Somebody recently sent me a message telling me that WIC moms ask her "Is formula bad for my baby? Will it kill my baby?"  This started me thinking about the relative meaning of BAD.  I thought of the following comparison between drinking water and infant feeding liquids.

        BAD is a relative term.  Look at the following list of types of water, many of the following could be considered BAD but depending on which one you have and which one you could get will determine what is good enough for you.

        1.Distilled bottled water
        2.Bottled spring water
        3.Tap water run through a sink filter
        4.Tap water right from the tap
        5.Water from a deep well
        6.Water from a clear stream
        7.Rainwater collected in a clean container
        8.Water from a muddy river
        9.Water from a green still pond
        10.Water from a polluted river
        11.Water from a dirty gutter
        12.Water from a sewer.

        As you can see from this list the higher the number the worse the water is for you to drink.  Some are "more worse" than others.  But if all you have is #7 you know that if is the best that you haveand that is what you will probably use.  When you can have the best why settle for anything less. You should really have the WIC moms ask the question "what is BEST for my baby."  The answer to what is best in this case is clear.  The facts do not change simply because we chose to ignore them.  My list of the best feeding substances for babies follows:

        1. Mothers Breastmilk
        2. A Wet Nurse
        3. Banked human milk
        4. Commercial Infant formula
        5. Homemade infant formula
        6. Commercial Goat's Milk
        7. Commercial Cow's Milk
        8. Sweetened drinks and teas
        9. Bottled ( Boiled) Water
        10. Tap Water
        11. Contaminated Water
        (Granted there are limitations, social concerns, medical concerns about many of the above, I am just trying to illustrate the wide variation of substances that are available and are used for feeding infants.)
It won't KILL my baby, will it?
        Will any of the above kill the baby?  From top to bottom, the chances of the feeding substance KILLING the baby increase.  Will formula kill the baby ?  Not as likely as contaminated water, but certainly more likely than Mother's milk.

We must continue to fight, but how?
        IN the words of Winston Churchill, "Never, Never, Never, Never Give Up!"  ( or something like that.

Jon Ahrendsen MD FAAFP
Clarion Iowa
PS I am going nomail for the remainder of the week.  Please respond via private email so I won't miss it.