Mime-Version: |
1.0 |
Sender: |
|
Subject: |
|
From: |
|
Date: |
Wed, 11 Mar 2009 16:46:12 +0000 |
Content-Type: |
text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed |
Reply-To: |
|
Parts/Attachments: |
|
|
Julie writes, "As a former home-visiting nurse to parents of
newborns, I can testify that giving a free can or two of formula at
each visit was a large part of my function. Mind you, if this wasn't
done, many parents wouldn't accept services, and some of these babies
wouldn't have been fed...period."
This is shocking. I should stress that I'm only citing Julie's words
as just one more example of similar statements I've heard to defend
provision of free formula. Colleagues on both sides of the Atlantic
have told me that if free formula wasn't available, then parents
would feed their babies ordinary cow's milk, or coca cola, or almost
any other unsuitable liquid - deliberately. Can it be true? Does
this really happen??
There are two pre-conditions for bottle-feeding; formula has to be
both easily accessible and socially acceptable. It seems to me that
giving free formula fulfils both those criteria. If a hospital or a
department of health gives free formula to mothers (in or out of the
maternity setting) it puts a seal of endorsement on its use. At some
level, every mother who uses the freebies must think to herself that
bottle-feeding _must_ be OK, or the government/authority/health
institution wouldn't be giving it to her baby.
What I'd like to know is if anyone has any research which
demonstrates that parents/mothers in industrialized countries will
actually starve their babies, or feed them orange squash or coke (or
whatever) if they don't receive formula hand-outs.
Pamela Morrison IBCLC
Rustington, England
***********************************************
Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html
To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]
Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask]
COMMANDS:
1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail
2. To start it again: set lactnet mail
3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome
|
|
|