Here's the headline & Article: NYC Hospitals Ban Baby Bottles, Formula to Boost Breast Feeding
WTH? When I first heard about this while watching The View yesterday (and ironically nursing JSL) it made my blood boil. I sat there listening to Elisabeth get upset over the entire thing. Since then it is all over the news and papers. Just now on Today the doctor (Nancy Schneiderman) got upset with how what she said are men telling women how to use their bodies.
Who gives the government the right to tell a woman how to feed her child? Those first days are stressful enough without a trusted place like a hospital not helping a new mother and hungry newborn. Nursing an infant is not something that comes easily for most people. Babies and moms often have latching issues in the early weeks. Nobody will argue with the studies that breastfeeding is beneficial for children, but what about those people that choose not to — no less those that can't.
Earth to Ding-dongs . . . . you read that right many woman have no othere choice. Why? Here are a few of the reasons off the top of my head:
1. Some women NEVER get milk in. My mother was one of these women. She tried to nurse me for quite some time, but she never had anything. She finally was told by my pediatrician that I was still losing too much weight and was not getting anything when nursing. I actually worried with my first pregnancy that I would not get milk, but I was lucky and have the opposite issue. A good friend also had this happen to her. Her daughter and I are fine. I was formula fed because of need and my friend's child received goat's milk (another wonderful alternative to formula).
2. Some women may need to stop nursing to take medications. People who suffer from chronic conditions often require to restart medicines soon after they give birth. Many of these women internally battle making this choice and cry over it. It is a brave thing to do to stop medicine to bring a miracle into the world and they must not be guilted into accepting pain. A happy, healthy mom taking care of a formula fed baby is the right choice for them.
3. Many women have PPD that requires them to take antidepresents (sorry Tom, but it is real). Facing this head on requires courage to face the fact and do what is best for the woman and her family. A mommy who can not function due to depression is not a good help to a baby, so forget the breastfeeding and bond while bottle feeding if need be.
4. Some babies just never get the latching thing. Many reasons can attribute to this. When I had NHL he was not able to latch to me. I have flat, inverted nipples and large breasts that made it impossible for him to latch. I had HORRIBLE lactation consultants at that first hospital. When I called them up a day after I left for help and told them I had double mastitis they told me just to give up. I was a stubborn person who was not going to give up, but I'm sure many people have thanks to this lack of support. I bought a hand pump and pumped for NHL's first 2-3 months of life. Then someone told me about nipple shields and I was able to get him to latch on and eventually do it with no assistance until he was almost 1 years old. With JSL I was armed and ready to fight for what I wanted. I had a nipple shield with me in the hospital and went to a different place to give birth. Here there were 2 amazing lactation consultants and nurses that sat with me for hours trying to get him to latch and nurse. It took him 2 1/2 weeks (I pumped all that time) but he finally got it. I could completely see why someone might have given up, but I was too pig-headed to do that. It burned me when someone once said to me “Oh pumping is so much easier!” How so? It took me twice as long. I had to pump the milk and then sit and feed it to the baby. GRRRR!
5. Lack of support from others. The pressure of nursing and time involved can be tough with everything else that comes with a new born. If your family and support system doesn't help it can be a daunting thing to try to do with a newborn.
On that note I am done ranting and am off to take care of my little guy. I'm sure we have not heard the last of this from NYC. It will be interesting to see how it plays out in the days to come.
C'est Moi
.
