NY Times article on Breastfeeding

[Goosie22]

Breastfeeding Article (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/13/health/13brea.html) in the New York times.



"It isn't just calories," Dr. Buescher said.
The protection that breast-feeding provides against acute infectious diseases — including meningitis, upper and lower respiratory infections, pneumonia, bowel infections, diarrhea and ear infections — has been among the most extensively studied of its benefits and is well documented, said Dr. Lawrence M. Gartner, chairman of the American Academy of Pediatrics' breast-feeding section.

[Tam-I-Am]

I've exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of DD's life, she is now 11 months and I have no plans to stop before her 2nd birthday (unless she self-weans of course). I'm very pro-breastfeeding, but even I found this article insulting and extreme. I find it upsetting to think that women who may need to formula feed for whatever reason may be forced on guilt trip. Plenty of babies are formula fed and are happy, healthy and thriving.

[lukaelmo]

Yep, I am with Clarabelle... I am all for BFing, but how is this article going to make non BFing mums feel?

[jackieb76]

I too found this article to be extreme and rather upsetting. :mad: :crying:

As a woman who is currently exclusively breastfeeding a 4 month old and who also bottlefed her now 6 year old I have been on both sides. I didn't exactly choose to bottlefeed my first baby but I felt enough guilt on my own without people publishing such articles. I am very pro-breastfeeding and I think that we all know that breastmilk is best for babies but for those who cannot, or choose not to breastfeed then what are they supposed to feed their babies?

[Lunar]

This actually mad me cry.
I ff only because I could not bf my babies. I tried so hard with them both, only to be told by 2 different LC's that it was not going to work.

I would also like to make a point of the warnings on formula tins..... we have warnings on our tins here in Australia stating that breast milk is best for baby etc.

I would also like to say for all the other mums out there that tried so hard to bf and could not, that you (we) are NOT failing our babies. That is a joke! If I was to persever with bfing BOTH my babies would be labled failure to thrive as there was no possible way that it was going to work and certainly not for 6 months! I really wish that I could bf and I still get upset that I can't, but it's articles like this that make me MAD!!!
No, not mad, FURIOUS!!!!!!!:mad:

Why rub it in our faces?!?!?!!
We tried, we 'failed' (yeah, thanks for the nice words)
We feel guilty.
But that doesn't change the fact that we still can't bf!

I have a friend that exclusively bf for 4.5 months and he baby was sick ALL the time! And I know others who were bf as babies that have diebeties, and cancer (including breast cancer)

I really think there is too much pressure on mothers to bf, and when it doesn't work out they are dropped like hot potatoes, made to feel incredibly guilty and like failures and as a result, many suffer depression.

[Goosie22]

Guilt smilt:thumbsdown:

If people truely decided to give their baby formula because they knew all the risks involved then why feel guilty its waisted energy.


I liked the article.

[draught]

Let's not start on the whole breast vs bottle, guilt vs no guilt roundabout. What I can say to add to the discussion is that it is good to see some American states doing something positive about promoting breastfeeding. For a country that tells us that they are the most civilised in the world they have the worst diets, health, poverty etc - and very low rates of breastfeeding - because they are run by the media and large corporations and advertising......and advertising breastfeeding makes no money for anyone. So while I agree that it is not good to make those who can't breastfeed feel bad, I also applaud the fact that they are finally doing something to promote breastfeeding.

[Goosie22]

"American" Breastfeeding Promotion Add (http://www.4woman.gov/breastfeeding/adcouncil/CNBA4230-E01NY.mpg).

I thought you might be interested as its mentioned in the article originally posted.

[kadownie]

I'm sorry that some mum's feel that this article is laying on the guilt- please don't take that on- you are all wonderful mummies regardless of how you feed your baby. I do think though it's important for women to be educated about breastmilk and it's benefits. It's not meant to be insulting, but informative. The more women who are encouraged to breastfeed with information and support, the more that women will demand care in breastfeeding their infants (at the moment I know it costs lots of $$$ to see a lactation consultant- they should have breastfeeding help centres that are free to all mothers!!) and therefore more women will be able to breastfeed. Of course, it's not going to work for everyone, but that's the same with everything.

