U.S. Opposition to Breast-Feeding Resolution Stuns World Health Officials

[highplainsdem]

Source: NYT

A resolution to encourage breast-feeding was expected to be approved quickly and easily by the hundreds of government delegates who gathered this spring in Geneva for the United Nations-affiliated World Health Assembly.

Based on decades of research, the resolution says that mother’s milk is healthiest for children and countries should strive to limit the inaccurate or misleading marketing of breast milk substitutes.

-snip-

American officials sought to water down the resolution by removing language that called on governments to “protect, promote and support breast-feeding” and another passage that called on policymakers to restrict the promotion of food products that many experts say can have deleterious effects on young children.

When that failed, they turned to threats, according to diplomats and government officials who took part in the discussions. Ecuador, which had planned to introduce the measure, was the first to find itself in the cross hairs.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/08/health/world-health-breastfeeding-ecuador-trump.html

---

The US threatened Ecuador with trade sanctions and withdrawal of military aid, to stop this resolution which infant formula manufacturers opposed.

The NYT learned of this just recently from more than a dozen participants, who asked to be anonymous sources because of fear of US retaliation.

According to the story, after Ecuador caved, more than a dozen other countries were asked to sponsor this but refused, out of fear of US actions.

Finally RUSSIA sponsored it...and for some odd reason US officials DIDN'T threaten them.

The State Department is refusing to answer questions about this.

HHS admits the US opposed the resolution but said the agency was not involved in the threats made to try to stop it.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. I am appalled.

And sickened.

And horrified that our country would stoop this low.

They (the administration) do evil in everything they touch.

[Hortensis]

89. Appalling, all right. I live in Georgia and am going to

work this into conversations from now through November 6. One of those issues everyone can understand, and just perhaps it'll help someone leaning to not voting. I'm pretty sure Fox will try to bury it as fast and deep as possible.

[Pacifist Patriot]

97. Me too

[jalan48]

2. " ....which infant formula manufacturers opposed."

It's all about money.

[DesertRat]

71. That's it. Disgusting.

[jalan48]

75. I remember reading several years ago that Nestle ran a PR campaign to convince women in

Third World countries to use use formula instead of breast milk. Predatory Capitalism.

[DesertRat]

77. Yes, I remember that too.

[Demovictory9]

80. Nestle's junk food barges in Brazil

skip to about 3:45 to see the food being brought in.

[Joe Chi Minh]

118. It was responsible for many infant-deaths.

[LittleGirl]

76. Bingo! eom

[malthaussen]

3. Two obvious reasons.

1) It's gonna cost some corporation money.
2) We now are opposed to the UN and everything it stands for, which should be obvious by now. They could propose a resolution that the sky is blue, and the US would block it.

-- Mal

[Pluvious]

41. I'm sure the core reason was Obama supported it nt.

[MyOwnPeace]

49. Yep!

New rule for understanding IQ45 -

"If Obama and the UN like it, it sucks!"

[pangaia]

61. Wrong wrong. Obama gets credit for everything.

Actually it was Hillary and Bill back in the late 1990s.


























OK for those of you asleep at the wheel I will say something that would not have been necessary 18 months ago
THIS IS S-A-R-C-A-S-M.

[rickford66]

66. Also, two other obvious reasons. A pair of exposed breasts.

I'm gonna faint.

[ck4829]

100. Pretty much

[Sneederbunk]

4. Baby formula manufacturers behind this?

[highplainsdem]

9. The article says industry lobbyists were at the meetings, but there's "no direct evidence"

they were behind the strong-arm tactics by US delegates, which reportedly included some American delegates saying the US might cut its contribution to the WHO.

OTOH, given the Trump admin's pro-corporation bias, you don't need to see "direct evidence" in plain sight of other countries' delegates to know the US officials were serving corporate interests, rather than the public interest.

[bitterross]

10. That would be my guess.

The formula makers are huge corporations. I'm sure they've been greasing the palms of their politicians.

Remember, cigarettes used to be healthy too. Not saying baby formula is as bad as cigarettes but it only took me 30 seconds to find articles on how it is nutritionally deficient and the makers know it.

