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Celebrating World Breastfeeding Week -- Day 2
Thursday, August 2, 2007

Well, as luck would have it, I didn't make it into the ABC News story about breastfeeding. Sniff! When reporters are on deadline and you miss their email, the opportunity to be quoted is gone. It's too bad I missed it, but opportunities do come and go, and like I said yesterday, "Such is life". By the way, the ABC News article, "More Hospitals Remove Formula from Swag Bags to Encourage Breast-feeding" is a good one. Check it out.

Speaking of banning goodie bags, you've probably heard that 11 New York City public hospitals have officially banned giving free formula to mothers. What a proactive step in the right direction. They should be publicly applauded. But, as can be expected, not every mother is pleased with this reversal of fortune, so to speak.

In yesterday's New York Post Andrea Peyser essential writes that this decision is bordering on gestapo-type tactics. Well, hmm, I don't quite know about that. From my perspective, how can a hospital sanction less than optimal infant feeding by sending mothers home with a goodie bag full of artificial formula? I'm glad New York is thinking and acting right on this issue. Plus, research continues to affirm that black women who give birth in baby-friendly hospitals show an increased likelihood of breastfeeding, and that is never a bad thing.

What do you think? Is this a step in the right direction for babies, or another blight on personal choices? I'd love to know your thoughts.

By the way, hop over to The Whole Family and take a look at the beautiful breastfeeding pictures Elizabeth posted today in celebration of World Breastfeeding Week.

Labels: world breastfeeding week

posted by Jennifer James @ 10:01 AM,

11 Comments:

At August 2, 2007 2:29 PM, Eilat said...: I left a comment on the NYT CityRoom Blog two days ago when they covered this story. Here is an excerpt from my comment:

"To those who feel that NY is being too intrusive into people’s choices I offer the following reasoning: breastfeeding rates are lowest among the poor. public hospitals perdominantly serve the poor. people with low income often do not have health insurance. when their babies get sick 3x more often because they are not breastfed it costs them and the city money. The mayor is looking out for the taxpayer and the health of mothers and babies.
Thank you Mayor Bloomberg."

(I wish I still lived in NY :-( )
I wonder if the people who complain about gestapo like tactics are the same people who complain that we dont have universal health care. You cant have it both ways. If the govt. is going to shoulder the costs of poor health, then any step to improve the public health is appropriate.
At August 2, 2007 2:34 PM, Eilat said...: Also, I just read that awful NY Post op-ed. I have to vent. What a shrew! I wont say all the other nasty things that are in my mind right now, because I wouldnt want to pollute your lovely blog ;-)
At August 2, 2007 5:18 PM, Fat Lady said...: I am so disturbed at and disappointed with the people who think that NYC is doing a disservice by no longer engaging in the promotion of formula companies.

Do these people really think that the formula distributed in hospitals is a benefit? Do they really think it's FREE? Because let's be real here - that formula is not free. It's paid for by every single person who takes it home and then goes on to purchase that brand of formula for the next 11.5 months after the stuff they got in the hospital runs out.

The cost of distributing the formula handed out in hospitals and doctors offices is figured into the cost of the jars, bottles and cans of it that sit on store shelves. It doesn't help a single person, doesn't save anybody a dime. It just rankles me to no end when people go on and on about the poverty stricken mothers who depend on the samples - those are the people who can least afford to take those samples and get hooked on feeding it to their babies.

NYC is doing a wonderful thing by restricting the distribution of formula samples. Formula companies are going to have to find another way to market their wares.

