In the news: NYC Mayor tells hospitals to 'hide' baby formula

katea81

Wow this is a doozy. What do you ladies think? 

Sorry, don't know how to clicky. If someone wants to make it clicky, be my guest! 

https://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/mayor_knows_breast_WqU1iYRQvwbEkDuvn0vb1H

btartaroind

Firstly, it is definitely the right of the mom to choose to breastfeed or to bottlefeed.

Secondly, that wouldn't go over well for mothers who aren't producing, have latch issues, or other circumstances where they cannot breastfeed (one of those right here!)

katea81

btartaroind:

Secondly, that wouldn't go over well for mothers who aren't producing, have latch issues, or other circumstances where they cannot breastfeed (one of those right here!)

 

Yep, include me in that category as well. From what I understand from the article, if you can't BF then they'll give you formula. But they won't give it to you just because you don't want to BF.  

kristin172429

While I think that breastfeeding is best for a baby, I absolutely believe it is each parent's choice.  This is overboard.  Yes, they should eliminate advertisements and freebies all over the place, but if a mother says "I will be formula feeding" - give her the stinking formula without a lecture.  If you want to provide some info with the first bottle, be it a brochure or a quick conversation, fine.  Formula is not medicine, it's food!  It shouldn't be a hassle for a mother to feed her child.  This is just going to lead to parents bringing formula to the hospital instead of trying to get it there. 

sparks2987

wow! That sums it up.

most the time you are only in the hospital for a few days, you have tons of support at the hospital, it is when you go home that it is hard. They should be putting in more support for BFing mommas and more places to pump and feel comfortable in public nursing.  I dont think hiding formula is going to do anything.

Bottom line I will do what I want to do with MY child BF or FF, hiding formula or giving me a "talking to" isnt going to change my mind

btw I FF from birth after I was convinced I would BF, it didnt happen for us and I decided I would rather have my child FF than starve. In that moment if someone would have lectured me about FF or told me to keep trying after I was done, I would have flipped. I didnt care about anything other than my baby hadnt eatten in almost 5 hours.

mac&chip1

Ugh, the mayor is acting like that 1 or 2 small cans of formula you get will last parents months versus several days.

It's not like that 2-day supply of formula is what's making moms not BF. Aside from low supply and meds that make it impossible, BFing is just hard. Especially, if you're a working mom with a sucky maternity leave policy. I feel like male politicians who have a vendetta against formula seem to be forgetting this.

kristin172429

mac&chip1:

Ugh, the mayor is acting like that 1 or 2 small cans of formula you get will last parents months versus several days.

It's not like that 2-day supply of formula is what's making moms not BF. Aside from low supply and meds that make it impossible, BFing is just hard. Especially, if you're a working mom with a sucky maternity leave policy. I feel like male politicians who have a vendetta against formula seem to be forgetting this.

Yeah, maybe he should focusing on improving maternity/parental leaves.  I'll get on board with that.   

On a related note: Bloomberg is off his rocker lately!  

fredpuma

I think it would be a better idea to come up with a consistent protocol on educating mothers about the benefits of breastfeeding, what they can realistically expect, problems that are common, how long it will take to feel normal about it (weeks!), and where to get help when you leave the hospital. Formula shouldn't be offered of a mom wants to breastfeed. In my opinion it made it hard to still through building a supply knowing I has formula sitting in the room. But if a mom chooses to ff, formula should be given freely with no guilt.

Jen0204

By the time women give birth I would guess the vast majority of them have made up their minds as to how they will be feeding their child.  I would have been furious if after having a c-section early, 1 baby in the NICU, and being stressed and exhausted physically and emotionally I had people trying to push me in either direction.  It is MY choice.  Of course, for my baby who went right to the NICU they gave her formula almost immediately, but with my other baby I tried to BF and had a lot of issues and couldn't even express a drop of colostrum so finally the next morning I told the nurses that we could supplement if they thought we needed it.  The formula was always right there in the drawer but it was never pushed on me or hidden.

First the mayor of Boston says that Chick-fil-a can't open in Boston and now the mayor of NY is trying to force breastfeeding.  Isn't this country supposed to be based on freedom?  I agree with the mayor of Boston that gay marriage should be legal and I agree with the mayor of NY that BFing is best (even though I couldn't), but who are they to push their beliefs and choices onto everyone else?

runrinserepeat

mac&chip1:

Ugh, the mayor is acting like that 1 or 2 small cans of formula you get will last parents months versus several days.

It's not like that 2-day supply of formula is what's making moms not BF. Aside from low supply and meds that make it impossible, BFing is just hard. Especially, if you're a working mom with a sucky maternity leave policy. I feel like male politicians who have a vendetta against formula seem to be forgetting this.

ITA with the bold. The hospital stay is a few days. BFing is a struggle for much longer than that. I think he's focusing on the wrong part.