[elmac]

65. I know Johnson & Johnson was heavy into formula in the 1990's

not sure if they still are. The company I worked for was in the biz and every shareholders meeting had protesters against baby formula.

[EllieBC]

5. This is sticky.

Making women feel like they are harming their babies by not breastfeeding or shaming women who choose or cannot breastfeed is sometimes the end result of "breast is best". You know what's best? FED.

With my first, my supply was too low possibly because she was a micropreemie. I had random women and men ask me why I was bottle feeding. IT IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS. When I would explain low supply they would offer suggestions. Are you my doctor? No? STFU then, Jane. It is literally none of your goddamn business.

ome women have PPD so bad they cannot breastfeed. Should they be shamed? Questioned? No. MYOB.

[highplainsdem]

11. There was NOTHING in the article to suggest the resolution would have "shamed" women who

simply could not breast-feed for one reason or another.

[EllieBC]

12. They are shamed.

They are made to feel lesser or as if they aren't doing "the best" for their children. I'm sure it's well meaning but at shit.

[highplainsdem]

18. I'm sorry you felt you were being shamed when you had no choice but to use formula. But as you

just said, it was well-meaning. With well-meaning people, a brief explanation should suffice, without the need for hurt feelings on either side.

The resolution, as described, seems designed mainly to counter the VERY heavy advertising by baby formula manufacturers. As explained, their sales are down in the developed world, which means they're advertising more heavily in less developed countries, targeting those markets.

[Dave Starsky]

30. Bullshit. Some armchair "experts" just don't know when to let it go.

I can't tell you how many people my wife and I have known who, just because they've recently had a child, think they are THE world's foremost expert on child rearing.

Or vegans who will give us no end of nutritional advice, even when politely asked to stop.

Or gym-goers who, because they just lost 20 pounds over six months, will gladly offer you their "pointers"... well, you get the idea.

Naturally, we all should try to be polite. But if the "expert" in question doesn't get the hint after the first sincere attempt, then I think it's perfectly all right to tell them to shut the fuck up and mind their own business.

[TexasBushwhacker]

50. A friend of mine called them Lactation Nazis

She had twins and just didn't produce enough milk for the 2 babies so she supplemented with formula. Another friend's milk was found to have too much sugar and was told BY HER DOCTOR to switch to formula. Yet another friend just wasn't comfortable breastfeeding in public. She breastfed at home and pumped so she could use bottles away from home.

I might add, I doubt that fathers get the same kind of shaming when they're seen bottle feeding their kids. How about people just mind their own fucking business.

[tymorial]

90. Oh you mean. I wasnt repeatedly questioned why I was buying formula for my daughter

Both by other customers and once by a teller (after my wife breastfed for nearly a year, pumped practically non stop, and had to come home from work to breastfeed for months after returning because my daughter had a difficult time transitioning to the bottle). We went to ordering online in bulk because it was cheaper and we were both tired of the questions. Or the time I brought my daughter to the park and proceeded to feed her when a mother saw the tin of nutremagin and lectured me about how I was poisoning my daughter and that I really ought to educate myself about nutrition and food sensitivities (as if I hadn't experienced her allergies first hand, had to hold her while the phlebotomist couldn't find a vein and refused to listen to me when I asked her to find someone else). Not to mention the hours waiting for scratch tests.

Oh and I would be remiss if I didnt point out that fathers are often portrayed by entertainment and commercial media as useless buffoons.

My wife certainly had a difficult time with people when it came to breast feeding and purchasing formula. I contend that it isnt always well meaning. There are just some opinionated assholes on this planet.

Hell, she was recently told by a work colleague that children who are conceived via IVF arent natural. Our daughter was "natural" by that womans definition but she is also our miracle baby. After 6 years of trying, 3 IUIs, 2 IVFs (doctor wanted to do a 3rd) we had enough. We gave up but she ended up getting pregnant shortly after the last time. Still that comment stung deep.

My wife was pregnant 2 other times from the IUIs, we lost both; the second in the 5th month. We would love to expand our family and give our daughter a brother or sister but we are in our 40s now and it would just be too much for us.

