Bloomberg’s Formula Ban Is The Right Move, Here’s Why

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Ok, so before I read up on the ussue and was lead to believe that the Mayor was literally "banning" formula, I thought – Wow, now that's a little overborad. But that simply is not the case and the fact that the issue is being framwd this way is very misleading. He is not infringing on anyone's rights by implimenting policies that measue the use of formula use in hospitals and that ensure that mother's are educated on the many benefits of breastfeeding for baby and mother. No one is saying that mothers cannot formula feed and no one is banning formula.

*Wow, pardon all the typos, lol

I find it ironic that people scream it's a woman's right to choose what she does with her body when it comes to abortion but should she decide to have a child she'll have essentially the State pressuring her what to do with her body once the child is born.

Bloomberg isn't forcing women to breastfeed…. likewise, the formula companies aren't forcing women to bottle feed be sending home "free" samples of their product. Women have the freedom to choose. I only disagree with those breastfeeding advocates who suggest that women who bottle feed are "harming" their babies or that women "must" breastfeed for at least a year. Since man has walked the earth there have been mammals who are unable to breast feed their offspring. It isn't fully understood why some women's milk is slow about coming in and it is a horrible experience to listen to the cries of a very hungry newborn. Many very healthy, intelligent adults were bottle fed babies.

First, before the mature milk comes in, the mother still provides her baby with colostrum. As long as she keeps suckling, her baby will not go hungry. Second, only in developed countries such as the United States is "not enough milk" a problem. Again, as long as you suckle your baby, you will have enough milk. Only in exceedingly rare instances can a mother mammal truly not breastfeed her young, and this applies to human mothers. Third, research proves time and time again that formula feeding is harmful to babies. Fourth, offering free samples to new mothers does damage the breastfeeding relationship. Clearly, you need to do a little more research before you start commenting.

I breast fed my two children so am not unaware of breast feeding benefits. While it is true that colostrum comes first in normal women, it is also true that not all women can produce adequate amounts of milk or colostrom. Advocates can put undue guilt and stress on these women who cannot breastfeed. These advocates are far more agressive than formula companies in their sales pitch.

That stupid "Free breastfeeding support kit" has not one item that has anything to do with breastfeeding. It ruined my breastfeeding relationship. Not because I didn't have the determination to do it but because family and nurses would just go "Well let's let her sleep and just give the baby a bottle." because I had a particularly hard birth. Then I would wake up and be like "WHAT THE HELL?". It's gotten to the point were it isn't freedom to choose. If it was then women that wanted to formula feed would just bring in their own formula and bottles and the hospital would have nothing to do with it. It all comes down to money. If they wanted to really support breastfeeding they would start a kangaroo care initiative and make wider beds for the L+D ward with padded side bars to cover their asses from liability and allow moms to co-sleep. Maybe they should make ACTUAL breastfeeding support kits and then formula support kits. In the breastfeeding support kit put in a pump, storage bags, Lanolin, numbers to hot-lines and local lactation consultants with a pamphlet on positions and a free half hour/hour visit with a lactation consultant at your home after you are discharged. Along with recipes for lactation cookies and a water bottle and information on supply boosters like when and how to take them and what to avoid if you have certain conditions. Also only around 5% of women CAN NOT breastfeed the rest is women having horrible support or lied to by a doctor that they aren't making enough milk when really they are. They willingly hand over at least $100 worth of formula but they can't invest that into breastfeeding? It's utter bullsh*t. We need major reform when it comes to how the maternity care system works. It needs to support ALL mothers and not just try to milk the money flow.

I have never known a pediatrician to put a baby on formula without proof that the baby is failing to gain weight and is stressed. The women I know who haven't been able to breastfeed have received good support from lactation consultants and pediatricians. Some women throughout history have not produced enough milk… before formula, there were wet nurses and cow or goat milk. The first formulas were made of molasses and cow's milk, in the abseence of wet nurses or other milk, most infants died. I don't believe the formula companies have forced women to give up breast feeding. I also can't believe women would demand the taxpayers pay for their lactation support systems anymore than women demanding they be provided free formula. Nowadays women have many resources to control their reproductive rights and to adequately plan for motherhood. They are not helpless victims of Big Business.

