Dealing with the formula shortage

[Anonymous]

I heard a statistic on NBC News with Lester Holt that gave me pause. He said, “Over 60% of the formula purchased in this country did so using WIC vouchers”. Basically, low income and nationally deficient children under 5. Who exactly is supposed to promote breastfeeding?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:IS formula more convenient?? I breastfed 3 babies. It was so easy to just nurse any time I needed. No bringing bottles, no formula, no cleaning bottles. My diaper bag consisted of 2 diapers and a thing of wipes. It was particularly easy in the middle of the night with newborns. I never left my bed, just picked up baby, nursed and put them down. I really feel like I got more sleep that way than going to the kitchen to make formula, turning on lights, etc.

Pumping is harder than formula, yeah, but not totally. I pump 3x during my work day. I don't stop working and just pump at the computer. (I realize that not everyone has a job they can pump at)

I have the perfect job for pumping and I found pumping to be hugely disruptive and exhausting. Not everyone finds breastfeeding as convenient as you did. I'm not saying you didn't find it easy, I'm saying I didn't. For many, many women, it is not easy, but people like you insist only your experience is valid.

Sorry, I think no one hears from the experience of women who enjoyed it and find it easy. I don't talk about it in public. In mom's groups, people only talk about struggles. Why isn't my experience valid too?

I SPECIFICALLY SAID IT WAS VALID. YOU were the one who said "IS formula more convienient?" As though your experience is the only truth.

I've been around long enough to recognize that in every area of life but especially online people tend to complain about their struggles more than they celebrate their difficulties. But when it comes to breastfeeding advocates, NEVER in my breastfeeding classes, with the lactation consultants or doulas did I ever hear anyone validate the fact that breastfeeding is hard for so many women. All you hear about is how great it is, how breastfed babies sh&t doesn't stink (that's quite the gem lol), never recognizing the sheer amount of time and literal energy it takes.

They also love to talk about how it is free. Like there is zero value to a woman’s time and autonomy.

And it's not even free in dollar terms. I spent hundreds on pump parts/accessories, boppy pillows, nursing pads, nursing bras, pumping bras, mother's milk tea, etc etc.

NP. I pump while at work and EBF when I'm home and on weekends. Insurance covered all pump parts, didn't use a boppy, pumping bra or teas. I did buy a nursing bra, but it's the same I used while pregnant. I also had to buy nursing pads, but I bought washable ones.

I never say it's free or that my time has zero value. I would be feeding my baby regardless, so my time is already spent. And if dh were feeding the baby, I'd be with the other kid anyways.

So you pumped at work with no pumping bra? You just held the flanges the entire time? Also, your time pumping isn't already spent - otherwise you would be working, not feeding your baby. And most people want to have more than one nursing bra so they can wash it occasionally.

These breastfeeding/formula wars are so annoying

[Anonymous]

OP, it’s not due to “lack of education” that I combo feed. It’s due to a congenital breast deformity that causes one of my breasts to have no milk glands and the other to produce little milk. Ten to 20 percent of women are biologically incapable of producing enough milk to ever meet their baby’s needs. I understand you tried to word your post sensitively, and you are not saying everyone should breastfeed, but I do think your focus is on the wrong place. I think your assumption that a significantly higher proportion of women would exclusively breastfeed if given education and financial and other support is simply inaccurate. I think it would surprise you how many of us made informed choices to combo or formula feed.

[Anonymous]

I’m guessing you wrote that incompletely OP. There were hopefully more variables being considered than what you expressed. That is in part why many including myself are having a reaction that might not be the discourse you expected.

We don’t have good systems in place for new parents period. Time for newborn/early infant care PLUS recovery for the many birthing parents that need it is sorely under supported in the US.

[Anonymous]

I say this as someone who is currently breastfeeding. There is nothing convenient about having a baby attached to your boobs for several hours a day.

[Anonymous]

In my experience "breastfeeding education" involves trying to glaslight women into thinking we want to breastfeed. Then when we end up twisting ourselves into knots trying to work (because we WANT to work) and doing all nighttime feedings and spending 90 minutes pumping at work every day (not including set up and pump parts), we blame ourselves for not being happy or not being able to produce enough milk. No thanks, I think we have plenty of "breastfeeding education".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I heard a statistic on NBC News with Lester Holt that gave me pause. He said, “Over 60% of the formula purchased in this country did so using WIC vouchers”. Basically, low income and nationally deficient children under 5. Who exactly is supposed to promote breastfeeding?

Breast is Best is a government conspiracy to get out of having to pay for formula under WIC. There are CDC memos, written by men, about it. I also think it's a way to keep women chained to babies. I don't care what your do with your body or your baby, but if you really don't understand that the science is negligible to support breastfeeding, you're just not that smart.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In my experience "breastfeeding education" involves trying to glaslight women into thinking we want to breastfeed. Then when we end up twisting ourselves into knots trying to work (because we WANT to work) and doing all nighttime feedings and spending 90 minutes pumping at work every day (not including set up and pump parts), we blame ourselves for not being happy or not being able to produce enough milk. No thanks, I think we have plenty of "breastfeeding education".

Yup. And the patriarchy managed to pull the ultimate con and get women to judge other women for saying nope to all that.

