Even though the formulas were all different, when one read the marketing material, it was easy to see that these companies strove to convince the consumer that their products were the same, or just as good, as mother's milk. In fact, their advertising was so strong in this area, they actually violated the World Health Organizations code for the marketing of breast milk substitutes.
Obviously, all fourteen (and others), were made from different formulations, so it is clear they can not all be like breast milk. Breast milk, like the "breast milk" of animals, is species specific. This means that human milk is perfect for human babies. Whale's milk is best for whale calves, sow's milk is best for piglets, and so on. When a baby of one species is fed only the milk of another species, it often becomes sickly or dies.
The following two photos show breast milk and formula magnified to the same degree. Years ago, while working at a children's hospital, I asked Dr. Stephen Buescher, MD, who had years of experience researching breast milk, to take photos of each type of milk on a microscopic level. I wanted to use these to show mothers of premature or sick babies admitted to the NICU that there really was a difference between their milk and the artificial baby milks the formula companies supplied. Once women saw and understood their milk could truly be life saving for their babies, many more of them wanted to provide their babies with their own milk.
Dr. Buescher's photos have been widely circulated and have caused many an "ah ha!" moment among new mothers and among health care professionals. You, too, will be able to see the difference below.
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| Human Milk -- Full of living cells to nourish/protect |
Breast milk contains antibodies provided by the mother, along with things like enzymes or living cells, including macrophages. These function to combat illness- causing bacteria and viruses. Breast milk helps digest itself in the baby's gut. This allows maximum absorption of nutrients by the infant.
Certain sugars called oligosaccharides, interact with bacteria. Depending on the type of bacteria present in the baby's gut, the growth of illness causing bacteria is suppressed while the growth of organisms which affect the environment of the G.I. tract in a positive way is encouraged. (More on some of these and other ingredients and actions of human milk will be discussed later.)
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| Formula -- NO living protective cells |
God's "formula" is available in more than fourteen different formulations. In fact, His "recipes" are too intricate and numerous to count. Breast milk changes according to the baby's needs.
The milk a mother provides for her pre-term or premature baby is different than the milk she provides when the baby reaches term age (near the due date). The composition of milk changes during a feeding, and during the days, weeks, and months of a baby's life. It changes to meet the challenges required by germs the baby has been exposed to. As her baby's nutritional and immunological and health protection needs change, mother's milk changes with it.
God, in His infinite wisdom and in His love for the precious little ones He forms in the womb, makes countless "formulas" through the factory of the mother's breast. It is made to specifications established before Eve gave birth to her first child. It is a perfect design, and has worked beautifully over mankind's history. Of course, sin taints all aspects of life. Breastfeeding is not perfect in every circumstance. However, it seems to be a type of vaccination and even antidote for most of the physical threats to babies sin brought into this world.
Breast milk formulation does not need the help of humans. In fact, humans can and have made mistakes in artificial baby milk preparation which have resulted in disability and death in many babies. Even "properly" prepared ABM is responsible for almost a thousand infant deaths each year in the U.S. alone (meaning, these babies died because they were NOT breastfed).
God's formula does not need slick advertising to sell it to the public. It does not require money to purchase it. It fact, if it ever could be duplicated in a factory, it would likely cost so much people could not buy it.
In its 2012 policy statement on breastfeeding, the American Academy of Pediatricians said due to what has been learned about the effects of breastfeeding on the health of the infant, breastfeeding was no longer considered simply a lifestyle choice, but a health care decision.
Sadly, a fairly recent study indicated that a greater percentage of women than in previous years believe formula and breast milk are equal choices for infant feeding. How can this be?
While our government sees the need to educate the public about nutrition for children and adults, it almost totally neglects education in this most important area of nutrition. Risks of formula feeding, including decreased I.Q.s, increased chance of developing diabetes, asthma, deafness due to ear infections, and certain cancers, etc., are almost never not part of a public service announcement or taught in schools. Have you ever heard this type of education outside of a breastfeeding or childbirth class or mothers support group meeting?
Why not? Partly it is because formula companies are very powerful. They contribute large sums of money to campaigns where the elected officials are cooperative with the interests of their major donors. They have financial or marketing influence with professional medical organizations because of their size and large bank accounts.
