So last week I watched an e-debate take place between The Feminist Breeder, whose blog I do read, and Jessica Valenti, whose blog I don’t read.
The debate started (I think) about whether or not formula companies should be able to hand out free samples and swag to moms in the hospital. TFB said that they shouldn’t be able to hand out swag and Valenti said TFB wasn’t being a feminist because that was taking away women’s choice to formula feed.
Choice, at least in the beginning, wasn’t the point. And informed and educated choice isn’t the point of this post, just so you know.
As I watched this debate, I found myself paying attention to the conversations happening around me, in print and online, and what I found made me sad. And here’s the point at which I will likely offend some people, so my apologies in advance.
The marketing of formula in this country (and elsewhere) is awful for breastfeeding.
Here are two real-life anecdotes from the past week:
Last Thursday was my NT scan. While Dan and I were waiting to meet with the doctor to discuss the results of the ultrasound (which we didn’t actually talk about) I opened a copy of American Baby magazine. There was an article on the cover titled “10 Things Nobody Tells You About Breastfeeding (But We Will)” that caught my eye. I knew before I turned to the article that I probably wouldn’t like the slant of the article. (And I didn’t.) And I said to Dan, “I bet there’s a formula ad either right before or right after this article.” (And there was.)
Here’s the first page of the article:
- Seems innocuous, right?
The things you don’t know:
- You don’t have to eat like a dietician
- Your belly may feel a bit crampy
- Your milk doesn’t look like cow’s milk
- Your breasts may leak–a lot
- Sex may be less than stellar
- Nursing can be boring
- It might hurt
- Your hubby might love it
- You may not be into it–and that’s okay
- It can be complete bliss
I’d like to rebut the bold statements, but I won’t. Not yet. But I read through that list and I thought “Gee, you know, 6 of the 10 of these are negative, and a couple of the others could be spun that way, which doesn’t seem encouraging at all.” And then I looked at the pages before and after the article.
Immediately preceding the article, I found this:
- Yep. It’s a two-page formula ad.
If I’m flipping through this magazine and a two-page formula advertisement with a peacefully sleeping baby on it is right before an article that isn’t exactly positive? That’s bad marketing. Or good marketing, depending on which side of the dollar sign you’re standing.
And then there are subtle ways formula advertising gets mothers:
A girl I went to high school with gave birth to her second child two weeks ago. (Her first was born 9 years ago.) She posted on Facebook that he was fussy and gassy and constipated and he didn’t sleep and she wanted to take him to the emergency room. In the comment thread, she said that he couldn’t “do milk-based [formulas] or breast milk” so he was on a sensitive formula (and they’d tried soy).
My first thought? Sometimes babies are just fussy, especially the new kids. And as much as it sucks to hear that, and believe me, it sucks and I know because I heard it and lived it, it’s true.
Which leads me to wonder how many mothers start out breastfeeding and within a week have a fussy baby and reach for a “for fussy babies” formula that promises great things hoping it’ll be a miracle and the baby will stop crying and they’ll finally get to sleep who then end up sabotaging their breastfeeding relationship and thinking they are personally broken when their milk supply tanks because no one told them that if you supplement you should also pump. The formula can certainly doesn’t say so. The mothers who had “easy” babies and say “Oh, little Suzy was on such-and-such formula and she was awesome!” don’t say that.
Before words get put into my mouth here, I don’t think women are stupid and incapable of NOT falling prey to advertising. I think most of us are intelligent and capable of rational thought. Most of the time.
But I do think that, as a gender, we’re more likely to be driven by pathos (our emotions) when advertising is directed at us. And if you’ve met a pregnant or newly-delivered mother and you think she’s NOT a bundle of emotions? You have not met the pregnant and newly-delivered women I’ve met. Or me, apparently. Because while pregnant? I am driven by my emotions.
And pickles, but that’s another story.
I read that same article and thought the same thing. However, I don’t hate formula companies. I’m all about feeding kids. I also think that people need to research how they plan on feeding their children before their child is here. It’s not simple, it’s not easy and sleep deprivation does a number on you.
