Just to clarify

I want to add a little bit to my breastfeeding post the other day. First off, I’m not against formula. Sometimes it is completely necessary, and thank goodness there are formulas out there that have tons of nutrients and vitamins. My cousin, Rachel, brought up a great point to me. Breast milk is natural. It is what our bodies produce to feed and nourish our babies. If that wasn’t the point of it, we wouldn’t have it. If we were supposed to stop breast feeding when the baby reached a certain age, our milk would stop. For some reason, somewhere along the way, people started rumoring that breastfeeding was “gross”, or “unnatural”. It’s weird when a baby asks for breast milk, but not when they ask for a bottle with formula
in it. I’ve talked to so many woman that did not breastfeed simply because their Mom didn’t (nevermind the reasons behind why their Mom didn’t).

The thing that bothers me about the breast milk vs. formula debate is that no one is advertising for the boobs. Instead, formula companies are capitalizing on parent’s desire to do the best for the children by manipulating them into thinking that formula is the best thing for their child. The title of an Enfagrow ad in Parenting magazine says “The nutritional building blocks he needs now.” NEEDS NOW. Does he? Enfagrow is basically a formula for older children with “over 25 nutrients for Healthy Growth, Omega3 DHA & iron for Brain Development and Antioxidants to support the Immune System”. Well, who wouldn’t want that for their children? What parents don’t realize is that breast milk has that AND MORE! If you saw an ad that said “Help reduce the risk of SIDS by 50%!” or “Want to decrease the risk of childhood leukemia while at the same time reducing your chance for ovarian or breast cancer?” – trust me, you would want it whatever they were selling.