amen to that! i prefer to think, in fact, that we did not choose formula - formula chose us. it's like natural parenting forums (which in many many other ways we are most at home at) that do not allow discussion of formula-feeding because it is not in keeping with the "natural family" model. i suppose in accordance with that model i should have either tried to find a wet nurse or just set my son out on the hills to starve! (but then i suppose he might have ended up as a king or as the founder of rome, so maybe that is not such a bad option after all!)

 

I must admit that when I was breastfeeding the beautiful author of this blog, it never occurred to me to criticize someone else who chose to bottlefeed. It just seemed like such a personal choice. I feel that is the large difference between then and now. Even though women have come a long way, they have become a lot more critical and vocal of each other's choices. I was bottlefed and have no allergies, dd was breast fed and has no allergies. Maybe this has more to do with genetics then were we got our nourishment from as infants. It's just mean to try to make someone feel guilty over something that wasn't even a choice.

 

I love your lessons learned they so make me laugh.

The Mama

 

I love this.
I suppose you won't mind if we display it in our wating room? It's perfect. Thank you.
Karen Kleiman, MSW, The Postpartum Stress Center

 

Karen,
I would be honored.

 

Understanding the situation and why those warnings exist would go a long way to resolving a woman's misplaced guilt.

Beginning around the 40's, doctors who were paid off by the pharmaceutical companies that created formula began actively discouraging women from breastfeeding. Doctors claimed formula was better than breastmilk. Unfortunately, they were so horrifically wrong, millions of babies worldwide have died as a result of that legacy. The campaign against breastfeeding, and it was a deliberate campaign, was so successful, however, many people still mistakenly believe that formula is a superior form of nutrition.

Nutritionally (and it's aggregrate other benefits many long term), human breastmilk is a superior source of nutrition for human infants. Formula, for all its leaps forward in quality, is still only an adequate form of infant nutrition. It exists because some small portion of women physically cannot produce enough milk to feed their own infants. And, thank goodness it exists in those circumstances! I wouldn't wish for it to not exist.

However, because of the formula manufacturers continued misrepresentation that formula is equivalent or superior a form of infant nutrition to breastmilk, those warnings are legally required to be posted on the cans themselves as well as any marketing materials.

Those warnings are a very important step in preventing the commercial interests of pharmaceutical companies from controlling what should be your family's infant nutrtition decisions.

 

Mamaloo, thank you for commenting. I do hope that this blog will be a welcome home for people with all different points of view, whether or not they agree with me. I have conconsulted with a doctor about some information that you presented that is not consistent with what I found in my own research. Neither of us were able to find evidence of doctors being paid off. If you could provide a source for that information, it would be very helpful.

Technically, the formula manufacturers are not pharmaceutical companies; in fact we all know Nestle, which I believe was the company that got into the most trouble for promoting formula in Africa, as a Swedish food company. I also believe that most of their success was due to effective marketing and the availability of a large volume of formula samples. In addition, most medical and nutritional advances up to that time had proven to enhance the quality of human life. In that context, there was a rush to embrace formula, because it seemed to be so positive an innovation. While there is no denying a for-profit company's desire to make money, the social reasons for formula's success go far beyond "nefarious manipulation" by the formula companies.

I am also not aware of large numbers of babies in industrialized nations who died as a result of formula, and the areas where formula is blamed for a large number of deaths tend to be areas where there are already high infant mortality rates. That is not to suggest that it is somehow morally acceptable to let children suffer or die based on where they live, but rather to suggest that it may be more difficult to determine what caused particular health harms.

In addition, even beyond the warning labels, I have yet to find any current literature from any formula manufacturer in the US that claims that formula is even as good as breastmilk, much less that it is better.

However, here are the three areas where we most fundamentally disagree:

1. I do not believe that "understanding the situation and why those warnings exist" does anything to resolve my "misplaced guilt." I consider myself pretty well educated on both the social and scientific issues involved, and I still struggled through a lot of pain and grief after OS's birth.

2. Formula is not just for women who "physically cannot produce enough milk to feed their own infants." It is also for women who choose not to breastfeed for whatever reason.

3. You believe that the warnings help prevent "commercial interests from controlling what should be [my] family's infant nutrition decisions." I believe the warning messages are an effort by a well-intentioned but nonetheless paternalistic lobbying group and the government to control what "should be [my] family's infant nutrition decisions."

 

The advocates of this warning are hypocrits. They claim that they trust you to make decisions that are best for you and your family, except when they don't like your decision because they really know what is best for you and your family. And don't you dare suggest otherwise!

The Oreo warning is a perfect analogy. You are so funny.

 

* I know this is an old post, but hey, I'm catching up here!*
First of all: My hubby stumbled across your blog here and all I can say is I wish he'd found it months ago. I had my heart and mind set on breastfeeding for most of my daughter's first year, but between her issues and my, uh, equipment, we were physically unable to breastfeed. I pumped as long as I could, but eventually bottle fed her Similac Advance. She has reflux, but has yet to have an illness of any kind. But I was 'supposed' to breastfeed! And I still feel guilt and pain because of it. Thank you for your support of the 'formula feeding community'. :-) That said...

I subscribe to "Partenting" as well, and although I like most of the mag, I'm right w/ you on their slightly catty little debate forum. The formula can debate particularly hit home, as hubby and I discuss this issue frequently w/ friends who also use formula. I personally feel that it's unnecessary, because no modern woman is under the impression that formula is better - it's been beaten into us that we're giving our baby a supposedly inferior product and we should darn ashamed... I'm annoyed that bottles of fruit punch don't have warnings labeled "Attention Parents. You are giving your child liquid candy.", if we're going to be so concerned with parents' perception of the health of their child's beverage.

"Parenting", in general, pushes breastfeeding quite hard. And well they should, I'm sure, but I feel that they do it to the point of alienation of their formula feeding readers. A recent article had a heading asking, "Why Won't My Baby Eat?" My 6-month old has particularly bad reflux and this question had me very hoping for some help. I read the article...NOTHING about formula feeding. It's all breastfeeding advice. Why, "Parenting", why do you not acknowledge the existence of bottle-fed babies? Hurts every time (but I'm getting better, and blogs like yours help a lot!).

I agree that no warning is necessary, and I further suggest that formula cans aren't the only place where a formula mommy gets "slapped in the chest". It just hurts particularly badly when you see it there, as you go to mix up a bottle.