Anyway, I strayed from the point. I work from home full time and care for my daughter full time. I have experienced nastiness and so called well meaning tidbits of advice.

Mothers ought to be able to breast feed in public. I am all for education on the benefits of breastmilk. Most new mothers recieve that information in birthing classes, postpartum and sometimes both. More education made available for those who are unable to attend classes due to financial limitations, community outreach ought to be standard. So too must there be compassion for those who cant breastfeed. And quite frankly, if a mother decides to not breastfeed at all well that is her decision. That is between her, her child and the person(s) involved with care. It should be respected.

Sorry for the wall of text.

[Beartracks]

108. "fathers... portrayed... as useless buffoons." Just bears repeating.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

87. The choice or necessity to use formula to feed an infant isn't all that terrible

for babies in first world countries. The huge problem is in third world countries, where there may not be clean water to use to mix with powdered formula, not to mention the huge expense for poor people. For them, breast is absolutely the best, and one hopes they also have a system of wet nurses to help out.

And watering down language (an ironic choice of words) for that is beyond unconscionable.

[Hortensis]

88. Another developing world problem has been how

mothers who let their milk dry up and feed with formula (such as in order to be able to take one of the new jobs opening up for women) keep their babies alive if the supply of formula also dries up.

[PatSeg]

19. People can be so rude and intrusive

When I breastfed my two babies, bottle feeding was the norm, and ironically, I had to defend myself on many occasions for not using formula. So over time, a lot of things change, but apparently noisy rude people will be with us forever.

I'll never understand why people are so quick to tell other people what they should or shouldn't do with their children. I will admit that I was a "know it all" when it came to my babies, but I also knew better than to criticize or undermine another mother's efforts. I found that everyone was essentially doing what was best for them and their children. One size does not fit all.

I'm so sorry you had to go through that.

[Crunchy Frog]

21. This is not about shaming women.

I was only minimally able to breastfeed my twins, for a few months. They mostly had formula. I regretted it, but never felt shamed about it.

This is about limiting the power of huge, wealthy corporations to take advantage of vulnerable new mothers by pushing a clearly less healthy feeding option. When you're talking poor people in developing countries, it can be a deadly option.

Sorry that people were rude to you, but that's not what this is about.

[EllieBC]

23. A clearly less healthy option is shaming.

You are shaming when you use that language.

[Crunchy Frog]

29. Okay then, I'm shaming myself.

I don't consider a simple statement of fact to be "shaming", but whatever.

[mr_lebowski]

36. Making that point is not 'shaming' it's scientific REALITY for dog's sake ... sheesh ...

Here's the more important question ... does ANYone believe for ONE FRIGGIN' SECOND that the Trump Admin opposes this resolution because they're worried about women's FEELINGS?

[Crunchy Frog]

46. Next thing you know, they'll be shaming parents for choosing not to vaccinate.

Ain't it awful!

[EllieBC]

54. Vaccination rates are going down here.

It's hippy crunchy land. They are afraid of Big Pharma and "Chemikillz".

[tymorial]

92. Two entirely different issues nt

[GulfCoast66]

43. Stating a scientific fact is not shaming

The medical community pretty much agrees that breast feeding is the preferred optioned for the health of the baby.

This is a science based site.

Shaming is something else entirely.

[dawg day]

47. Let's get real

Not everyone in the world has access to clean water.

Formula is healthy when it is diluted in clean water. When it is put into contaminated water, it's not healthy.

That's not "shaming." Most every mother in the United States, well, except in Flint and parts of West Virginia, has access to clean water, but millions of mothers in developing nations do not.

Breast milk is filtered through the mother's body and affected by the mother's antibodies, which help to fight off the contamination of bad things in the water she drinks. Babies have immature immune systems, unlike the mothers, and will not be able to fight off many of the diseases that can be in water.

That's it. It would be a terrible thing if because of the perceived "insult" to some American women whose children had many options, mothers in poorer countries who already have so many challenges are overwhelmed with the pressure to use formula even if they can nurse effectively.

And, like many people my age, I was a "bottle baby." Of course formula is a healthy option... everywhere there is reliable and universal access to clean water. But I do think that baby's protection against chronic diarrhea is a bit more important than my worry that I might be seen as "lesser" because I took a bottle when I was that baby's age.

