Monday, August 6, 2007
Woo! ABC Nightly News gets it right!
After many media snafus in the coverage of the Ban the Bags success in NYC, finally, someone got it right! Click here to see the story played again. Finally, fair and reasonable coverage with accurate information (and several babies NIP). It's too bad though that the spokesperson who pointed out that some moms "have" to formula feed to return to work and shouldn't be made to feel guilty couldn't have pointed out instead that if the US had reasonable maternity leave laws (6 months-1 year), then the vast majority of women would be able to breastfeed their babies and the need for formula would be drastically reduced.
I mean, obviously - breastfeeding Moms are like the Gestapo (sigh)
This article by Andrea Peyser was published in the NY Post. It is a sad little rant about NYC hospitals success at "Banning the Bags". Her rabid misinformation made me just angry enough to write a letter, which I will post below...
Dear Andrea,
I was so sad to read your editorial in the NY Post on the "banning" of free formula samples in NYC hospitals. After reading your article, two things seemed clear to me: 1) you seem very misinformed on the intent of the Ban the Bags campaign; and 2) you seem misinformed about breastfeeding period.
It has been well documented that breastfeeding is the natural, normal way to feed an infant/toddler. Breastfeeding is protective against many diseases and gives an infant a foundation for a healthy life. Formula feeding is inferior. There is no debate about this. The campaign to Ban the Bags is founded on the fact that women who have formula pushed upon them are much more likely to fail at breastfeeding. Ban the Bags does not prevent a mother who is set on formula feeding from doing so. Mothers may still ask for a formula sample bag if they so choose. However, formula sample bags are no longer FORCED upon mothers who do not want/need them. And instead, these mothers are provided with helpful information and support in breastfeeding their infants.
I cannot for the life of me figure out what about this campaign is so offensive that you would choose to equate breastfeeding advocates with the Nazis, a group of people who killed millions of innocent people out of pure hatred. To the contrary, breastfeeding SAVES LIVES. It is just that simple. This analogy is inappropriate and disrespectful in so many ways.
In your article, there are several statements that seem poorly researched and or misinformed. You cite that a friend of yours, a shrink, suggests that some of this data may be "made up". I'll be happy to pass along a list of peer reviewed studies demonstrating the benefits of breastfeeding to you or your shrink friend. I do not believe that shrinks are considered to be among the foremost experts on infant nutrition. Next you quote the chief of obstetrics, who notes that the idea of the Ban the Bags campaign is to help educate women on breastfeeding. This is, indeed one of the goals of this campaign. Women in hospitals should be provided with information on how to give their babies the right start in life. A hospital is about marketing health, not products. If a mother chooses insted to formula feed, she may simply ask for a formula bag or go to her local market and buy a can of infant formula. Ban the Bags is not trying to make formula illegal, it is again, simply trying to help women get off on the right foot with breastfeeding. Your next statement that "renegade docs making stuff up is exactly what may be happening" again seems unresearched to me. This goes back to the studies on breastfeeding. It seems like you are relying on some hearsay from a few easily accessible sources, rather than referring to some of the highly respected peer-reviewed studies currently available on this subject. And finally, your last comment about "killing ourselves" is simply confusing to me. This is another place where some research would help you build a stronger article - breastfeeding actually helps to reduce the indicidence of post-partum depression, and releases hormones that help new mothers to feel more relaxed.
As a reader, this type of seemingly unresearched editorial makes me question the integrity of the paper that it is published in. I would love to see a future article from you that offers an apology for equating pro-breastfeeding mothers with the Nazis - an analogy that is simply inappropriate and that many of us take GREAT offense to.
Sincerely,
Theresa
A mother who has been breastfeeding her daughter for 10 months, and hopes to continue to do so for much time to come.
Dear Andrea,
I was so sad to read your editorial in the NY Post on the "banning" of free formula samples in NYC hospitals. After reading your article, two things seemed clear to me: 1) you seem very misinformed on the intent of the Ban the Bags campaign; and 2) you seem misinformed about breastfeeding period.
It has been well documented that breastfeeding is the natural, normal way to feed an infant/toddler. Breastfeeding is protective against many diseases and gives an infant a foundation for a healthy life. Formula feeding is inferior. There is no debate about this. The campaign to Ban the Bags is founded on the fact that women who have formula pushed upon them are much more likely to fail at breastfeeding. Ban the Bags does not prevent a mother who is set on formula feeding from doing so. Mothers may still ask for a formula sample bag if they so choose. However, formula sample bags are no longer FORCED upon mothers who do not want/need them. And instead, these mothers are provided with helpful information and support in breastfeeding their infants.
I cannot for the life of me figure out what about this campaign is so offensive that you would choose to equate breastfeeding advocates with the Nazis, a group of people who killed millions of innocent people out of pure hatred. To the contrary, breastfeeding SAVES LIVES. It is just that simple. This analogy is inappropriate and disrespectful in so many ways.
In your article, there are several statements that seem poorly researched and or misinformed. You cite that a friend of yours, a shrink, suggests that some of this data may be "made up". I'll be happy to pass along a list of peer reviewed studies demonstrating the benefits of breastfeeding to you or your shrink friend. I do not believe that shrinks are considered to be among the foremost experts on infant nutrition. Next you quote the chief of obstetrics, who notes that the idea of the Ban the Bags campaign is to help educate women on breastfeeding. This is, indeed one of the goals of this campaign. Women in hospitals should be provided with information on how to give their babies the right start in life. A hospital is about marketing health, not products. If a mother chooses insted to formula feed, she may simply ask for a formula bag or go to her local market and buy a can of infant formula. Ban the Bags is not trying to make formula illegal, it is again, simply trying to help women get off on the right foot with breastfeeding. Your next statement that "renegade docs making stuff up is exactly what may be happening" again seems unresearched to me. This goes back to the studies on breastfeeding. It seems like you are relying on some hearsay from a few easily accessible sources, rather than referring to some of the highly respected peer-reviewed studies currently available on this subject. And finally, your last comment about "killing ourselves" is simply confusing to me. This is another place where some research would help you build a stronger article - breastfeeding actually helps to reduce the indicidence of post-partum depression, and releases hormones that help new mothers to feel more relaxed.
As a reader, this type of seemingly unresearched editorial makes me question the integrity of the paper that it is published in. I would love to see a future article from you that offers an apology for equating pro-breastfeeding mothers with the Nazis - an analogy that is simply inappropriate and that many of us take GREAT offense to.
Sincerely,
Theresa
A mother who has been breastfeeding her daughter for 10 months, and hopes to continue to do so for much time to come.
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