Unsolicited, unwanted ABM rec'd in the mail: while I agree (on the one hand)
with those who feel that the stuff isn't fit for human consumption, this is
an area where I think it's better to get off of our own BFing platform and
donate it where it will improve somebody's life. We BF advocates know how
inferior to mother's milk it is, and we would like to see those least
fortunate among us at least starting out their babies with the blessings of
breastmilk, but given that many of the women who would benefit from the free
formula have already decided not to BF, isn't it better to think of their
babies at least getting ABM - in preference to, say, soda or root beer, or
even "regular" cows' milk? I've seen many women come in to WIC with their
babies getting bottles of all kinds of stuff (all of them worse than ABM)
when their formula supply has run out.

Johanna, you make a good point about clean water and safe storage for ABM
being a problem for homeless women. BUT many of these women that I have
known have problems that make breastfeeding not a good option for them
either - AIDS/HIV, mental illness requiring medications that aren't so great
for nursing babies (Lithium comes to mind, as well as some of the heavy-duty
antipsychotics), alcoholism and frequent continuing use of "street drugs",
are all frequently-encountered conditions among these women. Much as it
pains me to say it, I think that many women are making the right decision
for themselves when they go with formula-feeding - they know more about
their lives than we do. And the lack of infant formula doesn't improve the
risk factors in these women's lives; there are just some for whom
breastfeeding will not be a viable option, and making formula less available
doesn't add anything positive to their lives or their babies'.

I'm thinking of one young mom I worked with - 15 yrs. old, homeless, staying
at the shelter with her new baby, "breastfeeding". Her public health nurse
brought her to me when baby was just a couple of days old, *not* thriving -
mom was not allowed to hang out in the shelter with the baby during the day,
and was not able to find places where she felt comfortable nsg., SO BABY
WASN'T GETTING FED REGULARLY. Mom thought lack of wet diapers was a good
thing, since diaper changes were difficult & diapers cost money. I worked
with her to come up with a list of places she could nurse.(I even went with
her to show her a little spot in the public library that I had always
thought would be a good place to nurse if you were downtown.) A few days
later I came in to a big ruckus - the baby was in the hospital, under
custody of Dep't of Social Svcs. and very ill; turns out she had taken the
baby with her to visit her boyfriend in jail (where the baby was exposed to
meningitis, in the crowded waiting room), and then the next day had gone out
late at night (for drugs) and just left the baby unattended in the shelter.
No formula, no tidy little bottles of expressed breastmilk, absolutely
nothing for the baby to be fed. Scary, isn't it?!  We all would have been
much happier if the shelter had had a supply of formula on hand, and I
learned my lesson - from then on, extra formula that came our way at WIC
went to the shelter and the many food pantries around the county; we also
donated a regular supply to the teen parenting program, since planning ahead
was often not a strong suit for these young moms.

Remember Rule #1: FEED THE BABY!

cATHY bARGAR, rn, ibclc iTHACA ny