I’m not against formula companies, either. But I am against their marketing practices. I’m also not advocating not feeding kids. I do think that women need to make informed decisions, but I also think that there’s a lot of misinformation floating around out there and we don’t do enough to make breastfeeding easier.
I have issues with the marketing, and even some of the nurses in hospitals. When I had Abbey (my first), I had a c-section, which sometimes means your milk takes a little longer to come in. So she lost weight, and the night nurse made me cry, saying she was hungry, and I had to supplement or I couldn’t take her home. Later, I found out that was NOT the policy, just her opinion. What??
And don’t get me started on the lack of support for working mothers who want to continue after they go back to work…
Your story is my story. Completely. I had a nurse tell me she could feel and hear Joshua’s stomach growling and that she knew I wanted to breastfeed but some babies just needed more. And then I think about how I cried a few hours later when I let her take him to the nursery to give him some formula and it makes me want to cry all over again.
And the lack of support thing? That’s a whole ‘nother soapbox.
I had almost exactly the same experience with the night nurse when I had my first baby. I was told he NEEDED the formula or he would starve. Less than 12 hours after he was born. Eff those nurses.
Part of the reason they told me he needed it? He was a “big baby” (at 2 ounces over 9 lbs).
Grrr.
I saw a similar debate a few weeks ago on TB. I see nothing wrong with handing the formula out at the hospital, but at the same time I wish mothers were more educated about their choices before being given the formula. I plan on BF’ing (due in 3 1/2 weeks) as long as my duct work is intact (I had a reduction at 16 y/o) but when they come around with the formula I will politely take it and as long as my girls work, I will give it to my 19 y/o niece who just had her own baby and is working two jobs four weeks after the baby’s birth 🙁 I tried to talk to her about BF’ing, but at such a young age and with an unplanned pregnancy she didn’t want to hear anything about it unfortunately. I hate the way it is skewed in my area. I only know one mother who EBF in my group of friends.
I understand a formula company wanting to advertise their product since they are a business and they’re in business to make money, BUT in those same magazines and websites, I truly wish the companies producing the literature would post more positive things about breastfeeding at the same time and help give women a chance at making a more educated choice. I’m sure in some cases they probably are pressured not to give good advice on BF’ing and that is very sad.
I also agree that the formula companies are totally using pathos to get women’s attention. I’m already an emotional mess and I haven’t even had this baby, I can’t imagine what I’ll feel like next month with a newborn who is crying and fussy while I sit there sleep deprived and I turn a page in a magazine and see one of these articles.
I also hate that other women are so quick to give you bad advice about BF’ing. I have one friend who has said the following:
-“I tried, it makes your uterus contract worse than during labor. It shouldn’t be painful so I quit.”
-“You’ll be sorry you don’t keep formula and bottles in the house when you have a newborn who is screaming because he is hungry and your milk hasn’t come in yet and you can’t feed him.”
-“It’s so nice that my husband can do the feedings and I can sleep.”
I’m already filled with anxiety over whether or not I’ll be able to produce enough milk because of my reduction but now when my newborn is screaming, I’ll hvae to stress about whether or not he’s getting enough, am I a bad mom and whether or not I should be supplementing. I’m petrified at this point but I’m going to give it my all.
Sorry to kind of hijack your post, I’ve just had a lot on my mind about this subject.
I don’t have a problem with hospitals having formula on hand for the mothers who request it, but that’s the thing–the mothers should have to request it. And under no circumstance should a breastfeeding mother be sent home with a bag of formula. (Again, a mother who chooses to formula feed can be given those samples, sure, but a breastfeeding mother? Nah.)
And in your case, and the cases of other women like you, formula’s not a bad thing. There are many *medical* reasons why women would choose not to breastfeed, or to even try, and that’s why formula exists.
The marketing is my issue. I know they have to make money, but cigarette companies can’t advertise anymore and it’s not like people have stopped smoking, you know?
