I just got this message in my inbox…
I know you are anti-formula. What about special circumstances?? Premmies??
Preemie Twins?? Just wondering what your thoughts on this are?
What are my thoughts? Hmmm….
First, I think that this is a good read… so that what I say does not look like it was pulled out of thin air or that I am “anti-formula”…
These are a few paragraphs in the main publication on Infant feeding put out by the World Health Organization. (WHO)
Promoting appropriate feeding for infants and
young children
10. Breastfeeding is an unequalled way of providing ideal food for the healthy growth and development of infants; it is also an integral part of the reproductive process with important implications for the health of mothers. As a global public health recommendation, infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life to achieve optimal growth, development and health.Exercising other feeding options
18. The vast majority of mothers can and should breastfeed, just as the vast majority of infants can and should be breastfed. Only under exceptional circumstances can a mother’s milk be considered unsuitable
for her infant. For those few health situations where infants cannot, or should not, be breastfed, the choice of the best alternative – expressed breast milk from an infant’s own mother, breast milk from a healthy wet-nurse or a human-milk bank, or a breast-milk substitute fed with a cup, which is a safer method than a feeding bottle and teat – depends on individual circumstances.
19. For infants who do not receive breast milk, feeding with a suitable breast-milk substitute – for example an infant formula prepared in accordance with applicable Codex Alimentarius standards, or a home-prepared formula with micronutrient supplements – should be demonstrated only by health workers, or other community workers if necessary, and only to the mothers and other family members who need to use it; and the information given should include adequate instructions for appropriate preparation and the health hazards of inappropriate preparation and use. Infants who are not breastfed, for whatever reason, should receive special attention from the health and social welfare system since they constitute a risk group.
From another text….
Is Breastfeeding Important for My Premature Baby?
The milk produced by the mother of a pre-term infant is higher in protein and other nutrients than the milk produced by the mother of a term infant. Human milk also contains lipase, an enzyme that allows the baby to digest fat more efficiently. Your breastfed preemie is less likely to develop infections that are common to babies fed breastmilk substitutes. He will be protected by the immunities in your milk while his own immature immune system is developing.
So… My answer…
In my opinion, A baby born premature should be fed breastmilk with no exception. As the WHO explains, even for Full term children Formula is the FIFTH feeding method recommended and because Formula is being fed, those children become part of a risk group.
A premature infant needs the nutrition, fat, enzymes that breastmilk alone can provide. Premature babies that are fed breastmilk and less likely to develop infections and are protected by the immunities in human milk.
Does my opinion or that of the WHO or LLL mean that we are anti-formula?
I guess to some it does… but really, I do not think so…
Breastmilk and breastfeeding are the norm. There is nothing that equals it.
Formula is inferior. It causes illnesses, it causes children to die, but it is also there for a reason.
There are 1% of women that can not breastfeed physically. There are others that need to take medications that are not compatible with breastfeeding. (there are not many meds that are incompatible, most are OK, but there are some that are not). There are other extreme “special circumstances” also and because milk banks are not availible to all and are still quite rare, as are wet-nurses, Formula is a breastmilk substitute that may be needed.
When breastfeeding in all its forms can not happen it is preferable to give Formula over nothing. But, it doesn’t make it equal nor do not believe that it should be a choice.
Because Formula use brings risks and Infants fed Formula are part of a risk group, I think that the logical step should be that Formula should be availible by prescription. It would be there for those “special circumstances” but it would not be availible otherwise.
I think the main problem is not mom’s that choose to breastfeed, doctors that are badly informed etc… but it is the Formula companies…. they are the ones that see money instead of lives. Formula companies should have to conform to “WHO code” and not be allowed to market to the public, nor give samples, gifts, products etc that promote breastmilk substitutes, but they don’t and they don’t care. I am “Anti-Formula” in that sense.
So… Those are a few of my thoughts…
Here are some more good reads…
HEALTH IMPLICATIONS OF DIRECT ADVERTISING OF INFANT FORMULA (WHO)
Infant Feeding in Emergencies (WHO)
Formula for Disaster
Breastfeeding Premature Infants
Possibly Related Posts:
Leave a comment