Marsha and all,
In this discussion, it's great to have a Pediatrics article to refer to.
Educating about safer artificial feeding is not easy. Having a US "MD"
reference makes me feel like someone might actually take what I say seriously.
It goes in my bag today. So many moms, for so many reasons, do not have
enough of their own milk to feed their babies when I first walk in their home.
They have to eat something, and as has been said, unless there is a family
history of Type 1 Diabetes, etc. a "standard cow's milk-based formula" is
appropriate. I don't mention brand names, but do bring up marketing claims of
big differences which are not real. I also mention that the DHA can cause
stomach upset, so they may want to check how much DHA has been "added", if
their baby seems uncomfortable. Also that since it is added without the
benefit of the many other synergistic ingredients in mother's own milk, we
don't know what the "right dose" would be. I also mention that DHA is not
organic even in "organic" formulas ( at this time, anyway, in the US). Nor has
it been shown to be of any benefit for full-term, healthy babies,
especially if they are getting any of mom's own milk at all. The information about
heating up water sufficiently to kill any bacteria in powdered formula is
always something no one has ever told them. ( Many of the babies I see were
born at between 28 and 36 weeks, and home so fast I'm shocked, without any
real guidance about what that might mean.) It sometimes feels like moms
think I make this up just to make formula feeding harder on them. I hope this
article will help them understand I am concerned about their baby's health.
Period.
Thanks for the discussion and reference,
Peace,
Judy
Judy LeVan Fram, PT, IBCLC, LLLL
Brooklyn, NY, USA
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