The bad advice breaks my heart. My experience got off to a rocky start, but it was a good one once we got our kinks worked out.
I am so thankful that I gave birth in a veryyyyy pro bf hospital. There was no formula given out (although I assume if some one needs/asks, they have it). My baby lost over 10%the of her weight but since I had a csection, they knew my milk would take longer and she had extra fluid from birth so they were not worried. Rightly so, as she was at birthweight a week later when my milk did come in. I don’t understand why my hospital isn’t the norm, because logic tells me it should be. And I agree. I do not begrudge ff at all, but the advertising and rhetoric is appalling.
I think the major hospital around here is pro-BFing, with a few exceptions among the nursing staff. I wasn’t sent home with formula when I left the hospital and no one IN the hospital seemed concerned by his weight loss. The pediatrician’s office was another story, though. :/
Your last sentence is my sentiment 🙂
Interesting points! I know I fell “prey” (if you want to put it that way) to the “fussy baby” formula and formula for babies who spit up a lot (like Aric did). I didn’t know that I could have cut various foods out of my diet to make my breast milk better for him. Although in all honesty, even if I did, I still would have stopped. Those post-partum hormones/PPD can mess your thinking up something cray cray!!
I don’t know if there’s a way to solve this debate. Formula companies want to make money. End of story. But at the same time, better education does need to be available for women to make informed choices. Meh, I don’t know. The next time around I’ll be better educated about both BFing AND PPD, so maybe it’ll be different. All I know is last time, I did what was best for our family, and it worked out just fine 🙂
Maybe “prey” was a loaded word, but I think it works in this scenario.
You’re right. The PPD/hormones are monsters! And I don’t begrudge women who choose to quit breastfeeding to protect their mental health. But I do begrudge the people who say “Oh, you’ll feel so much less stressed if you just quit that breastfeeding” you know?
Like I said in a previous comment, the moratorium on cigarette advertising hasn’t stopped people from smoking. I don’t think limiting formula advertising would make women forget it exists. That’s why I wish there was, like you said, *better* education about breastfeeding. Better, not more. (I think we have plenty of the “breast is best” preaching.)
Oh, that is a good point. We all know that formula exists. No need to market it like crazy. Besides, if they cut back on marketing, they’d save money and make it so much less expensive for those women who NEED to FF and have trouble affording it!
YES! Because when I did stop nursing at 8.5 months, Joshua had to have Nutramigen (the hypoallergenic stuff) because of his dairy allergy. Paying nearly $20 for a can that would last for 4 days made me want to cry.
you know what’s really sad? the situation in mexico is about 100X worse. If you can afford formula then you formula feed. It’s a status symbol. The upper middle class/upper class all schedule their c-sections and make arrangements for their night nurse and basically don’t take care of their own babies.
I was even told by a pediatrician at Solo’s 1 week check up that not supplementing with formula is “pecado” (sin). I was horrified. And confused. I said I was going to EBF, so she gave me the side eye and a handout with a list of about 40 foods I was forbidden to eat if I “insisted” on doing this.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!
I’ve heard that, from you and from others. It’s like 60 years ago here. It hurts my heart.
The breastfeeding/formula debate will never die. There’s no one to make money off of breastfeeding like there is formula …… it does come down to educating mothers. While I think breastfeeding is the most natural thing, at the end of the day it’s a decision the mother has to make. The decision needs to be made that best suits her family. Being a mother isn’t easy by any means and add the sometimes difficulties with bfing ….. formula can make some situations easier. I bf both my boys and wouldn’t change a thing…… but I do know leaking boobs are not fun! 🙂
I know it won’t die, and you’re right–people don’t make money off breastfeeding, at least not in the same way they do about formula.
I agree that mothers have to make decisions that are best for their individual families, but I do think that there needs to be *better* education about breastfeeding and not just mantras like “breast is best.”
