When you study history, you often discover that some of the most positive things that occur are due to chance or someone screwing up. The purpose of this article is to try and highlight why a shortage of baby formula is actually in the interest of the American people.
Thank you. I got a lot of pushback and flack when I said something similar about the baby formula shortage. People have this notion that there are millions of women who can't breastfeed who MUST have formula for their babies. I like to ask people what they think happened before these formula corporations existed. Do they think millions of babies just died because there was no Similac? It is ludicrous.
Thanks for this info. I’m passing it on to my daughter who just had our first grandchild 4 weeks ago. Her little one had the tongue and lip tie condition, so she’s been having a tough time with the breastfeeding but is getting through it. And big time incentive to make it work due to current formula crises. Thankfully, her and my wife’s eyes are wide opened to the medical/corporate corruption. I’m buying them Dr Mendelsohn’s book that you mentioned. Really appreciate your writing.
I have been suffering with mastitis for days. First I got shingles, then mastitis and after 4 days of not being able to get rid of my fever I hesitatingly started an antibiotic. I haven’t been on an antibiotic in nearly 20 years. Even so, breastfeeding is natures medicine and I will breastfeed this little one for 3-4 years unless she weans on her own earlier. My 4 previous children also got the benefit of extended breastfeeding. I knew a lot of things stated in the article but some were still just truly appalling to see, for instance the White House conversation. Of course our country is full of unhealthy people; we don’t even know what healthy is anymore.
I can give my personal “stamp of approval” on not only this article and La Leche League but also Dr. Mendelsohn’s book, “How to raise a healthy child...in spite of your doctor”. I raised two children that were exclusively breastfed and without commercial baby food. Once they developed an interest in what we were eating, they ate THAT and as the result, we never experienced weird food issues (“Precious only eats chicken nuggets dipped in ice cream, he would literally starve otherwise”). Reading LLL’s “the womanly art of breastfeeding” and Dr. Mendelsohn’s book nourished my natural instincts related to child rearing. Today, my daughter is continuing an unbroken lineage of breastfeeding with her first child. Like me, she says it feels “right”.
How anyone can say, with a straight face, that feeding ANY baby milk from ANOTHER SPECIES is better than the milk designed specifically for THAT baby is absolutely and utterly stupid. Research bottle feeding rescue animals...you’ll see that it’s difficult to manage with a mother’s milk substitute. It is my hope that current events, including the infant formula shortage, will wake folks up to the many foolish policies that have been in place for too many years. Always, always follow the money...
My "babies" are 19 & 24. They were both exclusively breastfed thank goodness. There are millions of living cells in breastmilk, and there is not one living cell in formula. I skipped the "well child" visits. I never liked the pediatrician. I had no idea the growth charts were made by the formula companies. It makes sense now. I appreciate you and this article. I had the same thought, this shortage will spark more mothers to breastfeed. That is a good thing!
One again, you have written an excellent piece! I benefited greatly from the La Leche League's awesome book "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding" I was totally set on breastfeeding as it was, but having that book during my pregnancy (1985) was sooooo vital to me being able to stand up against any that tried to push me to 'supplement' with the 'liquid poison' All my son ever got was my milk. Never any formula whatsoever. I carried that book with me like a Bible! My mother & many close family friends were excellent examples as well, all having chosen to exclusively or primarily breastfeed during the 50's & then the 70's, times when 'the modern woman doesn't do that' was a very strong message. Take care, all.....and stay true to what God created. He truly knows best!
Great article. I'm 75, and my mother's doctor told her formula was healthier than breastmilk! I became a la leche league leader when ,I birthed my son in 1978. Best training I ever received!
Thank you for this so informative article. As a pregnant young woman, my Mom encouraged me to attend a local La Leche League meeting. What a wonderful resource it was, both in information and connections with other like minded Moms. There I learned about Dr. Mendelsohn’s book and it became a personal favorite. I’ve recommended it to so many new Moms. In the late 80’s I became a LLL Leader, facilitating lots of new Moms in their breastfeeding journeys. What a joy that was. Now I’m encouraging my daughter as she is breastfeeding her second, after also doing so with her first. I guess you could say I’ve been crunchy since the 80’s with no plans to stop. 😊
Thanks for writing this piece. Very informative and insightful — I was particularly stuck by a time of crisis being required to change entrenched thinking.
I’ve breastfed my four children, with my youngest still nursing at age 2 currently. I’ve done this despite having mastitis multiple times over the years, and more challenging still, I have D-MER (dysphoric milk ejection reflex). As the name implies, that means that I get feelings of dysphoria (anxiety, depression, general misery and the sense that something is terribly wrong but I can’t remember what it is) instead of the euphoria and happy bonding feelings that many experience.
