Dealing with the formula shortage

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know many, many women have valid reasons for using formula. I tend to think some do, understandably, to simplify their lives and relieve the burden of being tethered to baby for 12 months nursing - either because of stress, going back to work, or some other non-medical reason (for mom or baby).

I can't help but wonder how many families use formula out of convenience, and how we might all be better served if we gave women the space, time and support to breastfeed. I recognize that there are different interests at play.

This is not meant to suggest any judgment or incite any breastmilk/formula wars.

I'm watching the news unfold today about Biden invoking the defense production act to produce formula. Heaven knows there are so many broken parts in our systems, but I've been mulling this over for weeks now. Why aren't we putting any effort into breastfeeding education??

I'm about 10 years out now from having had an infant. A coworker recently returned and mentioned using formula to both give dad an "opportunity" to feed and to get a break. And I felt a little sad for her.

For those of you closer to this stage, I'm curious about your take on this. I sense a level of panic around this formula shortage and I wonder how many parents actually medically need it, and how many are on it out of convenience and why we don't do anything to help support those families?

Your trotting out that tired old word "convenience" derails any well-meant intentions you may have had with this post right at the start (if you actually did even have any). People who refer to women's bodily needs and functions, their physical health, mental health, time, financial needs, other family demands, etc. as "convenience" are horrible, awful, people. Full stop. Either you are actually a woman who's been brainwashed to think birth and breastfeeding are on par with deciding whether or not to bop out to the mall to pick up a new purse, or you're just a garden-variety troll...I "feel a little bit sad" for you, sweetie.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm sorry OP, but this post is stunningly insensitive and ill-timed. What is a mother who was depending on formula supposed to do at this point? I breastfed my child for 12 months and I remember how important it was to establish milk supply after the birth. I also regret not using formula more because I was a stressed out mess. But that's beside the point, because if a person has not established their milk supply, regardless of whether this was for their "convenience" (I see that word thrown out there a lot as a way to judge people who made different choices than you did, so lame and trollish OP), they CANNOT BREASTFEED AND THEY ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THEIR CHILD STARVING. "Breastfeeding education" is not going to change that, referring to "convenience" is not going to change that, all you are saying is you think their child deserves to starve to death, which of course is par for the course for lactivists like you. Go to hell OP.

+1

+2

I’m dealing with crippling PPD, can’t nurse directly, and so am exclusively pumping. Which is terrible and a huge PITA but I can’t stop because if I do my baby doesn’t eat.

Convenience. As if anything when you have a baby is “convenient.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think this is an interesting and relevant topic for discussion, OP, but so don’t think DCUM (or even most of the mainstream) is emotionally able for this kind of exploration. This goes into deeper questions of sovereignty, radical responsibility, and connection to self that are just outside of where most people are operating.

No, it isn't. "Breastfeeding education" is not relevant or helpful to the babies that need formula right now to survive.

You just love the idea of starving babies you sicko.

As I said, most are not emotionally capable of a deeper level of thinking, only reacting by lashing out and making absurd accusations. Of course breastfeeding education isn’t the priority for non-lactating mothers whose babies are given formula.

But longer term thinking about societal shifts, paradigm shifts, so that there isn’t a crisis of the same level every time a corporation or government agency fails the public… well, that’s not really something many are able or willing to explore.

Being a sovereign citizen won't keep you from having latching or supply problems or mastitis

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm sorry OP, but this post is stunningly insensitive and ill-timed. What is a mother who was depending on formula supposed to do at this point? I breastfed my child for 12 months and I remember how important it was to establish milk supply after the birth. I also regret not using formula more because I was a stressed out mess. But that's beside the point, because if a person has not established their milk supply, regardless of whether this was for their "convenience" (I see that word thrown out there a lot as a way to judge people who made different choices than you did, so lame and trollish OP), they CANNOT BREASTFEED AND THEY ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THEIR CHILD STARVING. "Breastfeeding education" is not going to change that, referring to "convenience" is not going to change that, all you are saying is you think their child deserves to starve to death, which of course is par for the course for lactivists like you. Go to hell OP.

