Big Gulps

What in the world is this…world coming to? The New York Post recently published an article detailing New York Mayor Bloomberg’s newest initiative to exercise control over the city’s new mothers - Latch On NYC. First outlawing Big Gulps, now Enfamil? Come on, now. Sure, breast is best. Even the formula manufacturers caveat their marketing with that statement. However, if you are unable to breastfeed, or heaven forbid make the choice not to, formula is the only other answer. Not only will a mother requesting a formula bottle be given a "talking to", but the formula will actually be kept under lock and key, much the same as controlled substances are in a hospital. How is it anyone else’s right to tell a mother that she is in the wrong for choosing formula? Is it really any better for me to eat a poor diet of Hot Tamales and Raisin Bran, and then breastfeed, or feed my baby a well-balanced, iron and vitamin fortified high quality formula? I’ll admit, we went through A LOT of Hot Tamales in the first couple of months of T’s life.

When T was born, the cord was wrapped around his neck twice, and he was immediately taken away for NICU observation. Luckily, all was well, but it resulted in low blood sugar, and we were forced to feed him formula from a bottle for the first week or so of his life. We tried and tried in vain in the hospital to get him to nurse. The Nazi Lactation Consultants were on the job, and at one time I think I had four different hands on my boob, trying to get him to drink from a tube next to my nipple. None of those hands were mine. It just didn’t work. He had no interest in nursing, and luckily I was able to pump and bottle feed for the first 5 months of his life (Had to. I couldn’t waste all that milk from the Land o’ Plenty!) When I was done though, I. WAS. DONE. He thrived on the formula from that point on. He had ear infections, he got colds. He was hospitalized with croup, and later with staph. Do I think my feeding him formula had anything to do with this? Absolutely not. On top of that, I recently told my mom that the only time I had any baby blues issues was when I tried, and failed at breastfeeding. I felt the pressure to do “the only way that was right” – and I couldn’t.

When Z was born, I was determined to try it again. That little sucker latched on within minutes, and all was a go. Did I like it? Not particularly, but I stayed with it. I nursed part time for the first few months, but introduced a bottle within the first week. I’m too much of a control freak, and could not stand not knowing how much he was getting in each feeding. And feeding every two hours, with a not-quite-three-year-old at home didn’t help. He spit up buckets. I’m not kidding – we had puddles the size of plates. Once I finally switched him to formula around 6.5 months, within a couple of weeks, the spit up subsided. It’s not gone, but it’s usually just a dribble or two. He has yet to have had a fever that wasn’t related to teething. He’s healthy, but I have to think sometimes that his neediness comes from those early days of my breast being at his beck and call. I am not complaining. Certainly with breastfeeding comes a certain sense of bonding, but I don’t know that it’s any closer of a bond than I have with T. T loooooves his Mama!

I know this is a sensitive topic, and many people feel differently. If nursing your infant is what works for you, by all means do it. However, there is absolutely nothing wrong with choosing a high quality formula for your baby. Key word there is “choosing.” This is not, and should not be, a government decision. Mayor Bloomberg believes that the only reason a woman would choose to formula feed their baby is that they lack education, and are not aware that breastfeeding is best. Really? I am not a feminist, but WHY do men keep making the decisions about what woman do with their bodies??? I have boys, and they won’t be faced with these laws when they’re older. However for those of my friends with girls, we have to do something to make our government leaders understand that women are no longer second rate citizens, incapable to making their own decisions. We need to show them just how educated we are, and assert ourselves so that our future little women don’t have to!

Ugh…stepping off the soapbox now.

Because I Said So…..