P.S. I’m so thankful I was never a leaker. Not leaking came with low supply, but I didn’t leak. Hallelujah. I hold no illusions that things will happen the same way the second time.
I notice the formula ads way more than I do now. Because I had a very complicated and, in turn, short breastfeeding experience with my first I decided to start researching BF like a crazy person when I got pregnant with my second.
I found that their marketing? Well, maybe I was stupid but it worked on me. I brought home samples of formula from my OB’s office at my 8-week appointment!!! At the time I didn’t realize how that was setting me up for failure. I was sent home with not one but TWO cooler bags to supposedly store breastmilk but inside were coupons for Similac, which is exactly what I ended up feeding my baby after a night of him crying and no sleep from anyone.
The second time around I was ready and armed. I “just said no” to the marketing directed at me because this time I knew what to do and what not to do.
No, Molly, you weren’t stupid! You were pregnant and people were excited and handing you stuff and you were all “YAY FREE STUFF!” I was the same way with Joshua.
The nights of him crying until my milk was in were awful. Absolutely horrid. But he was new and so were we and I think they would’ve been horrid formula or no.
(I’m certainly more educated this time around than last.)
No such thing as a stupid first time mom…. it’s an overwhelming time for everyone involved! The second time is generally easier because you know what you’re getting into…. of course, it’s not necessarily the same experience but you are for-armed with *some* knowledge. I took all the free stuff I was offered. For my first and second pregnancy! I was going to exclusively bf #2 (which I did) but I didn’t know what was going to happen…. I knew that was my plan. I ended up donating the free formula and passing the coupons along to a mom of multiples.
That’s what I’ve done this time around (and what I did last time, too). I donated the formula we didn’t use and gave the coupons to other moms.
I usually don’t comment on blogs(by the way I love your blog) but this one got me fired up. The formula market and the fact that every time breastfeeding hits a little bump you have 3-4 (if not more people) suggesting and thrusting formula at you is ridiculous. I am a proud breastfeeding mother of a 10 month old little girl. It hasn’t always been easy, in reality it is one of the hardest and most fulfilling things I’ve ever done. I will be sad to see it come to an end some undetermined time after my daughter turns 1. I will not miss lugging my breast pump back and forth to work, or sitting up after everyone else is in bed for 30 minutes to pump at night. But the thing that kills me is SO many mothers who wanted too and could have successfully breastfed, didn’t or at least didn’t for a significant period of time. Not because of there choice but because in the US breastfeeding isn’t accepted or encouraged. While breastfeeding my daughter in public in Italy I had numerous older woman come up to me and say what a beautiful thing it was. Honestly most people walked by and didn’t notice me because its SO common. However anytime I’ve breastfed my daughter in public in the US I make people uncomfortable. I get weird looks or people flee like I just started a fire. So my plea to the other breastfeeding mothers out there, when you see someone breastfeeding in public, smile at them, tell them they are doing an awesome job, tell them it’s a beautiful thing because on those rough breastfeeding days (and believe me we’ve all had them) it can make or break whether you continue.
YES! Yes, yes, yes! The lack of practical support and acceptance here is awful!
And from one former pumper to another, kudos to you!
Mmmmmmm, pickles.
Obviously, without “the equipment,” I can’t say a whole lot here . . . but I was in a situation where we had no choice but to formula-feed. Our first child was adopted. Our second child is biological, but my wife had breast-reduction surgery, and while she was able to squeak out an ounce every other day or so, while pumping, it, simply, wasn’t enough. There was too much damage in the milk ducts.
So, we “had” to be a formula family.
It’s great to say that everyone would get to make an “educated” decision on breast/formula (don’t get me wrong, while it was great that all late-night feeding responsibilities didn’t have to fall to mommy, we’d have preferred to breast feed), but that’s a LOT of time to spend, especially if you have people from both sides investigating the education and trying to find bias one way or the other.
