But how much of this infant mortality increase is due to the influx of baby
formula to these famine stricken places?  Often the only pictures you see is of
milk powder being flown in.  How many women are convinced they could not sustain
their child and are convinced to give the child the free formula or milk powder
without the proper sterilization facilities?.  How many of these babies die from
gastro?  How many babies are weaned onto rice - the staple diet of the
undernourished?

And why oh why don't the health workers feed the mothers the formula and save
two lives, not one.

I cannot believe that even severely malnourished women, cannot sustain their
babies better than unsterilised bottles/cups and watered down formula.

And perhaps being slightly undernourished is our natural state, and the
oversupply in North American (and Northern European) women is more to do with
restricted feeding times at the breast, too much pumping, separation from babies
and too much good food.  After all more women in under developed countries feed
their babies 5 minutes every half an hour or so and we tend to think one long
feed every two or three hours is normal.

Sorry to be controversial.

Sue H.
NCT BFC
UK

             ***********************************************
The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html