Hi All,
>>**But, some babies will be allergic regardless of what their mothers
>>do. When this occurs, your physician may recommend a soy formula (for
>>infants with no soy allergies) or other hypoallergenic infant
>>formulas.**
No wonder soy allergy rates are going up (according to what I have read
and experienced) with attitudes like this! The National Asthma Campaign
in UK don't recommend soy formula be used on potentially allergic babies
at all, until around 4mo, due to soy allergy being common (according to
a weaning information sheet I have). Even the manufacturers of a soy
formula in UK say, in their package insert "At least 10% of babies
allergic to dairy will also be allergic to soya products". Plus, all the
health concerns about soy and phyto-oestrogens etc, the high levels of
glucose syryp in it which are a nightmare for the teeth, the lack of
certain essential fatty acids etc.
And I absolutely *hate* that word "hypoallergenic" as it is meaningless
IMHO - you can be allergic to hypoallergenic products, it's just less
likely. And if you are allergic to a hypoallergenic product, it's
"hypoallergenic" status is irrelevent to you (I am so allergic to one
"hypoallergenic" lipstick, my lips swelled up so I could hardly speak).
I was talking about this issue just the other day, to a mother who had
had to eliminate something like 100 products from her diet in order to
help her breastfed, allergic baby. When she asked the doctors why they
didn't originally suggest changing her diet (she tried the baby on
hypoallergenic formula, with disasterous results, btw) they said that
"they thought it would be too much to expect". She was absolutely
incensed by this attitude - it is *so* patronising.
I do know a mother who refused to consider breastfeeding after her
colicy baby did worse on everything they gave him (however, this was the
same doctor who had prescribed bromocryptine (sp?) a few days before, to
dry up her milk), but most I know would consider it, even if it meant
quite a bit of personal sacrifice. In fact, my experience is that with
the right information, mothers will do the most incredible things to
help their children. My feeling is that so many mothers "choose" to
formula feed out of ignorance, because they've heard all this "breast is
best" stuff, with no support backing it up whatsoever, and assume all
the health problems associated with formula feeding are "normal" (I have
been told that babies "get" ear infections, constipation, chest
infections, "baby eczema" and "baby stomach flu" and this is totally
normal). IMHO, that is patronising as well - do we think they couldn't
"take it" if we started talking about the "risks" of formula feeding?
PS I've just forwarded Diane Weissinger's "Language" essay to my mother,
who bottlefed us both (my sister apparently by choice) and am nervously
awaiting her reaction, preparing to duck! I am trying to educate her to
give myself and my sister an easier life.
--
Anna H.
mailto: [log in to unmask]
http://www.ratbag.demon.co.uk/anna/
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