Surely as mothers and women, we want the best for our children- including more access to good information and health services.

I can understand that when breastfeeding hasn't worked out- it is hard to see things like this- Americans seem to not be encouraged to breastfeed at all- as already stated.

Wow- that ad had me worried- glad that behaviour isn't being encouraged!

[Goosie22]

There is another recent UK article in the Ecologist, The article is along the same lines but however it is more clear in laying the blame for the failure to Breastfeed with Society, Health professionals and Formula companies.

I'll see if I can find an online link to it.

[Goosie22]

Here is the other article Ecologist (http://www.exacteditions.com/exact/browse/307/308/1267/3/22)

Its quite long and indepth, but its another good article I think anyway.



SUCK ON THIS

The human species has been breastfeeding for nearly half a million years. It's only in the last 60 years that we have begun to give babies the highly processed convenience food called 'formula'. The health consequences - twice the risk of dying in the first six weeks of life, five times the risk of gastroenteritis, twice the risk of developing eczema and diabetes and up to eight times the risk of developing lymphatic cancer - are staggering. With the UK formula manufactures spending around 20 pound per baby promoting this 'baby junk food', compared to the paltry 14 pence per baby the government spends promoting breastfeeding, can we ever hope to reverse the trend? Pat Thomas uncovers a world where predatory baby milk manufacturers, negligent health professionals and an ignorant, unsypmpathetic public all conspire to keep babies off the breast and on the bottle.

[Milly]

Great article from "The Ecologist" Goosie:thumbsup: ! That was a really good read.

[reAllytee]

While we all know that breast is best & i think its great that yes the likes of the U.S get something together to promote it more i think its sad that we have to have articles that state those that ff are feeding their babies junk food.
Yes i feed my baby junk food & guess what he is a lot happier & healthier than what he would have been on my milk considering i never got any. So somehow letting a baby starve is better than feeding it formula because apparently its junk :mad:
Funny how most of us who were ff or even our parents who were ff are all fit healthy adults who have lived or are still living a great life.
Just like my son will do a happy healthy & loved little boy.

[kadownie]

I also thought it was a bit rough labelling formula as junk food- coke and chips are junk food- otherwise I did enjoy the article- very detailed and informative

[Goosie22]

They call it "junk food" because its highly processed and the ingredients are not declared they are just mentioned, not specific ammounts and the preperation is not sterile. They use emotive terms to encourage people to see formula for what it is a substitute and not a healthy "choice".

Some people see the different methods of feeding their babies as equal and therefore interchangable, this article dispells the myth.

Allyoo, I'm not trying to make you feel bad about the choices you have been faced with. I am simply sharing an article which I find interesting. I dont find it funny that many people have been ff I dont think its in their interests and many a study says the same thing.

[EskimoMumma]

I have heard somewhere a while ago that breastfeeding and the goodness of it is only effective when the mother has had ALL her immunisation.

I do not want to open up a can of worms, but some of you mentioned some breastfed babies were always sick, well that could be why. Maybe,maybe not..

But that article was rather upsetting.

[Goosie22]

I have heard somewhere a while ago that breastfeeding and the goodness of it is only effective when the mother has had ALL her immunisation.

Not having your Immunisations will only affect the transfere of passive immunity through the breastmilk, all the other MORE important "goodness" in breastmilk is not affected by being immunised or not. Some babies who are reported to be breastfeed are not only given Breastmilk and just one bottle of ff can do a lot to undo the goodness.

[KLTN]

I have been following this thread with a lot of interest. I am new to 'the bub hub' forum so have not reply to much yet, but I felt that I just wanted to add a little to this.
Breast is not best, it is natural and the 'way' babies were designed to be feed. No one can argue that infant formula is a man-made, manufactured product and like all products that are not 'natural' an informed decision must be made when choosing to use that product.
No one should ever feel (or be made to feel) guilty for their feeding choice - afterall we all want happy, healthy, strong bubs, but this decision MUST be an informed one and I believe that most mothers are not fully informed about feeding issues and this has a lot to do with the 'big business' formula companies and thier propagander and the lack of 'true' support for us confused and overwhelmed mothers who are trying to do our best!