Hell yes!

"BreastFeedingGestapo" What other minority group is allowed to be insulted in this way besides bfing moms? What other health issue is seen as being Nazi, Gestapo, etc? Anti-smoking? Anti-obesity? Let's get real, since the exclusively bfing mom is a small minority of the population, how can we even really believe that they are out there making ffing moms feel pushed to bf all the time? When a doctor hands you a formula sample, he is endorsing formula. Marketing has NO place in medical care and this just restores ethics to medicine. Bfing moms have the right to not have their health care providers send mixed messages about healthy infant feeding and undermine their bfing relationship. Yay, you bf and you didn't mind the formula. Lots of moms who go through hell to bf have different stories to tell. Lots of moms who wanted to bf have sadder stories to tell. Respect these moms and keep marketing out of hospitals!

My question is, is Mayor Bloomberg checking the credentials and personalities of the area hospital lactation consultants? Are they compationate? Do they encourage and teach and not just shove momma's nipples around and pry open baby's mouths to achieve a wider deeper latch? Sorry to sound so harsh, but having the right lactation consultant makes more of a difference than just treating formula as a medicine. Another question, are the lactation consultants following up with momma a day or two after discharge? Are lactation consultants on staff at pediatrician's offices for thebaby's 5 day checkup to assist momma with any new questions she has?

Phyllis Buxton Also I've known doctors that put babies on formula because the baby wasn't the weight the chart for formula feeding said they should be rather then looking at the WHO chart for breastfeeding. So if they hadn't gained weight at their first appointment from their birth weight the doctor told their mothers that they were not making enough and told them to use formula. These are doctors my sister has worked under as a nurse. Doctors that we and friends went to. This is the MAJORITY of doctors in the US.

I'm all for breastfeeding but when did it become Bloomberg's need to dictate whether a mom breastfeeds or not. I don't recall him having boobs. Oh that's right….he also thinks marijuana is completely safe.

I feel this is necessary because the formula companies spend hundreds of thousands of dollars feeding half truths and some myths to consumers. Why not let someone with influence try to curb a billion dollar industry from subjecting children to having increased risk of diabetes and obesity?

Um… Not everyone can breastfeed, & articles/ bans, etc like this can make moms that can't breastfeed feel insecure & upset. I wanted to breastfeed all three of my boys…it didn't work out the way I had intended.
My first baby was 5 wks premature and didn't have the muscle strength in his mouth to breastfeed (we tried for a month with every lactation consultant in the Madison area)
My second baby could nurse just fine…until he was diagnosed with MSPD. I took all milk/ soy related foods out of my diet & he was still screaming every day/ night due to GI pains. Two weeks after we started Neocate (& all the stuff he reacted to was out of his body) he stopped screaming & I finally met my happy baby boy.
Noah- finally I was able to breastfeed him for seven months until he weaned himself.
So…not everyone can do "what is natural".

I don't understand, you say you wanted to BF, but from your own words: you BF your 1st for a month, the 2nd nursed fine but had a condition, and the third nursed for 7 months. so maybe you didn't BF as long as you wanted, but you DID breastfeed!

He needs to get a good dose of what it is like to be a mother/woman! You can't force a woman to breast feed if she doesn't want to! Lets debate something worth while

I agree that it is useless to argue with a "brick wall"! It wasn't my intent to argue with anyone about this subject. Women have the right to choose what to do with their uterus and their breast. The welfare of the baby isn't considered when women choose abortion so why should the state pressure women into breast feeding? I think free formula is great. The companies making the formula aren't pressuring anyone into bottle feeding. All doctors and lactation consultants are putting guilt trips on women who don't want to breastfeed. Maybe we should put the same pressure on women considering abortion? I support the rights of women to choose without having to go through a lecture from a government bureaucrat!

I have noticed one thing about women who choose not to breastfeed…. they relieve themselves of the guilt by claiming their inability to breastfeed is the fault of family, pediatricians, and formula companies. We have a generation of people unable to accept responsibility for their actions. They feel the government must take total control and make our decisions for us. They want their children raised by the government, they want their necessities paid for by the government, they blame BIG Business for all problems in their lives so BIG BUSINESS is leaving our country. Is that a good idea?

