Comments on: Monday Musings: The Root Of The Mommy Breastfeeding Wars

By: Monday Musings: Changing Culture | Breastfeeding Moms Unite

Monday Musings: Changing Culture | Breastfeeding Moms Unite — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 15:22:40 +0000

[...] twitter or some news sites, and I read about hospitals contributing to lower breastfeeding rates, formula companies sponsoring health conferences, moms getting kicked out of pools and off buses, breastfeeding moms getting yelled at by [...]

By: Melodie

Melodie — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 20:59:52 +0000

@Sandy – Bravo! Well said!

By: Sandy

Sandy — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 20:16:13 +0000

Women need to educate themselves. Bottom line. Breastfeeding is the best thing for your baby. FACT. If you’re doctor tells you that you need to give your baby formula, question it. Do your own research. Do the research while you are pregnant so that you are armed with as much knowledge as possible. So many moms, just get that advice and just say yes. We do need to trust our healthcare professionals but just because they tell you to do something, doesn’t mean you have to. You should most definitely consider it, and the reasons why they are telling you to, but ultimately it’s your decision. Much to my surprise, my midwife told me to supplement with formula, when my 3 day old daughter didn’t particularly like my milk when it came in. It was a huge ordeal, she was hungry, but she wouldn’t take my milk. I said no. And guess what? after we gave her some sugar water and made sure she burped out all the gas from crying so much (she cried a lot at every feeding for about 24 hours), she did eventually drink my milk, and she continued to do so for 16 months, all the while being one of the chubbiest babies I know. Go with your instincts and not with the easiest answer. Life isn’t easy and neither is breastfeeding, but once you do it and I think that 98% of you can, you won’t regret it. I’m not bashing formula or women who choose to formula feed, it just upsets me about how much ignorance there is out there about breastfeeding.

By: Melodie

Melodie — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 02:11:32 +0000

Yes yes yes! Educated wise women speak on my blog. I love it! @Melissa - My posts always feel more complete with a comment from you. You really bring the issue home with your HCP/LC background/experience. Thank you! I wish everyone would read your blog! Melodie’s last blog post..Monday Musings: Do You Nurse Your Baby To Sleep?

By: Birth_Lactation

Birth_Lactation — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 00:04:39 +0000

What a wonderful well-written post! You are directly on target, as usual!
Thanks for the pingbacks to my 2 posts!
I have attended numerous conferences over the years and I can tell you many or most were fully or partly sponsored by formula companies..mostly Ross and Mead-Johnson. As a health-care professional (HCP)…. in the earlier days….., before I became a Lactation Professional, I never thought this was wrong.. I thought it was great! What wonderful trips..what wonderful food… what a great conference! Then I learned about the WHO code and how strongly these companies push their products to HCP’s. I never realized how we are doing their marketing for them!
My fellow Lactation Professionals helped me realize and understand this further with activity to boycott Nestle years ago. I don’t attend any now. The companies still come on the unit and are quite pushy and leave behind many little “gifts”!
I have encountered many co-workers who simply don’t understand that if you are wearing a name tag holder with a little “Nestle Good Start” emblem on it– You are advertising and promoting their product. The mother may or will think … and this is what they– the companies hope for… “That nurse thinks Good Start is good, she’s wearing it on her tag, it must be the best for my baby”…
It is an difficult thing to break. I have a secretary who didn’t want to copy my breastfeeding handouts because Ross Labs (Similac) had offered to print them… so why should she do that work?? This is how they think.
A few years ago, I tried to re-educate ALL the nurses, OB’s and Peds in my hospital during World Breastfeeding Week 2006 when the theme was “Code Watch: 25 Years of Protecting Breastfeeding”. I did have a lot of questions and maybe some understood. But changing actual
practice is difficult. There is little or no formal breastfeeding education for HCP’s. You are right. We all have to keep trying to educate as we go. Think globally, ACT locally. These “mommie wars” are something I don’t get… I just talk to each individual to find out what they know, what is in their heart, what do they want to do?? And then we come up with a plan that works for them.
I hope all moms out there who choose to or have to formula feed can understand that most lactivists are about proper education, educated decisions, and correct lactation management, support and advice– not condemnation……
Most well educated lactivists are against the formula companies who cause the misinformation to the health care professionals which of course filters down to the poor mommie and baby who then get inaccurate info and advice along with a bottle.
Whew! Where’d all that come from… just sat down to the computor from vacation.

Birth_Lactation’s last blog post..At the beach !!!

By: Family Nature

Family Nature — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 14:56:27 +0000

Great post. I totally agree that Racheal misses the point. She and others who commented on her post are quick to blame breastfeeding mothers for the guilt that others feel and accuse them of "going too far" and say that they "come down" on women who don't breastfeed. Why are people always pitting breastfeeding mothers against mums who don't? It distracts us from the real issues; in this case, formula companies with ulterior motives. Thanks for setting the record straight and talking about the real issues. Family Nature’s last blog post..Lowering Expectations about Babies and Sleep

By: Jenny

Jenny — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:12:22 +0000

“They aren’t omnipotent gods like we think they are. ” —-> here they are generally thought to be which is why unethical formula marketing really makes a difference —> Formula for Disaster!

Jenny’s last blog post..What’s Up This Weekend?