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vendredi 21 décembre 2018

Why Moms Shouldn't Feel Guilty About Giving Their Babies Formula

When it came time to give my daughter infant formula, the thought made me panic. Rationally, I knew I had to stop nursing for valid reasons and was happy I had made it six months exclusively breastfeeding. But even the thought of researching formula made me cringe.

I realized that while I got a lot of advice about breastfeeding, no one in my childbirth classes or mothers groups seemed to talk about formula. It's true that historically, commercial formula has been overmarketed to parents when breast milk is best. But the correction toward promoting breastfeeding had left me scared and uninformed about how to start feeding my child when I could no longer produce her food myself.

"It's a very personal decision for a woman to decide to switch to formula or decide to use formula and breastfeed," explained Diane Wilson, director of nutrition services for Nature's One, which sells an organic baby formula. Wilson said she receives comments from mothers who have had breast reduction surgery or are adoptive parents. Some other reasons mothers decide to supplement or go to exclusively formula? Medication, low milk supply, work situations, a desire to conceive again, or simply because they decide breastfeeding isn't for them.

"You can count on formula to make sure your baby grows and thrives."

Wilson believes parents in these situation shouldn't feel guilty. "Infant formula is one of the most highly regulated foods in the world. The manufacturing specifications, the nutrient composition, the amount of these nutrients - everything is extensively researched, and ingredients that go into formula have to show that they are completely safe and appropriate and in the proper amount," she explained. Wilson pointed out that in certain situations, formula is a necessity, and when that's the case you can feel assured that it's a safe, healthy alternative. "Breast milk will never be duplicated, at least in my lifetime," Wilson said, "but you can count on formula to make sure your baby grows and thrives."

Dr. Cristina Casas, a pediatrician in San Francisco, agreed that formula is safe for infants, and in fact she does not recommend a specific one to patients since she believes all are sufficiently regulated. "I tell parents not to be stressed about introducing formula. Although we recommend giving breast milk if possible, formula is a great alternative," she told me.

While it's assuring to know that all formulas are held to high standards, I did find various pros and cons for each when I finally sat down to research them. Let's look at a few of the formulas that stood out and see how they compare to each other. I focused on cow's milk formula. In rare situations, a doctor may recommend soy formula, which is vegan, or other specialized formulas for babies who are premature or at risk for allergies. (You can read more about what the American Academy of Pediatrics has said about those options here). It's always a good idea to talk to your health care provider when making an important decision like this, but to get you started, read on.

vendredi 21 décembre 2018