Mayim Bialik : Don't fall for that similac commercial

[anna7602]

Feb 5, 2015 9:54:34 GMT -5 countthestars said:

Feb 5, 2015 9:49:26 GMT -5 @tokenhoser said:

That is where the rhetoric of breastfeeding benefits being inconsequential gets dangerous. If there's no particular advantage to breastfeeding, why support it? Why put public funds into helping a woman meet her breastfeeding goals if it doesn't matter? If FF is entirely equal to (or better than) BF, then we end up where we were 50 years ago.

Maybe I'm being dense, but what's so bad about "where we were 50 years ago", at least in the US and Canada? Also, I'd argue that the ingredients in formula has come quite a long way in 50 years.  

The idea of what could have been in that breast milk-drying shot they gave to women makes me shudder. I'm not 50, but I think I'm older than a lot of the posters on this board, and I have siblings and siblings-in-law closer to 50. When my mother gave birth to me, they didn't just offer her the shot because she raised her hand and said she preferred to formula-feed. They gave it to her because it's what her doctor highly recommended and it's what every woman around her was getting. That doesn't exactly sound like a choice to me. Meanwhile, DH's mother was questioned left and right about her "hippie" decision to breastfeed her children.

I do think we've come a long way in the last 50 years in this country. I'm not going to touch the international stuff because my experience with it (not in Africa, elsewhere) makes it hard for me to determine how much of it was formula company marketing and how much of it was fucked-up cultural stuff that equates spending money on a product (in this case, formula) with loving your children more.

[countthestars]

Feb 5, 2015 9:55:52 GMT -5 @tokenhoser said:

Feb 5, 2015 9:54:34 GMT -5 countthestars said:

Maybe I'm being dense, but what's so bad about "where we were 50 years ago", at least in the US and Canada? Also, I'd argue that the ingredients in formula has come quite a long way in 50 years.  

I meant that breastfeeding initiation rates were 21%. As in, 79% of mothers did not try, even one time, to breastfeed.

I obviously do believe that breastfeeding is beneficial in numerous ways for both mother and baby, so that, to me, would not be a great thing to return to.

That's fair.

[meltoine]

When the had DS1 I didn't see a hospital LC at all. She worked M-F 9-5 and he was born late Friday night and we were discharged Sunday morning. Thankfully my aunt is an LC and she came to visit Saturday.

I did choose his first pedi because he had an LC on staff, though.

Also, the ACA requires coverage for LCs, so check your insurance.

One of our hospitals downtown has a breastfeeding clinic staffed by RN/IBCLCs that anyone can walk into at any time for free help. It's amazing.

[jeaniebueller]

In MI, through the WIC program and its actually open to anyone regardless of income, you can have a health dept nurse come to your home when your baby is a week or two old for a weight check and just to answer any questions you may have about....anything baby related. We participated even though I am not on WIC and it was awesome, especially since we see the pedi at one week old and not until two months old. It was great to have a medical professional look at the baby and reassure me and to answer questions. And as far as my house went, the nurse assured me that I had nothing to worry about and that she had seen much much worse

[nachos]

In my part of Canada, the hospital just let the LC go. There is lots of support for aboriginal women in the community (healthy baby club, breastfeeding clinics etc), but nothing for people without status.

I'll be getting my support from books and the internet.

I understand their desire to educate aboriginal women on healthy lifestyles, but fail to see why there can't be things like breastfeeding support groups for ALL moms in our community. Same goes for play groups.

[Deleted]

Feb 5, 2015 12:31:45 GMT -5 nachos said:

I understand their desire to educate aboriginal women on healthy lifestyles, but fail to see why there can't be things like breastfeeding support groups for ALL moms in our community. Same goes for play groups.

That kind of segregation is not helping anyone. The systemic racism in Canada isn't going anywhere when we don't mix with each other and get to know people as real, normal people.

I'm sorry to hear that's the case where you live.

[gibbinator]

Feb 5, 2015 12:31:45 GMT -5 nachos said:

In my part of Canada, the hospital just let the LC go. There is lots of support for aboriginal women in the community (healthy baby club, breastfeeding clinics etc), but nothing for people without status.

I'll be getting my support from books and the internet.

I understand their desire to educate aboriginal women on healthy lifestyles, but fail to see why there can't be things like breastfeeding support groups for ALL moms in our community. Same goes for play groups.

Yeah. This is a different exclusion but, my local hospital (not the one that does births) used to run a mom's group and prenatal classes open to everyone (dads too) that covered all kinds of different child rearing topics. Unfortunately their funding was cut and now it's only offered to you if public health categorizes you as "at risk" (aka poor). Everyone else gets referred to a website.

[nachos]

Feb 5, 2015 12:33:37 GMT -5 @tokenhoser said:

Feb 5, 2015 12:31:45 GMT -5 nachos said:

I understand their desire to educate aboriginal women on healthy lifestyles, but fail to see why there can't be things like breastfeeding support groups for ALL moms in our community. Same goes for play groups.

That kind of segregation is not helping anyone. The systemic racism in Canada isn't going anywhere when we don't mix with each other and get to know people as real, normal people.

I'm sorry to hear that's the case where you live.

Exactly. I know that the European settlers and missionaries did lots of messed up stuff, but that was the past. 

[nachos]

Feb 5, 2015 12:37:26 GMT -5 gibbinator said:

Feb 5, 2015 12:31:45 GMT -5 nachos said:

In my part of Canada, the hospital just let the LC go. There is lots of support for aboriginal women in the community (healthy baby club, breastfeeding clinics etc), but nothing for people without status.

I'll be getting my support from books and the internet.

I understand their desire to educate aboriginal women on healthy lifestyles, but fail to see why there can't be things like breastfeeding support groups for ALL moms in our community. Same goes for play groups.

Yeah. This is a different exclusion but, my local hospital (not the one that does births) used to run a mom's group and prenatal classes open to everyone (dads too) that covered all kinds of different child rearing topics. Unfortunately their funding was cut and now it's only offered to you if public health categorizes you as "at risk" (aka poor). Everyone else gets referred to a website.

We had a great program in the provincial capital, much like this. Everyone could avail of the groups, moms and dads, and there were bi-weekly weigh in clinics with BF support. As far as I know, it's still going on there. The population in this community is growing, but the programs are not.

The only difference was that the "at risk" people also had access to an additional program where they could receive food vouchers and extra information about healthy living. They were also encouraged to come to all groups, not just that one.

I think that sort of program is necessary, but not to the detriment of other new parents. We all have questions and concerns, regardless of background.

Support for everyone!!!