that breastfeeding is so unique in these ways compared to other human activities. Making formula prescription-only is a statement that it is unnatural *not* to breastfeed. While from a biological point of view this is true, from many other points of view (social, interactional, political, sociological) the act of breastfeeding is really a unique, "unnatural" combination of bodily intimacy and practical necessity. I guess there are tones here of the earlier feminist embrace of formula as a tool of liberation. To make formula prescription-only (or to ban formula, as in your original post) is a statement, in some ways, that women's bodies are dually owned during breastfeeding and I agree that I am uncomfortable involving the state in that calculus.<br /><br />I hope you don't mind me using this space for thinking aloud. I am pretty new to this and it's not my area of expertise, so am glad for feedback or criticism of these ideas.<br /><br />Finally, thank you for the thought-provoking post!JMTnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536683374417960813.post-2536781653148024922010-05-14T16:12:58.630-04:002010-05-14T16:12:58.630-04:00Maria, thanks for your perspective. I still think ...Maria, thanks for your perspective. I still think making formula available by prescription would be de facto shaming and I don't think that wins us any fans as breastfeeding advocates. And I think the overwhelming majority of pediatricians would be happy to write a mom a 1-year prescription for formula and shoo her out the door. We see it all the time when there are any breastfeeding problems, mom gets sent home with a free can of formula.Elita @ Blacktatinghttp://www.blacktating.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536683374417960813.post-69447800633125572062010-05-14T16:09:20.377-04:002010-05-14T16:09:20.377-04:00Elita, I am a registered dietitian and lactation c...Elita, I am a registered dietitian and lactation counselor working for WIC and wish that formula required a prescription. I think it would help change the way moms view formula feeding. It would help change the view from "Breast is best, but formula is normal" to "Breast is normal and formula is inferior." Formula has side effects, just like any medication and therefore a prescription should be required. Maybe less doctors would be in bed with formula companies if their patients were constantly hounding them for new prescriptions. Also, they wouldn't necessarily need a new prescription every month, the doctor could write it for a year. By the way, I love your blog.Marianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536683374417960813.post-58445130058221345352010-05-14T14:35:47.055-04:002010-05-14T14:35:47.055-04:00lol! Don't get me started on South Africa. ;) ...lol! Don't get me started on South Africa. ;) My head is full of stats like during the last government, the free condom program only had enough for one condom a year for every seventh man. Serious WTF?? And it was former South African President Mbeki who said AIDS was not caused by HIV and denied the people real treatment resulting in the premature death of between a quarter and a half a million people. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/26/world/africa/26aids.html?_r=2&hp And even Nelson Mandela did virtually nothing on HIV/AIDS until members of his own family started to die from it.<br /><br />So given that African women all over that continent have been told they must stop breastfeeding or they will pass HIV to their babies, banning formula without addressing the lives South African women really live just pisses me off.Jake Aryeh Marcushttp://www.SustainableMothering.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536683374417960813.post-24335175949122436592010-05-14T14:14:12.033-04:002010-05-14T14:14:12.033-04:00Hey, what did I tell you about making comments on ...Hey, what did I tell you about making comments on my blog that are better than my blog post? LOLElita @ Blacktatinghttp://www.blacktating.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536683374417960813.post-36035862056560199632010-05-14T14:08:19.049-04:002010-05-14T14:08:19.049-04:00Motsoaledi is helping to usher in a change in Sout...Motsoaledi is helping to usher in a change in South African government that is radical and important. Unlike predecessor governments, he and the other members are bringing reality into addressing HIV in part by publicly being tested and encouraging all South Africans to know their status. http://www.mg.co.za/article/2010-03-29-motsoaledi-on-aids-start-taking-responsibility This following lethal years of nonsense about garlic cures and an on-going lack of free condoms and HIV medicines. I hope Motsoaledi continues to take a stand on these and other issues killing South Africa, like an incomprehensible rate of violence against women and the role infant formula plays in increasing AIDS deaths.<br /><br />I still do not think a ban on infant formula is a good idea, in South Africa or anywhere else in the world. Women need autonomy and informed choice. Until South African women, and women everywhere, can support their families and live in safety while keeping their babies with them, banning formula is just another way of threatening the survival of women and children. Does banning bleaching cream come along with action to counter the racism and self-loathing that would cause someone to buy it? Make South Africa WHO Code compliant, make South Africa a safe place for women to support their children, inform women about safe breastfeeding even if one is HIV+ - there is lots to be done before banning formula isn't just more violence against women.Jake Aryeh Marcushttp://www.SustainableMothering.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536683374417960813.post-46886680193937845002010-05-14T07:23:09.384-04:002010-05-14T07:23:09.384-04:00I completely agree with everything you've said...I completely agree with everything you've said. I really and truly don't understand why anyone wouldn't even attempt breastfeeding, but some women just don't want any part of it and they have the right to make that choice. I think it's a poor choice and a short-sighted one, but there are a lot of things in this world that other people do that I don't think are smart, but are still legal. <br /><br />I, too, would really love to see formula advertising be banned once and for all. Tobacco advertising is highly regulated. One of the major problems was the "early indoctrination" of young people with the way cigarettes were depicted in movies and in the TV ads. I think this is what is happening with formula. Women are bombarded with bottle feeding images their entire lives and now the formula companies advertise in People to get women thinking about formula before they are even thinking about having a baby. Why should they be allowed to do this?Elita @ Blacktatinghttp://www.blacktating.