Oh lord, the MAJOR lack of reading comprehension and ignorance in this post is alarming. Before you people get your panties in a bunch, make sure you really understand what this post is actually saying. They are not banning, just taking a stand to try to improve breastfeeding rates, which helps EVERYONE. Take a breath and a step back make sure you understand an issue before spouting off in anger.

THANK YOU!

Since when is a government attempt to encourage healthy habits an assault on women's rights. Are we all reading the same article? LOL. Good call on the lack of reading comprehension.

I don't think it's anyone's intention to pressure anyone or make anyone upset. It is simply to educate. Education is such a powerful tool and it is very unfortunate that so many are viewing it as pressure and guilt inducing. If mother's who have trouble breastfeeding have guilt about that, they will have that guilt regardless of what any article says or what any public policy enforces. That is an unfortunate issue that those mother's will have to work through. But it is certainly not a reason not to publicly enforce a policy of education for those who are just starting out on their journey of learning how to provide nutrition for their newborn.

why do they just do what alot of uk hospitals are doing now, if you want to formula feed, you have to bring in your own, the hospitals do not provide it anymore. simple.

No one is forcing anyone to breastfeed. Did you not read the article, or find out ANYTHING about what he's done?

I think this will make moms who can't breast feed feel even worse about themselves. I would track whether ppd increases after this change too!

YES please, read the damn artcle Kristy and Jill. You obviosly did NOT read it. No one anywhere anytime is forcing anyone to BF! Geesh! Please read it so we don't have to rewrite it for you.

Kristin Van Zweden Mast where, pray tell, does it say that Bloomberg is dictating whether or not a mom breastfeeds? I'm surprised that you could pass a nursing exam since you don't seem to know how to read or hear what this is about, you obviously don't know the research behind the harm done in giving out an advertising item and pretending it is a gift and you are truly not a breastfeeding knowledgeable person if you don't know that there has been a ban on the marketing of breastmilk substitutes(i.e. formula) since 1981. He is not forcing mothers to breastfeed. He is protecting the mothers who have decided to breastfeed from being sabatoged, tempted or otherwise hampered in their breastfeeding goals!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Code_of_Marketing_of_Breast-milk_Substitutes Here's a simple explanation of the Code. This isn't Mayor Bloombergs law, this is the Mayor's contribution to doing what is right. He is helping the healthcare workers to encourage and support breastfeeding so that they are no longer shills for the formula companies.And he is helping to protect the breastfeeding mothers from being assaulted with formula which makes them question their decision and can harm their confidence.

the hospitals make money from the formula companies everytime they hand out free samples. from what I hear, a lot of things are better in the u.k. i think formula companies should call each pregnant woman individually to see which are planning to nurse and which are planning to formula feed and then they can send their free samples directly to the ones who are planning to buy from them.

Nobody is forcing anyone to breastfeed. If you know you are going to formula feed your baby then go ahead and purchase the formula you plan to feed and bring it with you. As a breastfeeding mother I was aware that nurses may tell me that my son needs formula (which he didn't) and usually if a mother starts feeding their baby the brand of formula handed out for free by their doctor or at the hospital they continue to feed their baby that brand.

At the hospital where I live formula companies host big elaborate lunches for the nurses to showcase their products and what they need instead is more sensitivity training or training in breastfeeding support. The first few days of a mother and child's breastfeeding relationship is very important and formula companies have no place marketing to mother's in that way in hospitals.

You have to bring your own diapers to the hospital why shouldn't you have to bring your choice of feeding as well?

Phyllis – THANK YOU!!!

I am one of those women who no matter what I did, which lactation consultant I saw, what special diet I was on or supplements I took, I just could not produce enough milk for my daughter. I never produced more than 6oz a day. It didn't help that my daughter has a very high metabolism so she required more than most children. So after a lot of crying because I have been bullied to think that I was a horrible mother for not being able to provide for my daughter, I started her on formula.

