7.01.2008

More on Formula


While perusing my 'regularly scheduled blog-reads', I happened upon a link to the Wikipedia page on Infant formula. This is actually a really great article, with lots of citations and completely thorough.

Taken from the friend-bloggers post,

"In reading one of many breastfeeding books, one of the authors noted that health statistics are usually quoted in a way to make formula feeding seem the norm. For instance, it will talk about how that breastfeeding “reduces the risk” of a baby being obese or becoming diabetic — as if formula-fed infants are the standard, and breastfed infants are the variation. Instead, he pointed out that it would be more accurate to say that formula-feeding increases the risk of a baby being obese or becoming diabetic. Sounds worse that way, doesn’t it? But it’s true."

From the Wiki-article... In studies, formula-feeding is associated with increased likelihood of the following conditions in infants:

For more interesting reading, check out Tricks of the Infant Food Industry. It is very insightful, and very enraging.

Did you know, those of you in my neck of the woods, that there is a pediatricians office in this area that insists that breastfeeding women give their children one bottle of formula before leaving the hospital, to 'show they can make a bottle'? Another pediatricians office in this area has standing orders that all breast-feeding women go home with 'Similac bags only' - none of the breastfeeding literature or support information. None of the breastfeeding mom's bags. Hmmm....

2 comments:

CappuccinosMom said...

Interesting how a simple change of language can change the whole perspective. Very cool. :)

I wonder about the list though--I'm assuming many of those things are more correlation than causation, am I right? Quite a few I can see would be directly linked to formula, but many others might be related to the lifestyles of those who use formula, no?

Anonymous said...

Wow - that is really horrifying. Can you imagine how many more women would breastfeed if they had this information?

So many women (if not most of them) believe that formula is an equal alternative and it simply is not.

Thanks for the great post.

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