That's a pretty tough line to take for the working mom whose milk has dried up, despite her best efforts at pumping. You try raising a healthy baby on thin air, then tell us how access to formula - the right kind of formula, mind you, isn't absolutely central to your life.
Your privilege is showing, and zo is your ignorance.
Actually, I'm neither ignorant nor privileged. I've lived somewhere around the poverty line much of my life. I've also had three kids, all of whom, for various reasons were bottle babies and looking back on it, I kind of regret not having had the opportunity to breastfeed them. I fully understand the necessity for baby formula for some women, but I also feel that there is a lot of reluctance to breastfeed in America because of the embarrassment surrounding the exposure of the female breast - an embarrassment which possibly dates back to America's Puritan roots. The baby formula industry is almost certainly cashing in on this reluctance.
To make ends meet, many women must work at jobs that make it difficult for them to keep up a pumping routine. Many employers are not sympathetic or helpful to breastfeeding employees. I feel lucky that I was able to work at home as a freelance editor, which made it easy for me to breastfeed both of my babies. Not every working Mom is so fortunate as I was.
Well, Amazon gives birthing parents 20 weeks of paid leave, which is far better than most U.S. employers. But pediatricians recommend that babies be exclusively breastfed for 6 months and subsequently breastfed with supplemental foods until they are a year old or longer. So, yes, I had Amazon warehouse workers in mind, among many others.
Wow. ThatтАЩs insensitive to the working class families that depend on the mom to support them. DonтАЩt you find it ironic that as theyтАЩre subjecting women to less reproductive rights, theyтАЩre not addressing the needs of children, babies, mothers? Horrible maternity leave, no healthcare support, dismantling education. George Carlin was perfectly right, as always, they use the rights of the unborn because itтАЩs easy, then youтАЩre out in the cold once youтАЩre born.
From a mom who tried desperately to breastfeed for almost a month before realizing it just wasn't going to happen, that stings, Talia. I will always, always remember the tears falling as I tried and failed to feed my hungry baby. It was awful and painful (physically and emotionally) as well as costly as I tried every therapy and option myself and my lactation doula could think of. Plenty of moms who use formula would love to breastfeed instead. It isn't always convenience that drives the decision. And docs in the US and other Western countries have been promoting breastfeeding for a couple of decades as the best option, and regulations have been cutting direct marketing to docs. Dig back in older news about companies promoting formula over breast and you'll find the bigger influence was in poorer countries where cost and access to clean water were huge issues for parents who believed they were doing the right thing to trust the companies and doctors telling them formula was better.
Natalie-you are exactly correct. Back in the early 70s Nestles went into poor indigenous areas of Mexico and gave free samples of baby formula to mothers promoting it as being better than breast milk. When the mothersтАЩ breast milk dried up the free samples of baby formula was gone and you know the restтАж
I once had a job where the supervisor timed your trips to the rest room and you had to get permission to go. If you took too many trips or too much time your pay was docked. I didnтАЩt stay long at the job.
Your snark aside, I'm very well aware of its benefits тАФ our healthy son, now 16, is a prime example. He was breast-fed for two years. When his mom returned to work, she used a breast pump and stored bottles of milk. Guess who was in charge of cleaning the pump and the bottles?
And where is my wife at this very moment? Scouring store shelves for baby formula to help her very distraught coworker, who can't breastfeed and whose infant has allergies to certain formula.
Have her look for goatтАЩs milk instead. May be even buy directly from a goat farm. It will contain all of the nutrients a baby needs. A female goat has two teats and produces colostrum just like women.
I maintain this stance as do many women. We cast a wary eye when men have opinions on our bodies. And I promise you that helping is not the same. The intense and immense biological changes that occur when a woman conceives are impossible to imagine for any man.
Did I say it was the same? Don't be absurd. As a member of a family that had a baby (despite some major challenges) and helped in many ways, can I voice an opinion? Of course. And when did I express an opinion on women's bodies in this discussion?
One thing to mention here. Some of us have been fighting for women's' rights for literally decades. This includes the societal issues around breastfeeding. At this point we are exhausted, deeply upset and fearful for women's futures in this Country. Any rhetoric is most likely to be loaded with emotion. We are bereft and are in a grief process. I personally vacillate between rage and tears on a daily basis. So please accept my sincere apologies for any snark.
ItтАЩs a shortage due to lack of productivity due to an Abbott plant in Michigan being shut down due to contaminated formula due to the FDA not getting on top of the the problem due to the Trump Administration gutting the FDA. A whistleblower called it out back in Oct of 2021. Judd at Popular Info spells it out. And price gouging. Of course, we are not hearing these details on the MSM.
