This is not just an issue for formula fed babies. The first-world's luxuries allow for (and create!) feeding situations where babies are fed breastmilk exclusively pumped using electric breast pumps, from stores kept in electric refrigerators and freezers. Even women who are supplementing at the breast using SNS or lactaid or similar devices face significant challenges.

Do we have any idea what percentage of our infant populations are fed this way? 

I was thinking about this issue just last night, in the context of what might be missing from Health Canada's draft recommendations for the nutritional requirements for infants age 0-6 (open for online commentary until Feb 3, 2011.)
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/nutrition/infant-nourisson/index-eng.php

I was wondering if the recommendations should include guidelines for infant feeding in emergency situations. 

-- Jodine Chase


On 2011-01-13, at 2:22 AM, Karleen Gribble wrote:

> Hi Magda,
> I'm not aware of it being discussed on any forums in any significant way.
> I've been trying to keep my ear to the ground as much as possible to get
> some idea of what is going on. In scale, I don't think there is anything
> comparable that has happened in an industrialised country except Hurricane
> Katrina (which was much larger in terms of the population affected).
> Certainly there is infant formula being distributed in evacuation centres
> and it seems likely that much of this has been donated by industry (a breach
> of the Code and the Ops Guidance on IFE). As to how carefully this formula
> is being distributed I have not been able to find out. Certainly many of the
> resources needed to formula feed including formula, water and power are in
> short supply in many places. It really concerns me. The world has turned
> upsidedown for many families and something that was perhaps easy for many,
> formula feeding, has suddenly become extremely difficult. ABA has contacted
> aid orgs to ensure that they are aware of the breastfeeding helpline but I
> don't know how many calls have come through from affected families
> (hopefully will find out at some stage).
> Karleen Gribble
> Australia 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Lactation Information and Discussion
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Magda Sachs
> Sent: Thursday, 13 January 2011 8:00 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Infant feeding in the Australian flood
> 
> I have not been reading lactnet for some time, so I had a quick look at
> the last few weeks.  I have missed any post, if there has been one, on the
> infant feeding consequences of the flooding in Queensland.
> 
> I hope that our Australian colleagues are able to contribute in some way
> to helping to minimise the plight of artificially fed children in that
> area, and are also able to document the consequences in a developed
> country of the choice to formula feed.
> 
> Is there a forum where this is being discussed or is there anything that
> anyone outside the country can do to support?
> 
> Magda Sachs
> Public Health Manager, Salford, UK
> 
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