[Goosie22]

I believe that most mothers are not fully informed about feeding issues and this has a lot to do with the 'big business' formula companies and thier propagander and the lack of 'true' support for us confused and overwhelmed mothers who are trying to do our best!

That is the point exactly.

BubbaGanoosh, you are right in saying I dont think formula is a Healthy choice, Only a very small percentage of women are physically unable to lactate. Many choose not to continue due to difficulties they experience or site life style reasons. Health professionals recommend formula and are happy to risk mothers/babies long term health just to have them sleep through the night/not feed so frequently/put on more weight/give mum a break ect this is not supporting breastfeeding as a normal physiological act which most women can attain (with the correct realistic information). It is undermining womens rights to have success and helping to maintain the many and varied myths that keep womens thinking they are failures in sustaining their children.

[Goosie22]

This is a reply to the Breast-feed or else NY times article. This one is from Lemaze


The NY Times (Breast-Feed Or Else, June 13, 2006 (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/13/health/13brea.html?_r=1&oref=slogin)) finally noticed the almost two year government public health campaign to increase breastfeeding rates and the duration of breastfeeding. They accurately identify that the ad campaign message is unambiguous: breastfeed your baby exclusively for at least six months. And they do a nice job identifying the enormous health benefits of breastfeeding for mother and baby. They also accurately identify that the ad campaign has been controversial…which is why in some parts of the country, NY being one, the campaign has been ignored.
The controversy swirls around the approach…talking about the risks of not breastfeeding. For decades women have been encouraged to think about the benefits of breastfeeding but professionals have kept away from talking about the risks of not breastfeeding. No more. Several decades of research suggests that to NOT talk about the risks of not breastfeeding would be unethical.
Critics say this approach will make mothers who cannot breastfeed or choose not to breastfeed feel guilty. I can’t stop thinking about this. I can’t stop thinking about countless women I know, all mothers and many of them nurses and childbirth educators also. These are the women who chose not to breastfeed and the women who “tried” but were sabotaged in their efforts by hospital practices and unsupportive professionals. These are the women who were told that “a little formula won’t hurt”, “you mustn’t have enough milk if your baby nurses every two hours”, “epidurals don’t affect your baby”, and “you need your rest, let your baby sleep in the nursery”. And these are the women who were told during their pregnancy that ‘there really isn’t much difference…babies do well on formula”. These are the nurses who learned almost nothing about breastfeeding in nursing school. They didn’t learn all the ways that nurses and hospitals can sabotage breastfeeding. They certainly didn’t learn the risks of not breastfeeding.
Every one of these women regrets not knowing. They regret not being able to be succesfull. And they are enraged at the idea that the information they needed to know to choose breastfeeding and be successful might have been withheld or shaped in a way that downplayed its importance — so they wouldn’t feel guilty. Can you imagine not being told the dangers of smoking because it might be hard to quit?
Women make decisions based on balancing benefits and risks in the context of what is important and doable in their lives. Some women will choose not to breastfeed. And some women will find it extremely difficult to continue for 6 months. It is patronizing at best, and unethical at worst to influence women’s decisions by conveying that breastfeeding is nice but not that important. Honoring women’s right to make breastfeeding decisions includes honoring her right to accurate, up-to-date information, including the risks for mother and baby of not breastfeeding.

[reAllytee]

I really sometimes feel that all we are doing is making the wall between mothers higher & stronger.
Really i dont believe there is a reason to judge mothers for whatever reason they are ff.
There is a risk that when i walk out my front door i will be hit by a car or the when i let Boof out to play he gets attacked by a dog. There are risks associated with everything & i think its pretty darned obvious that there would be a huge risk to the child even more so if we couldnt ff our babies because many would starve or is that something you would prefer ?
Yes let babies starve if the mother cant bf because formula is junk. Sorry but i just dont get it.

[Goosie22]

It isnt about walls or guilt Allyoo.

