"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: 12-14-2000
Sat, 12-30-2006 - 4:40pm

**You can argue with me all you want on this, but I'll take what was told to me by all of the doctor's we've seen. What a baby eats has nothing to do with their reflux unless they are MSPI.**

I don't think I'm here to argue with you, just question if maybe that advice is true for babies with severe reflux, and not so true for babies with mild to moderate? My now 6yo son was diagnosed at 2 weeks of age as having moderate reflux. I was encouraged to keep up with the breastfeeding because breast milk's easy digestibility made it ideal for a baby with reflux.

He never needed any type of surgery but was put on Zantac at about 6 weeks when it was determined that he'd developed some minor ulcers in his esophagus....That last sentence was appropro of nothing--just wanted to give an idea of how severe it was for him (or not severe, but not mild by any stretch!)

 

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iVillage Member
Registered: 11-10-2005
Sat, 12-30-2006 - 4:52pm
Like I said, I will take a GI specialist's opinion (someone who sees and deals with reflux everyday and who, btw, is one of the leading pediatric GIs in the country) over a lactation consultant any day.
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iVillage Member
Registered: 04-05-2003
Sat, 12-30-2006 - 5:03pm

I have zero experience with reflux, but kellymom has loads of research suggesting that bm is easier on babies with reflux than formula. Why is this so far-fetched? Bm is much easier on a baby's system in every other area, why *not* reflux? The biological norm has to be better than artifical feeds.

http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/reflux.html

Scroll down to the bottom for the links to research.

Debbie

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iVillage Member
Registered: 06-23-2004
Sat, 12-30-2006 - 5:22pm

http://www.uspharmacist.com/oldformat.asp?url=newlook/files/cons/acf2f78.htm

That's the article from the first part of her post...I'm not sure where the latter part of the post regarding HIV comes from-was that supposed to be opinion or was it copied from another published article. Also, the statement "Only a healthy diet and lifestyle will produce healthy breas (sic) milk" is not in the article at all.

And as for this being research from Harvard or Yale, that's BS since it was written by a professor of pharmaceuticals at the Southwestern Oklahoma State University school of pharmacy. I suppose I'll leave it up to everyone to decide how qualified he is to comment on the nutritional quality of breast milk coming from women with poor nutrition.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Sat, 12-30-2006 - 5:31pm

>>Formula will only effect reflux if the baby is MSPI, and if there's blood in stools, that's typically a symptom of MSPI. And BFing doesn't make reflux symptoms delayed or less severe<<

I really don't think that is necessarily true. My first son was bottle fed from day 4. Within a couple days he started vomiting some bottles and spitting up many times per day. Our ped brushed it off and we changed formula several times, settling on lactose free. He still spit up 30-40 times per day. Finally switched peds at around 5 months and started reflux meds, also saw a ped GI. Did many test, including barium study, swallow studies and even an endoscopy. There were NO physical causes found. Allergy was not thought to be an issue b/c he never had skin symptoms, bloody stools or rashes. I had a feeling it was formula related. This was confirmed when I BF my next TWO babies, who both after a few days of bottles would spit up much more and also projectile vomit feeds. They both spit up some on breastmilk but it was no where near the amount that would come out after bottles. Regular formula and soy, didn't matter.

None of my boys have any food allergies now and I firmly believe that me breastfeeding prevented similar issues in the last 2 babies. Sure it's anecdotal but given that after a few feeds they did the same things as their big brother I think I can safely say that his isses WERE caused or at least very aggravated by formula. I just wish I had known earlier and I would have sought help with breastfeeding him!

Becca

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-20-2006
Sat, 12-30-2006 - 5:44pm

"I would never go in to someones home and tell them that they are raising there kids wrong so why would I ever tell them that they are doing the wrong thing by feeding their baby formula."

Wow, me either. That'd be pretty rude. This is, however, a debate board, where we come on here to debate thoughts, opinions, ideas, and try to share some factual info along the way that might just help out another person. The best information I ever got WRT breastfeeding has been on debate forums such as this, because all of the ideas I had in my head about formula an equitable substance were sentiments of other mothers as well. Reading posts from those that had BTDT and who had the right information was invaluable to me as a breastfeeding mother. On the other hand, if a mother was talking to me about her consideration of breastfeeding, or problems she may be having breastfeeding, or thinking of switching formula I would of course offer evidence and experience to try to convince her to continue breastfeeding. I would also offer the opinion that sometimes parenting decisions aren't supposed to be easy, especially not for the parent. Somewhere along the way formula became okay just cause the mother "doesn't feel like breastfeeding", instead of the mother considering what is in the child's best nutritional/immunological interest.

"The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift." ~Albert Einstein
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-02-2003
Sat, 12-30-2006 - 5:48pm

No but I'll hazard a guess that a ped GI, no matter how renowned isn't trained in lactation. Which is why it may not have been a bad idea to have worked with both at the same time. I wouldn't go to a podiatrist for information on a heart condition and I think it's rather insulting to go to a GI specialist for information on lactation.

-jeanine

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-20-2006
Sat, 12-30-2006 - 5:50pm
Then conversely, switching to formula because of reflux would be of no benefit either. In addition, since formula does not have the same nutritional and immunological benefits as breastmilk, switching to formula would deprive the infant of these benefits, thereby putting the child at risk.
"The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift." ~Albert Einstein
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-05-2003
Sat, 12-30-2006 - 5:51pm
And I wonder how many bfed babies (exclusive or otherwise) a GI doc has ssen?

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iVillage Member
Registered: 06-02-2003
Sat, 12-30-2006 - 5:51pm

Hmmm...so copyright violation and plagiarism on top. Interesting. Thanks for finding this, I'll have to read it a bit later!

-jeanine

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