Actually, I just heard about the Abbott plant shutdown on MSNBC this morning. Nothing, of course, about the gutting of the FDA contributing to the Abbott plant shutdown.
Right on Pam. And another thing, why in the sam heck does any woman have to DEFEND her choice to breast or bottle feed????? Dang. What in the world? Butt out armchair judge and juries. IтАЩm sick of it. ItтАЩs always on women to defend every independent choice. LikeтАж. Oops, sorry, got out from under somebodyтАЩs thumb for one hot minute. Pretty soon we will have to put in a request to the male boss to wear pants/slacks to work.
O God...I remember those days. Believe it or not, I even remember when the male members of the church had to vote on whether the women could finally vote! Not that long ago either...around 40 years ago. I'm NOT going back!
My thought exactly. I breastfed all three of my babies and never bought a single can of formula. But back in the late sixties and seventies the La Leche League was a truly great support movement that helped new mothers relearn the knowledge that had been distorted and suppressed by mainstream doctors and the baby formula industry.
When one of my daughters-in-law was having problems breastfeeding her newborn 13 years ago, I suggested the La Leche League. My sister-in-law who was a former LLL leader put her in touch with the local chapter where she lived. My d-i-l then learned that the LLL had been told they had to stop тАШpracticing medicine without a licenseтАЩ and requiring them to refer mothers who were having issues (most of which could be easily solved) to lactation consultants at $250 a visit. Too bad for mothers who couldnтАЩt afford a тАШprofessionalтАЩ and would in many cases give up and turn to chemical-filled formula sold by a giant industry.
It was sickening and sad to learn of that weakening of a truly wonderful women-led movement ,and IтАЩm sure the formula lobby had a lot to do with it.
My daughterтАЩs best friend had a double mastectomy at age 33 due to breast cancer; a year later she had her first child. Breast feeding is not an option for every mother.
Agree with you Joan. Lack of sensitivity has manifested itself amongst many of us since the beginning of mr maga's campaign. I see those comments here being pretty smartly (as in, ouch!!) dealt with.
Breast is best, itтАЩs ideal for the babyтАЩs development, and itтАЩs cheap! But not every mother can do it, so formula sells, and parents freak out when the supply runs low.
Back in the olden days when bullies didn't get all the attention, there were nursing rooms where mothers could go. Other modern countries have generous maternity leave for moms to nurse and bond. President Biden is right that huge monopolies are causing problems and remember that magats think regulations and regulatory agencies are--boo hoo--unfair and unnecessary. Look at what FDA is doing to protect the safety of infant formula. https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-takes-important-steps-improve-supply-infant-and-specialty-formula-products. It's almost as if someone thought "we did toilet paper already. What can we do now to panic them and criticize Biden? Let's start hoarding!" And elect the guy who said the government is not a shipping clerk!
There is nothing тАЬwrongтАЭ with breast feeding. Did someone say not to breastfeed? ItтАЩs not the answer for everyone. What this comment says to me is not only are women going to be forced the birth they will be forced to breast feed for a an entire year. Breast feeding was a total failure for my first child, it work perfectly for my 2 and 3rd. I had to double pump on my 25 min lunch break as a teacher and on my conference period. That got old fast. I lasted 6 months. ItтАЩs a personal choice, at least for NOW.
Do not fall into the trap of the breast milk vs formula debate. ItтАЩs a kind of dog-whistle. Draw upon compassion instead. People caring for an infant may or may not have the choice for all kinds of reasons.
What's wrong with breastfeeding? Maybe baby formula manufacture SHOULDN'T be a "key industry" much less a centrepiece!
That's a pretty tough line to take for the working mom whose milk has dried up, despite her best efforts at pumping. You try raising a healthy baby on thin air, then tell us how access to formula - the right kind of formula, mind you, isn't absolutely central to your life.
Your privilege is showing, and zo is your ignorance.
And my second child had a cleft palate. This meant she could not nurse. The cost of formula was a strain on my budget.
Ugh, so sorry you had to go through that ЁЯШФ
Agreed.
Actually, I'm neither ignorant nor privileged. I've lived somewhere around the poverty line much of my life. I've also had three kids, all of whom, for various reasons were bottle babies and looking back on it, I kind of regret not having had the opportunity to breastfeed them. I fully understand the necessity for baby formula for some women, but I also feel that there is a lot of reluctance to breastfeed in America because of the embarrassment surrounding the exposure of the female breast - an embarrassment which possibly dates back to America's Puritan roots. The baby formula industry is almost certainly cashing in on this reluctance.