Its about how to help women Breastfeed, because it is really important for babies /mothers/ health care dollars. The only reason a lot of mother dont succeed is through poor advice and even poorer support (family,healthcare,society). Most women can breastfeed, they choose through bad information to believe that they just cant do it. It about education and informing people so that "society" dosn't sabotage breastfeeding by saying "Aww hun, dont beat yourself up, you did your best! Some babies are just really hungry all the time. Maybe you dont have enough milk because buba is soo big...........Formula is just fine, you deserve a break" because it isnt fine and giving women that advice is wrong. Personal instances where you have ff and you/your baby is "thriving" are pointless, statisicly you/your baby have dodged a couple of serious health bullets and that is lucky for you/your baby and that is a fact.

It about respecting mothers enough to give them the right information.

[BJelly]

Maybe the focus of the ads is wrong - it's not right to make women feel bad about not being able to BF when the supports aren't there to make it happen - it's a bit like putting the cart before the horse - it's setting new Mum's up to feel even more of a failure and guilty if they can't BF for 6mths.

Maybe more focus needs to be on training health professionals and putting the social supports in place first. IE it's no good telling a working class woman it's better to BF for at least six months if she needs to return to work after a few weeks because she has no paid maternity leave.

I know from first hand experience how quick Dr's are to sabotage BF. I had sore nipples and a GP suggested it might be time to think about giving up BF. I also had to stay overnight in hospital when bub was 2mths for surgery and was told to give up BF while I was on antibiotics - totally wrong, but the hospital was more interesting in giving me wrong info and saving their butts than taking a few minutes to find out if there was a safe alternative that was compatable with BF. It's only because I had good social supports and was determined to BF that I was able to stay strong and continued to BF.

As the Scandanavian experience shows, 90% or so of Mum's can BF their kids if they are given the tools and supports to do so - the only reason so few Mums continue BFing is because those necessary social supports aren't there, and indeed, many health professionals are all to keen to sabotage it.

I also want to add that if women can't BF that they shouldn't be made to feel guilty or less of a mother because we all love our kids and that is what matters most.

[1stbaby]

I also agree that people should not be made to feel bad if they are bottlefeeding for some reason or another.
I am also surprised at the lack of support when you really do want to breast feed and you do have problems.
When pregnant and the midwife asked me if I was breastfeeding, I said I suppose so..it seemed the most natural thing to do. After reading the literature, it seemed the best thing for my baby. And after my baby was born, I wanted more than anything to feed him. But after a c-section and my first night in hospital it turned into a nightmare when he didn't seem to be satisfied. I kept putting him on the breast and I rang the midwife for help. The snotty woman came in and said "you dont have enough milk. there is no colustrum and you will have to give him formula" I said no. I would keep trying. Anyway eventually I gave in and she gave him formula. she also wanted to take him to the nursery but I said no. I would feed him if he woke up. Anyway the other midwives were lovely but they said that maybe I would have to supplement a little bit of formula. Until one thought to get a lactation consultant in and I was away. sore boobs but we were doing ok. Until he didn't gain weight as they would have liked him so away I was to see the community nurse(its plunket in NZ) and they told me I would have to start giving formula again. She even did a test feed(something they used to do in the 50s) and said he wasn't getting enough milk from me. She even said that if I didn't give formula to supplement my milk, he mightn't wake up one day. I was devastated. I didn't take her advice completely as I just couldn't believe that this was right. My mother was a big support and so were my friends. But others were not. My husband thought I should not be so obssessive about breast feeding and just get on with life and give him a bottle. My doctor thought it would help me get some sleep to supplement it. My mother in law said whenever he cried "dont you have sufficient milk?" I went and saw another lactation consultant and followed her advice ...expressing regularly, feeding often etc and by week 3 he was gaining about 240grms a week. So I have been feeding him now for nearly 6 months and he has been gaining weight steadily. I hear of so many women who gave up breast feeding because of different reasons. I would never want them to feel guilty or bad for this. I was ffed and I"m ok but breast feeding is a wonderful thing. I think a big thing is support from both professionals and family and friends. Shame on them if they dont support those who are just trying to do the best for our children.
sorry for such a long winded reply

[Ana Gram]

It about education and informing people so that "society" dosn't sabotage breastfeeding by saying "Aww hun, dont beat yourself up, you did your best! Some babies are just really hungry all the time. Maybe you dont have enough milk because buba is soo big...........Formula is just fine, you deserve a break" because it isnt fine and giving women that advice is wrong. Personal instances where you have ff and you/your baby is "thriving" are pointless, statisicly you/your baby have dodged a couple of serious health bullets and that is lucky for you/your baby and that is a fact.