I'm prouder than usual to be a native NYer this week.
At August 2, 2007 9:54 PM, Elizabeth F. said...: Our local hospital, which is less than progressive, banned Formula bags! I was so shocked to find out that only 4 hospitals in our state have done this and my hospital is one of them. Too bad I'm done having babies, but I'm thrilled about this for the rest of mothers and babies out there! Again, I can't tell you how shocking this is and not expected in my city...where no one breastfeeds.
At August 2, 2007 11:19 PM, Sarafu said...: Good For NY! Why do people feel so strong about making sure that women get this formula in the hospital. Its not like you dont get sent a buttload to your home as well as all those coupons for free cans. The problem with the hospitals giving it out is that its like it comes with a "stamp of approval" or a "Prescription". If a Dr, nurse or hospital gives you something then it seems to hold more value and women may tend to be more likely to lean on it in a time of sleep deprived desperation. "Well, the nurses gave us this in case we had these issues" . Why are people so hell bent on making sure that women really beleive that formula is
just as good as breastmilk and that it should be presented in a 50/50 fashion? Its just not true!
At August 2, 2007 11:47 PM, Mama Bear said...: I wanted to let you know I posted a link to your blog from mine on my latest post. :)

http://tinyurl.com/39ebyw

(blog at http://www.breastfeedingsymbol.org/blog)
At August 2, 2007 11:56 PM, Sarafu said...: WOW! I just read that Gestapo article...good lord, sounds like she has some personal issues! It was kinda bizarre, her personal rant, but not really well thought out!
At August 3, 2007 8:07 AM, Rose said...: I have yet to read the article (I will, don't worry), but this came up at a meeting this week. Apparently, Elizabeth Hasselback on the View made similar comments. She said something along the lines of, "What happens when you're up late with a breastfed baby and you just need that formula? With the bags, you have it right there."

Um...what?

If you want to formula feed, go ahead and buy formula. If you want to breastfeed, then having that in the house can create a problem. When you're a new sleep-deprived parent and you know that pre-mixed bottle is right there, it's easy to make a decision that you may regret later.

Yes, one bottle can make a difference. That's all it took to create nipple confusion in my niece and that lead to 6 weeks of painful nursing and lots of tears for my sister.

If you want formula, then make that decision after thought/conversation/research, not because it's 3 am and you just want the baby to shut up.

I also made the comment that the hospitals don't send moms home with a bag of chips and a bottle of soda. It's not the hospital's place to provide mom or baby with food that has been shown to be unhealthy.

Then again, nor should it be the government's responsibly to provide formula through WIC to those moms who don't breastfeed.

Being a former military family, I can't tell you how many times I heard young moms say, "Well, I tried to breastfeed, but I figured I might as well go with the formula since WIC gave it to me for free."

Formula in the bag is not our right. It is an investment by the formula companies in an attempt to undermine breastfeeding. It can be the first step in a quick cycle that takes moms and babies away from the many benefits of breastfeeding.

Wow. I had all that to say and I haven't even read the article yet. We should all be very afraid of what I'll have to say after. :-)
At August 3, 2007 12:01 PM, Jennifer James said...: Hi Eilat -- I couldn't have said it better myself. Such great points you posted on the CityRoom blog.

Hi Fat Lady - You're right. It's not free or helpful, but some people just can't seem to put 1 and 2 together.

Hi Elizabeth - Same thing happened at the hospital where I gave birth to my second daughter. They're now baby-friendly, but they sure weren't when I was there.

Hi Sarafu - When hospitals give it away for free, it's like saying, "Hey, wew mom, this stuff is A-OK." But, as we know...it isn't!

Hi Mama Bear -- Many thanks!

Hi Rose -- LOL! Can of chips and a bottle of soda. Point well made.

Thanks, everyone, for stopping by and sharing your thoughts.
At August 4, 2007 4:38 AM, MommaSteph said...: What's most ridiculous is that these "breastfeeding success kits" aka formula bags are handed to new mothers...by nurses! When every medical organization I can think of is advising women to exclusively breastfeed! Why would an nurse then hand a woman a product designed to undermine her efforts?

The bags are stupid. Get them out of hospitals. (And I used formula to supplement pumping after two bouts of breastfeeding failure, and then exclusively formula fed when I could no longer stand pumping, so I'm not even exclusively anti-formula.)
At August 5, 2007 10:22 AM, Anonymous said...: Multiple media outlets are misleading the public, falsely implying or outright lying, that formula will be banned completely under this new policy in NY hospitals.

(Dr. Nancy Snyderman on Today, Elizabeth Hasselbeck on The View, and others.)

This is outrageous and untrue! See banthebags.org or breastfeedingsymbol.org for more info.

Thank you.