[Anonymous]

Stop sexualizing breasts! They're for feeding BABIES!

Stop telling me to feed my baby with my breasts! I don't care about biology I only care about my autonomy!

Y'all are crazy.

Note: If you can't feed your baby because your baby won't latch or you didn't make milk, this post is not referring to you. YOU should have formula; too bad all of the moms who didn't really need it decided to use it instead.

[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?

This is getting tiresome. Do you know how many things we would have to change in the US to support breastfeeding? Here is a list to get you started:

1) Maternity leave - women in the US have 0 paid days of maternity leave. We've been trying to pass maternity leave for years. Has Congress passed anything? No. This is on top of the fact that all legislation proposed for maternity leave is for three months. To promote breastfeeding you would want a system where women get at least 6 months of maternity leave. I will also add that paid parental leave is important too. To continue breastfeeding, women need adequate support at home. It helps when your spouse can take off from work to help you with the baby.
2) Access to healthcare - We don't have universal healthcare in the US and it doesn't look like we will ever get universal healthcare. Someone needs to pay for lactation consultants, pumping etc.
3) Childcare - parents need support in the house with other kids so that the mom can focus on breastfeeding.
4) Support for pumping - do you think the cash register in Walmart can take pumping breaks?

I will tell you that I am upper middle class. My mom breastfed me and all my siblings so I grew up thinking that breastfeeding is natural and the way babies should be fed. I was adamant on breastfeeding and did everything I could to breastfeed. I had the support I needed. Had a supportive husband, family, supportive workplace, and all the money necessary to see dozens of lactation consultants if I wanted to. Well guess what? I tried and I tried and I tried. I could not produce more than .75 oz a feed whether it was through breastfeeding (they would weigh my baby before and after) or through pumping. I killed myself trying. I pumped for three and a half months thinking that even an ounce a day is enough. I "breastfed," then bottle fed, and then pumped 8 times a day. That's all I did. My mental health deteriorated. With my second I saw a lactation consultant before birth and then saw her 4 times after. Guess what? No matter how many interventions we did (pumping, taking supplements etc) the amount I could produce wouldn't go up. So after 4 weeks of trying the lactation consultant told me that I should stop and that she's never seen anyone work this hard to try to make milk. She told me if she was seeing an upward trajectory will my milk production she would tell me to continue but she wasn't . With my third I tried for 3 weeks and then gave up. Not everyone can breastfeed. Breastfeeding will not resolve the formula crisis. Yes sure we should focus on providing women with more support but it ain't happening anytime soon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IS formula more convenient?? I breastfed 3 babies. It was so easy to just nurse any time I needed. No bringing bottles, no formula, no cleaning bottles. My diaper bag consisted of 2 diapers and a thing of wipes. It was particularly easy in the middle of the night with newborns. I never left my bed, just picked up baby, nursed and put them down. I really feel like I got more sleep that way than going to the kitchen to make formula, turning on lights, etc.

Pumping is harder than formula, yeah, but not totally. I pump 3x during my work day. I don't stop working and just pump at the computer. (I realize that not everyone has a job they can pump at)

I have the perfect job for pumping and I found pumping to be hugely disruptive and exhausting. Not everyone finds breastfeeding as convenient as you did. I'm not saying you didn't find it easy, I'm saying I didn't. For many, many women, it is not easy, but people like you insist only your experience is valid.

Sorry, I think no one hears from the experience of women who enjoyed it and find it easy. I don't talk about it in public. In mom's groups, people only talk about struggles. Why isn't my experience valid too?

It isn't valid because they are breastfeeding. And we are talking here about women who formula feed. Women who are formula feeding can't or don't want to breastfeed for various reasons. The fact that you find breastfeeding easy isn't going to help women who formula feed because they aren't breastfeeding for a reason. Got it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stop sexualizing breasts! They're for feeding BABIES!

Stop telling me to feed my baby with my breasts! I don't care about biology I only care about my autonomy!

Y'all are crazy.

Note: If you can't feed your baby because your baby won't latch or you didn't make milk, this post is not referring to you. YOU should have formula; too bad all of the moms who didn't really need it decided to use it instead.

Please. I’m so glad I’m not breastfeeding. I’m not interested in another human on my boob for 6 plus hours a day. The entire process is gross and unnecessary. Formula is freedom!

[Anonymous]

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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!

Oh no I'm interested in that. The thing is you probably aren't. Who did you vote for in the election? Did you vote for someone who supports providing affordable childcare, expanding the childcare tax credit or providing a basic income for parents with young children, instituting paid parental leave, medicare for all, sick leave?

[Anonymous]

I don't understand this. I breastfed my three kids for 12 months. It was a choice that I made. If a mom wants to formula feed, why does she need to provide ANY justification at all? She shouldn't have to explain anything to anyone. If baby is fed, no one should be concerned.

I don't understand why this isn't a national emergency. How can babies who are dependent on formula now get fed????

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stop sexualizing breasts! They're for feeding BABIES!

Stop telling me to feed my baby with my breasts! I don't care about biology I only care about my autonomy!

Y'all are crazy.

Note: If you can't feed your baby because your baby won't latch or you didn't make milk, this post is not referring to you. YOU should have formula; too bad all of the moms who didn't really need it decided to use it instead.

This is a profoundly ignorant post.