Breast feeding vs formula concern?

Question

Has anybody heard about this legislation that New York is trying to pass making it illegal for women who have just given birth to feed formula or recieve formula from the hospital for their baby? I was just wondering what everyone thinks about this.

Does the government have the right to decide what we should do with our bodies? I mean, with the abortion legislation that they passed, i feel they were stepping over the line. I mean, the last time the government interfered with personal relations and choice about this sort of stuff, was in Roe vs Wade...which said that a woman has the right to take birth control.

Are we going backwards in terms of women's rights? If you have health complications and can't breast-feed, or don't have enough money to buy yourself nutritous food (like the lower-class who this legislation would affect the most) then wouldn't formula be the best choice for your family?

Some hospitals have already started this new policy..

All the politicians wo are behind this legislation are men

I don't think the hospitals are taking into consideration that the new moms are being kicked out of the hospital after 24 hours...not nearly enough time to recuperate or getadaquete training in how to breast feed.

Contrary to what what many men believe, breast feeding is not an instinct, and both mother and child need time to get used to it

And yes, I know that humans are mamals and produce milk for a reason, but it still takes time to get used to it

And dehydration and malnutrition on the part of the woman can lead to her breasts being dried out...so what then?

Is the government willing to pay for groceries for those women who need the most help getting access to nutritous food? If not, how do they expect this to be beneficial to anyone?

Can they charge the women with child neglect if they don't breast feed their child, or if their breast milk doesn't have enough nutrition?

Sorry for the rant...but i really want to know what everyone thinks about this.

To doodlestuff and WI Mom...not everyone carries insurance the US is in a major crisis becaouse of this...and most people have to go straight back to work, because they do not have the support or available income to stay with their kids, and if you only work for 30 hrs, that doesn't qualify you for insuarance, so you may be able to spend time with your kid but you can't afford insurance...what then?

BTW-have you noticed how every political presidential candidate is adressing the healthcare crisis in one way or another? Or do you not pay attention to what's going on in the news and have become so dissilusioned?

Answer 1

Giving out free formula discourages women from breastfeeding. Breastfeeding saves the state a fortune. The free formula was just marketing by the company. You can get free formula from the formula companies if you want it, just write them. If you have so little money that you can't get nutritious food, then WIC is available (it provides about $35/mo for nutritious food for Mom). The bill/law does not mean that you can't get formula in the hospital if you need it. Just not the home going samples.

As mentioned in the article below, hospitals don't give out freebees for other people who are hospitalized, so the fact that you get any gift bag is something. There is nothing wrong with bringing in your own formula.

I disagree with the poster above. Most health insurance, including mine, has a $2 million lifetime limit for the entire family on the policy. If you have a couple of sick preemies and a really sick kid, you could exhaust your coverage (and some of that coverage has been used up by a woman who lied about who the kid's father is).

Answer 2

I don't really have an opinion about the new law.

"I don't think the hospitals are taking into consideration that the new moms are being kicked out of the hospital after 24 hours...not nearly enough time to recuperate or getadaquete training in how to breast feed"

I thought that statement was bit odd. I opted for early release. I would have LOVED to go home after 12 hrs but they don't allow it. I didn't recieve any breastfeeding support at the hospital, they sceduled an appointment with a lactation consultant for 3 days later.

WIC - the same program that pays for infant formula DOES pay for nutritious food for low-income breastfeeding moms.

Answer 3

Feeding your infant formula is not illegal in NYC hospitals...they are not giving away free samples anymore. No one can tell you what to feed your baby.
I understand why they are promoting breastfeeding...having both nursed a child and formula fed a child, I do think breastfeeding is best, but ultimately that decision is the mother's. Sometimes the decision is made by the mother's body and it's inability to produce enough milk.
As for the governments interference in this family issue, it all boils down to money. Breastfed babies tend to be healthier and obviously the food is free. Formula fed babies need more doctor's visit incurring medical bills, and of course formula is expensive, especially if the infant needs to be on a specially made formula like Alimentum or Nutramigen.
If the mother is a welfare recipient then the state has to foot the bill for the formula/medical bills.
I agree with the previous poster...if you want to formula feed your baby, you better pack a can in your hospital bag.

Answer 4

wow... it is WAY more expensive to buy a can of the "good formula" (nothing is better than breatmilk) every week then buy healthy food. the mother should eat healthier when she is breast feeding butdont you think she should while pregnant? if she continues the same diet as when the child was in utero the baby will be eating the same nutrients and be fine..
as for the government stepping in ...they couldnt make it illegal to formula feed. maybe not let hospitals just give it away. but the first part of the milk that comes out has the most nutrients, the baby needs this for their first meal to fight infection. no formula can replace this. i think the government is just now starting to look out for the babys' and childrens rights....