I still pump as much as I can each day and give her that but I will never produce more than those 6oz.

She is a happy, healthy little girl who never cared that I "wasn't a good enough mom" to breastfeed her. However I got enough guilt from others to make the first few months with my daughter depressing to say the least.

So before you insist that "evil" doctors and formula companies are forcing mothers to give their kids formula, maybe you should look inward to see what you are doing to those around you who for their own personal issues may have to use formula. There is enough blame to go around on both sides.

it turns out that ppd occurs most in women who dont breastfeed. the body responds as if the woman has lost her child. that doesnt mean that women who nurse dont get ppd. and only a very very small percentage of women in this country dont produce milk for their offspring. they arent keeping formula from mothers, they are just reinforcing a ban that has existed for over 20 years, formula companies cant peddle their product to women who intend to nurse. and I dont know if it has happened to you but they try very hard to give formula to nursing women in hospitals these days. they even kept my baby from me and gave her a bottle when i asked her to be brought to me to nurse. and when they did let me room in with her the nurses kept leaving formula samples for me right before i would try and feed her. luckily i didnt cave in but not all women have a strong support group to foster their desire to nurse.

oh i see, our hospitals stopped providing the formula because it was costing not profiting the hospital. The idea of providing samples to those who are 100% sure they plan to formula feed would maybe be the best idea then as to avoid any kind of feeding choice discrimination.

oh i see, our hospitals stopped providing the formula because it was costing not profiting the hospital. The idea of providing samples to those who are 100% sure they plan to formula feed would maybe be the best idea then as to avoid any kind of feeding choice discrimination.

Kristin Van Zweden Mast , he is not telling moms they cannot formula feed. He just wants to make free formula samples in the hospitals less accesible to new moms. If you are breastfeeding its so east to cave those first few weeks and to have a sample of formula sent home with you will make it much more likley for a mom to give up. They dont automatically market nursing supplies to new moms, only if they know they are nursing will they give you some nipple cream or have a LC come visit you. Even though the hosp knew I was BF they gave me a free diaper bag with formula samples and coupons in it.

Jill Pratto Raak Like I just said he is not forcing mom to choose one feeding method or another.

they seriously force formula on mothers that want to nurse. some even secretly feed formula to nursing babies when they dont room in with the mom

I admit I'm not sure where exactly I stand on this…but to limit or monitor formula is a little much. I wanted to breastfeed….but not only was I not allowed a lactation consultant, the person who tried to help me actually made things worse! I actually sent a note to the hospital thanking them for the formula because I was all for the natural way…but I just couldn't. Thank goodness I got the free formula or else my son wouldn't have even gotten enough to fill him.

Exactly Samirah!! These woman don't choose u use formula, the HAVE to. Add more guilt and more reminders that they couldn't breast feed and I bet this statistic will increase. I felt like shit when I failed my son but nursing my daughter has been great and mentally I'm great too!!

Exactly Samirah!! These woman don't choose u use formula, the HAVE to. Add more guilt and more reminders that they couldn't breast feed and I bet this statistic will increase. I felt like shit when I failed my son but nursing my daughter has been great and mentally I'm great too!!

thats awful!!! all so they can make a buck?? there definatly needs to be some rules or guidelines put into place then!!

This is a great stand! Formula should be handled and regulated liek any other food or medicine in a hospital. This forces hospitals to practice what is a proven Best Practice for mom and baby.

a lot of things happen here for money, they push for unnecessary labor interventions, which lead to high c section rates. they also do a lot of unnecessary things to newborns and have increased the number of vaccines given instead of just the standard vaccines that are necessary. all for money really. and it is a waste when the money and resources can be used for women and children who need it.

Yes, I feel very fortunate I was able to breastfeed some (although, you're right, not as long as I would have liked). My first never nursed despite our efforts. Some women may not be able to breastfeed at all for various reasons. My point was simply that some women cannot, and I just think other women especially should be considerate of that.
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for breastfeeding & encourage it.