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536683374417960813.post-66858105579813134492010-05-14T07:16:36.790-04:002010-05-14T07:16:36.790-04:00Do you really think by prescription only would cha...Do you really think by prescription only would change anything? Pediatricians are already in bed with the formula companies. They would just write the prescriptions out, no questions asked. Is there any regulation on how a doctor chooses to prescribe medicine? I don't believe moms who've made the choice to formula feed should then be forced to go to the doctor every month and get a prescription for it.Elita @ Blacktatinghttp://www.blacktating.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536683374417960813.post-26235349396022520742010-05-14T07:14:04.713-04:002010-05-14T07:14:04.713-04:00Actually formula was developed specifically for &q...Actually formula was developed specifically for "foundlings" (orphans) and sick children in the beginning. It was actually women, not the dairy industry, that pushed for formula to become more widely available and safer. Women were feeding their infants regular cow's milk and table food and of course they were dying in droves. Doctors worked with the dairy industry in order to create a safer product because babies were dying, but once cow's milk became a safer option, women used it even more. I don't think pediatricians or dairy farmers ever meant for formula to be what it is today.Elita @ Blacktatinghttp://www.blacktating.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536683374417960813.post-88454816218945399442010-05-14T00:15:40.129-04:002010-05-14T00:15:40.129-04:00JMT's comment is perfect, it leaves me without...JMT's comment is perfect, it leaves me without anything to say really. By prescription only would be a wonderful goal, but so much has to change before that can happen; year long maternity leave, paid breaks for pumping, care providers who are knowledgeable about breastfeeding, access to lactation consultants, the desexualization of breasts by the media. We can have hope, but we need to be realistic that we'll probably never get to our goal :(Stephanienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536683374417960813.post-29657186734909767612010-05-13T22:08:43.448-04:002010-05-13T22:08:43.448-04:00No; change doesn't come by brute force. I thin...No; change doesn't come by brute force. I think this is mostly interesting as a thought experiment at this point (in history). Here's another one: what if formula had been conceived as a medical item available only by prescription from the get-go? Think how different our norms would be. Would wet-nursing still be common? Would these women be esteemed as medical carers? I imagine we would have incredibly robust human milk banks and donating milk might be more similar to donating blood (well-facilitated, seen as philanthropic, regular donors honored with awards). A lot more research would probably be done on solving nursing problems and a lot less on bettering formula. Policy would have evolved in tandem to support breastfeeding. Well, we can dream, anyway.JMTnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536683374417960813.post-91992970432853364592010-05-13T22:02:30.293-04:002010-05-13T22:02:30.293-04:00The words I was looking for sort of just came to m...The words I was looking for sort of just came to me. It sets a bad precedent, as well. I don't want the government making a decision that should be mine and telling me it's for my own good. I make a lot of decisions that don't go along with the medical establishment's point of view. Thank God I don't have to break the law in order to do what's best for my family.Jennyhttp://babyfingers.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536683374417960813.post-46966561947345715672010-05-13T21:55:05.687-04:002010-05-13T21:55:05.687-04:00No, I definitely don't think it should be bann...No, I definitely don't think it should be banned, at least not here. In South Africa, I can see maybe making it available only through some sort of process, such as a mandatory class about the risks, but even then I'm not so sure.<br /><br />In the US, most women don't have anywhere near the support they need to breastfeed successfully full-time. If formula is going to be banned, we first need more lactation consultants, better education for doctors and nurses, and wayyyy better protection for nursing in public. Also, what if a mom has to work and doesn't respond to a pump? The only way I can get a real let-down is while actually nursing my baby. It's a good thing I am able to stay home with her! When I did work and was nursing my older daughter, she was supplemented with a bottle a day or less of formula. I hated it, but even with a hospital grade pump and a ton of compressing and massaging, I couldn't keep up. So maybe add a year of paid mat leave to that list. If all these things were done, I bet we'd see there was no longer any need to ban formula.<br /><br />Second, it doesn't feel quite right to take this choice away from women even if conditions were perfect. While breastfeeding is the obvious choice for me, I don't like decisions being made for people like this. Hospital birth is an obvious choice for 98% (or so) of women, but I sure am glad homebirth isn't banned because that's my choice. I'm also glad unassisted birth isn't illegal, even though that wouldn't be my choice. It's a type of freedom we're talking about here. You really never know what someone's going through or why they'd decide to formula feed.<br /><br />However, I think banning advertisement and promotion of formula (and really enforcing it, I mean) would be great.babyfingersnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536683374417960813.post-71670553421227155142010-05-13T20:04:22.981-04:002010-05-13T20:04:22.981-04:00While I'm SO glad that someone so high up feel...While I'm SO glad that someone so high up feels so passionately about this very real issue, I don't think it should be banned. After all, there are situations out there where it is necessary, and women out there who will NOT breastfeed, no matter what, and even in this country before formula, we've seen what happens without it, cows milk and other things that are even worse for the babies. <br /><br />What he needs to do is funnel that passion & those resources into changing the minds of women and giving them LOTS of help and support and running a PR campaign for awareness of the health problems associated with ANYTHING but breastmilk, and perhaps making sure that formula isn't manipulating them as easily as they do in other countries, like this one. I certainly didn't need that diaper bag of formula & formula coupons that they sent me home with!Ameyahttp://wonderandwander.comnoreply@blogger.com