As far as swag goes – I’m really of a mind that “it’s stuff,” but I never associate what’s given to me as anything other than “stuff.” There’s absolutely no way that any swag would sway me one way or the other . . . but, I work in a job where I’m constantly given stuff – just in the hopes that I might think of company x when it’s decision time. I know that not everybody is like that . . . so, if you open the tote bag and read the pamphlet inside that’s actually just a cleverly-coded advertisement saying how horrible/difficult alternative Y is – well, it sucks.
In a very longwinded way, I’m going on to say that I have nothing of significance to add to the debate . . . there are some people who wish they could have breast-fed, and couldn’t. And swag should only ever seem like “stuff.”
Claussen. Never heated. Always delicious.
Formula exists for cases like yours–adoption, medical reasons that prohibit breastfeeding. And I agree that it’s a lot of time to research both sides and find the bias. And swag SHOULD only ever seem like “stuff” but then I go back to the cigarette metaphor (and I’m only using their marketing practices for comparison and not comparing formula to cigarettes) and we don’t see cigarette manufacturers handing out samples, but people still know they exist, you know?
I also think there’s a difference between giving a mom a cooler with some coupons in it and giving her a cooler full of the actual product.
I thought this was very well written, Miranda. I was lucky to have a lot of breastfeeding support, from my OB, the hospital staff, our daughter’s pediatrician and friends and family. But you know what, it was still insanely hard. Way more difficult than I had imagined. I took a class on breastfeeding and read lots of literature, and none of them dealt with that. Nor did they touch on breastfeeding issues that come up after those initial few days or weeks. Like when your baby starts to get teeth. Or becomes easily distracted and won’t stay on the breast. Or 1000 other things that come up when you are breastfeeding your child that no one told you how to deal with. In some ways it becomes easier the longer you do it, but new challenges also come up that you are likely not prepared for.
I believe how to feed your baby is a personal choice. I do not judge or look down on moms who choose formula. That is their right, and I support them. I have also had a number of friends who gave 200% trying to breastfeed, and it just didn’t work. They were devastated, and I hated watching them go through it. But what I saw most often was women who got frustrated and gave up when they could have continued with the right information/support.
I don’t hate formula companies. And I understand their need to market their product. After all, if I were a formula feeding mom, I would want to be able to make the most educated choice possible about which one to use (there are tons of options out there). But I do agree with you that many of the current practices undermine breastfeeding. As do societal attitudes in this country. And that is a much bigger issue…
It WAS really hard, and no, there was a ton of stuff that I had no idea how to deal with, and none of the literature I found at the time helped, if I could find any literature at all. (This is before I found Twitter and I suspect I would’ve found a wealth of information there.) It’s never a no-brainer, or at least not for long.
And I’m with you–it’s a personal choice. BUT it’s the lack of information, or the lack of the RIGHT KIND of information that makes it so that so many moms stop nursing. The formula companies are all basically saying the same things, you know? Target and Wal-Mart don’t market their formula, but I’d be willing to bet that their numbers are equally as good as, if not greater than, those of their name-brand competitors. I’d actually be interested in reading the literature about that.
Societal attitudes are another soapbox of mine. And I have lots of soapboxes.
It’s SO HARD to have this discussion, because no matter how many times you say “I AM NOT TALKING ABOUT YOU, AS A MOTHER, AND YOUR DECISIONS” women still see it as personal.
I 100% support banning the formula swag/automatic samples in hospitals (and ALSO being sent formula in the mail without asking for it – because I gave Motherhood Maternity my address for some sort of giveaway Enfamil sent me box after box of formula) while still having formula readily available for anyone who asks for/needs it. And by “needs it” I mean for a medical reason, for a personal reason, for any reason at all, except for “just because it’s there”.
But what ends up happening is that formula is so prevalent and readily available it becomes the automatic choice, even for women who could have successfully breastfed had they not been told their baby would stop crying/sleep through the night/be less gassy/be smarter/poop less if only they would try such-and-such a specialty formula.
Ding ding ding!! We have a winner! This is EXACTLY my point. Exactly. ::high five:: to you.