(my second was diagnosed at 6 wks)…

I know right! I was all ready to start BF my baby shortly after birth and this nurse comes in out of no where with a bottle all set and started squirting it all over, I was like um, excuse me, no, I haven't done this before but I am pretty sure I am capable of feeding my baby with out your "help". I am glad they are going to start looking at BF as the normal and formula as the secondary after there is complications or what have you.

I think this is amazing. My son was in the NICU & I STILL had formula samples in my room. When the drs decided he wasn't gaining enough they put him on a formula supplement when I kept saying I was worried how much vomit (not spit up) he was producing, even after the formula supplement. Turns out he's allergic to dairy; still is at 1yr old. The thing the formula was causing severe GERD issues & that's why he was losing so much weight. Once I stopped ingesting dairy & HE stopped the formula samples he was right as rain & kept growing & meeting milestones. Putting formula samples in the rooms of mothers who have CLEARLY expressed their wish to bf does undermine her decision.

As an older person that tried to breast feed, there are sometimes problems that you can not breast feed…I find nothing wrong or right about it…It is a personal thing….I have daughters that breast feed their babies and think it is great…but the child on the cover is way to old to be breast feeding or on a bottle…that I have a problem with.

I have always believed that breast feeding was best. It is better for the baby. But it is totally up to the mom and what she is comfortable with. I started breast feeding my first child but found that he was allergic to it. After that I did not try with my second. The mom needs to read everything that she can get her hands on and decide for herself what she wants to do.

Go Back and read the whole thing. He is NOT forcing any woman to do anything. Yes it should be the Mothers decision after reading all the information from both sides. And don't feed you babies a bottle when they are 5. Or breast feed then when they are old enough to get on your lap, unbutton your shirt and take your breast out of your bra and put it in their mouth. Who is the crazy lazy one here Mom!!

not all woman can breastfeed. and not from lack of wanting to but because they cant do it phycially. so stop trying to control people. it none of your god dame business.

I think that all mothers should have the right to choose how they feed their child. As someone who breastfed my first for 6 months (with formula supplementation), and my second for 12 months, I can see how hospitals can slowly cause 'undecided' moms to lean toward formula. With my first, I was hoping to breastfeed, but she was small, and slightly jaundice, so I added formula into our daily regimen to "help improve her health". Once you start supplementing, it is very difficult to swith totally to bf, so I was reliant on formula until I totally dried up at 6 mos. With my son, I educated myself more, and became more stubborn. I was INSISTENT at the hospital to bf, and was still 'encouraged' to add some formula at night and get some rest (our lactation consultant was only available during the daytime hours.) I refused, and requested my baby sleep in the room with me. (I wasn't sleeping well, anyway!) When we discharged, he had lost weight, and again formula was added as an option. At his 1 wk checkup, he was slightly jaundiced, and this time the pediatrician told me if it didn't improve, I would have to put him under the lights, and told me formula would probably improve his condition the fastest. I am stubborn and stuck to my guns, and what do you know, his condition improved on breast milk! I did not get my full supply in til about 8 days out. I totally agree that women should have a choice, but how many times is a mom that chooses formula right away given a pump, encouraged by a lactation nurse, or scared into breastfeeding? Never. If a mom makes the choice to breastfeed, she should be given a few weeks or so WITHOUT mention of formula, to really try it out. You can STOP breastfeeding whenever you choose, but you can NOT decide to start a week after you give birth (or if you did try to get your milk going it would be exceptionally difficult.) I applaud the mayor's idea. He is not choosing for moms, rather making sure they have time to make a strong, unbiased decision on what is right for them. For those of you worried about the cost of the lactation nurse, think of the cost of all the mom's that leave the hospital on WIC, and the amount of dollars it costs to provide formula for their babies for 12 months. 3 days of paying for a nurse helping numberous moms during her shift would be much cheaper as well.

I've always thought that there was way too much hype associated w/ formula. I don't object to it's use being tracked in hospitals but also think the gov has too much they should be doing rather than messing in people's individual decisions. When I had my kids, formula was only recommended if the mother couldn't breast feed and the child was allergic to cow's milk. Now it's considered the norm and no one talks about cow's milk. I'd rather have my child either on breast milk which wasn't possible for me or cow's milk….. more natural!