I am incredibly grateful to my own mother, my many friends, my dear friend who is a midwife, and all the other influential people in my life for creating a culture where I never really considered NOT breastfeeding despite facing some challenges along the way. I wouldn’t trade in my breastfeeding journey for the world, and my children are happy and healthy and securely attached.
Everything you write is soooo true! I have 4 kids and completely breastfed each of them. My first, at his 6 month checkup was crawling and active but didn't sleep well at all. Dr. didn't even look at the fact that he was completely active and strong for his age, just looked at his growth chart and said he was failing to thrive and that I needed to supplement with formula. I found another Dr. in that practice for his next appt. and found a way to teach my son to fall asleep to deal with the sleep problem. At the 9 month appt., he was walking back and forth across the table and was still not even on the growth chart but the Dr. looked at him said he's doing fine, no worries, just keep feeding him constantly with whatever natural food you can, cheese, fruits, veggies. I stayed with her till she left the practice and had no problem with my second son. My third child, my first daughter, we had the same problem b/c now we were with a new Dr. Her first year was okay but at her 1 year apt she hadn't gained any weight from the 9 month appt. and the Dr. said I needed to start supplementing with pediasure or something like that. I looked at the ingredients in the store and saw it was basically sugar water and refused to buy it for her. I knew it was just b/c she was learning to walk and all her energy was going towards that so we did nothing. Went back a week later for a weight check and she had gained one pound in that week. The Dr. said that the pediasure must've worked and I said that no, I hadn't used it b/c my daughter never developed a taste for it 🤣. That she had learned to walk and was able to gain weight again b/c she wasn't so focused on that goal anymore...he just looked at me like I had 2 heads. Left that practice a few months later and no problems with our new practice after that. The Dr's listened to me and believed me when I told them what was wrong with my kids.
Breastfeeding did not come easy for me either. My problem though was not that I didn't have enough milk, it was that I had too much milk! It took till my 4th child to realize that but it was b/c of the LaLeche league that I figured that out and it made it sooo much easier for my last child. I also had to fight Doctor's on medications that I needed to take when breastfeeding. I have a severe allergy to poison ivy. I swell up and have huge blisters and constant itching and anxiety. The first time it happened they put me on prednisone and said I had to stop nursing. My son was 1 year old though so it wasn't horrible but we were both disappointed. The second son was 9 months old and I refused to stop nursing then and they found something else that worked for the both of us plus I learned that jewelweed soap worked even better and started to keep it on hand for when I would inevitably come in contact with it. Then with my third daughter, I ended up with a cyst that needed to be excised and then ran a very high fever afterwards. She was only 3 months old and the doctor said that the medicine he needed me to use meant I couldn't breastfeed. I refused to take and it told him that there had to be something else. My husband backed me up and he did find one that worked.
I think nursing my 4 kids was the absolute best thing I could do for them. I refused to buy baby food either and made my own from the leftovers from our meals and buy steaming my own veggies and fruits and freezing them in ice cube trays to be used as needed. Was it extra work for me? You bet! But it was definitely worth it in the long run!
Thanks. This is very reassuring. The information makes one feel sane bc the pr campaigns leave you alert but doubting yourself. When I heard there was a formula shortage I thought, ‘super. Maybe people can accept that they don’t need it.’
Not mentioned in this article is the unacceptably high levels of aluminum that have been found in almost all commercial brands of baby formula. Although many of these brands are sold in the UK or Europe, they are manufactured by the same global corporations that manufacture brands sold in the US. Not only are they contaminated with aluminum, the packaging does not list it as an ingredient. It begs to wonder what else might not be listed in the ingredients? This article describes the study and measurements of aluminum in various brands of baby formula https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3851493/
Thank you for the history, corruption and benefits/challenge of breastfeeding...a few days ago I was trying to make some of these points but was not successful in my deliver...people got defensive and made it political only....so again, THANK YOU .....this is not only needed but more importantly, brilliant and much appreciated.....
Thank you for your willlingness to call out the liars and their lies. I've always depended more on faith and common sense than current trends. I made it to 75 using this OS. My kids and theirs seem to understand that here in the Matrix you cannot believe what 'they' want you to believe.
Thank you. I got a lot of pushback and flack when I said something similar about the baby formula shortage. People have this notion that there are millions of women who can't breastfeed who MUST have formula for their babies. I like to ask people what they think happened before these formula corporations existed. Do they think millions of babies just died because there was no Similac? It is ludicrous.
