If I were not a believer, and if I wanted to sell a dilapidated old cabin located in a swamp full of big ol' hungry alligators, I would consider contacting a formula company to write the ad. It would likely read something like this: Lovely, historic rustic home, with water view, in an area teeming with aquatic wild life that loves interaction with people.
It could be argued that, technically, the words are true, but the message is definitely manipulated.
Once again, I deviate from my intended course. However, I am just going to trust that I have some help in the direction this blog takes with each post. "The heart of man (or woman) plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps." (Prov. 16:9)
The Lord established my steps today. I assisted in a skills fair at the hospital. This means I parked myself at a "station" as some of the areas best RNs came by to learn or refresh on how to instruct women to use a breast pump. During slow times I tried to find other things to do (note to self: bring a book to skills fair next time).
I noticed the cabinet where the discharge "gift" bags were located. I think a better name for them is "formula and breastfeeding literature to steer you toward formula feeding" bags. I opened one. At first glance, the "educational" literature seemed to strongly support breastfeeding. However, if you look more closely, you see words used with such precision it would make a politician smile in admiration and want to take notes.
For starters, lets look at the subtle, but inaccurate, "suggestions" in the following paragraph. I will add my comment after each statement. The formula company's words will be indicated by quotation marks. If you have been reading this blog, you might be able to predict what my comments will be once you read the formula company's statements.
"For some (women) it is important to free up more time and let other family members bond with the baby." Well, it seems the message here is that breastfeeding takes up way too much time and prevents others in the family from bonding with the baby. We ALL know that the only way you can bond with a baby is by feeding it, right? Of course, every dad practically demands to give the baby all of its bottles because that bond is Super Glue tight.
Don't forget, it takes no time at all to prepare formula bottles, and clean them. Or course, it only takes an instant to pack up the formula, bottles, brushes, warmers, etc. when going on a trip. Those pesky breasts are so inconvenient to take along!
Since formula increases the risks of a whole bushel full of illness for babies, think of all the time you will save. How? You won't have to do the things you need or want to do because you are driving to the doctor's office, sitting in the waiting room, seeing the doctor, driving to the drug store, waiting for prescriptions, and driving home! And, work? Oh the convenience catching up on your work load at your employer's after being home with a sick baby for a few days. Still, you can look forward to those more frequent days off to care for a sick baby. Women who breastfeed don't get the mini-"vacations". They have to spend their vacation time on vacation! How inconvenient!
Seriously, I don't know about you, but I don't think waiting for a prescription to be filled while holding a sick baby is the way I would prefer to "bond". None of the other real results of formula feeding appeal to me, either.
"With bottle feeding, you would know exactly how much (your baby) has eaten . . ." Well, this is true. But, is it really important to know the exact amount? Formula contains more "waste" product. This means more poop. Breast milk is very efficiently utilized so there is less waste to pass through the baby. What good is it to measure a food where a significant portion does not benefit the baby? Also, why is it preferable to know how much of an inferior food is going into a baby versus a perfect food? You can know the baby is getting enough intake by a variety of measures (satiety, pees, poops, alertness, weight gain, etc.). I won't even get into the effect of this foreign substance on the environment of the baby's G. I. tract. That info is in a previous post.
"(You) won't need to worry about any medications or choices in your diet which could affect your milk". Really? Every obstetrician, pediatrician, lactation consultant, most mother-baby nurses, and all pharmacists have rapid access to information on the safety of medications for breastfeeding women. In reality, there are very few medications which negatively affect your baby. There are safe alternative medications for some of these unsafe ones. Since most mothers are young and in relatively good health, having to worry about taking a medication is not a day to day event. However, when medication is necessary, a nursing mother should not take any over the counter medication without first checking a reliable source, like her doctor or pharmacist. While a medication might be safe for her baby, there are a few which could cause a problem with her milk supply.
A breastfeeding mom should always remind the physician that she is nursing, how old her baby is, and how many times a day her baby breastfeeds. One medication which might not be advised for a mother of a newborn might safely be taken for the mother of a 10 month old who is larger and is nursing less because solid food makes up part of his diet. The suggestion by the formula companies that medication concerns is really a non-issue in most cases.
Diet, also, is of relatively little concern. Women all over the world eat a variety of foods, including spicy foods. They continue to nourish and protect their children by breastfeeding. Most concerns about diet are cultural. Only rarely, is any part of a healthy diet of concern.
Some families have a significant predisposition to certain allergies, and caution may be advised. Also, there are a few herbs and foods which could cause a decrease in milk supply (check with your lactation consultant if you want a list).
One questions has to be asked: What is preferable? The mother having concern that her baby might have a bit of gas if she ingests a "taboo" food, or that her baby is given an inferior food during its infancy -- a time of critical development -- which can cause life long health issues? Yet, the formula company plays on these, for the most part, unfounded fears.
