Baby talk mag article

[bronco4grl]

Has anyone seen the article in the recent issue of babytalk re: combining breast and bottle? It was saying that things like nipple confusion are exagerrated by bf advocates. Pushed using bottles as early as 2 wks. The article also said that most nursing moms supplement w/ formula, especially if they're working and pumping. The article seemed to push "doing the combo" (bf + formula), which I don't think is a good thing. It is certainly better than all formula, but still. The article focused on how exhausting bf can be rather that the benefits.

[maabell]

I did see the article and it angered me as well. I thought I was the only one. I was really ticked off, I am ready to write a letter. It's ridiculous.

[bronco4grl]

Is it true that most nursing moms supplement w/ formula? I wasn't sure where they got that info.

[maabell]

their "poll"

[sweetkisses]

I haven't read the article but if anyone is upset about it I think you should send them your comments.

[bronco4grl]

I guess I just wanted to find out whether there was any truth to what they were saying before I spout off a response. I don't know any other moms (other than here) that work/pump and bf past the early months.

The focus of the article on convenience rather than devotion to the best for your baby is what bothered me the most. It also bothered me that bf advocates are painted as gung ho crazies.

[gingerbread_ca]

It is ashame that we (meaning Americans) work so hard to avoid being offensive that we will sit on the fence about absolutely everything. I have taken note that in the African American community there is a push to get African American women to breastfeed. We are the least likely to do it. But then there are articles like these, dr and hospitals that give away formula, and advocates who preach "you know what's best for you and your child, if you want to use formula, that's okay too." Well, then, what's the point? Why encourage bf if formula is "just as good"? Why encourage women to do what is best for their babies? Like many other maladies of our society, when are we just going to say what is the fact and stand by it? If there are mothers who can not, for whatever reason, or choose not to breastfeed--fine, but advocates should be advocates, helping the mothers who want to and encouraging those who are undecided and wavering. But someone must hop off the fence!

[maabell]

well said gingerbread

[momahen07]

i saw it and it discussed me as well

[lmj928]

Oh my gosh, I saw that article and thought the same thing - I felt as if I was reading an article from one of those Enfamil magazines they keep sending me!!

[Babyhellfire]

SEND THEM COMMENTS.
I LOTHE babytalks "scoop" on breastfeeding.I HAVE sent them a letter on it before(when dd was young AND It was a similar subject matter) they even put it in ther mag-though they didn't really respond :(

[Queen_au_Kegel]

BabyTalk is a formula sponsored magazine; that's how you can get it for free. They pay for the articles and hte shipping. I forget, off the top of my head, which formula company but turn to the inside cover and therer will be the formula advertisment.

[maabell]

oh... now it makes sense....
but it is connected to Parenting mag.

[lillylove123]

i too read that article and it ACTUALLY ALMOST made me want to start offering formula. ( on ly a thought in my mind for about 1.5 seconds) when i realized i had been drawn in to the FORMULA hyp i was angry!! How easy it would be for a new young mother with little support to fall into the trap of a bottle. they are hoping people fail. or they would have NO MONEY. pardon my language. BUT DAMN YOU FORMULA MAKERS and DAMN YOU BABYTALK mag. . .

its ALMOST as bad as nestle!!

[Marina]

It wouldn't surprise me at all if "most" women supplement with formula.

I'll tell you, outside of LLL circle, I don't know a lot of women who are overly dedicated to breastfeeding.

Part of it is ignorance, part of it is taking what their doctors say at face value, ie., "there's nothing wrong with formula". Part of it societal pressure ("I need a night out with my husband" when the baby is 2 weeks old), and family pressure (grandma says, "I want to watch the baby as a favor to you, just give a bottle of formula so you can rest") as if NONE of this impacts the breastfeeding relationship.

And you know what? They *don't* see it as an impact, because a lot of these women think it is perfectly natural for their babies to "self wean" at 6 to 8 months, if not earlier. They think it is perfectly natural that they don't have milk well past the 3 month mark. They believe THIS to be the norm, rather than what WE here know to be the truth. (That babies don't "self wean" at 6 or 8 months of age!)

[SayaD]

Marina, I agree with you. As a young (and new) mother, it seems as if I'm alone in this world of breastfeeding and everyone (my family, doctors, friends) doesn't see how important exclusively breastfeeding is to me. I'm glad that you brought up this article because I remember reading it while I was pregnant and thinking that I could be like the many combo moms discussed in the article (who claim that breastfeeding & supplementing is more convenient). After all, my sister had given birth to her son 4 months prior to my baby's due date and she seemed to be bfing and supplementing just fine, thus furthering the belief that exclusive bfing was not convenient as bf+supplementing. Little did I know though, her milk supply dwindled to a mere nothing because breastfeeding could never satiate her son. However, my nephew really enjoyed breastfeeding anyway, so he continued to bf. She even introduced the bottle on the first day he came home from the hospital!