SapphireDreamRock

I just watched this on the news (haven't read the article yet). I agree that there should be more education on the benefits of BFing (preferably before giving birth). But it should be a personal choice to bf or not. I got SO angry when someone reporting quoted that "only 3% of women truly cannot bf." I have been BFing since day 1, but my milk has never really come in. After three weeks of constant feedings 12+ times/ day & pumping after nearly every feed, dd was not gaining weight & was miserable. I was taking several different drugs that were supposed to boost my supply, eating oatmeal & fenugreek etc.--I spent several hundred dollars just to try & bf as much as possible. I starting supplementing w/ an ounce after feedings & she started thriving. I still take the drugs & mother's lactation drops but now nurse twice a day & pump 5-6 times to get a TOTAL of 5 oz per day. I didn't mean to go on & on--sorry--but it infuriates me to hear that only 3% can't bf because even on this board alone there seems to be a higher % of women that couldn't bf for various reasons. Maybe it is 3%, or maybe they mean women who can't bf at all--but it just really pis**d me off. Ok, stepping down now.

kittyh8r

I think I can make a decision on how to feed my baby, and don't need help from the Mayer...thank you very much. MEN. Since when should they have a say in stuff like this.

dmsny

I'd like to comment in this since I am the only one here who gave birth in a NYC hospital. I had Olivia at NYU Langone, one of the hospitals mentioned in the article. NYU has a designation as a "baby friendly" hospital, meaning they want you to breast feed. We went to the BF class and it was very very heavy emphasis on BF. However the instructor also said if you decide it's not for you, own your decision and don't look back. When Olivia was born, I BF in the hospital and tried for a few days. It was the hospital's decision to give her formula since she was losing weight, not mine.  If this would be the policy at the hospitals I see nothing wrong with it.  If I had gone in saying i did not want to BF, it would have been okay with the hospital. They even offered to give her formula during the night if I did not want to get up.  

ShannonE & JustinS

I haven't decided whether I think this is a good idea or not but I want to offer a different perspective and see how you guys feel.  Sorry its kinda long. 

sidenote: I talk about the nurses in the hospital.  I am not criticizing nurses!!!!!!  I loved all of the nurses in the hospital and thought they were fantastic.  I'm more just talking about how well intentioned nurses sometimes accidentally hurt breastfeeding efforts because they are trying to be caring of the babies and mommies!!!!

First, I feel like the hospital after delivery is not the place to be making decisions on how to feed.  I think in this country we need to do a better job of educating and supporting pregnant woman about breastfeeding.  It is really difficult and from what I've seen most women will have to fight to do it.  I am a breastfeeding mom and I had to fight so hard to keep breastfeeding.  It took 10 weeks before I could feed without intense pain and a lot of bleeding and scabbing.  I think my experience could have been better.  I delivered 40 min from where I live and I feel like I didn't know where to turn after I left the hospital and I was having problems.  I think we need greater support after we leave the hospital from LC's, OB's, pediatricians, friends, family, and work!  I feel like our society should be more supportive and educated in general on breastfeeding.

Second, I don't know about you girls but I feel like sometimes, even with the best of intentions, the nurses at the hospital sabatoge breastfeeding efforts with formula.  Babies lose weight at the hospital.  My baby lost 10 oz after he was born but he gained all back by 2 weeks and is perfectly healthy.  He had no need for formula for weight loss in the hospital.  But, as a new mom, I didn't know what was ok and what wasn't.  If a nurse had suggested my baby was starving and that his weight loss was unhealthy and told me he needed formula I might have caved.  Especially in the crazy emotional state you are in after delivery.  Babies don't need to eat after birth.  They have a full tummy from the amniotic fluid.  Their stomachs are tiny and colostrum is all they need.  But, instead of the nurses reassuring you that the baby is fine I feel like they lean toward making sure the baby is fed constantly.  Constant breastfeeding after birth is more about bringing in the milk than filling up the baby.  I had my little guy wednesday afternoon.  Thursday night he cried and "clusterfed" until 4am!  In my post delivery emotional sleep deprived state if the nurses had come and taken him and given him a bottle of formula I might not have had my milk supply come rushing in on saturday night! 

I think nurse suggested supplementing actually seriously affected my friends supply and maybe killed her chance to breastfeed even though she wanted to.  That and she had latching issues and like me didn't really know how to get help.  She is formula feeding now and everythings going fine but I think she feels a lot of guilt and sadness over not being able to breastfeed.  Maybe if the formula had been under lock and key she might have had more support to keep trying. 

Ok, so don't flame me please!!!  Like I said, I don't know if this is really the best solution but it does make me happy that someone in the US is standing up and saying breastfeeding is good and important and we want to do things to help moms to do it.  I think we need more people and businesses to support new mothers!!!  My position is any change in this country that supports mothers and families is good in my book.  I work for a huge company that is very man driven.  They have no maternity or paternity leave policy other than FMLA and short term disability.  I have to use my male boss's office to pump(he is actually really good about it). 

Ok enough, I would love to have a spirited happy discussion on this!!