Thanks for this info. I’m passing it on to my daughter who just had our first grandchild 4 weeks ago. Her little one had the tongue and lip tie condition, so she’s been having a tough time with the breastfeeding but is getting through it. And big time incentive to make it work due to current formula crises. Thankfully, her and my wife’s eyes are wide opened to the medical/corporate corruption. I’m buying them Dr Mendelsohn’s book that you mentioned. Really appreciate your writing.
I have been suffering with mastitis for days. First I got shingles, then mastitis and after 4 days of not being able to get rid of my fever I hesitatingly started an antibiotic. I haven’t been on an antibiotic in nearly 20 years. Even so, breastfeeding is natures medicine and I will breastfeed this little one for 3-4 years unless she weans on her own earlier. My 4 previous children also got the benefit of extended breastfeeding. I knew a lot of things stated in the article but some were still just truly appalling to see, for instance the White House conversation. Of course our country is full of unhealthy people; we don’t even know what healthy is anymore.
I can give my personal “stamp of approval” on not only this article and La Leche League but also Dr. Mendelsohn’s book, “How to raise a healthy child...in spite of your doctor”. I raised two children that were exclusively breastfed and without commercial baby food. Once they developed an interest in what we were eating, they ate THAT and as the result, we never experienced weird food issues (“Precious only eats chicken nuggets dipped in ice cream, he would literally starve otherwise”). Reading LLL’s “the womanly art of breastfeeding” and Dr. Mendelsohn’s book nourished my natural instincts related to child rearing. Today, my daughter is continuing an unbroken lineage of breastfeeding with her first child. Like me, she says it feels “right”.
How anyone can say, with a straight face, that feeding ANY baby milk from ANOTHER SPECIES is better than the milk designed specifically for THAT baby is absolutely and utterly stupid. Research bottle feeding rescue animals...you’ll see that it’s difficult to manage with a mother’s milk substitute. It is my hope that current events, including the infant formula shortage, will wake folks up to the many foolish policies that have been in place for too many years. Always, always follow the money...
My "babies" are 19 & 24. They were both exclusively breastfed thank goodness. There are millions of living cells in breastmilk, and there is not one living cell in formula. I skipped the "well child" visits. I never liked the pediatrician. I had no idea the growth charts were made by the formula companies. It makes sense now. I appreciate you and this article. I had the same thought, this shortage will spark more mothers to breastfeed. That is a good thing!
One again, you have written an excellent piece! I benefited greatly from the La Leche League's awesome book "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding" I was totally set on breastfeeding as it was, but having that book during my pregnancy (1985) was sooooo vital to me being able to stand up against any that tried to push me to 'supplement' with the 'liquid poison' All my son ever got was my milk. Never any formula whatsoever. I carried that book with me like a Bible! My mother & many close family friends were excellent examples as well, all having chosen to exclusively or primarily breastfeed during the 50's & then the 70's, times when 'the modern woman doesn't do that' was a very strong message. Take care, all.....and stay true to what God created. He truly knows best!
Great article. I'm 75, and my mother's doctor told her formula was healthier than breastmilk! I became a la leche league leader when ,I birthed my son in 1978. Best training I ever received!
Thank you! I despise formula. Nestle are baby killers and I have never purchased nor given formula to my children .
Weston A Price has a homemade formula recipe with raw milk if you insist on formula feeding. https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/faq-homemade-baby-formula/.
“Fed is best” is the dumbest slogan on the planet. Breast milk is best. Formula is a poor substitute.
Finally uterus transplants in men (“transwomen”) so that he can gestate a child is NEVER going to happen. Junior is due for a reboot, right?
Thank you for this so informative article. As a pregnant young woman, my Mom encouraged me to attend a local La Leche League meeting. What a wonderful resource it was, both in information and connections with other like minded Moms. There I learned about Dr. Mendelsohn’s book and it became a personal favorite. I’ve recommended it to so many new Moms. In the late 80’s I became a LLL Leader, facilitating lots of new Moms in their breastfeeding journeys. What a joy that was. Now I’m encouraging my daughter as she is breastfeeding her second, after also doing so with her first. I guess you could say I’ve been crunchy since the 80’s with no plans to stop. 😊
Thanks for writing this piece. Very informative and insightful — I was particularly stuck by a time of crisis being required to change entrenched thinking.
