Last week, the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Breastfeeding issued a "resolution" to encourage pediatricians to stop distributing formula samples at prenatal visits and upon discharge from the hospital. There are good studies that show that these samples decrease the number of infants fed breast milk exclusively and the number of infants fed any breast milk. The specific resolution is here.
I and my partners at Hilliard Pediatrics have mixed feelings about this issue. As much as we want infants to successfully breast feed, we know many families find the samples helpful. We want to do what we can to encourage infants to have breast milk the first year of life. We also want to encourage infants who are going to receive formula to receive the best formula.
We will continue to discuss the issue here at the office. I suspect there is going to be an ongoing discussion for many in the coming months and years. I will keep you posted!
I formula fed both by sons - not by choice, I just wasn't able to produce enough milk to feed them on my own. I tried pumping, supplements, herbs, etc but nothing. I still face so much resistance and push-back from other mothers that I didn't try enough. I hope that other mothers who go the formula route (either by choice or by nature) don't have to face what I did and hope they get the support from their pediatrician like I got from Dr. Rob.
ReplyDeleteOne of the interesting thing about this resolution is that it is understood that mothers in your situation need support and that formula samples given in this situation can be very helpful. Breast feeding is not the answer for every mother and infant. We want to help all mothers and infants.
ReplyDeleteI had an editorial printed in the Columbus Dispatch about 10 years ago about this subject. If I can find a copy of the letter, I will reprint it here.