Re: Not sure if it's been posted already...did you hear about Bloomberg's latest initiative?

Posted by justbeachy

Posted by NervousNell

Posted by justbeachy


I have serious anxiety about this. Anyone have suggestions for how I can successfully navigate this one? I'm already petrified of becoming a mom for the first time. I feel like I'm going to cry at the hospital if they try to 'educate' me.

Do NOT have anxiety about this!
Please don't.
It is your body. It is your baby.
It is your choice.
You tell them you are formula feeding and that's it.
If they try to tell you otherwise you say, no thank you I am formula feeding.
If they refuse to give you formula, have DH bring some up to you.
Own your decision. Be tough.
Be rude and nasty if you have to be.
But please don't stress of this- you will have enough to worry about. It's a joyous time- don't let anyone ruin that for you.
Stand up for yourself!

Thank you! I need to work on having a thick skin!

Re: Not sure if it's been posted already...did you hear about Bloomberg's latest initiative?

He's a moron...

Re: Not sure if it's been posted already...did you hear about Bloomberg's latest initiative?

Not sure if it's been posted already...did you hear about Bloomberg's latest initiative?

It is all about the money. I think I wouldn't be so offended with it if he wasn't supporting it just to save money. But the support is to save the city money. If he was someone who always advocated having a mother and child bond and giving women extended paid maturnity leave, then I wouldn't be so offended. It would be something he strongly believed in. I am not saying that anyone should tell someone else how to feed their baby. But I just hate things like this that doesn't take into consideration what is going to happen next. How are working moms going to continue to breastfeed? Are are you planning to push for companies to give more women time off of paid leave? When it comes down to it, he doesn't care what is going to happen next. He just wants to save money of the formula expenses.

Re: Not sure if it's been posted already...did you hear about Bloomberg's latest initiative?

Oh Girls...don't get your panties in a bunch about this again...and especially not over my comments. My point is not an opinion..it's fact and I could really give 2 sh*ts how you feed your children or what you think of my statements.
Lactation is a biological imperative. Just by virtue of being a mammal, the choice of breastfeeding has already been made for you. Of course, you could choose the unnatural option of formula feeding...but it comes at a price...several costs really. And the financial ones are the focus of Bloomberg's campaign. Formula feeding IS less beneficial to you AND to your baby. But as with everything, it doesn't have to be good, it just has to be good enough. And that's what formula is...good enough for baby to live on...just not as good as formula. It is not a choice on whether to BF or not though. It is EXCLUSIVELY a choice to NOT BF, since nature made the choice for you by giving you functioning mammary glands, an endocrine system and a newborn with instinctual and extensive sucking needs. (I am not including those who tried but did not succeed for medical reasons..and to you, my heart aches and I am honored to stand beside you as a mother who took the path of least resistance).
This is not My bag of tricks. This is not a self righteous, moral high horse. This is the biological and medical truth. All I said is that if Bloomberg's job is to cut healthcare costs, then this initiative makes sense. End of my contribution to the OP.
The amount of guilt that fuels this senseless debate over and over again is so sad. Just own it. You can still be a great mom if you choose a less beneficial method of food and soothing. We all take the easier way out many times throughout our lifetime of child rearing. And for the most part all of our kids will be just fine (granted, if we took the easy way out less often and for less critical things, our kids might be better than fine). But yes, BFing is an essential component of MOTHERING A HUMAN baby. It does go with the territory. You don't get the choice to lactate or not. You do however get the choice to change your mothering territory and stop yourself from lactating. All Bloomberg and the BFing advocates are saying is that this territory will land you or your child with higher medical costs throughout both of your lifetimes.

And to

Re: Not sure if it's been posted already...did you hear about Bloomberg's latest initiative?

I actually don't think the concept behind this idea is all that bad. How is it a bad idea to try and educate women on BFing?

I don't agree with the part of the article that says "With each bottle a mother requests and receives, she’ll also get a talking-to. Staffers will explain why she should offer the breast instead." If this is going to happen in the hospital (although I think it should happen in the OB/GYN offices before the baby is born), they should only have to talk to the moms once about the benefits and leave her alone after that. If she is set on FFing, she shouldn't have to listen to a "talking to" every time her baby needs a bottle of formula. That's where I think it's going overboard.

I don't think it's fair to assume that all mothers know the benefits of BFing. Just because we (all of us on this board) know about the pros and cons, doesn't mean that every other mother out there knows it. I didn't know about the benefits of keeping my child rear facing until someone told me. I didn't know about putting my baby to sleep on their back until someone told me. So I think this could be a good thing.

I also think that there are women out there who look at their hospital stay as a way to come home with a 3 month supply of free diapers, formula, baby blankets. Being in the hospital for a few days does not mean you deserve to get month's worth of free stuff. Just like everyone says it's a mother's right to feed their child the way they want to, it's also their RESPONSIBILITY to supply them with the kind of milk they will get, whether it be formula or BM.

So while I am not a fan of Bloomberg and while I'm not completely thrilled with the way they are stating this will work, I think if it were tweaked a little bit it could be a good thing. Why is it so bad to try and get more mothers to BF their children...if they are open to it?

