"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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Lilypie 1st Birthday Ticker



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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 01-04-2007 - 10:27am

She doesn't look FTT. She looks like a really healthy happy little girl (petite, perhaps, but not bone thin either).

Fio

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 01-04-2007 - 10:35am

I know a woman whose 9 lbs newborn, at the age of 3 mos weighed 11 lbs. If you went to a traditional doctor with that, he'd be all about supplementing, FTT, etc. But her first son was the same shape/size, as was her 2nd, and they all gained more weight when they were older for some reason (unlike a lot of kids). He LOOKED skinny, but what sparkly eyes and big smiles he gave me, and he was obviously meeting milestones. He is now 3 and is a happy healthy REALLY SMART (i.e. starting to read already) 3yo. It's not always about weight...some genetics are just made to be small. :-)

And then there's my first DD who I'm sure would also have been classed FTT later on had we been seeing a GP/ped on a regular basis: She gained REALLY well while she was BFing exclusively. She doubled her birthweight by 3 mos and tripled it by 7.5 mos. She was born at 6 lbs 8 oz, was 19.5 at 7.5 mos...and when she started solids at 8.5 mos, she basically stopped gaining. At 10 mos she was 20 lbs. And at 18 mos. And even at 2 years. It took until 27 mos before she gained another whopping 3 pounds. Lots of doctors would be saying "your milk has lost its nutritional properties" or whatever. Lots would be worrying about how she wasn't gaining an ounce. But she had ample fat reserves from the first few mos (baby fat), was HEALTHY as a horse (ie very few colds), was gaining in length/height, was amply meeting milestones...I personally was not worried about her and she is today, a petite 6.5yo without an ounce of body fat on her, really. She is REALLY REALLY solid, all muscle and bone (sinks like a stone in water ;-)).

Fio

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 01-04-2007 - 10:50am

"they would simply feed straight cow's milk, or evaporated milk and karo syrup"

Yeah but...we have no proof that these are "unsuitable" (when compared with formula)!!! :-)

Maybe therein could lie, finally, the possibility of a study comparing cow milk or condensed milk with karo syrup to formula...

Fio

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 01-04-2007 - 10:52am

Oh yeah, my DDs both glommed onto the bottle idea when they saw their nephew being bottle-fed in October. *sigh*

Guess I'll have to have another to counter-act that. ;-) LOL.

Fio

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 01-04-2007 - 10:56am

"historically wet nurses were only available to the very rich and the babies of the poor starved or were fed a formula concoction instead)."

Historically, maybe, but in today's day and age there ARE places where breastMILK is the societal norm. I believe in Sweden there are enough milk banks that no one NEED receive formula unless they have metabolic disorders that require they get specialized formulae (galactosaemia, PKU, etc.). Of course, many more mothers ALSO BF, which means the banks are pretty full with lots of donations, and they are all over the place. But in the case of a baby whose mom can't pump enough who is in NICU, or in the case of a mom who has insufficiant glandular tissue (or any other reason) and doesn't produce enough and HAS to supplement at the breast, banked human milk IS available for those people...not JUST for the very sickly/allergic.

Since this is possible in other places, I assume it could become possible in NOrth America too.

Fio

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 01-04-2007 - 11:01am

"The FDA regulates the nutrients of formula making sure everything that needs to go in to it is and most formulas exceed the guidelines...that is a fact."

The FDA can complain all they want to a particular company about how their product may not meet guidelines...but if the company chooses to market it, the FDA can only sit back and cross their arms and roll their eyes. They have absolutely no power unfortunately. Big business rules the world, which is a very sad thing. :-(

Fio

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 01-04-2007 - 11:06am

I wouldn't worry about her drinking milk or not personally. Give her a good quality calcium supplement, make sure she also gets vitamin D and A elsewhere (supplements or fish oil or whatever) and she will probably get ample protein from other sources...meat or legumes or nuts or whatever. Milk is NOT a "necessary staple" in our diets. ;-)

Fio

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 01-04-2007 - 11:16am

If one is SO worried about HIV, how about the worry that they might find Mad Cow Disease (vCJD) could be passed on through milk products? It hasn't been found as of yet but there is a lot they don't know about this disease yet. If it could be passed on through milk, it could maybe be passed on through formula too...

Fio

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 01-04-2007 - 11:22am

I know I've heard that when spat up, BM hurts less. Just because of its composition.

Fio

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 01-04-2007 - 11:48am

Go to a few LLL meetings (or your BF support group of choice). Make a few BFing friends. When you have enough friends who are very adamant about BFing their OWN kids, usually one or more of them is willing to provide some pumped milk. I know at LEAST 3-4 friends who would go out of their way to provide me some milk if I didn't have enough/couldn't for whatever reason.

Fio

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