This. Stay in your lane OP. You said you're 10 years out of having an infant. Regardless I don't understand how you can be surprised that people are in a frenzy b/c they're afraid their baby might have to go without food, or the right kind of food they need to keep them healthy.

I was a breast cancer survivor who couldn't breast feed, because I don't have breasts. I know plenty of families who adopted and they also relied solely on formula, but honestly, unless you're a myopic @ssh0le, I don't understand how you can't have some empathy instead of leaning towards questioning people's personal decisions. You're awful, OP.

[Anonymous]

Setting aside how utterly cruel and tone death it is to shame formula feeding families right now as OP has done, I don't get the premise of her post. I gave birth 3 years ago and all I got was breastfeeding education. Very little information on formula feeding was provided which might be why babies are in the hospital right now because they drank diluted formula.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think this is an interesting and relevant topic for discussion, OP, but so don’t think DCUM (or even most of the mainstream) is emotionally able for this kind of exploration. This goes into deeper questions of sovereignty, radical responsibility, and connection to self that are just outside of where most people are operating.

No, it isn't. "Breastfeeding education" is not relevant or helpful to the babies that need formula right now to survive.

You just love the idea of starving babies you sicko.

As I said, most are not emotionally capable of a deeper level of thinking, only reacting by lashing out and making absurd accusations. Of course breastfeeding education isn’t the priority for non-lactating mothers whose babies are given formula.

But longer term thinking about societal shifts, paradigm shifts, so that there isn’t a crisis of the same level every time a corporation or government agency fails the public… well, that’s not really something many are able or willing to explore.

Being a sovereign citizen won't keep you from having latching or supply problems or mastitis

You’re taking it down the political route with the sovereign citizen quip.

OP’s post is *about* increasing support for breastfeeding issues such as you mentioned. But it goes deeper than just providing lactation consultants. It really would take a radical shift in how society treats, values, and cares for expectant, birthing, and postpartum mothers. And as DCUM shows, people aren’t really interested in that. So! Carry on as you are!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think this is an interesting and relevant topic for discussion, OP, but so don’t think DCUM (or even most of the mainstream) is emotionally able for this kind of exploration. This goes into deeper questions of sovereignty, radical responsibility, and connection to self that are just outside of where most people are operating.

No, it isn't. "Breastfeeding education" is not relevant or helpful to the babies that need formula right now to survive.

You just love the idea of starving babies you sicko.

As I said, most are not emotionally capable of a deeper level of thinking, only reacting by lashing out and making absurd accusations. Of course breastfeeding education isn’t the priority for non-lactating mothers whose babies are given formula.

But longer term thinking about societal shifts, paradigm shifts, so that there isn’t a crisis of the same level every time a corporation or government agency fails the public… well, that’s not really something many are able or willing to explore.

Being a sovereign citizen won't keep you from having latching or supply problems or mastitis

You’re taking it down the political route with the sovereign citizen quip.

OP’s post is *about* increasing support for breastfeeding issues such as you mentioned. But it goes deeper than just providing lactation consultants. It really would take a radical shift in how society treats, values, and cares for expectant, birthing, and postpartum mothers. And as DCUM shows, people aren’t really interested in that. So! Carry on as you are!

Please. We all know OP DGAF about mothers or babies. If she did she would recognize that formula saves lives. All she cares about is breastfeeding, mothers and babies be damned.

[Anonymous]

"I'm about 10 years out now from having had an infant. A coworker recently returned and mentioned using formula to both give dad an "opportunity" to feed and to get a break. And I felt a little sad for her."

Um, what? Why would you feel sad for a mother getting a rest??????

[Anonymous]

I know many, many women have valid reasons for using a clothes washer. I tend to think some do, understandably, to simplify their lives and relieve the burden of being tethered to the laundry - either because of stress, going back to work, or some other non-medical reason.

I can't help but wonder how many families use clothes washers out of convenience, and how we might all be better served if we gave women the space, time and support to wash clothes by hand. I recognize that there are different interests at play.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know many, many women have valid reasons for using a clothes washer. I tend to think some do, understandably, to simplify their lives and relieve the burden of being tethered to the laundry - either because of stress, going back to work, or some other non-medical reason.

