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Monday, August 06, 2012

Breastfeeding Wars: Why Locking Up Baby Formula Is A Bad Idea

Mayor Bloomberg's campaign against formula feeding in hospitals is profoundly out of touch with the realities of motherhood

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is right to want to promote breastfeeding, but his administration’s “Latch On NYC” campaign is an exercise in excess. First announced in May, the campaign is asking maternity hospitals to 1. ban formula feeding of newborn infants unless medically indicated; 2. restrict access to formula for hospital staff by locking it up and reporting its distribution to the New York City Health Department.

Lock up infant formula and track it as if it were a controlled substance? That’s not only unnecessary, but is both demeaning and disrespectful of a woman’s right to make her own choice about how to feed her infant. It’s also based on an awful lot of wrongheaded assumptions.

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3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I breast feed my children and I believe it was a great bonding experience.

Anonymous said...

Look how much money they will save. I think that is REALLY why!!!

Anonymous said...

I have 2 children, breastfed one and the other was on soy formula. I did what was best for my children. As a mother I feel that I made the best decision for each child based on their needs. I think every mother has the right to make that decision, and not feel like a bad parent if they formula feed.