Monday, April 5, 2010

Another million dollar "DUH!"

My oldest is going to be 32 this year. Back in 1978 there was plenty of evidence that breast fed babies were significantly healthier than non breast fed babies. That's all we needed to know. It's gotta be a no-brainer in 2010.
Unless there is a real good reason, all children should get breast milk. Those who don't feed their children the proper way (from a real live breast) ought to be charged with child neglect.

The other thing that needs to be done is for society to stop with the ridiculous taboo attitude about breast feeding. Mothers shouldn't be made to feel at all bashful about breast feeding their babies wherever and whenever the need arises.

If you don't like it, put a fucking blanket over your ignorant pea brained fucking head.

Study: Breast-feeding would save lives, money
AP
By LINDSEY TANNER, AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner, Ap Medical Writer – Mon Apr 5, 1:53 pm ET

CHICAGO – The lives of nearly 900 babies would be saved each year, along with billions of dollars, if 90 percent of U.S. women fed their babies breast milk only for the first six months of life, a cost analysis says.

Those startling results, published online Monday in the journal Pediatrics, are only an estimate. But several experts who reviewed the analysis said the methods and conclusions seem sound.

"The health care system has got to be aware that breast-feeding makes a profound difference," said Dr. Ruth Lawrence, who heads the American Academy of Pediatrics' breast-feeding section.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes but the baby formula business is multi billion dollar industry.

When I had my firstborn son in 77 they were still drying up the breastmilk in hospitals as standard operatin procedure,and your baby got formula from the git go. My son had a terrible time wih that crappy Similac. When my second son was born I breast feeding had come back into vogue so i breast fed him.
Well guess what? My oldest son gets sick at the drop of a hat, the second son, strong as an ox!
I can't forgive those companies....

Fuzzbone said...

My wife has serious medical issues that requires her to take medications and precludes her breast feeding. When my daughter was born in 2006, the enormous guilt paced on mothers to be "perfect" contributed to her body chemistry where she suffered from post-partum pregnancy and she had to be hostpitalized.

I for one and thankful for the formula that allowed my daughter to grow up to be healthy, happy and well adjusted. She rarely gets sick.

My wife is pregnant again and she tried her best to try to alter her meds to those that allow breast feeding. Unfortunately the other medications weren't effective for her. We again will have no choice but to bottle feed. But I'm glad as a father this helps me serve my family by sharing the feeding responsbility.

A mother must be healthy to be able to function as mother and wife. There's no end of the amount of guilt laid on pregnant women ane mothers of small children. When my daugther was a baby, condenscending looks were common. It's a good thing those judgemental people never felt the obligation to make a remark openly to me - because I can't predict how I would react...

So while I understand that many people have a choice; the key here is educating people about those choices so they can make informed decisions as to what is best for their families.

But I deplore everyone not to judge others - particularly when you don't know the facts that lead to their decisions.

SagaciousHillbilly said...

Fuzz, I beleive I qualified my statements to preclude any judgement of anyone who is unable to breast feed. . .

"Unless there is a real good reason, all children should get breast milk. "

I would certainly not argue with anyone who has medication issues. It's best not to expose a child to medications.
Have you and your wife looked into some of the organizations that provide supplemental mother's milk to mothers who can't breast feed?

cvmbner said...

Hi SH--

This is Fuzzbone's wife. I really enjoy your blog, but feel you are grossly oversimplifying the issue, and playing directly into patriarchal cultural memes about mothers who make "bad choices" within what is presumed to be a set of free-will choices which reflect individual mothers' moral characters.

When we look at the percentage of American mothers who nurse their infants, particularly at 6 months and beyond, it's abysmal compared to many other prosperous nations. So, I guess we have to ascribe this to one of two factors:

1) "Neglectful," irresponsible mothers who know what is best for their babies, but refuse to provide it because they are selfish and/or dumb

2) A complex web of obstacles to successful breast-feeding, including the following: lack of adequate postpartum support in hospitals; lactation-unfriendly workplaces and public policies; cultural and familial taboos and misinformation about breast-feeding; lack of emotional and practical support for nursing mothers (particularly in underprivileged communities); and, in my case, the high cost (up to $80 per day) and low availability of donor breastmilk for all but the most ill and vulnerable babies.

I know of very few mothers who have not heard that "breast is best." I know of many mothers who hate themselves for years because they perceive themselves to have "failed" at this fundamental task, mostly for factors beyond their immediate control.

Your argument reminds me of the heyday of welfare reform, 1997-98, when I worked for the state welfare agency. Mothers were regularly exhorted--and required--to work, while the state provided no subsidized childcare and expected women without cars to travel to whatever jobs they could find. It just didn't work for many families, and I shudder to think how many mothers simply felt terrible about themselves. I fear your rash comments may have the same effect.

cvmbner said...

Hi SH--

This is Fuzzbone's wife. I really enjoy your blog, but feel you are grossly oversimplifying the issue, and playing directly into patriarchal cultural memes about mothers who make "bad choices" within what is presumed to be a set of free-will choices which reflect individual mothers' moral characters.

When we look at the percentage of American mothers who nurse their infants, particularly at 6 months and beyond, it's abysmal compared to many other prosperous nations. So, I guess we have to ascribe this to one of two factors:

1) "Neglectful," irresponsible mothers who know what is best for their babies, but refuse to provide it because they are selfish and/or dumb

2) A complex web of obstacles to successful breast-feeding, including the following: lack of adequate postpartum support in hospitals; lactation-unfriendly workplaces and public policies; cultural and familial taboos and misinformation about breast-feeding; lack of emotional and practical support for nursing mothers (particularly in underprivileged communities); and, in my case, the high cost (up to $80 per day) and low availability of donor breastmilk for all but the most ill and vulnerable babies.

I know of very few mothers who have not heard that "breast is best." I know of many mothers who hate themselves for years because they perceive themselves to have "failed" at this fundamental task, mostly for factors beyond their immediate control.

Your argument reminds me of the heyday of welfare reform, 1997-98, when I worked for the state welfare agency. Mothers were regularly exhorted--and required--to work, while the state provided no subsidized childcare and expected women without cars to travel to whatever jobs they could find. It just didn't work for many families, and I shudder to think how many mothers simply felt terrible about themselves. I fear your rash comments may have the same effect.