By the way, do formula companies EVER write about concerns a mother may have about contaminated formula? Formula which was manufactured with a incorrect amount of an ingredient added? The answer is "no". I doubt they have plans to do so in the future, either. Click here for a list of formula recalls over the past years.
Scary, isn't it?
Then there are concerns of formula "spoiling" due to improper preparation at home or being left out of the frig too long. True, formula companies do caution about safe handling, But don't forget how inconvenient breastfeeding is when compared to formula feeding (as they would like you to believe).
Bottom line: there are babies who die or who are permanently damaged because they were given bad or improperly manufactured formula. Babies do not die when they are given sufficient quantities of breast milk (unless mom takes illegal drugs, or a rare disorder has not been diagnosed.)
Hundreds of babies die in the US each year simply because they are simply formula fed instead of breastfed. These deaths are due to health issues which result from a weaker immune system, asthma, etc. which breast milk protects against.
A large number of factors in human milk are not present in formula at all. Formula companies do not list all that is missing from their product. However, they know how to send moms into a tizzy by pushing her "worry about what I eat and how it might hurt my baby" button.
"Vitamin D is one key nutrient that is low in breast milk". Well, this must mean that because it is low, there is something wrong with breast milk, right? But why? Iron is found in low amounts in breast milk, but it is absorbed better than iron in formula. Lactoferrin is also present in milk and in the gut of the breastfed infant. Lactoferrin maximizes the absorption of the iron that IS present in breas tmilk. The iron in breast milk is sufficient until the baby can supplement it by eating solid foods. Similarly, Vitamin D is low in human milk. Vitamin D deficiency can occur in dark skinned babies who are not exposed to sun very often. It can also occur in breastfed babies whose mothers are greatly deficient in Vitamin D. It is only to reach the few who are at risk of developing rickets, a bone disease caused by Vitamin D deficiency, that doctors prescribe Vitamin D for ALL infants. This does increase the sales of companies, including formula companies, which sell Vitamin D drops to parents of practically every baby born in the U.S. I am NOT saying do not give your baby Vitamin D drops; I am just noting that there is some controversy, and why.
Don't forget, according to formula company literature, Vitamin D is "key" nutrient. What about other key components found in breast milk like secretory IGA, or alpha-lactalbumin, just to name two?
"Additionally, it (Vitamin D) supports immune health". This one makes me shake my head. Yes, vitamin D supports immune health, but so do the two factors just noted, along with a myriad of other ingredients in breast milk -- ingredients which are totally absent in formula. Vitamin D, a KEY nutrient supports immune health? For crying out loud, Alpha-lactalbumin attacks tumors. BAM! Talk about immune health!
Marketing formula spiked with Vitamin D as a real "plus" is like comparing a twin engine plane, with one engine not working, to a fighter jet. The difference in the protection provided is huge. The numerous and unduplicable componets in human milk more strongly supports the development of a healthy immune system than does a tiny squirt of Vitamin D added to formula! There is nothing in breast milk to harm the baby's immune system. Many of formula's ingredients harm the baby's immune system! A little extra Vitamin D can not come close to compensating.
As I continued to read the booklet entitled Detailed Guide to Your Newborn's Nutrition and Well-being, tucked inside the gift bag, I learned that "according to recent research published in Pediatrics, these are some reasons moms reported why they supplemented with formula:
- Milk was delayed coming in
- Going back to work
- Didn't feel like the baby was getting enough
- Mom or baby got sick
- Baby had trouble latching on or suckling
- Pumping was too uncomfortable or inconvenient
Well folks, I guess it's time to crack open the formula if any of these situations arise! Certainly, the formula company did not address the fact that proper pre-birth education and post-delivery lactation information, treatment, and support could eliminate the need for supplementation in many of these situations. I have the feeling that the list presented in Pediatrics was addressing the problem of breastfeeding failure. In other words, what could be done to prevent cessation of breastfeeding due to these listed reasons? But, as presented in the formula booklet, it sounded like "these are the valid reasons women choose to breastfeed." Subtle but powerful.
This lists puts into the mind of some woman who read it that if these things occur, SUPPLEMENT! Switch to formula! There was no encouragement that these problems could often be solved without supplementation. Neither did they suggest supplementation could be with human milk, which is recommended by the World Health Organization. Instead, the section continues with
"Whatever your reason for adding formula feeding to our breastfeeding, XXXXX (formula name) provides formula tailored (emphasis mine) to your child's age and nourishes development that helps him reach key milestones."
Well, I would hope the formula wouldn't kill him so he could reach those milestones! And, tailored? Human milk changes throughout the day, and over the weeks and months of a baby's young life to meet her needs. THAT'S tailored. Formula can not change. It may be "off the rack and very poorly fitting", but it is definitely NOT tailored.
Finally, this company, like other formula companies, harps on the old DHA and ARA/AA addition to its formula which makes it "patterned after breast milk".
I took the following photos to highlight formula company marketing "language".
I am not picking on this one company. It is simply a convenient example as it is one of the most purchased brands. Oops, I'm sure they would want to to say here that they are to MOST RECOMMENDED brand by pediatricians, so I will give the Devil his due (great cliche'!).
