(Have you seen this cute meme yet? I didn’t create it, but I have adopted it for the week)
Yesterday (July 30,) news broke that NYC mayor, Michael Bloomberg, has decided to ban formula from hospitals. This, of course, led to cheers and jeers, especially in light of the recent “Big Glup-gate,” but before we jump to any conclusions, why don’t we take a look at what the NYC mayor is really doing (and it’s really not that bad.)
“Latch On: NYC” is a citywide initiative to better support mothers who choose to breastfeed. It proposes doing so by:
- Enforcing the New York State hospital regulation to not supplement breastfeeding infants with formula unless medically indicated and documented on the infant’s
medical chart - Limiting access to infant formula by hospital staff
- Discontinuing the distribution of promotional or free
infant formula - Prohibiting the display and distribution of infant formula advertising or promotional materials in any hospital location
If you are familiar with the WHO-code and/or efforts to make hospitals “breastfeeding-friendly” these guidelines should be of no surprise. Breastfeeding advocates and experts for years have remarked on the correlation between aggressive formula-marketing and decreased breastfeeding rates, despite the formula cans stating “breastfeeding is best.”
For example, in 2006, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report in which they found that:
- the U.S. would save a minimum of $3.6 billion in health care costs and indirect costs, such as parents’ lost wages, if breastfeeding increased to meet these Healthy People* goals.
- Breastfeeding rates are particularly low among infants who participate in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC).
- WIC and non-WIC breastfeeding rates fell short of most national goals, but rates were substantially lower for WIC infants.
- Infant formula marketing targets non-WIC mothers and also reaches WIC mothers. Some of these marketing efforts use the trademarked WIC acronym in promotional materials.
- A majority of studies [we] reviewed that examine giving free formula samples to mothers at hospital discharge found lower breastfeeding rates among both WIC and non-WIC mothers.
So, some of you may be thinking: What’s the big deal with formula being marketed/ available to moms in the hospital? Not every woman wants to breastfeed.
True.
Not every woman wants to breastfeed, but for those ones who DO want to, the elimination of in-your-face-formula can only help. How?
If you have given birth, you know how it is. If you haven’t let me paint you a picture. Labor is hard work. In fact, it’s not called “labor” for nothing, and it could go on for hours. Some hospitals won’t let you eat. And you are tired. Medicated or non-medicated; Vaginal or C-section, you are still working and the work doesn’t stop once you have the baby in your arms. If you choose to breastfeed, you have more work ahead of you… especially within the first few hours post-delivery. So, you are tired, the adrenaline has most likely worn off, you’ve been up for hours and now you have to try to figure out how to get a squalling, wiggly infant to latch on and take a few drops of colostrum. Depending on where you are and who is with you, you might hear:
- “Let me get the LC and let’s figure out what’s happening”
- “I saw a picture of breastfeeding in nursing school. You just have to get baby on!” (this was said to me after having DD1 by my recovery nurse.)
- “It’s OK that you tried, but you are tired. We’ll give your baby some sugar water and a pacifier and you can try again in a few hours.”
- “Nice job trying, but we’ll just give the baby a few ounces of formula to tide him over”
Coming up this week:
Thursday: ACA, breastfeeding and work
Friday: Seven Quick Takes: Breastfeeding in Social Situations
Saturday: Bad Medical Advice
Sunday: Breastfeeding in the Bible
Monday: Modesty and Breastfeeding (Guest Post over at Imperfect Kate)
Tuesday: Avoiding Bottle-feeding guilt
*Healthy People 2010 Targets
Objective 16-19 – Increase the proportion of mothers who breastfeed their babies:
In early postpartum to 75%
At 6 months to 50%
At 12 months to 25%
Exclusively through 3 months to 40%
Exclusively through 6 months to 17%
Related posts:
- How Formula Marketing Came to Be: A Bit of Satire
- Wordless Wednesday: Mama Milk (WBW: Day 4)
- My Top Ten Reasons for Breastfeeding (WBW: Day 2)
- Things I love Thursday: Breastfeeding-friendly Children’s Books (WBW: Day 5)
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Love the boobs! Thank you CCM. Good thing I have a strong will to BF and lots of support because I received lots of nasty after each of my kiddos’ births (3).
I’ve seen some articles that say that mothers who wish to formula feed will have to listen to a lecture or something. I couldn’t find anything on the NYC health page that confirmed this. Do you know any more about that?
That reference is what I’ve seen the most uproar about, “shaming” etc. I feel like I need to know that piece before I form a solid opinion on this – because all the literature on the site you linked to seems to indicate those initiatives apply to women who have already said they plan to breastfeed. Is that other people’s understanding?
Great questions! I based the post only off of what the NYC site showed because I figured that would be the most truthful? But at the same time, the term “shaming” is very subjective. If the MDs and nurses are asked to remind mothers that “breastfeeding is best,” and to be sure that they, indeed, DO want to formula feed (because we all know how litigious we Americans can be) is that considered shaming? IDK.
After having the girls in the hospital, I had to repeat and dissuade the nursing staff who were far too eager to offer sugar water or formula so many times that I was breastfeeding that it got to be kind of irritating… almost as if I had to justify my position. If that is not happening to moms who want to FF, is that good? No.
Thanks for reading and your comment!
Someone else posted an article from the WSJ I believe and it did mention that every time you ask for a bottle you will “get a talking to.” This made me very angry. I am all for breastfeeding but putting mommy guilt on someone is wrong. I personally couldn’t breastfeed. There are people out there that their milk never comes in. Trust me I tried with each of my babies, for months I might add. So yes I think breastfeeding should be shown as an option but I don’t think shaming someone for not choosing that is wrong. And I personally had great nurses and md’s. I never experienced what you mentioned above. No one ever told me just to bottle feed they were very supportive with whatever I wanted and I delivered at 3 different hospitals.
I am glad you are sharing this. Another question that rises is whether the government should tell me what to do, whether I formula feed or nurse, big slurpie or small. Where does it stop?? I think it is a slippery slope.
Thanks for the comment, Katie!
I, too, have been milling around the governmental intervention piece in my head and I think the difference between this and “Slurpie-gate” is that in this case, the government is making breastfeeding a priority (but not taking away the OPTION to formula feed,) while with the Slurpie thing, they want to outright ban large drinks (taking away your option to even buy the large drink.) We’d like to think that hospitals are autonomous places, but the reality is that they are just as subject to outside forces (marketing, pharmaceutical companies) as is the government with lobbyists.
As someone pointed on the FB page, a better situation would be equal marketing coverage (so to speak) for both formula and breastfeeding. Something like, every postpartum mother would have to meet with a LC or something. But that too is flawed.
Thanks for reading!
I just realized that the last sentence should read: If that IS happening to moms who want to FF, is that good? No. Mama brain strikes