Billions of dollars per year in the U.S. alone could be saved if women breastfed their babies for at least 6 months. This savings includes decreased health care costs, decreased funds spent for WIC programs, and decreased productivity throughout the life span of the formula fed infants. Still, the risks of formula feeding are not readily exposed to the general population. Those true risks are not really made known to the target group -- pregnant women -- for that matter.
Formula companies are guilty of deceptive advertising, yet it is allowed to continue. Women read literature from formula companies while waiting for their OB appointments. They receive free parenting magazines funded, in part, by formula company ads. Most hospitals give out formula without discussing its risk. Formula companies send out free cases of their product, even when the expectant mother has not requested it. The "gift of formula" often arrives at the doorstep during the baby's first growth spurt. The mother is concerned her milk supply is too low, so she gives her baby some of this "free" formula. Soon that mother begins loosing her milk supply and she is forced to wean sooner than she wanted to. The formula company wins and has claimed another source of revenue. The mother and baby, and yes, society, looses.
(Growth spurts occur at around 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, 4 months, and 6 months. Mama' milk made her baby grow. Baby need more food. Baby nurses more often for a few days. Mom's milk supply increases. Baby goes back to his "normal" feeding pattern. Mama and baby are happy!).
In a way, formula feeding is an "intervention". Technically, it is a health care intervention. There is no other area of health care where an intervention is implemented while withholding information on its pros and cons due to fear that it might make the patient feel guilty.
When was the last time a cardiologist failed to provide a patient with the risks of eating a diet high in trans fats because he or she was afraid the patient might feel guilty if the patient continued eating such food? In what other fields of health care is information limited because of fear that the provider may loose money or other perks if some company withdrew it's support?
We hear almost daily, of the dangers of high salt, high bad fats, or high sugar foods or other substances or practices which endanger our health. Physicians don't withhold this information from their patients. The food industry does not provide educational materials to physician offices on why some people choose to serve their families food containing these dangerous components. Samples of or coupons for these foods are not given out when people leave the cardiac unit of the hospital. Yet, women are given free cans of artificial baby milk with the hospitals blessings -- and NO information about its risks.
Younger girls do not get the chance to learn about breastfeeding during their school years when kids are taught the importance of a healthful diet. Instead television shows where breast milk is something gross which you spit out if you drink it by mistake.
The expectant mother usually learns of the risks of formula only if she does some extensive reading on her own after locating literature or web sites which honestly address this issue. Or, she might be fortunate enough to take a class where factual, unadulterated information is given. Otherwise, she is bombarded with "education" from formula companies.
Some hospitals are concerned they might not receive all the freebies or reduced prices on other products offered by formula companies if they strongly promote exclusive breastfeeding. This is absolutely outrageous! The rights of the patient to be informed of the risks of the food they plan to feed their babies -- risks which affect the health of themselves and their babies over both lifespans -- are ignored.
Breastfeeding should be the standard of care for new mothers and babies. Women can be told by their OBs that if they choose to formula feed, they should bring their own formula to the hospital. Or, the hospital can purchase and charge for formula to be given to women who request it AFTER they have been informed of the risks of formula feeding.
In either case. the choice of the mother must be respected -- only she knows what is going on in her life at the time and what she feels is "do-able" with regard of infant feeding. But, there is no requirement that less than optimal food be made available to her to give to her newborn for free while she is in the hospital. The one exception could be the very rare cases where breastfeeding is not possible.
The return on investment to formula companies when they provide free formula to hospitals is huge. Studies clearly show that this practice leads to breastfeeding problems. It leads to many women switching to formula as a result of those problems. And the formula companies keep counting the profits.
In many cases, health care providers, based on formula company literature and perks, have come to embrace the "party line" of "Breast is best, but formula is very good, too". Formula has been represented as the standard; breast milk offers a little bonus. As a result, physicians don't inform their patients prior to delivery about the real risks of formula. They usually just cite "It's better for the baby" -- whatever that means.
However, if you continue to read this blog, or read good literature about breastfeeding (including what the Office of the Surgeon General, the Centers for Disease Control, the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the World Health Organization, and other professional and governmental organizations have to say about breastfeeding and breastfeeding education) you will see that God absolutely knew what He was doing
when He created those soft containers on a woman's chest to manufacture and deliver sweet nourishment and specific protection to her off spring. There is a bonus, too. They provide comfort and delight for her baby, too.
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| Photograph of Quinn by Ana June, anajunecreations.com |
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