The back of the can states that (XXXX company's formula) "has DHA and Choline, brain nourishing nutrient found in breast milk". The words are carefully selected to give the impression that the ingredients mentioned are just like those found in breast milk and they function as advertised on the label.
But, let's take a closer look.
Formula companies come up with an average amount based on testing term breast milk, and put that amount into their formula. More importantly, their source for the DHA (and AA/ARA) is quite different. Formulas made in the US derive DHA from fermented microalgae.
Another long chain fatty acid found in human milk is AA/ARA (arachidonic acid). The source used in formula is a soil fungus. Both are grown and extracted in a lab. The addition of these ingredients increases the cost by 15% to 25%, yet there is little evidence they provide "clinically significant improvements in vision and intelligence in healthy term infants."(Walker, 2011)
There are many potential problems which the use of these types of long chain fatty acids from the sources mentioned can cause. Research continues. We do know that these additives can act differently in the body than does human DHA and AA/ARA. The question is, how different and are there any unwanted effects? Again, research is ongoing, but is suggests that problems exist.
Cornucopia, an organization which engages in "educational activities supporting the ecological principles and economic wisdom underlying sustainable and organic agriculture" has researched the use of these additives in infant formula. Their findings can be read at
http://cornucopia.org/DHA/DHA_QuestionsAnswers.pdf.
You may want to check out all of their articles on formula and these additives. VERY interesting. And yes, scary, too.
At this point, I am not going to address the addition of choline, other than to say, "one more down, hundreds to go", meaning they have decided to add another nutrient found among the hundreds in human milk. Addition of a "super" new nutrient equals a new marketing campaign. It will propagates the myth that formula is now even more like breast milk. So close, in fact, one might expect the formula can to be at risk for becoming engorged.
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| Scroll to the right to see all of this poster. Copyright C.Hendricks www.BirthingandBreastfeeding.com. Used with permission. |
Because formula companies are so adept at "information with a 'spin'", I would not have them write an ad for human milk. If they did, it would probably go like this: Unstable, vitamin D deficient, inconvenient, unmeasurable, initially messy liquid which causes loose stools in the newborn.
Unadulterated truth would require it to be written this way: Bioactive, all nutrient sufficient, readily dispensable, efficient superior food. May require initial learning curve for correct delivery, but perfect for setting up a protective G.I tract environment in the newborn.
Proverbs 15:4 tells us "The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit."
In the case of declaring the "message of mother's milk", proclaiming the truth does, in reality, bring life. It brings a life of normal good health, and in some cases, prevents death.
How many human spirits have been crushed by sick babies ?
What happens to the spirit, when someone realizes they received food that negatively affected their own mental and physical development and health? What happens to the spirit of the woman who is fighting breast, ovarian, or uterine cancer if she learns that the time she could have spent giving her children perfect nutrition could have also decrease her own chance of developing this dreaded disease? Don't you think she would have wanted to have been told the truth decades earlier?
When struggling with the health care consequences associated with my own exposure to "formula" as an infant, there are times my own spirit is a bit cast down. When I think of how gracious God was in letting me learn about the health benefits of breastfeeding for my children and for myself, so I could make this informed choice, my spirit is encouraged. Now, after learning so much more about the wonders of human milk and God's intricate design for breastfeeding, I experience a special joy knowing that my grandchildren have or are receiving such a great foundation for health which will benefit them all of their lives. I am happy, too, that my daughter in law is investing in her own life long good health. I pray that the information in this blog will reach many women so they, too, can enjoy the gift of good health as a result of God's gift of breastfeeding.
Wouldn't it be nice if formula companies simply advertised the truth about their product? Well, even though it does not and can not closely resemble breast milk, it does provide basic nutrition, as Dr. Ruth Lawrence, a physician and expert in human lactation stated -- just before she said that it "staves off starvation and predisposes to obesity."
Although I am beginning to have some questions due to some of the additives, formula is still considered to be better than plain cows milk, goats milk, "plant milk", or the milk of any species -- except the human species. And, if a mother can not or chooses not to breastfeed, and pasteurized human milk is not
available, then formula is the next choice recommended by health care organizations.
But, something tells me that if more women really knew the difference in formula and breast milk, many more would elect to breastfeed. I happen to think most people of my gender are just that smart. Too bad so many of our physicians and hospitals don't have the education or the determination, or both, to lay out the truth. I suspect formula companies hope they never develop that determination. They likely devise marketing schemes to squash that development.
If formula companies did adhere to the spirit of truth in advertising, most women would learn the real facts about the differences in the feeding options. After all, formula company's current, skewed, "educational" literature is in practically every obstetrician's office in America.
Formula companies know if they listed the risks involved for mother and baby due to formula feeding, their sales would plummet. But surely that would not be a problem for companies with such a strong desire to promote the health of our mothers and babies? Right? RIGHT?
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