It about respecting mothers enough to give them the right information.

And what exactly should we be saying to them? Should we just ignore them? Or should we be saying" Aww there there, it will be ok. Just don't stop breastfeeding or your baby could DIE". Yes, I could see how that could be helpful.:rolleyes:

I took the time to read all of these articles and I am suprised at myself. Suprised that I restrained myself from throwing the computer across the room. While they seem to be wanting to focus on telling women the negative affects of not breastfeeding as a scare mongering tactic to get them to breastfeed, they seem to be ignoring the negative parts of breastfeeding that some women feel. Are they going to make mention that breastfeeding is hardwork and can take a lot of time and effort to get right? I am guessing not as all I have read is about how natural it is. To alot of women, it dosn't come naturally. I guess they just aren't trying hard enough.

I for one will not stop being a "sabatour", if someone asks a question about issues I had with breastfeeding, I will answer it. I am certainly not going to leave out the bits that mihgt make breastfeeding look bad. And I am certainly not going to make a women feel bad for not continuing to breastfeed, since they are not my breasts, not my child or not my life, it isn't my choice and shame on me if I made someone feel awful for not breastfeeding.

[OscarTheGrouch]

Well said allyoo and Chellegoth.:thumbsup:

[kadownie]

It seems to me that some of you guys don't want anyone to be informed that there are risks to not breastfeeding- I find that hard to understand.

Of course I think it should be very clear that breastfeeding is not easy for most women- isn't this the reason many of us turn to formula- because bf isn't easy, or it's not what we expected or a health professional advised us to start formula? Not addressing these issues is part of the problem.

I also never leave out the challenging bits of my breastfeeding experience- I think it's vital that women be informed that it's very hard work, very time consuming and draining (literally) but I also am committed to expressing my belief in the absolute benefits of why I continue to breastfeed.

I think I deserve the respect to be told the truth about the products I use or am considering using- as do all mothers. Unfortunately- as with anything that doesn't work out for us- we get upset when we feel certain things are being directed at our decision.

I hope that the people offended can see beyond their experience to hopefully help women make informed decisions.

[Goosie22]

And what exactly should we be saying to them? Should we just ignore them? Or should we be saying" Aww there there, it will be ok. Just don't stop breastfeeding or your baby could DIE". Yes, I could see how that could be helpful.:rolleyes:

Maybe try saying that its hard sometimes to know if your baby is getting enough/or if your doing the right thing, reinforce the fact its normal to have unsettled babies, its normal to have trouble attaching and working out which end is up, its normal not to feel confident and its hard to cope with the transition to motherhood, but just because its hard dosnt mean its not worth the bother or deserve your respect and encouragement.



Bottlefed(formula) babies are twice as likely to die from any cause in the first six weeks of life. In particular, bottlefeeding(formula) raisies the risks of SIDS by two to five times. Bottlefed babies are also at significantly higher risk of ending up in hospital with a range of infections. They are, for instance, five times more likely to be admitted to hosital suffering form gastroenteritis.

Taken from The Ecologist article.

[draught]

Does this really have to turn into yet another breastfeeding mothers versus formula feeding mothers guilt fest?

The articles are interesting and provide a level of information. We are all only as informed as we chose to be, and only feel guilt if we chose to do so. If you know that you made the best choice for your child in your situation why does there have to be a debate?

Can we agree that breast is best but that if you can't breastfeed for whatever reason formula is a better alternative than watered down cow's milk with vitamin drops added (a real example from a friend I know whose family member was too tight to buy formula and didn't like breastfeeding.)

Can we also agree that education about breastfeeding is not a bad thing, and healthy babies are the mutual aim of all on the forum. If we can't agree on these basic principles what on earth are we all doing here?

[reAllytee]

Thankyou draught :yelclap:

As per usual i can never get across what im really wanting to say & what you have said is perfect !
I bow out now :)