Bloomberg and Breastfeeding?

This has NOTHING to do with Obama Care.. This was a New York City initiative and Bloomberg wanted to tout it. But it is backfiring.

Yes, it is ridiculous.
Some moms do not want to breast feed for whatever reasons. Let them be..
It really is their choice. No need to make them feel bad about it.

At the hospitals, they already totally encourage moms to try to breast feed at the hospital, they have lactate professionals to come in and help..

but if the MOM decides this is just not her thing.. Leave her alone and give her the darn Formula..

Having to ask for a Doctor Prescription is ridiculous.

Why can't they leave us women alone. we are very intelligent people.

15 moms found this helpful

Oh. My. Heck.

GET OUT of my life! Geeze!

I do NOT need the government telling me what I can and can not feed my child. I am VERY pro breastfeeding, but it is ridiculous to try and force it down anyone's throat. It's not like they are sticking a nipple on bottle of vodka and shoving that in the baby's mouth.... Formula IS nutritious to babies, and many thrive on it... Sure, breast is best... but plenty of moms have legitimate reasons for choosing formula (and even if they don't have a 'reason', it's THEIR child, and THEIR choice!) and shouldn't have to listen to a lecture.

The government needs to back off... Seriously...

13 moms found this helpful

Oh, dear...

As a mom who nursed until three, he's trying to fix a perception problem with the wrong tools-- like a hammer.

Some moms need to supplement, some moms don't want to nurse, some moms can't make milk-- and some moms have inherited micro-cultural attitudes* about nursing.

What he's proposing doesn't correct anything. It just makes women seem dumb and penalizes moms who either choose not to or can't nurse. Either way-- way to make a new mom's life harder. As if pushing out a baby (or having major surgery) wasn't hard enough... now here come the BFpolice!

*I say microcultural attitudes because there are certainly different 'general' attitudes across the country toward nursing. One of my sisters lived back east for a time and was the only woman she knew who nursed her child past 6 months. She was relieved when she returned here--- there's just more support. Not to say that either (bf or bottle) is unconditionally supported or not tolerated in any given place, but I do think that I live in a place which is very supportive of nursing, even in public.

13 moms found this helpful

I wasn't going to comment, but blaming (in a response, not the question) President Obama because the mayor of NYC has a screw loose? Seriously? And how in hades does baby formula have anything to do with the Affordable Care Act?

Nevermind war on women, we have clearly lost the war on common sense.

12 moms found this helpful

I think the guy is a nut job. Plain and simple.

I'd be happy to put my headphones in for that lecture.

I would proudly feed any child of mine formula, as a woman who doesn't produce a drop of milk.

10 moms found this helpful

I'm so into it! I love, love, love bureaucracy and red tape!!!

What we DEFINITELY need is more legislation, ESPECIALLY when it comes to medical procedure.

We need to protect women and nurses from having to make their own choices. I mean, women are overly sensitive and emotional. Nursing is one field predominantly staffed by women. Can we really trust women to make good decisions? ESPECIALLY pregnant or laboring women. Nobody is crazier than a pregnant woman!
What do babies need? POLICY!

When you make something more difficult to obtain, the need and desire for it will disappear right? RIGHT? Bloomberg is basically the father of breastfeeding. I heard he actually invented the breast. Yup.
____________________
(Okay, now seriously...)
Women don't need more shame. We don't need more regulations placed on our bodies and we don't need to be controlled more tightly.

What we do need more of is support, community, equal opportunity in the workplace and housing, equal distribution of labor in the home, and affordable, excellent prenatal and postnatal medical care. We need entry level positions in the workforce that are able to support breastfeeding, longer maternity leaves, PPD intervention/respite programs, preventative education, lower rates of domestic violence, etc. Programs that provided these things would be helpful in increasing our breastfeeding rates.

Stressed out, unhealthy, overworked, sad, tired women are not, no matter how many guilt trips you place on them, going to have an easy time breastfeeding (or parenting).

There was something that caught my eye though. According to WHO, the United States is one of few developed countries that allows formula companies to give out promotional products in hospitals. I think that mama and baby health has to come first, not corporate profit. I'm actually pretty excited to see that some hospitals are not giving out gifts of formula or formula endorsed products anymore.

7 moms found this helpful

it's incredibly stupid. what's up with bloomberg and his war on choice of any kind any more?
what's almost as aggravating is how every time something wacky comes up in the news about health, everyone IMMEDIATELY uses it to beat the anti-AHC act drum.
this is a NYC-specific crazything. it's not obama's.
khairete
S.

7 moms found this helpful

I breastfed my first. This kid would literally vomit my breastmilk across the room, and I endured months of severe colic. I did elimination diet, but I just couldn't figure out everything he was allergic to. In the end, I switched to formula, and we were all happier (he wasn't allergic to milk ironically). I felt like such a terrible mom for continuing to subject my baby to the allergens in my breastmilk, thus putting him through months of agonizing pain and digestive problems, because it was drilled into my head that anything other than that was terrible for my child. The guilt I felt really weighed on me.
Point is, no woman should be made to feel this way about their choices for their own child. After my experience, I now take the stance that breast is not always best. In most cases it is, but it really depends on your situation. And you, the mom, ultimately make the best decision for your child, not some over-the-top mayor of NYC or anyone else.
BTW- my son still has severe food allergies. I always wonder if I made them worse those first few months. I guess I'll never know.