I was really under the false pretense that the combo thing worked, so I thought that it was okay to supplement once in a while in instances where my bfing did not work. I am a new mom and no one in my family bfed exclusively, so I didn't realize how TIME CONSUMING the first few weeks should be. My mother kept going on about how I need to supplement bc I don't have enough milk for the baby. She was also worried about the fact that I would spoil my daughter bc Saya was on the breast practically 12 hours a day. So I supplemented when I thought I had no more milk for Saya. I thought I could use the hospital grade pump to build my supply for her, but I could never seem to keep up with her. And little by little, she started taking more of the bottle until the third week when she went on a nursing strike. It really broke my heart that this happened because I felt like she rejected me. When she cried so much every time I tried to offer the breast, I felt like I was traumatizing her infanthood, so I succumbed to the bottle.

I guess I would have been ok with my failed bfing escapade, but then Saya was not taking formula too well. She had major gas pains and started to become really fussy, so I decided that I'll do my best to get her breastfeeding again. I consulted LLL and read every info I could on breastfeeding (they all helped). I spent all the free time I could on pumping in addition to other methods to maintain my supply until Saya will take the breast exclusively. Fortunately, after all the effort, I eventually got Saya to ebf and I've been going on for almost three weeks.

I want to ebf as long as I can. Frankly, I don't know how bfing+supplementing can be any more convenient than ebf. On the contrary, it is exhausting and emotionally draining in my experience. Instead of not having to worry about all the baggage that comes with formula feeding or the time that you spend bfing your baby to build your supply, I was doing twice the work when i did the combo. It did not work for me at all and I remember having spent so many nights crying to myself when Saya wouldn't bf, telling myself that maybe I should just give up on the bfing endeavor and then feeling guilty that I hadn't tried hard enough.

In response to the original poster, Bronco, I am also disappointed that Babytalk was very misleading with this article. I can't seem to find the article anymore, so I don't remember what they exactly said, but I thought that they did mention somewhere along the line that you shouldn't introduce the bottle in the very first 3-4 weeks, when bfing is established. Also, while I don't agree that this is formula propaganda (the formula companies themselves give pretty informative handouts about breastfeeding, although not as comprehensive as LLL's resources), I do agree that it's nearly impossible to bf AND supplement. In my sister's case, I think that she can bf her baby because he enjoys the bonding (as long as she didn't only give him the breast when he was really hungry). I think that nursing moms who supplement can only nurse their babies when their baby is "hankering for a snack." Perhaps the statistics cited in Babytalk were misinterpreted with respect to whether a woman wants to breastfeed her baby for nutritive purposes. Besides, most mothers who supplement start off nursing right? I know it's rhetorical, but perhaps Babytalk has only info from this.

I really sense some resentment towards Babytalk magazine and formula companies in this thread. I think they do a good job giving us parenting information (especially when you're new to EVERYTHING in motherhood and haven't a clue to what resources you should trust), so let us not vindicate them.

[Sashahomeschoolmama]

Oh my gosh, I saw that article and thought the same thing - I felt as if I was reading an article from one of those Enfamil magazines they keep sending me!!

Enfamil is probably a huge advertisor for the magazine. They're going to follow the money. Breastfeeding doesn't pay for glossy pages. :rolleyes:

[mamiof2domiricans]

i didn't read the article but is funny that this coes up because just the other day my mom was asking me if it wasen't time to give the baby some formula. I asked her why and she said that pediatricians in Dominican Republic advise you to give the baby both. I was furious but i was able to maintain my posture and cool and told her that those doctors are bribe into saying that by the formula companies. I'm happy to say that once I told her the whole thing she was the one who was outraged and never again did she asked me to give my LO any formula with BF milk.

[Funmommy]

I know how easy it is to get caught up in the bf/formula issue.
My first 2 boys I started out Bf and then with very little help (my mom lost her mom when i was 2 months old so she didn't have much experience either) I felt like I wasn't producing enough milk and i was in a lot of pain . I hadn't introduced the bottle at that point but my boys were sleeping through the night within the first week out of the hospital, which I know now influenced my milk. I talked to my doctor at that point and it was suggested I give them formula. If I remember right their weight was good at that time it was only my own insecurity.
SAD HUH :(
I then had my next son about 4 1/2 years ago and tried again .... I lasted a little bit longer .... got to about 1 1/2 months .... again felt like I wasn't producing enough and I was in a LOT of pain again :crying:
I got pregnant again and now have a 2 1/2 month old little girl
.... found this site and a LOT of wonderful people
:happydog: and I'M DOING IT!!!!! :happydog:
Yeah I've been through the pain part but with this resource and all the help and encouragement I've gotten I haven't given in to all the hype about the formula. I don't even have the desire to start her on it. She has gotten formula occasionally at night time (after a 3 round feeding frenzy that left me exhausted and in pain) but I have since been able to build up my milk and now give her what I have expressed instead. I now think what had happened with my boys is that they had nipple confusion from my own nipples. (I had never even heard of the word).
When I was a little kid I got bit by a dog and it split my left nipple and it's disfigured... actually just weird shaped .... but knowing what I know now I think it was a factor that wasn't addressed. Now I'm Happy to be giving my little girl what is best for her and REALLY wish someone had helped me out when I was younger with my other ones. I know now I'll be able to teach her some of the best things my mom wasn't able to teach me... partly thanks to you guys. I really hope BF becomes more universal in practice and that moms become more aware and are taught better than I was.
Thank You

Funmommy/Nadine