Breastfeeding Support Group
While breastfeeding is recommended by many doctors, it is not as simple as it seems. This is a community dedicated to parents who are choosing to breastfeed, providing a safe place to discuss everything from pumping, to questions of whether baby is getting enough, weaning, breast care, scheduling, supply, and more.
While I know this is only tangentially related, I do think it's important and feel that this is an excellent audience.
Every day 4000 babies die from unsafe bottle feeding.
PLEASE CONSIDER BOYCOTTING NESTLE AND ALL OF THEIR SUBSIDIARIES
For more than 40 years, Nestle has continued its practice of providing "free" formula to hospitals in developing worlds, just enough for women's breast milk to dry up, so they have to continue to feed the babies formula.
Which is then no longer free.
Worst of all, this formula and other infant food "donated" or provided by Nestle must usually be mixed with water which is often contaminated, which then kills the babies.
Nestle is one of the world's largest multinational corporations and as such has access to enormous public relations and advertising resources, which usually overshadows all the criticism.
According to http://www.babymilkaction.org/index.html (updated November 2008):
"Nestl spends a fortune trying to divert criticism of its baby food marketing, but does it tell the truth?
"Nestl has a serious image problem because of its on-going aggressive marketing of baby foods. Instead of making changes required to bring its practices fully into line with international marketing standards, Nestl invests heavily in Public Relations (PR) initiatives intended to divert criticism. But Nestl makes demonstrably untrue claims which have resulted in further damaging publicity ..."
"It is important to tell Nestl you are supporting the boycott - even if only for Nestl-Free Week. You can call Nestl's customer care line (click here to find out what happens when you do http://boycottnestle.blogspot.com/2007/05/telling-nestl-you-boycott-it.html)
or send an email via the Nestl website or through the post. Click here for a suggested letter. http://www.babymilkaction.org/pages/letter.html
Every day 4000 babies die from unsafe bottle feeding.
PLEASE CONSIDER BOYCOTTING NESTLE AND ALL OF THEIR SUBSIDIARIES
For more than 40 years, Nestle has continued its practice of providing "free" formula to hospitals in developing worlds, just enough for women's breast milk to dry up, so they have to continue to feed the babies formula.
Which is then no longer free.
Worst of all, this formula and other infant food "donated" or provided by Nestle must usually be mixed with water which is often contaminated, which then kills the babies.
Nestle is one of the world's largest multinational corporations and as such has access to enormous public relations and advertising resources, which usually overshadows all the criticism.
According to http://www.babymilkaction.org/index.html (updated November 2008):
"Nestl spends a fortune trying to divert criticism of its baby food marketing, but does it tell the truth?
"Nestl has a serious image problem because of its on-going aggressive marketing of baby foods. Instead of making changes required to bring its practices fully into line with international marketing standards, Nestl invests heavily in Public Relations (PR) initiatives intended to divert criticism. But Nestl makes demonstrably untrue claims which have resulted in further damaging publicity ..."
"It is important to tell Nestl you are supporting the boycott - even if only for Nestl-Free Week. You can call Nestl's customer care line (click here to find out what happens when you do http://boycottnestle.blogspot.com/2007/05/telling-nestl-you-boycott-it.html)
or send an email via the Nestl website or through the post. Click here for a suggested letter. http://www.babymilkaction.org/pages/letter.html
-The infant-formula industry contributes $1 million annually to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and provided at least $3 million toward the cost of building the AAP's headquarters.
-A 1991 study found that the U.S. pharmeceutical industry spends $6,000 to $8,000 per doctor per year in promotion.
-Physicians and nurses who choose to formula-feed their own infants frequently receive a year's free supply of formula.
-FDA tests found melamine and cyanuric acid, a related chemical, in samples of baby formula made by major U.S. manufacturers: Abbott Labs, maker of Similac; Mead Johnson, maker of Enfamil; and Nestle, maker of Good Start. The three brands comprise 90 percent of all formula sold in the United States.
-Southern California families have filed a consumer fraud class action suits against six different makers of baby formula and baby bottles containing Bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical found in plastic and in the lining of cans.
-The World Health Organization (WHO) states: After breastfeeding, "The second choice is the mother's own milk expressed and given to the infant in some way. The third choice is the milk of another human mother." Formula feeding is not even in the top three recommendations for mothers to feed their children.