[EllieBC]

52. I was definitely referring to shaming as a US and Canadian phenomenon.

I live in BC. It's crunchy land, which has its drawbacks (see vaccination compliance rates). Women who choose to formula feed are shamed. Women who say they cannot breastfeed are regularly questioned by nurses, lactation experts, the local mom's group. It's not about water quality here. It's about people not knowing how to mind their own business and not be hurtful.

Kind of like childbirth too. Oh you *want* an epidural?

[tonedevil]

68. You seem bitter /nt

[EllieBC]

70. I am.

If you were bothered by people who think it's their business how you feed your children, you'd be bitter too.

[tonedevil]

74. I try not to be...

Back in the day my ex-wife's family were universally appalled at her decision to breast feed our daughter. Every time we saw any of them they told their horror stories about trying to breast feed and made lewd remarks regarding the act. So I get what you say and I suppose because they are all ex-family to me I can forget their shitiness easier than if I dealt with them on a regular basis.
Science does seem to point to breast milk having a little something extra and it does correlate to better outcomes in general. That isn't to say in all cases and it isn't the number one factor in the equation. The most important factor is getting nutrition to the little one. It is a very personal choice with a lot of reasons to consider.

[tymorial]

93. Ellie, the only people who will understand are those who have been there.

You said earlier it is well meaning and sometimes I think that's true. It also takes a level arrogance/hubris to approach someone and offer unsolicited advice/opinion.

[dawg day]

91. Well, the UN isn't bothering with the options for women in US and Canada-

"Crunchy land" inhabitants are notoriously extreme about pushing their own beliefs, definitely. But that really isn't the issue here. We have a lot more power in the developed world to ignore the nagging and pushing, and to select who we want to listen to and who to ignore.

But the women in places with bad water are being shamed too, only it's to get them to use formula, and the danger for women and babies in areas with bad water isn't "being shamed," but dying.

I guess, in the end, "it's not about us" is a very important reminder.

[LanternWaste]

112. What specifically leads you to believe it's language of shame?

Is it merely an emotional response, or do you have objective evidence to support it as such?

[Girard442]

27. This is what it's all about. People should be encouraged to make the best choices for themselves.

Sounds like you did exactly that. Aggressive promotion of formula, especially in a country where women have limited resources, is an effort to encourage people to make bad choices.

[Ohiogal]

35. Ellie, you are 100% correct

30 years ago when I had my first child, these women from La Leche League would visit you in the hospital. I thought of them as The Breastfeeding Nazis. They were supposed to help new mothers learn to breastfeed, but their methods and tactics were so overbearing I once had to tell them to please leave my room, as I was in tears. This one woman told me to smack my baby to wake him up to feed, and she was hitting him on the feet, and I just couldn't take it any more. I made her leave and told her not to come back. I am surprised the hospital allowed these ogres to visit poor exhausted mothers like me. Of course they also shamed you if you couldn't breastfeed or had any trouble doing it, as if you were a pathetic excuse for a mother. It was horrible and I never did get the hang of it, try as I might. You are so right when you FED is BEST.

[pnwmom]

37. This is NOT sticky. Spoken as the grandmother of two babies who HAD to be bottle fed.

This isn't about insulting mothers who couldn't breast feed.

Its about stopping deceptive campaigns of formula companies, and encouraging governments to promote breastfeeding -- which is healthier for the vast majority of babies. We saw what happened when formula started becoming popular. Women were using dirty water, because they didn't have access to clean water. They were mixing diluted formula, because they couldn't AFFORD it at full strength. And they didn't have the advantage of the mother's microbial resistance, which is conveyed individually through her breast milk.

No insult to you or my daughter -- it's just a fact. For most women it IS better, though it takes work and can be less convenient. Governments should do what they can to promote the health of babies, and that includes advocating for breastfeeding, when possible.

[Ilsa]

67. This is very sticky. As a nurse, a patient chewed me out for not

giving her more information on the benefits of breastfeeding. She was upset that she "quit too early," and wished she had kept it up, saying she wanted more support. She said if she had known more about long term benefits, she would have kept it up. I had to pick my jaw up off the floor.

