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  • LOTD

    Filed at 10:20 am under by dcobranchi

    From the NYT:

    The Value of Breast Milk

    Re “For an All-Organic Formula, Baby, That’s Sweet” (front page, May 19):

    You report that health-conscious Americans are paying a premium to feed their babies Similac Organic, a sugar-sweetened formula made from cow’s milk.

    Memo to yoga moms: the healthy alternative to factory formula isn’t organic factory formula. It’s breast milk.

    Mother’s milk is naturally made to meet the special needs of babies from the moment they are born. Breast-fed children have a lower risk of infection and death during infancy, and they exhibit lower rates of childhood leukemia, diabetes, asthma and obesity.

    Women who breast-feed their babies have reduced risk of Type 2 diabetes, as well as breast and ovarian cancer. And unlike a cleverly marketed substitute, mother’s milk is free.

    Deborah Kaplan
    Assistant Commissioner, Bureau of Maternal, Infant and Reproductive Health
    New York City Health Department
    New York, May 21, 2008

    4 Responses to “LOTD”


    Comment by
    Lisa Giebitz
    May 25th, 2008
    at 1:37 pm

    I’m pretty sure they know that already, you know, seeing as that you can’t be pregnant these days without hearing “BREAST IS BEST!!!” five hundred million times. Per day.

    If a woman has to or chooses to use formula for whatever reason (and there are a lot of pretty damn good reasons), wouldn’t it be better to go with organic?

    Many moms do both, nurse and formula feed – it’s usually not the all or nothing proposition that so many have turned it into.


    Comment by
    JJ Ross
    May 25th, 2008
    at 4:19 pm

    Good point — so few things are!


    Comment by
    Dawn
    May 25th, 2008
    at 9:37 pm

    I’m not sure what about it being organic makes it better than regular formula. Has Similac got any research to show it’s a better choice?

    Can you tell I’m not a fan of ‘organic’ labels?

    Regardless,. I think the letter writer is spot on. The problem with formula isn’t that it’s organic or not, it’s simply that it’s not breast milk. At best formula can be a nutritious food source. That’s the very least of what breast milk is.

    None of this is to say there’s no good reason for choosing formula. But having a very good reason for using it still doesn’t make formula the equal or even a close runner up to breast milk.

    And now I’m heading down spiel road…:D


    Comment by
    speedwell
    May 29th, 2008
    at 12:41 am

    I had to put up with the La Leche cultists invading my hospital room after I had a baby, years ago, that I gave up for adoption. Even though they knew I wasn’t even going to see the baby for more than four days, they were horrified beyond measure that I was not breastfeeding. Newsflash: I had NO milk. This actually runs in my family; my mom was a weak milk producer as well. But no excuse is a good enough excuse for the fanatical milk freaks.