"Proud Formula Feeder"?

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-23-2004
"Proud Formula Feeder"?
1054
Thu, 12-14-2006 - 8:27pm

In my playgroup, I've noticed some members have a blinkie I haven't seen before: "Proud Formula Feeder". In the past, I've seen the "Formula Feeding Mom" and "It's formula, not rat poison", but this new one struck me as odd. I can understand simply stating that you formula feed or saying that formula isn't rat poison (because it isn't), but I've been trying to figure out just why someone would be "proud" to FF.

While I don't think that women should necessarily feel guilty about not BF, I don't get what about FF there is to be proud about. Most (or maybe even all) of the women with said blinkie acknowledge that breastmilk is better, so why would they be proud to feed their babies something they know is substandard, even if they couldn't BF and FF was their only choice? What do you ladies think? Is/should there be such a thing as FF pride?

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iVillage Member
Registered: 04-05-2003
Wed, 12-27-2006 - 7:58pm

As Cathie asked, define 'starve'. Do you mean they would rather have their child die than give formula? It's ok to work on resolving bfing issues with medical help, while some might consider this to be starving the baby. A baby isn't going to wither in a day or two. I'm pretty sure my MIL thought I was starving my first ds, since he needed to eat more often than every 4 hours. The real issue in this society is switching to formula the instant any (real or imagined)problems arise; not all these bf babies dying of starvation!

Debbie

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iVillage Member
Registered: 07-11-2006
Wed, 12-27-2006 - 8:14pm

Interesting links to HIV/breastfeeding. I think the AAP recommends no BF still.

>>The issue of HIV and human milk has been clouded by possibly questionable science, lack of precision concerning the definition of breastfeeding and premature public policy statements.<<

http://www.anotherlook.org/index.php

>>The situation has now changed for the better, with the exciting discoveries made by Prof. Coovadia and his team from Durban, South Africa (Coutsoudis et al, 2001). In a large prospective study of HIV-positive women who chose to either breastfeed or bottlefeed their babies, 118 infants that were exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of life had NO increased risk of acquiring HIV infection compared to 157 infants not given any breastmilk. However, 276 infants who were on mixed breast and bottle feeding from birth had a significantly higher rate of HIV infection.<<

http://www.aids.net.au/aids-breast-feeding.htm

>>CONCLUSION: EBF (Exclusive breastfeeding) may substantially reduce breastfeeding-associated HIV transmission. <<

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15821396

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-17-2005
Wed, 12-27-2006 - 8:38pm
The baby dropped 7 oz. between her one month and her 6 week check up (8lbs. 3oz. to 7lbs. 12oz.)
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Wed, 12-27-2006 - 8:48pm
And now?

*´¨)
¸.· ¸.·*´¨ ;) ¸.·*¨)
(¸.·´ (¸.·'*Cathie*


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Cathie

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-17-2005
Wed, 12-27-2006 - 9:10pm
she's only 7 weeks old... don't know how much she weighs now! Apparently she's been taking EBM "fairly often" (not sure what that means) but she still won't nurse as much as my nice SIL wants her to. She doesn't want to offer the EBM too often so that she doesn't nurse at all.
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-02-2003
Wed, 12-27-2006 - 10:25pm

Were the weights done on the exact same scale in the exact same state of dress or undress? If it was the same scale, had it been recently recalibrated?

-jeanine

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-10-2005
Wed, 12-27-2006 - 10:53pm
I mean their kid doesn't gain weight,
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CL for Reflux
 
"That's the
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-05-2003
Thu, 12-28-2006 - 9:49am

That would be starving then! But that is not typical behavior. Maybe it's a control issue rather than a bm/bfing issue. It is not normal to harm your child intentionally.

Debbie

ETA: I must clarify something....if the baby is happy, healthy and meeting milestones, weight may not be the be all and end all. Some babies won't gain weight at expected rates even on formula. But these babies are normal in every other way. My own ds gained exactly 2 pounds between 6 months and 12 months, yet he couldn't be any healthier. (he's now 7). There are other issues than weight alone.




Edited 12/28/2006 9:54 am ET by debpl99

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iVillage Member
Registered: 02-21-2006
Thu, 12-28-2006 - 10:31am

"....if the baby is happy, healthy and meeting milestones, weight may not be the be all and end all. Some babies won't gain weight at expected rates even on formula."

Oh, how true this is! It's a shame that more people, including pediatricians, don't understand this.

My 2 daughters are a prime example. DD1's ped told me to supplement with formula because she wasn't gaining weight fast enough by 2 months. I was ignorant about the mechanics of breastfeeding, didn't pump, and pretty soon DD1 was completely on formula. At birth, she was 7 lbs., at 6 months she was 10 1/2 lbs., and at one year, she was probably around 15 lbs. One problem that cropped up was reflux -- it was REALLY bad.

When DD2 came along, I was committed to exclusively breastfeeding for at least 1 year. At birth, she was 7 lbs. 14 oz., at 6 months she was 10 1/2 lbs., and at 1 year, 15 lbs. -- EXACTLY the same rate of weight gain as her sister who was on formula.

Both girls were happy and hit milestones appropriately. The difference was day and night, though, in their health. DD1 was nearly hospitalized because the reflux was so severe, she was put on Reglan at 6 months and by 9 months her diet consisted of more solid food than formula. I'm not sure about the long term effects, but she refuses to drink milk and I think it's because of her experience with vomiting formula.

Now that they're 13 and 6, it's obvious that their slow gain in the first couple of years didn't hurt them. They are both tall for their ages and DD1 is thin like me. I expect DD2 will also be tall and thin when she's older.

FWIW, DS3 (10 weeks) is a slow gainer, too. It just seems to be the way my kids grow.

RPS

 

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iVillage Member
Registered: 04-17-2005
Thu, 12-28-2006 - 11:03am
I'm sure it was the scale at their ped's office... don't know those details. We go to a different doctor!

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