Nurses and La Leche League reps try to balance being helpful, teaching at the worst time to teach (after childbirth) because mothers-to-be are too busy to take breastfeeding classes before the birth. They forget that birthing takes a couple of days, but feeding the baby is an ongoing process. It's like a couple spending a year and $50,000 planning a wedding, but forget to work on what makes a marriage work, get counselling, etc.

Personally, I feel like we are damned if we do and damned if we don't. That's one more reason why I don't work in that field any more.

[LeftInTX]

69. I worked in NICU for a bit

In the 80s-90s

Once WIC got on board with breastfeeding, we had widespread success.

We had moms with low education on pumps and they were tube feeding breast milk. If a baby is tube fed, breast milk is a much safer option than formula. (Due to a condition called Necrotizing Enterocolitis )

NEC typically develops within the first 2 weeks of life in a premature infant who is being fed with formula as opposed to breast milk.

It was amazing what we could do once WIC got onboard.

Sure it sucks when you can't BF and it is no fun to be shamed, but the UN is supporting infant health.

For what it's worth, my granddaughter was formula fed. Her mom is a nurse. No shaming involved.
Her mom started out breastfeeding, but the hospital gave her pacifiers etc and afterward she wouldn't latch on.


Breastfeeding is much harder in the neonatal period than formula feeding. It requires teaching and learning. It isn't as "automatic and natural" as people think.

Many expectant moms don't realize how much harder it is. I'm sure the UN resolution will encourage support systems for breastfeeding.

[SunSeeker]

84. Thank you for posting the facts. nt

[SunSeeker]

85. This isn't about you. This is about barbies' health.

You feeling shamed for bottle feeding does not justify opposition to this resolution.

[Oppaloopa]

109. I agree

[Grammy23]

6. It is all about the money. Not the health and well being of the babies.

If there is a way to benefit the manufacturers of infant formula, they will do it. Bottom line, it is an economic decision, rather than the best interest of the children. Shameful. But this is not new. One more time we learn that the interests of the people is always trumped by the interests of business.

[EllieBC]

7. Formula is not unhealthy.

Jesus Christ. It is people like you that made my PPD worse.

[CountAllVotes]

13. I am sorry!

No one needs to be shamed or feel that they are being shamed.

I can remember the day when women opted to bottle feed their babies. They chose to do this. Best I know nothing BAD ever happened because of their choice (for whatever reason).

Don't be getting yourself sick over this Nazi crap. It is simply not worth it.

[Crunchy Frog]

28. When bottle feeding first came into vogue in this country, the infant mortality rate shot up.

Because they were feeding babies non-pasteurized cows milk.

In poor developing countries, formula feeding kills babies when parents don't have access to clean water supplies, or don't have money to buy sufficient formula, so they water it down.

In the developed world currently, it's a valid individual choice, but we should not be ignoring the larger issues.

[Grammy23]

16. And it is people like YOU who make having a civil conversation about this impossible.

If you had been paying attention instead of leading with your insecurities you’d have seen that I said nothing about people who for very valid reasons do not breast feed. It is quite obvious that some women cannot breast feed. My own mother had that problem and bottle fed all three of her children. I would never criticize a woman in that situation. I fed my own child formula for god’s sake! At the time he was born, it happened to be at a time when the use of formulas was pushed and breast feeding not encouraged or supported very much. I was young, didn’t know much about it and just followed the conventions at the time. I don’t feel guilty or apologize for a choice I made 48 years ago.

But there are people in positions of power who are looking out after the interest of business. It is despicable that they would encourage the use of formula if a mother can provide milk for their own child. And it has nothing to do with “best” but everything to do with money.

So simmer down, Toots. Nobody was criticizing you or your reasons for using formula. That comes under the heading of your own business. And believe it or not, we are allowed to have more than one point of view about things.

[EllieBC]

22. "If a mother can provide milk". There's also choice here.

Just because a woman CAN breastfeed doesn't mean she should have to breastfeed. Are we only pro-choice when it comes to some issues? I would never have the gall to tell another woman because she can breastfeed she should. No she should know all of her options. No scare talk on either side.