To make ends meet, many women must work at jobs that make it difficult for them to keep up a pumping routine. Many employers are not sympathetic or helpful to breastfeeding employees. I feel lucky that I was able to work at home as a freelance editor, which made it easy for me to breastfeed both of my babies. Not every working Mom is so fortunate as I was.
You mean like Amazon warehouse workers? one of the fastest job growth areas in the US? Yep.
ItтАЩs a job but not anywhere near an ideal job unless youтАЩre in one that has a true union.
Well, Amazon gives birthing parents 20 weeks of paid leave, which is far better than most U.S. employers. But pediatricians recommend that babies be exclusively breastfed for 6 months and subsequently breastfed with supplemental foods until they are a year old or longer. So, yes, I had Amazon warehouse workers in mind, among many others.
Wow. ThatтАЩs insensitive to the working class families that depend on the mom to support them. DonтАЩt you find it ironic that as theyтАЩre subjecting women to less reproductive rights, theyтАЩre not addressing the needs of children, babies, mothers? Horrible maternity leave, no healthcare support, dismantling education. George Carlin was perfectly right, as always, they use the rights of the unborn because itтАЩs easy, then youтАЩre out in the cold once youтАЩre born.
Well, they don't have to worry about feeding and sheltering an embryo or fetus, it's on somebody else.
...which is why they are the party of death and not about life at all.
Not everyone can breastfeed. Do not punish mothers.
From a mom who tried desperately to breastfeed for almost a month before realizing it just wasn't going to happen, that stings, Talia. I will always, always remember the tears falling as I tried and failed to feed my hungry baby. It was awful and painful (physically and emotionally) as well as costly as I tried every therapy and option myself and my lactation doula could think of. Plenty of moms who use formula would love to breastfeed instead. It isn't always convenience that drives the decision. And docs in the US and other Western countries have been promoting breastfeeding for a couple of decades as the best option, and regulations have been cutting direct marketing to docs. Dig back in older news about companies promoting formula over breast and you'll find the bigger influence was in poorer countries where cost and access to clean water were huge issues for parents who believed they were doing the right thing to trust the companies and doctors telling them formula was better.
Natalie-you are exactly correct. Back in the early 70s Nestles went into poor indigenous areas of Mexico and gave free samples of baby formula to mothers promoting it as being better than breast milk. When the mothersтАЩ breast milk dried up the free samples of baby formula was gone and you know the restтАж
I once had a job where the supervisor timed your trips to the rest room and you had to get permission to go. If you took too many trips or too much time your pay was docked. I didnтАЩt stay long at the job.
Sounds like the 1970тАЩs. I too, had to be right at my desk before the bell rang at my job. Guess where thst was? GEICO!
Early 70s it was
Agree on breastfeeding. But for many reasons, many women canтАЩt or choose not too. Desperation among them is real.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/10/us/baby-formula-shortage.html?referringSource=articleShare
Ever breastfed Michael?
Your snark aside, I'm very well aware of its benefits тАФ our healthy son, now 16, is a prime example. He was breast-fed for two years. When his mom returned to work, she used a breast pump and stored bottles of milk. Guess who was in charge of cleaning the pump and the bottles?
And where is my wife at this very moment? Scouring store shelves for baby formula to help her very distraught coworker, who can't breastfeed and whose infant has allergies to certain formula.
Have her look for goatтАЩs milk instead. May be even buy directly from a goat farm. It will contain all of the nutrients a baby needs. A female goat has two teats and produces colostrum just like women.
I maintain this stance as do many women. We cast a wary eye when men have opinions on our bodies. And I promise you that helping is not the same. The intense and immense biological changes that occur when a woman conceives are impossible to imagine for any man.
Did I say it was the same? Don't be absurd. As a member of a family that had a baby (despite some major challenges) and helped in many ways, can I voice an opinion? Of course. And when did I express an opinion on women's bodies in this discussion?
One thing to mention here. Some of us have been fighting for women's' rights for literally decades. This includes the societal issues around breastfeeding. At this point we are exhausted, deeply upset and fearful for women's futures in this Country. Any rhetoric is most likely to be loaded with emotion. We are bereft and are in a grief process. I personally vacillate between rage and tears on a daily basis. So please accept my sincere apologies for any snark.