I never stopped getting formula from Similac even after Joshua was 1.5 to 2. And within weeks, it seems, of finding out I was pregnant with this baby, another blue can showed up in my mailbox. When you’re inundated with the actual PRODUCT from early on, it’s…overwhelming? Harder to deny? I don’t know. But it just seems wrong.
I have to be honest, I got just as much “swag” for breastfeeding as I did for formula feeding at the hospital, at the “new parent” class, and at my OB appointments.
To be honest, I think crabbing (not necessarily you, my dear) about breast-feeding vs formula feeding is tiring and overdone. I get so. damn. sick. of hearing this debate.
Just feed your kids and mind your business.
Celebrate that we live somewhere where we have choices to choose how we want to feed, birth, raise, school, etc. our children.
(again, not aimed at you, just the general public of mothers out there).
I won’t lie and say I didn’t wish all women would breastfeed, because I do, but I also know that not all women will and I’m glad there’s an alternative aside from just not feeding their child, you know? But the point of this post isn’t whether or not women should breastfeed or formula feed, and I know you know that.
I’d almost go so far as to say that we shouldn’t hand out swag of any kind in hospitals and doctors offices, but I think there’s a difference between receiving a pamphlet about breastfeeding and actual cans and cases of ready-to-feed formula. I don’t recall any swag for breastfeeding other than a few pamphlets and a booklet from my insurance company, and maybe that’s based on my geography.
I’m glad we have choices, but I think that sometimes our individual choices have consequences on other people that we can’t foresee.
Even though I clearly stated that I wouldn’t be breastfeeding I still received nursing things of all kinds…not just pamphlets.
And the formula they gave out? Was awesome because that shiz is expensive.
I guess I don’t consider it “swag”…it’s samples.
They give me samples of stuff at the grocery store and salons too, and I don’t necessarily use the products they push.
Sometimes I just think that people take these things too far. They SAY that people can make their own choices, but then they are afraid that they won’t, so they want to get rid of things or make rules against it.
It’s not just this example either. It’s the same way for many things.
Plus we live in a capitalist economy. Formula companies are for-profit. But so are the companies that make nursing stuff–which like I said, I received stuff from too. (stuff to save the milk, pads, nipple creams, little things I didn’t know what they were that looked like nipples to put ON my nipples, etc.).
My hospital pushed natural options, but respected the woman’s choice and didn’t go all crazy pushy either way.
So maybe I just had a better experience than most.
Here’s the difference though, at least as I see it.
If a mother decides to formula feed from the beginning, her receiving breastfeeding items is an annoyance if she’s resolute in her decision. And most women I know who decide to exclusively formula feed from the very beginning are resolute. They receive the items, go “thanks, but no thanks,” and toss them or pass them along to someone else.
But if a mother has decided to breastfeed, especially when she’s never done it before and doesn’t know what to expect in terms of her supply/latch/etc., she’s likely to keep the samples “just in case.” And then when the child is screaming out of newness and not out of starvation, she reaches for the formula she has on hand because some well-meaning someone said “oh, just give the baby a little formula! It won’t hurt!” And it does hurt if she doesn’t know that she needs to pump when the baby gets formula in order to maintain her supply. And maybe it works for a night or two, but the damage to her supply has been done.
If hospitals want to give formula samples to moms who come in and say “Hey! Formula feeder here! Hook a sister up!,” cool. But there are many, many places where ALL mothers are sent home with those samples and breastfeeding mothers should not be.
I guess what it is boiling down to here is that we don’t agree on this point (at least from what I am reading here, and I could be misinterpreting): Whether or not moms who breastfeed should “quit” when the going gets tough. You say no. They should get support and not just reach for the formula. And I guess my opinion, and it’s not a popular one, is that it’s OK.
We are told over and over again by PPDchat and other places that a healthy, happy mom is the best thing for a baby. That is why many docs/therapists are ok with pg moms staying on their ADs while pg. The benefits outweigh the risks.
This is how I feel about formula feeding.