I can't help but wonder how many families use clothes washers out of convenience, and how we might all be better served if we gave women the space, time and support to wash clothes by hand. I recognize that there are different interests at play.

+1 winning post of the thread

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think this is an interesting and relevant topic for discussion, OP, but so don’t think DCUM (or even most of the mainstream) is emotionally able for this kind of exploration. This goes into deeper questions of sovereignty, radical responsibility, and connection to self that are just outside of where most people are operating.

Sovereignity, radical responsibility, and connection to self are important and formula/radically equal shared infant care responsibilities can be very important to a woman acheiving those goals within motherhood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think this is an interesting and relevant topic for discussion, OP, but so don’t think DCUM (or even most of the mainstream) is emotionally able for this kind of exploration. This goes into deeper questions of sovereignty, radical responsibility, and connection to self that are just outside of where most people are operating.

No, it isn't. "Breastfeeding education" is not relevant or helpful to the babies that need formula right now to survive.

You just love the idea of starving babies you sicko.

As I said, most are not emotionally capable of a deeper level of thinking, only reacting by lashing out and making absurd accusations. Of course breastfeeding education isn’t the priority for non-lactating mothers whose babies are given formula.

But longer term thinking about societal shifts, paradigm shifts, so that there isn’t a crisis of the same level every time a corporation or government agency fails the public… well, that’s not really something many are able or willing to explore.

So you're a prepper? The prepper answer to infant feeding is NOT breastfeeding. It's laying in a stock of 6-months worth of formula or homemade formula ingredients.

[Anonymous]

I just had a baby a couple weeks ago and I was pretty surprised that the hospital didn’t do more to encourage breastfeeding. Maybe it was “obvious” that I was going to breastfeed but, even then, I think there should have been more conversations about it.

For example, my kid was in the NICU, so I overheard lots of pretty private conversations with other moms. The two moms next to me were using formula and the doctors were very casual about pumping. One mom said she was going to start pumping “in a couple of days” and nobody ever corrected this mom that the window of opportunity would be closing. Of course, NICU babies could need formula or moms of premies could have trouble establishing supply, but I was shocked that I didn’t hear more conversations about the formula shortage and encouraging breastfeeding.

(I think this is more what OP has in mind— women who are choosing right now to not breastfeed, not women who have already made the choice.)

[Anonymous]

The "space, time, and support" I needed was a maternity leave longer than eight weeks so I did not have to hunch over a breast pump in a repurposed utility closet with my 20 minute pump break, sweating and praying that I could figure out how to make my boobs release more than 4 oz of milk at a time, knowing that with 2 20 minute breaks in my 8 hour work day I was only going to bring home 8 oz of milk, but my baby was going to drink 20 when I was away, and the way that breastfeeding (and hence pumping) works is via supply and demand, so I would need to find a way to make up the deficit. Either pump in the middle of the night, while driving (I tried!), or supplement with formula. In that sense, yes, it was a "convenience", one for which I felt a huge sense of gratitude and relief tinged with guilt and failure at the same time. What education would I have needed to fix this? I read all the bf books and ordered all the pumping things prime shipping on amazon. Read all the dcum threads. Lurked kellymom (ugh). To add, this was so long ago for me now and reading about the formula shortage brings it all rushing back - the desperation of trying to fulfill a basic need for your child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, is breastfeeding education going to make mothers start lactating after they've been using formula for weeks/months? What do you recommend we do for those babies, exactly?

What about for mothers who adopt? There are so many reasons why to use formula and no one should be bullied into breastfeeding. There have been regular shortages over the years. When my child was little he could only use specific formulas due to reflux. I'd buy way out as there were shortages regularly. Or, worse, when Similac changed teh formula and he wouldn't drink the new one. Yup, I ran store to store to find the old version and bought everything I could while we tried to transition to a different one.

Instead of shaming mothers, why not support them regardless of their choice and why.