ETA: This is coming from a mother who started BFing both my DC but ended up having to FF at about 6 months with each because I was working and could not pump enough to keep up with their demands. So I have done both with my kids. I do wish I was able to supply more BM to them, but I also had no issues with formula....I was a formula baby and I turned out OK!



I also had to take my 2 week old DD to the emergency room to be admitted for 24 hours because she came down with RSV. So while I understand that BFing 'may' help prevent illness, it's not the end all solution. BF kids still get sick.

Message edited 7/30/2012 11:54:05 AM.

Re: Not sure if it's been posted already...did you hear about Bloomberg's latest initiative?

Not sure if it's been posted already...did you hear about Bloomberg's latest initiative?

as someone who can not breastfeed due to a medical condition....im so sick of listening to everyone tell me how beneficial it is when i have no control over it!

i cant imagine being lectured after giving birth...i would probably break down in tears!

and fyi...my daughter was formula fed from day 1....she is a healthy happy 2 year old who has NEVER had any sort of illness other than a cold and is doing great as far as reaching milestones :)

Re: Not sure if it's been posted already...did you hear about Bloomberg's latest initiative?

People like you who know just go on and on about how great BFing is and that everyone SHOULD do it is one of the many reasons why I chose to NOT to do it.

You (pushy BFing advocates) are all so annoying with your preaching of benefits and guilt trip to people who are not comfortable with the idea.

I might have been more open to it once my DS was born, but I was constantly being asked if I was going to BF him and was preached so many times in the hospital about it being THE best choice, that making the decision to not was a very easy one.




Seriously...you decided not to breastfeed in part to "show" them who was boss? I understand the point you are trying to make, but to me this is one the most ridiculous statements I have read.

I see all the sides to this argument, and I think the point is being missed. It's not a law, and not all the hospitals are doing it. The point is to stop flooding new moms with formula and to give some more education. Nobody is taking anybody's right away, or making newborns starve. I think it's a good idea, but needs some kinks worked out. I also think the reality of this is that the 1st time you may get an are you sure you don't want to try the breast, but after that I doubt they have the staff or the time to "lecture" you every 2-3 hrs.

Message edited 7/30/2012 11:57:04 AM.

Re: Not sure if it's been posted already...did you hear about Bloomberg's latest initiative?

I am SO SICK of hearing the bf vs ff debate over & over again. The comments on this topic that I read and hear from one woman to another are really just thoughtless & mean.

And btw, who cares if you THINK you are the better mother because you BF, just keep it to yourself because most likely, no one cares. Some people need to get over themselves. It's a wonder our kids are such bullies.

Bloomberg is an idiot & he should go suck on something.

Re: Not sure if it's been posted already...did you hear about Bloomberg's latest initiative?

Seriously, I am BF but when I had my son he dropped over a pound before leaving the hospital and the LC, nurses and doctor said to give him formula while still trying to BF to get his weight up. Thank God we did, after over 2 weeks with doing both he gained weight. I am still BF but, still not producing alot and my DS still gets atleast 1 FF a day. Not all mother's can produce, not all babies latch so what should they do not feed their LO?

Re: Not sure if it's been posted already...did you hear about Bloomberg's latest initiative?

Just to add - and I know it's probably just an "exception to the rule"

My SIL and BIL are very health conscious... like pretty crazy about it.

All three of their kids were exclusively BF'd. My poor SIL pretty much BF'd for 6 straight years. They live a "natural" lifestyle

My nephews are ALWAYS sick. There is ALWAYS something wrong with them.

My kids....

FF.. I tried with DD, it was the most awful experience, I gave up. Also, I was not allowed to BF her for the first two weeks because of her jaundice. The pediatrician AND hospital wanted her to be on formula to make sure to flush the jaundice out.

I had zero desire to Bf my DS when he was born and I didn't. IF my hospital did not offer formula, you better believe I would have had it packed in my hospital bag. NOONE will EVER tell me how to feed my children. If a nurse would have "given me a talking to" she would have gotten one back.

I can count on 1 hand how many times my DD has been sick in her 3.5 years. Only a cold and 1 ear infection.

My DS the same.

I KNOW the benefits of BFing, but I CHOOSE for my OWN well being to not BF. Call me selfish, but I think a mother's mental health is important to be a good mommy.

I felt tremendous guilt over quitting BFing my DD, but because I was MADE to feel guilty. I had not one ounce of guilt with my decision to FF my DS. It made me a BETTER mom because I did FF.

Re: Not sure if it's been posted already...did you hear about Bloomberg's latest initiative?

I haven't read through all of the responses but it's clear that a trash newspaper like The Post isn't going to get the facts right. Here is a link to the initiative's website with facts about the program. This is to help women who choose to breastfeed, not to bully or bash those who choose not to. I am in no way a Bloomberg fan, but I support and applaud him on this!

link

Re: Not sure if it's been posted already...did you hear about Bloomberg's latest initiative?