[highplainsdem]

31. The resolution WASN'T "scare talk" -- any more than this info from the CDC is:

https://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/about-breastfeeding/index.html

That's scientifically informed medical information.

Yes, of course women have a choice. And there can be valid reasons why a woman might choose not to breast-feed.

But the fact that baby formula exists and is widely used should NOT mean that people have to pretend it's as good as breast milk for the infant.

[Grammy23]

34. Agreed.

To use formula or breast milk is a decision that has many factors. A person should make that choice without pressure to do one or the other. It comes down to what works for that person and her baby. Both interests are involved in the decision. Bottom line, baby needs nourishment and we try to make a choice that accomplishes that the best in our personal circumstances. And what you choose may not work for all women. But it works fine for you and your little one.

Choice is a beautiful thing.

[NickB79]

26. My wife couldn't breastfeed, but did try pumping

After 6 weeks of maternity leave, she tried balancing work and pumping. It was, frankly, a disaster.

She gave up a month in, and the shame of it sent her into a year of PPD.

I stand with the other poster on this.

[tymorial]

94. Of course. Pumping is at least a 30 to 45 minute affair

Both breasts and then cleaning/sterilizing the equipment. Not to mention if you are unable to pump on time, the discomfort.

My wife had to come home and breastfeed at lunch because our daughter refused the bottle for so long. We had to hire a consultant to help Imus because nothing we tried worked. Even after we got that problem was resolved my wife was still pumping all the time. The sheer exhaustion from getting up early, lost work time. I get it.

[pnwmom]

42. The problem is not so much with the formula as the fact that when it's mixed with dirty water,

which in many countries is the only available water, or diluted down, as many women have done cost reasons, then it IS unhealthy.

And once the use of formula has dried up the woman's milk supply, there is no going back if she can't afford the formula or get clean water.

[Crunchy Frog]

45. According to the United Nations-affiliated World Health Assembly.

Based on decades of research, mother’s milk is healthiest for children and countries should strive to limit the inaccurate or misleading marketing of breast milk substitutes.

Personal choice is fine, as is use of formula when you're not able to breastfeed, obviously.

That does not mean that aggressive marketing, manipulation, and undermining of breastfeeding in order to advance profits for big corporations is acceptable.

And, breast milk is still the healthiest food for babies, even though formula can be an acceptable substitute, if it's financially supportable, and there is adaquate sanitation (first world conditions).

And my own babies were mostly formula fed, due to my severe issues with supply, so I'm certainly not judging anyone.

[dawg day]

51. FORMULA is not unhealthy- WATER can be

The mothers need water to make the formula drinkable by the baby. Sometimes the bad water poisons the formula. Think about southern Florida, or Puerto Rico, after last year's storms. What was the biggest danger for those who couldn't evacuate in Florida, and everyone in PR? Water after a storm, contaminated by sewage, unable to be cleaned because there's no electricity. It's not even just the developing world.

I think if formula makers were required to supply enough clean bottled or piped water to properly dilute the formula, there wouldn't be this opposition. Of course, that would wipe out the profit motive, so somehow I don't think that's likely to happen.

[ashtonelijah]

78. Everything is not about YOU

FFS, we are talking about a UN resolution relating to babies in developing nations where water quality is poor and encouraged when possible. More breastfeeding in developing countries = more babies surviving because there’s less disease being transmitted through poor quality water. No one is shaming women who can’t breastfeed in developing countries; they are just trying to encourage the maximal amount of breastfeeding in order to bring the infant mortality rate as low as possible.

I’m sorry you were treated that way, but it’s quite shameful and selfish to try to weaponize your own mistreatment to silence efforts designed to lower the infant mortality rate.

You act as if you are being personally attacked, when this isn’t at all about you.

[lostnfound]

60. Well, Trump described breastfeeding as "disgusting"

https://www.cnn.com/2015/07/29/politics/trump-breast-pump-statement/index.html

The like-minded piggish deformed man-babies he associates with often hold that view.

[Thekaspervote]

96. Yes, and he hates kids!! He and his ilk do not want women breast feeding in public, even discretely

If he, his crazy base and fux news begin putting the spin on it as disgusting and undignified for a mother to feed her baby via the breast, then they’ve won more than half the battle.

