The debate rages on over breastfeeding vs formula. I, for one, am glad that New York City's hospitals are no longer including formula in the goody bag sent home with new mothers. It's not a debatable fact that breast milk is best for babies so including a breast milk bottle cooler and a baby T-shirt that says “I eat at mom’s” only makes sense. Rather than giving new mom's the means to give up early, they're supporting nature's way.
http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2007/07/31/ … -new-moms/
http://www.townhall.com/news/health/200 … aby_bottle
Nearly three-quarters of new mothers in the United States are breast-feeding their babies, but they are quitting too soon and resorting to infant formula too often, federal health officials said Thursday.
A government survey found that only about 30 percent of new moms are feeding their babies breast milk alone three months after birth. At six months, only 11 percent are breast-feeding exclusively. Formula isn't as good at protecting babies against diseases, eczema and childhood obesity. Ideally, nearly all mothers should breast-feed their babies for six months or more, said Dr. David Paige, a Johns Hopkins University reproductive health expert.
But many do not because of their jobs, the inconvenience, and perhaps because of convincing advertising for baby formula. What's wrong with giving a baby a bottle every once in a while? Not much, except it can begin a pattern as a child sucks at the breast less, causing less stimulation needed to produce milk, Paige said. "It creates a downward spiral," he said, adding that often, a woman then moves away from breast-feeding altogether.
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Whatcha think? Should they still include formula?
http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2007/07/31/ … -new-moms/
http://www.townhall.com/news/health/200 … aby_bottle
Nearly three-quarters of new mothers in the United States are breast-feeding their babies, but they are quitting too soon and resorting to infant formula too often, federal health officials said Thursday.
A government survey found that only about 30 percent of new moms are feeding their babies breast milk alone three months after birth. At six months, only 11 percent are breast-feeding exclusively. Formula isn't as good at protecting babies against diseases, eczema and childhood obesity. Ideally, nearly all mothers should breast-feed their babies for six months or more, said Dr. David Paige, a Johns Hopkins University reproductive health expert.
But many do not because of their jobs, the inconvenience, and perhaps because of convincing advertising for baby formula. What's wrong with giving a baby a bottle every once in a while? Not much, except it can begin a pattern as a child sucks at the breast less, causing less stimulation needed to produce milk, Paige said. "It creates a downward spiral," he said, adding that often, a woman then moves away from breast-feeding altogether.
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Whatcha think? Should they still include formula?