I know that I always wanted to breast feed my babies, but my milk was always late comming in, and it never stayed long. I actually had to take medication to keep my milk up. While I was in the hospital with my third child the nurses were not very nice about giving me bottles of formula for my son. It hurt my feelings. It wasn't like I didn't want to feed him mommy milk, I just didn't have any to feed him, and I didn't want him to go hungry. So, while I do think mom's should be educated about the benifits of mothers milk vs. formula, I don't think it's right to make a mother feel bad about giving formula. It's a very emotional time.

i agree brandy!!

I Know, they were very RUDE with me all 3 times, but i didn't get milk either and when i did it dried up fast…but i've seen alot of babies fussy and cranky cuz they were hungry, i just couldnt stand to see a baby unhappy and hungry so out comes the bottle and formula and my babies were very healthy and never sick or ear infections, so formula worked great for me and my daughter and my daycare babies

This isn't about making any mother feed a certain way! This is all about respecting a mothers choice in how she will feed her baby and then supporting that choice. Most women in this country want to breastfeed but don't meet their goals because they don't have the support they need, don't get help if they are having problems or questions and most importantly because our culture sees formula feeding as normal and doesn't have supports in place to keep women breastfeeding. A mothers choice on how she will feed her baby doesn't change the facts about the superiorty of human milk vs formula.

You can't make someone feel guilty about a choice they have made if that choice has been made with all the available information. Guilt comes when you learn their was information nobody told you about that would have changed the choice you made. Giving formula to a breastfeeding mother at discharge is like handing a diabetic patient cake and cookies when they are discharged. What kind of message are the hospitals sending?

We need to once again learn what normal is! When we know how a normal baby acts and how a womens body works to provide for that baby their will be a lot less concern about baby's being hungry and not having enough milk!

This has nothing to do with who "can't breastfeed" and why. No one is taking formula away. They are treating it like any other food substitute. Patients in hospitals are given normal food on a tray, unless for some reason they can't eat it, and then they're given something else. No big deal. Same with formula. It will be assumed that babies will be fed a normal diet – which means breastmilk. If for some reason they can't have it (mom can't or doesn't want to breastfeed) they are given formula. Why is this such a big deal for you?? Oh, and as for why a pediatrician "puts a baby on formula" (and who says it gets to be the dr's choice anyway?) – often times the dr pressures mom to supplement because the baby hasn't gained enough over his birth weight – but the birth weight was artificially and temporarily inflated by Mom having an IV during her birth, so the baby actually is gaining weight just fine. And what about formula is supposedly so much better for babies anyway? In what way would a "stressed" baby or one that isn't gaining enough weight benefit by being "put on" formula??

but then who paid for the formula that you had to use once the free samples ran out? someone pays for all this. it doesn't grow on the formula tree. you pay big bucks for it later down the line, even if you do get to enjoy getting something for "free" now.

I think it's really sad that you didn't have the support you needed to figure out what in your diet was causing your child's problems. And even worse that you didn't even bother with your second. True breastmilk allergy is practically nonexistent – usually it's something in the mother's diet, and usually it's not an actual allergy anyway, but an intolerance. Eliminating the floodgate of formula that's pushed on new moms, and working to help moms breastfeed more successfully, would be a wonderful thing for everyone.

If Bloomberg is for it, its a bad idea.

Why should she go through all that. I tried breastfeeding, but my baby kept loosing weight. If I had another child, I would not breastfeed. Why? I hated it. I felt CHAINED to my baby. Bottle for me is easier. Period. Yep, after two weeks of bed rest I want to be able to go as I please. Yes, that means holding, rocking, and cuddling my baby while feeding her a bottle. Then she sleeps for a couple of hours, I can get some stuff done.

I agree with you on the point of lactation consultants, when i had my daughter this woman came in for like 10 minutes and was completely rude to me and we couldn't get my daughter latch on. So, instead of moving to formula, I pumped my breast milk and bottle fed it to my daughter. Unfortunately even that option is seen as unacceptable to most people.

If men breastfed–this wouldn't even be a discussion.

If men gave birth there would be no babies!!