Answer 5

WOW! That is absolutely crazy and wrong! Obviously the people who are trying to pass this legislation have no idea how difficult breast feeding is! They've obviously never been on an OB floor giving encouragement to new mothers who try and try to breastfeed without success, and who are often so frustrated after the stress of a long labor and that breastfeeding isn't working for them or their babies that they feel like they want to slam their head against a wall and rip all of the IVs out of their skin and scream. I am a mother and in the past, I worked as a nurse on an OB floor. Some mothers can't breast feed. Period. Whether it's for medical reasons or becuase the mother isn't producing enough milk or she isn't comfortable with it, or the baby won't latch on, or other reasons, sometimes it just doesn't work. Personally, I tried breast feeding, but I didn't have enough milk - my daughter was born at 7 lbs 7 oz, and in the first month of her life, she didn't gain any weight at all. At her one month check up, she weight in at a whopping 7 lbs. That's not healthy at all. It wasn't like I wasn't feeding her often either. I would nurse her for 30 minutes to an hour, then twenty minutes to a half hour later, she'd want to eat again. It was horrible. I hated it, and she wasn't bennefitting from it. It was also very embarrassing to do around people. It's not for everyone. Ever since the beginning of time, women have been supplementing milk for their infants with goat milk and cow milk. Today we have formula, with DHA and ARA, the same nutrients found in breast milk. I think that it should be totally up to the mother if she wants to breast feed or formula feed. Hospitals would be starving babies if they chose to do this. After all, isn't America supposed to be a free country? Isn't it for "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness"? And if they do this, then they've just taken away those inalieable rights Life - if you deny an infant food they could die. Liberty - the freedom and liberty to feed your child formula if you so choose. And Happiness - because if momma ain't happy - ain' t nooooo body happy! I also agree with you that some peopel just can't stay home. Period. It takes two incomes for most people! These mothers have to go back to work after two to six weeks, and that's how long it takes to even establish breastfeeding, so what's the point? Formula is just as good. You have to do whatever you have to do. These law makers need to realize that.

Answer 6

SLOW DOWN! LOL!

They are NOT trying to prevent women from getting formula in a hospital---they are stopping hospitals from serving as free advertising for formula companies by GIVING AWAY free formula in the "new mommy" packages that they give out.

It is the free formula packs that are under discussion. A woman who gives birth and says "I want formula for my baby" will still be given formula while in the hospital.

FYI Formula is SUPER expensive. Formula companies want to encourage women to give up on nursing and get "hooked" on formula because they want the $$$$.

When you said "or don't have enough money to buy yourself nutritious food (like the lower-class who this legislation would affect the most" it is really the opposite. Feeding yourself a healthy diet is MUCH cheaper than buying formula.

Answer 7

I personally do not agree that the government should control By any mean the choices a mother has for breastfeeding her baby or not(formula).
this choice is the mother 's only....
But I do agree that breastfeeding is the best and gives the baby the best nutrients and immunization for future.
I believe allot of women can breast feed but are not patient enough, and go to formula to fast...
as far as feeding the mother who is breastfeeding is not more expensive than eating before pregnancy..(drink loads of water, eat less fruit, eat veg , meat, fish, milk products,)
a mother should breast feed if she can and should be more patient and give her best to do it..
only if blood comes out of infection then change to formula...
formula milk is a" government product " to make profit for the nations......
In Africa babies are all breast feed and they turn out OK even though mother aren't well feed....
have a great day....

Answer 8

You can't be reading that policy correctly. I attempted to breastfeed, but was ultimately a failure. The hospital pushed and pushed and kept saying "be patient" but my milk never came in. When my son went from 8 lbs 3 oz at birth down to 6 lbs 10 oz, they finally said enough is enough. I begged them for formula or for advice on what formula to buy, and they literally wouldn't tell me until he lost so much weight. Next time I'll just be downright rude, because I'm not putting another child through that again.

Studies show that breastfeeding is nutritionally better for infants. That being said, some women, like me, will never be able to breast feed due to hormonal imbalances, schedules, etc. My guess is, as a cost-cutting feature, the hospitals are deciding that if you plan to formula-feed your baby you need to bring a can of the powder formula with you in the diaper bag when you deliver and mix it yourself. Formula is expensive, so I can see why they'd make those cuts. And they aren't telling you that you absolutely have to breastfeed. They are telling you that if you choose the formula route, you should come prepared. I even packed diapers in my bag to go to the hospital because I wasn't sure what the hospital would provide. I see nothing wrong with coming prepared.

Answer 9

While I haven't heard of them trying to pass legislation to make it illegal for formula in hospitals, I know that they have banned the free formula samples that used to be given in gift bags at the hospitals and will now have a t-shirt and breast feeding information in them instead.

Answer 10

I agree only because the US government does things in the interest of money only. Just look at what he FDA regulates and what they DON'T have to tell us is going into our foods- like if they are genetically modified---like the corn that is sterilized so it can't make more corn....but same things that sterilize plants can do that to humans....

Stand in line at the post office and you can see first hand why the government should not be in our daily business. Although breastfeeding IS best- the gov. is NOT always doing things in our best interest.

*Mothers should trust their natural intincts as a mother. It has served us well from the beginning.