Bostonist: Tit for Tat Pro-choice Feeding Options

all wrong

Thu, 25 May 2006 19:29:03 -0500

"not necessarily" has it all wrong. The whole POINT of lactation is so that the baby is insulated from the ebbs and flows of an unpredictable food supply. It's why mammals make milk in the first place. Mom will make perfect milk for her baby even if she herself is not eating very well. Even severely malnourished moms make milk that is almost identical to milk made by a well-nourished one. More than 95% of women are capable of breastfeeding their babies with no milk supply problems. Massachussetts can and should do all it can to protect its most vulnerable citizens and the banning of the "gift bag" was a big step in the right direction. The bags are not about choice. If they didn't, ultimately, make money for the formula makers, they wouldn't give them out. Unfortunately, Romney has kowtowed to the formula lobby and the babies are not better off for it. The biggest barriers to breastfeeding are ill-informed opinions like the one above.

katn77

Thu, 25 May 2006 08:55:39 -0500

Setting aside how annoying Romney's interference w/the public health department is, the upshot is that most major Boston-area hospitals either already have or soon will stop the formula gift bags anyway. A statewide ban would have been a great way to disseminate this practice beyond the local area, but I imagine breastfeeding advocates & thought-leading practitioners in Mass can be just as successful & push bag bans through continued grassroots efforts.

not necessarily

Wed, 24 May 2006 22:33:22 -0500

PROPER breastfeeding is healthiest, but bottle-feeding is better than improper breastfeeding. breastfeeding has definite drawbacks: if the mom isn't eating right, neither is the baby; also, some women don't produce enough milk and their babies end up malnourished from breastfeeding. furthermore, just because breastfeeding is natural doesn't mean it's easy. it can be very painful (think chapped lips x20), and it takes work learning when the baby needs to be fed for how long - it's not like you can tell automatically how much is in there. breastfeeding has repercussions for the mom's lifestyle, as well - whether it's someone who needs to be on medication that prevents her from breastfeeding, someone using illegal drugs, someone with HIV/AIDS, or someone who can't afford to be home with the baby all day. and clearing an office for breastpumping is not cool in every biz, even if it is in some. the point is, inform women of both options, and if a company wants to provide them with formula, great. to condemn bottle-feeding is dangerous for the babies for whom bottles are the healthiest choice in a non-ideal world.