"Proud Formula Feeder"?
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| 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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I really doubt that anyone here would confront another mom about using formula. What's the point? She's already doing it and it's highly unlikely that confronting her is going to make her want to relactate. I know I would never, ever tell even close friends that they're doing the wrong thing by feeding their babies formula. I do try to encourage them to breastfeed and offer my help any time day or night, but if they choose to use formula, my mouth stays shut.
This is a debate board, so we debate the merits of breastfeeding against those of formula feeding. That's just what we do here. You could stick around and learn more about the problems associated with using formula.
As for whether all of our children will turn out just fine, well, I'd like to believe that, but I know it's not going to be true. There are going to be children that turn out to be obese or get diabetes, cancer, leukemia, crohn's disease, you name it. It's harsh, but it's the way nature works.
RPS
Hello everyone, I just happened to catch a thread and thought I would post. My credentials are: Level 3 Medical Research Assistant for and undisclosed pharmaceutical company. 2nd year Pre-med and BA in Bio-Technology, that and I spend many hours pouring over medical journals. I am in no way saying which is better for your baby, but here is a bit of RESEARCHED material for those who would like to be judgmental:
Infant nutrition is complicated by the fact that newborns do not have equal food requirements. Their nutritional needs are affected by gestational age, birth weight and growth rate. For these reasons, infant formulas are a compromise between the ideal infant nutrition and starvation. Nevertheless, they do meet the needs of most babies adequately, allowing them to thrive. In fact, formula-fed infants are often heavier than their age-matched breast-fed counterparts, having more adipose tissue. (Its main role is to store energy in the form of fat, although it also cushions and insulates the body.)
Mothers may not breast-feed for numerous reasons, such as previous difficulty with breast-feeding, knowing someone who had difficulties, perceived nipple anomalies (inverted nipples), or previous breast reduction or augmentation surgery. Even the mother who intends to breast-feed may be dissuaded by incidents such as embarrassment during early attempts or lack of the milk ejection (let-down) reflex. This reflex, which moves milk to the areola, is inhibited by pain, anxiety, stress or smoking and may cause the mother to abandon her efforts to breast-feed. Currently, only 54% of U.S. babies are breast-fed; the rest are fed infant formulas.
FDA regulations specify nutrient levels for infant formulas. To be approved, formulas must contain a host of vitamins and minerals, as well as trace elements (e.g., zinc, manganese, copper, iodine) and electrolytes. Vitamin K is added in higher levels than in breast milk, to reduce the risk of hemorrhagic disease of the newborn. A female whose diet is inadequate may produce breast milk poor in pyridoxine, cyanocobalamin, and folic acid. Strict vegetarians who breast-feed and do not take supplemental cyanocobalamin produce milk that contains little or none of this vitamin. If a mother’s breast milk is deficient in any vitamins or minerals, the physician should recommend dietary supplements for the baby. Alternatively, the mother may choose to feed the baby an infant formula that contains all the vitamins and minerals necessary to prevent deficiencies. Only a healthy diet and lifestyle will produce healthy breas milk.
So those breastfeeding moms who choose to look down on those mothers who choose to formula feed, need to stop and think… I am eating right for my baby. Am I following a doctor specified menu to ensure that the baby is getting all the nutrients they need? If you say yes, then you one are lying to yourself as well as others or two have the money to back a nutrionist (if you do good for you, but that is not the norm for most of us) As for finding sergeant Brest milk, I would no more put unknown breast milk in my baby then I would allow another strange woman to put her breast in my baby’s mouth. There are too many unknown factors that cannot be tested for. OneFor example AIDS, which is a fact that the HIV virus can remain dormant for years and un-testable until it comes out of hibernation any where from 2 to 10 years, and can be passes through breast milk. Is this a risk one is willing to take to make sure their baby is eating breast milk?
It is lack of respect for others that allows those to belittle mothers who choose a different path, and how a child is raised and cared for is not for interpretation. Be proud to be moms who all share a common link… that you are mothers. Leave how you choose to be mothers out of the senario.
Best wishes to you all, and good health to your children, no matter how they are eating.
I do think from her behavior that she had reflux. It just wasn't as big of a problem because she was breastfed.
I'm sorry, I have to respond to this.
CL for Reflux
"That's the
"Only a healthy diet and lifestyle will produce healthy breast milk."
That is absolutely, positively a load of bs. And a doctor-specified menu? Please! Long before formula was available, women were breastfeeding their babies without following any nutritionist's advice. Do you think women in 3rd world countries -- who manage to nourish their babies just fine with breastmilk but may not have enough food themselves -- have a nutritionist around to give them a menu? I don't think so. But their babies do a whole lot better being breastfed than on formula.
"As for finding sergeant Brest milk, I would no more put unknown breast milk in my baby then I would allow another strange woman to put her breast in my baby’s mouth. There are too many unknown factors that cannot be tested for. OneFor example AIDS, which is a fact that the HIV virus can remain dormant for years and un-testable until it comes out of hibernation any where from 2 to 10 years, and can be passes through breast milk."
What the heck is sergeant breast milk?
Either way, this doesn't make much sense. If we worry about HIV lying dormant for so long, then any of us may be infected and passing HIV on to our breastfed babies, right? I guess we'd all better quit nursing our babies and use formula to make sure that we're not passing HIV on. Oh, and I guess I need to go back to worrying about being HIV+ as I did earlier this year when I got a false diagnosis due to lab error. A subsequent test showed that I am, in fact HIV- but I'll probably never really know for sure if I'm worried about HIV lying dormant.
RPS
According to studies, method of feeding does have an impact on reflux. Breastmilk is more easily and more quickly digested and it acts as a natural antacid.
I don't believe that formula causes reflux; however, I do believe, as in my older daughter's case, that formula exacerbated the reflux that was already present but not obvious.
RPS
Nope, sorry! This is completely false!
" Only a healthy diet and lifestyle will produce healthy breas milk."
Please provide references to support this, if you believe it to be true.
I'n not going to comment on the unknown bm tirade LOL! Who do you think put the milk in our breasts to feed to the babies?
Debbie
Care to share your source for that bit of research?
What are your lactation credentials?
¸.· ¸.·*´¨ ;) ¸.·*¨)
(¸.·´ (¸.·'*Cathie*
Cathie
My sister's son had sever reflus; he was hospitalized at age 5 weeks vomiting blood and blood in his stool.
Cathie
If it did, it's probably because she had some sort of protein intolerance and you weren't feeding her the right formula.
CL for Reflux
"That's the
LOL, would that be Ross Laboratories perhaps?
Cathie
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