In my experience, moms who are super pro-bfing do not feel that this “taking care of yourself first” idea extends to bf-ing. and I disagree.
What does it matter if the baby is crying because of newness or gas bubbles or colic? If it is driving the mom off the edge and bfing is making her feel like she has a ball and chain attached to this baby…it should be OK TO STOP.
But that is my opinion.
And I get a load of shit whenever I give it.
So I don’t talk about it on my blog.
And it’s why I absolutely refuse to talk about why I don’t bf. Because people who think bf-ing is the only way (even though they try to say differently), do not respect my decisions.
They say they get it, and then they try to talk me out of it.
They say moms should tough it out. Toughing it out in other areas is the reason I just about snapped.
A sane mom is a happy mom.
And I have a feeling no matter how much we go back and forth here, neither of us are going to change our minds.
It’s hard to come off a soapbox. And we are both on one.
Hopefully we can still be bloggy besties despite our difference of opinions.
I’m almost 2 weeks late to this discussion, and I know probably no one cares or is listening anymore, but I do want to say this one thing – I think you are right that if breastfeeding isn’t working for you *for any reason* then it should be okay to quit. From my perspective, though, I worry that some moms will be convinced that breastfeeding is the reason they are struggling, even when it isn’t. And then once they’ve switched to formula and lost their milk supply, they don’t really have the option to say “oh wait, I liked that better, and I want to go back.”
And I know a lot of mothers are heartbroken when they can’t breastfeed anymore. And in some cases, that’s probably because of guilt which we’d really be best off banishing. But in some cases, and for some people – and yes SURELY NOT EVERYONE – but breastfeeding can be a very positive thing in terms of our own mental health, and I worry that women will miss out. That they will give formula because the baby is crying, and then when the baby is still crying, they won’t have the choice to go back. Does that make sense?
And I say this without any judgment. If you need to formula feed, or if you *want* to formula feed, then everyone should stfu and leave you alone. But if you want to breastfeed, you should do it with an understanding of what it will be like, and with information about how to tell when it *actually* isn’t working and when your baby is just being a baby.
Okay, I’m done now.
YES YES YES! Exactly! I’m so glad you came late to this discussion, because it’s exactly what I feel!
If a woman chooses to formula feed, cool. If she chooses to stop breastfeeding and switch to formula, also cool. But I hate the thought that once you stop breastfeeding, you can’t go back without surmounting tremendous odds and sometimes women quit for whatever reason and realize that they really liked it and it wasn’t the cause of their problems. I have a whole ‘nother post about that that I’ll post when I have some more cojones to talk about this issue.
There is education out there from the Breast Feeding Coalition. Now some of these folks involved in this coalition are strange folk but I do have to commend them for the education they provide. A lot of the people that attend this conference are lactation nurses and are there to learn. BF is the oldest and most natural way of feeding our children, and so much more healthy for them. I have to say I was amazed that Miranda BF. As she grew up I never imagined in a thousand years she would BF, but you know what? She has proven to be an awesome mother and now with the second child on the way, I know she will be prepared even better the second time around. Why she’s even going to use cloth diapers! Isn’t it funny how history repeats itself? Kudos to all of you that have tackled the task of breastfeeding and cloth diapering!
I know the education is out there, but I think sometimes the education we provide new mothers isn’t the most beneficial. We need to give them a “what to do if…” instead of just a “how to get started” guide. Sure, there’s Google, but it’s so easy to find 47 different ways of fixing or working through the same issue that it’s overwhelming.
I think it’s funny that you didn’t think I’d breastfeed! I never imagined that I wouldn’t! 🙂
And my first 6 cloth diapers arrived today! Hooray!
So there is lots I could say but I wont (I agree with you) but the worst thing about that article is that they say you might cramp. The reason you cramp while breast feeding is your bodies reaction to help your uterus get smaller again and to help get rid of all the stuff inside of you and I can only assume reduce your postpartum bleeding. So saying that is a side effect or something negative of breast feeding is just absurd. I will say about formula though is that after 9 months of feeding my first my supply dropped and pumping while in grad school was hard and stressful so we had to put him on formula. It was a hard day but I was glad it was an option.