If he s going to support this initiative then he needs to support a few other things:
1.longer , paid maternity leave
2. And/or NYC insurance covering breast pumps,(as I understand it is not covered under ghi who covers most city employees)
3. Proper places to pump in all NYC buildings ( right now someone I work with has to pump in a supply closet bc it is the only place with a lock)

He basically makes it mpossible for many to follow through unless you take unpaid leave or bring your child to work, two thigs most can't do.

Like other said if they want to "educate" it should be part of prenatal care, not directly after a mother has given birth and is half out of it.

Message edited 7/30/2012 12:06:57 PM.

Re: Not sure if it's been posted already...did you hear about Bloomberg's latest initiative?

Re: Not sure if it's been posted already...did you hear about Bloomberg's latest initiative?

you are all arguing about something that is a MOOT POINT.

NO ONE is taking choice away.

NO ONE IS TAKING YOUR CHOICE AWAY.

sure, IF for some reason a couple of ladies on this board give birth in a NYC hospital, it might actually become an issue for YOU, but in reality this will not affect most of you.

but beyond that, NO ONE is taking away your choice to breast feed. they are just requiring that you VOICE it.

just like a bf'ing mom having to make sure ad naseum that they don't just willy nilly give formula.

this is not all that terrible, all the difficult, all that pertaining to most people HERE and NOT TAKING AWAY YOUR CHOICE.

you will always here about statistics on breast feeding b/c they ARE positive. and it is FREE. and it *CAN BE* better for some people who may not have given it much thought.

but AGAIN, it's not infringing on ANY civil liberty so I don't know where the talk of "taking choices away" and "making decisions" for us is coming from.

all you have to say is "formula". you just have to SAY it.

it upsets me more that you don't seem to get a choice of what formula your baby gets in the hospital. it's whatever they have...but maybe you want Enfamil and not Similac. or maybe you want Good Start. you can't chose. it's whichever pharma company has their foothold in the unit. THAT is something to get twisted about.

Re: Not sure if it's been posted already...did you hear about Bloomberg's latest initiative?

Re: Not sure if it's been posted already...did you hear about Bloomberg's latest initiative?

Message edited 7/30/2012 12:19:59 PM.

Re: Not sure if it's been posted already...did you hear about Bloomberg's latest initiative?

bottom line, I am bringing my own formula when I deliver in January.

Ill be damned if I have to get my ass out of bed day 1 after a csection to chase down a nurse for more "less beneficial" nutrition for my child.

Message edited 7/30/2012 12:19:17 PM.

Re: Not sure if it's been posted already...did you hear about Bloomberg's latest initiative?

Posted by jerseypanda

I actually don't think the concept behind this idea is all that bad. How is it a bad idea to try and educate women on BFing?

I don't agree with the part of the article that says "With each bottle a mother requests and receives, she’ll also get a talking-to. Staffers will explain why she should offer the breast instead." If this is going to happen in the hospital (although I think it should happen in the OB/GYN offices before the baby is born), they should only have to talk to the moms once about the benefits and leave her alone after that. If she is set on FFing, she shouldn't have to listen to a "talking to" every time her baby needs a bottle of formula. That's where I think it's going overboard.

I don't think it's fair to assume that all mothers know the benefits of BFing. Just because we (all of us on this board) know about the pros and cons, doesn't mean that every other mother out there knows it. I didn't know about the benefits of keeping my child rear facing until someone told me. I didn't know about putting my baby to sleep on their back until someone told me. So I think this could be a good thing.

I also think that there are women out there who look at their hospital stay as a way to come home with a 3 month supply of free diapers, formula, baby blankets. Being in the hospital for a few days does not mean you deserve to get month's worth of free stuff. Just like everyone says it's a mother's right to feed their child the way they want to, it's also their RESPONSIBILITY to supply them with the kind of milk they will get, whether it be formula or BM.

So while I am not a fan of Bloomberg and while I'm not completely thrilled with the way they are stating this will work, I think if it were tweaked a little bit it could be a good thing. Why is it so bad to try and get more mothers to BF their children...if they are open to it?

ETA: This is coming from a mother who started BFing both my DC but ended up having to FF at about 6 months with each because I was working and could not pump enough to keep up with their demands. So I have done both with my kids. I do wish I was able to supply more BM to them, but I also had no issues with formula....I was a formula baby and I turned out OK!



I also had to take my 2 week old DD to the emergency room to be admitted for 24 hours because she came down with RSV. So while I understand that BFing 'may' help prevent illness, it's not the end all solution. BF kids still get sick.

Re: Not sure if it's been posted already...did you hear about Bloomberg's latest initiative?

Re: Not sure if it's been posted already...did you hear about Bloomberg's latest initiative?

Re: Not sure if it's been posted already...did you hear about Bloomberg's latest initiative?

Oh Grill Grill Grill.........you poor, clueless, lacating icon of a woman.
Your "mother of the year" award is on its way I'm sure.

Re: Not sure if it's been posted already...did you hear about Bloomberg's latest initiative?

Re: Not sure if it's been posted already...did you hear about Bloomberg's latest initiative?

Message edited 7/30/2012 12:37:13 PM.