I’ve breastfed my four children, with my youngest still nursing at age 2 currently. I’ve done this despite having mastitis multiple times over the years, and more challenging still, I have D-MER (dysphoric milk ejection reflex). As the name implies, that means that I get feelings of dysphoria (anxiety, depression, general misery and the sense that something is terribly wrong but I can’t remember what it is) instead of the euphoria and happy bonding feelings that many experience.
I am incredibly grateful to my own mother, my many friends, my dear friend who is a midwife, and all the other influential people in my life for creating a culture where I never really considered NOT breastfeeding despite facing some challenges along the way. I wouldn’t trade in my breastfeeding journey for the world, and my children are happy and healthy and securely attached.
Everything you write is soooo true! I have 4 kids and completely breastfed each of them. My first, at his 6 month checkup was crawling and active but didn't sleep well at all. Dr. didn't even look at the fact that he was completely active and strong for his age, just looked at his growth chart and said he was failing to thrive and that I needed to supplement with formula. I found another Dr. in that practice for his next appt. and found a way to teach my son to fall asleep to deal with the sleep problem. At the 9 month appt., he was walking back and forth across the table and was still not even on the growth chart but the Dr. looked at him said he's doing fine, no worries, just keep feeding him constantly with whatever natural food you can, cheese, fruits, veggies. I stayed with her till she left the practice and had no problem with my second son. My third child, my first daughter, we had the same problem b/c now we were with a new Dr. Her first year was okay but at her 1 year apt she hadn't gained any weight from the 9 month appt. and the Dr. said I needed to start supplementing with pediasure or something like that. I looked at the ingredients in the store and saw it was basically sugar water and refused to buy it for her. I knew it was just b/c she was learning to walk and all her energy was going towards that so we did nothing. Went back a week later for a weight check and she had gained one pound in that week. The Dr. said that the pediasure must've worked and I said that no, I hadn't used it b/c my daughter never developed a taste for it 🤣. That she had learned to walk and was able to gain weight again b/c she wasn't so focused on that goal anymore...he just looked at me like I had 2 heads. Left that practice a few months later and no problems with our new practice after that. The Dr's listened to me and believed me when I told them what was wrong with my kids.
Breastfeeding did not come easy for me either. My problem though was not that I didn't have enough milk, it was that I had too much milk! It took till my 4th child to realize that but it was b/c of the LaLeche league that I figured that out and it made it sooo much easier for my last child. I also had to fight Doctor's on medications that I needed to take when breastfeeding. I have a severe allergy to poison ivy. I swell up and have huge blisters and constant itching and anxiety. The first time it happened they put me on prednisone and said I had to stop nursing. My son was 1 year old though so it wasn't horrible but we were both disappointed. The second son was 9 months old and I refused to stop nursing then and they found something else that worked for the both of us plus I learned that jewelweed soap worked even better and started to keep it on hand for when I would inevitably come in contact with it. Then with my third daughter, I ended up with a cyst that needed to be excised and then ran a very high fever afterwards. She was only 3 months old and the doctor said that the medicine he needed me to use meant I couldn't breastfeed. I refused to take and it told him that there had to be something else. My husband backed me up and he did find one that worked.
I think nursing my 4 kids was the absolute best thing I could do for them. I refused to buy baby food either and made my own from the leftovers from our meals and buy steaming my own veggies and fruits and freezing them in ice cube trays to be used as needed. Was it extra work for me? You bet! But it was definitely worth it in the long run!
I can’t agree more! Great article!! I know a few patients who continue to breast feed for years and donate their milk to NICUs.
Thanks. This is very reassuring. The information makes one feel sane bc the pr campaigns leave you alert but doubting yourself. When I heard there was a formula shortage I thought, ‘super. Maybe people can accept that they don’t need it.’
Not mentioned in this article is the unacceptably high levels of aluminum that have been found in almost all commercial brands of baby formula. Although many of these brands are sold in the UK or Europe, they are manufactured by the same global corporations that manufacture brands sold in the US. Not only are they contaminated with aluminum, the packaging does not list it as an ingredient. It begs to wonder what else might not be listed in the ingredients? This article describes the study and measurements of aluminum in various brands of baby formula https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3851493/
Thank you for the history, corruption and benefits/challenge of breastfeeding...a few days ago I was trying to make some of these points but was not successful in my deliver...people got defensive and made it political only....so again, THANK YOU .....this is not only needed but more importantly, brilliant and much appreciated.....
Thank you for your willlingness to call out the liars and their lies. I've always depended more on faith and common sense than current trends. I made it to 75 using this OS. My kids and theirs seem to understand that here in the Matrix you cannot believe what 'they' want you to believe.