That is a WTF statement! ABSOLUTELY NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS IF SOMEONE BUYS FORMULA. THE POINT HERE IS NOT
SHOULD OR SHOULDN'T, IT'S PRICE GOUGING!
And No Paid Family Leave and no more child tax credit. Judd at Popular info has a great letter explaining. I highly recommend giving it a read.
I agree Pam, it's price gouging! We can recognize it because of all the other price gouging schemes like fuel.
ItтАЩs a shortage due to lack of productivity due to an Abbott plant in Michigan being shut down due to contaminated formula due to the FDA not getting on top of the the problem due to the Trump Administration gutting the FDA. A whistleblower called it out back in Oct of 2021. Judd at Popular Info spells it out. And price gouging. Of course, we are not hearing these details on the MSM.
Actually, I just heard about the Abbott plant shutdown on MSNBC this morning. Nothing, of course, about the gutting of the FDA contributing to the Abbott plant shutdown.
Right on Pam. And another thing, why in the sam heck does any woman have to DEFEND her choice to breast or bottle feed????? Dang. What in the world? Butt out armchair judge and juries. IтАЩm sick of it. ItтАЩs always on women to defend every independent choice. LikeтАж. Oops, sorry, got out from under somebodyтАЩs thumb for one hot minute. Pretty soon we will have to put in a request to the male boss to wear pants/slacks to work.
Shut It.
O God...I remember those days. Believe it or not, I even remember when the male members of the church had to vote on whether the women could finally vote! Not that long ago either...around 40 years ago. I'm NOT going back!
I hear you loud and clear, Sister!
My thought exactly. I breastfed all three of my babies and never bought a single can of formula. But back in the late sixties and seventies the La Leche League was a truly great support movement that helped new mothers relearn the knowledge that had been distorted and suppressed by mainstream doctors and the baby formula industry.
When one of my daughters-in-law was having problems breastfeeding her newborn 13 years ago, I suggested the La Leche League. My sister-in-law who was a former LLL leader put her in touch with the local chapter where she lived. My d-i-l then learned that the LLL had been told they had to stop тАШpracticing medicine without a licenseтАЩ and requiring them to refer mothers who were having issues (most of which could be easily solved) to lactation consultants at $250 a visit. Too bad for mothers who couldnтАЩt afford a тАШprofessionalтАЩ and would in many cases give up and turn to chemical-filled formula sold by a giant industry.
It was sickening and sad to learn of that weakening of a truly wonderful women-led movement ,and IтАЩm sure the formula lobby had a lot to do with it.
My daughterтАЩs best friend had a double mastectomy at age 33 due to breast cancer; a year later she had her first child. Breast feeding is not an option for every mother.
Your ignorance is showing and your comment is shameful.
And so meanspirited. And some of the Men who have commented here. There are no words
Agree with you Joan. Lack of sensitivity has manifested itself amongst many of us since the beginning of mr maga's campaign. I see those comments here being pretty smartly (as in, ouch!!) dealt with.
Breast is best, itтАЩs ideal for the babyтАЩs development, and itтАЩs cheap! But not every mother can do it, so formula sells, and parents freak out when the supply runs low.
Back in the olden days when bullies didn't get all the attention, there were nursing rooms where mothers could go. Other modern countries have generous maternity leave for moms to nurse and bond. President Biden is right that huge monopolies are causing problems and remember that magats think regulations and regulatory agencies are--boo hoo--unfair and unnecessary. Look at what FDA is doing to protect the safety of infant formula. https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-takes-important-steps-improve-supply-infant-and-specialty-formula-products. It's almost as if someone thought "we did toilet paper already. What can we do now to panic them and criticize Biden? Let's start hoarding!" And elect the guy who said the government is not a shipping clerk!
Nothing wrong with breast feeding but for some women thatтАЩs a luxury they canтАЩt afford.
The issue is maintaining the choice to do what is best for you.
There is nothing тАЬwrongтАЭ with breast feeding. Did someone say not to breastfeed? ItтАЩs not the answer for everyone. What this comment says to me is not only are women going to be forced the birth they will be forced to breast feed for a an entire year. Breast feeding was a total failure for my first child, it work perfectly for my 2 and 3rd. I had to double pump on my 25 min lunch break as a teacher and on my conference period. That got old fast. I lasted 6 months. ItтАЩs a personal choice, at least for NOW.
Do not fall into the trap of the breast milk vs formula debate. ItтАЩs a kind of dog-whistle. Draw upon compassion instead. People caring for an infant may or may not have the choice for all kinds of reasons.