Something that was probably in the links but for you ladies who didn't read it here is something to think about. There are international laws that relate to formula advertising (i.e you will always hear that breastmilk is best etc) that nestle knowingly violates. At times they have even advertised that babies need proper nutrition that isn't found in breastmilk (wtf??)... seriously its much worse than handing out free formula to hospitals (which btw who would've loved some complimentary nipple cream or the fenugreek we all frantically searched for on the internet in the week before we returned to work with a whole 4 ounces pumped lol) Nestle has proved to be more concerned with their profits than the health of billions of babies. In other countries they don't think of Breastfeeding as a "choice" its just how babies are fed. Introducing formula and advertising its so-called "benefits" is unacceptable marketing practices and IMO deserves more than a worldwide boycott.
and I am done with my nestle rant. A couple brands that are (sadly) also under the nestle umbrella
Libby's
Dreyers (that one kills me)
nes-anything (nescafe and blah blah) and probably millions more I can't think of.
Yet another reason to read your labels I suppose
Now, here is an interesting link form INFACT CANADA'S Website : 14 RISKS OF FORMULA FEEDING
http://www.infactcanada.ca/pdf/14-Risks-Small.pdf
1)Higher risk of lung infections
Children who are formula fed are 16.7
times more likely to have pneumonia
than children who were given only
breastmilk as infants.
2)Higher risk of ear infections
Studies show that infants who are
formula fed are 50% more likely to have
ear infections than babies who receive
only breastmilk.
3)Higher risk of infection from
contaminated formula
Babies have become very sick and some
have died because of harmful germs
in formula. Some formulas cannot be
sterilized.
4)Higher risk of chronic diseases
Formula feeding is linked to higher risk
for Type 1 diabetes and bowl diseases
such as celiac disease and inflammatory
bowel disease.
5)Risk of lower intellegence
Studies show that children who are
breastfed do better on intelligence tests
than children who were formula fed.
6) Higher risk of effects of
environmental poisons
Breastfeeding lowers the harmful effects
on a childs health from poisons in the
environment like PCBs and dioxins.
Children who are breastfed do better on
tests for brain development than formula
fed children.?
7)Higher risk of allergy
Formula feeding is linked to higher
incidence of eczema, allergies to food,
inherited allergies and allergies which
affect breathing such as hay fever.
8)Higher risk of asthma
Medical studies show that babies who
are fed formula are 40 50% more
likely to have asthma or wheezing.
9)Higher risk of heart disease
A study shows that breastfeeding may
help to reduce the risk of heart disease
by keeping cholesterol levels low later
in life. It also showed that 13 to 16 year
olds who were formula fed have higher
blood pressures than children who had
received breastmilk.
10)Higher risk of death
from diseases
Babies who are formula fed have a
higher risk of death due to illnesses such
as diarrhea and lung infections.
11)Higher risk of obesity
Research is showing that children who
are formula fed are nearly 40% more
likely to be obese than children who are
breastfed even after looking at other
things that may explain why a person
may be overweight.
12)Higher risk of
childhood cancers
Research shows that children who
have not been breastfed are more likely
to get leukemia and other cancers
than children who were given only
breastmilk.
13)Higher risk of diarrhea
Studies show that babies who are
formula fed are twice as likely to have
diarrhea than breastfed babies.
14) Higher risk of diabetes
Research shows that formula feeding
increases the risk of getting diabetes
later in life.
When mothers do not
breastfeed they generally
use infant formulas. It
is recommended by the
World Health Organization
that parents are told about
the health risks of using
formula. This brochure has
information from medical
research that shows the
risks of formula feeding
to help you make a more
informed decision about
feeding your baby.
NOTE: THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION RECOMMENDS EXCLUSIVE BF UNTIL 6 MONTHS, WITH A GRADUAL INTROUCTION OF SOLIDS, AND BF UNTIL 2 YRS AND BEYOND.
It has been pointed out several times on many topics that most mothers do not know the REAL risks of Formula feeding and that if they were in fact made aware of the dangers of Infant Formula, they might seriously realize that Breastfeeding is not a "Decision". So in the interest of Education, and bringing to light the greatest cover up of the 20th century: Here's the information about the Dangers Of Formula Feeding.
This article is a PDF and I can't get it to "copy& paste", so you will have to click on the link.
Fourteen Risks of Formula Feeding
http://www.infactcanada.ca/Fourteen%20Risks%20of%20Formula%20Feeding.pdf