7 moms found this helpful

Not sure how much more he has to do before he proves to all he is nuts. He had me at the salt ban.

People are going to make the choices they do and no amount of nagging and banning will change that. Just going to make New Yorker crabbier than they already were.

I predict a maternity ward nursing shortage in the next year. :p

4 moms found this helpful

I love selective journalism.
There are hospitals that already lock down formula. In those hospitals formula use decreased over night by something like *half*. Why? Because the nurses were taking it home, free formula.
The pressures of nurses that just want to make things easy for themselves can be overwhelming to a new mother.
In the NICU it's easier to stick that bottle of formula in the baby's mouth than to get the breastmilk out of the fridge or to even supply a new mother with a pump in the first place.
Failure to thrive is quickly tacked on any child instead of support for the mother to over come any obstacles, assuming there are any in the first place. If a child doesn't grow like a formula fed child, which is vastly different than a breastfed infant, they are quickly and incorrectly labeled failure to thrive.
If you want formula it is still there and you can have it, on issues, no problems. What it does is gets it out of the faces of those that don't want it or need it because it makes someone else's life easier.
Sometimes you have to hit the stupid over the head to get them to notice. Sometimes you have to come up with what some may consider drastic ideas to get anyting to work.
I think it is a great idea to try and fix something that is very horribly wrong.

4 moms found this helpful

Mayor Bloomberg needs to be in the business of running the city, and stay out of the business of running new mom's lives.

Somebody with some money should take him to court over this.

D.

4 moms found this helpful

Edited:
Why is ANYONE surprised? This is our future ladies and gents because they (the government) think they know what's best for us.

This is one reason many, many people are against Obamacare. Socialized medicine is one more way the government can tell the people how to live. The tax/penalty for not purchasing insurance....

http://blog.heritage.org/2012/07/24/a-thirst-for-power-li...

4 moms found this helpful

Encourage? Sure.
Mandate? No.
And it's not a mandate. It's to encourage the 2nd to last BFing state by % to increase BFing overall.

4 moms found this helpful

This man has to control EVERYTHING, doesn't he?

4 moms found this helpful

I read about that last week. The nurse would have to sign it out like they do with medication. I think he needs to concentrate on running the city rather than running people's lives. My hospital is pro-bf. However, they also have the samples etc that they give out. They ask if you plan to breastfeed or formula feed. They recommend bf but do not force it like you are a horrible person to give formula. They ask if you WANT the samples before giving the package to take home. I just think it is getting to the point that govt is entering our personal lives too darn much. Seriously, if I want to drink a large, 20 oz or what ever soda, then I am going to. If I want a cheescake because I am having a major stress day, then leave me alone with my cheesecake. And if I want a huge bag of chips one day, get out of my way. It is my decision. Granted some people make horrible decisions all the time, but that is theirs alone.

3 moms found this helpful

I am fine with some regulations in place about formula in the hospitals, and this is why: When I had my first child, I received three free formula packages in the mail, and then, in my hospital room, another backpack filled with free samples.

If I wasn't so set on struggling and mastering breastfeeding, I could have easily stopped within a few weeks since everyone around me was pushing formula. It took me three months to really get the hang of breastfeeding, but I'm glad I hung in there, as it took my second child 2 seconds to figure it all out.

I think for profit companies need to get out of the hospitals and stop pushing their products on new mommy's. Women do deserve to have choices and be supported in their choices, but mass advertising by formula companies in the hospitals and everywhere makes it harder for women to make the choice to breastfeed.

Second, I wish more Dr's knew something about breastfeeding. Instead of encouraging mom's that are having a hard time with breastfeeding, they encourage supplementing with formula. This basically guarantees they will stop breastfeeding within a month.

As a society we do need to do more to encourage breastfeeding.

3 moms found this helpful

There will be more stuff like this happening due to all the cuts & Obamacare.

Illinois & a couple other States are also going to cut back on how many prescriptions Medicare & Medicaid patients can have per month due to all the cut backs.

http://cnsnews.com/news/article/rationing-begins-states-l...

Now which side has the "war on woman"?

2 moms found this helpful

Ite really more about limiting the formula companies advertising. You would still be free to bring your own formula if you choose not to breastfeed, you would just have to buy it yourself.

2 moms found this helpful

What?!?!

That is so freaking WRONG. As if mothers aren't competent enough to make their own choices. (Well, some aren't, but you know what I mean). That is so offensive.

I have no choice but to bottle feed my baby (I'm 22 weeks pregnant now). Imagine how guilty I would feel if I was subjected to that. That is ludicrous.

I wonder if the women here that think this is an outrage realize how lucky they are to have breasts, babies and the opportunity to breast feed. Society is so hell bent on shoving women's breasts in our faces in advertising sex, bras and what not. Breasts are for nursing!!! Did we forget that?
I find it amazing how many people now 'had to supplement with formula'. Yes, I totally get there are extenuating circumstances, there are some serious times that people NEED assistance. But with proper guidance and nutrition, MOST women should be able to breast feed their children.
yes, it hurts like heck at first, yes the kid may have a difficult time latching on, yes your nipples will crack and bleed and what not sometimes. This is part of becoming a mother and having breasts.
I think it's fantastic to stop hospitals and formula company's bullying around for a few extra million $ and allow women to find out that breast is best.