The cramping was probably explained within the article, but if you’re just looking at the headlines? Yeah, it’s a definite turn-off, you know? Think of all the women who skim the bold, big fonts and go “HOLY CRAP! That looks awful!” and don’t bother to read the paragraphs.
Joshua had a milk protein allergy so I had to eat dairy free for 8.5 months while I breastfed him, and I never had an ample supply (and had to return to work when he was 4 months old) so we supplemented with one formula bottle a day from early on. I don’t think formula is evil, but I do think that perhaps their marketers are. Just a little bit.
This is a wonderful post. I was lucky enough to give birth in a hospital that is very pro breastfeeding, but I still got samples of formula from the formula companies because I signed up for something at Motherhood Maternity. I have nothing against the formula companies just their marketing.
With the second baby, bresatfeeding was easier. But it was different. No more struggling for supply and pumping all the time. I had an oversupply in the beginning. I was showering my daughter daily with breastmilk. After 6 weeks, that issue resolved. She turned a year this past week, and I am starting to wean from the pump first. I wish all women could have the same access to breastfeeding resources and information so that they can make their own informed choices.
I’m with you. I don’t have anything against the formula companies, but I do begrudge them their marketing practices.
I also don’t think that all FF mothers make UNinformed choices. I think some do, like my sister who didn’t really know about BFing and didn’t care to know more. She was 19 or 20 when she had my nephew, her first child. Since that was what she knew, she did that with the other two as well without much regard to any alternatives. But I think many mothers who choose to FF are informed when they make that choice.
I hope that my second time around is different than my first.
This is a sensitive subject . I agree that those marketing practises are underhanded and that article should have had ‘this is sponsored’ plastered all over the top of it. And I’m all about women’s right to choose what is the right method of feeding their baby. But it should be an informed choice. There isn’t enough help for women who want to give breastfeeding a try. It’s not always straight forward and it does need patience and help. I breast fed DD until she was 15m but at the beginning a retired health worker had to help me to hold her in the right position to latch on. An informed choice is the right choice, whatever road it takes you on.
It is sensitive, and I tried to treat it in a sensitive manner. I’m not saying that formula feeding is wrong and the practice should be outlawed. But their advertising? Needs some restrictions.
And you’re right–the education that’s out there isn’t always the most helpful. We aim for the “best case scenario” in breastfeeding classes and teach women what they need to get started. What we should be teaching them is “what to do if…” kinds of things and sending them home feeling knowledgeable about what can go wrong and how to make it right.
You’re so right. I had no idea what to do if… and that is invaluable for nw mums. And I do feel you tackled this subject sensitively, it’s actually very refreshing to see this type of post that stimulates debate. Good job 🙂
I think it’s okay for moms to get marketing swag from formula companies, la leche league, breast pump manufacturers, diaper companies, and all of that. I assume they pay the hospitals and doctors for that. And anything that will keep the prices of the medical bills down is good right?
But I agree that it should not be one sided. Mothers should be able to receive information about both breastfeeding and formula, the pros and the cons for both.
I think you should be able to opt in for the samples or not. I physically couldn’t BF. As in nothing came OUT of my boobs when it was go time. When I FF I did it because it was that or nothing else to feed her. I was very sad that I didn’t bf, and it’s still my plan to BF next time. But I know it may not work. And when if it doesn’t I will be MORE than appreciative of all the cans of formula in the mail, all the samples. All the “swag”. Because that shiz is expensive.
I understand that BREASTMILK is a more physically healthy option. But sometimes it doesn’t work. Sometimes the act of breastfeeding isn’t healthy for one of the parties. Sometimes there are circumstances that you can’t just color with the same colored crayon.
Miranda – not much time to comment, but I applaud you and your very informed and “pro-baby” stance on breast feeding.