Remember they see breasts as only being there for the man’s visual pleasure.

[FakeNoose]

104. Working Moms don't have a choice

Moms who work in America - for the most part - don't have the luxury of bringing their babies to work. Maybe those Moms would love to breastfeed but they can't stay home all day to do it. Most working women aren't given a 6-month maternity leave either.

I believe it's not right to "shame" working Moms for using formula when it was that, or quit her job and (maybe) go on welfare. Let's support those mothers in whatever choice they make. New mothers have enough to worry about, there's no need to shame them for making the best choice from available options.

If you want to get political - here's my suggestion: Our goal should be to make 6 months' maternity leave a mandatory employment benefit for all working parents who work full-time. I believe most European countries already have this. Why don't we?

[Grammy23]

105. You will get no argument from me about the choices that women make

regarding many issues. How they choose to feed their child should be left up to the mom and what fits the circumstances she is in. Shaming for either choice is not productive and goodness knows we have enough criticism and judgment going on without adding to the fray!

I’d say let’s add on maternity leave to the wish list of things working women need, although starting with equal pay for equal work has been on the list for a long time and STILL seems to elude us. We need more women in positions of power and influence before we can expect things to balance out. There are decent men who would opt to make the playing field fairer for the ladies but sadly...not enough. So the old guys who have been in charge forever will be dying off or just too old to get the job done. We need to recruit younger, smarter women who will tear up the rule book and write a new one. And maybe this time the women won’t get screwed over on payday. Oh, and can see to it that parents get enough time off to really bond with their babies.

[FakeNoose]

107. Thanks Grammy! This is a great list

From one grandma to another. I knew I could count on you.

[heaven05]

8. Haley takes her

direction from two fools. What can be expected? And she is not a proper or qualified, nor a quick study U.N. rep, she's a fascist, probably racist POS posing as a rep.

[logosoco]

14. This is beyond sickening.

I remember reading stories in the 80s about Nestle going to small, underdeveloped countries and pushing their baby formula. They did not care at all that the women had no access or had to work very hard to get fresh water to make it.

I would think the many years of human existence would be the best indicator that breast milk is best. We are mammals.

[Crunchy Frog]

15. Boobs are for dirty old men to grab, not for feeding babies.

[Ohioboy]

17. This is terrible!

[underpants]

20. Come on people! BRAWNDO! It's got Elctrolytes!

[TomVilmer]

24. Infant mortality is higher in the U.S. than in comparable countries

... but breast-feeding or not might not be the main factor: As for the difference between the U.S. and other countries’ infant mortality rates (not explained by differences in reporting), the study point to differing health conditions at birth and degrees of socioeconomic inequality.

https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/infant-mortality-u-s-compare-countries/



https://www.vox.com/2015/5/4/8541369/infant-mortality-baltimore

[Nero Mero]

25. Will Ivanka speak up?

Don't hold your breath.

[Dave Starsky]

33. Has the White House Department Store Mannikin taken a stand on anything?

For a "senior White House advisor", she doesn't seem to think about much.

[HAB911]

32. Nestle can't continue ripping off the world if breast-feeding is promoted!

[Demovictory9]

81. nestle junk food ferry

[HAB911]

83. Sad chit right there

[Turbineguy]

38. The trump government

you expect stupid and corrupt.

[workinclasszero]

39. $$$ over babies in the USA of course

Trump is kidnapping them at the border and filling up dog cages full of them for $$$ to GOP businesses.

Cant have any reasonable gun laws for the same reason so toddlers keep accidentally killing themselves.

[TryLogic]

40. Corporate America is a bunch of greedy bastards, and they have control of our government.

[Horse with no Name]

48. which, by definition, is fascism

I'm not understanding those that are still insecure about their decisions to bottle feed getting all up in ire over this when it absolutely has nothing to do with infant health/mortality and everything to do with corporate profit.
Personally, I bottle fed one and breast fed the other one. At a point they were both eating stale French Fries they found under the seat of the car (sorry, stole from cute Facebook meme).
The point is that IF you can breastfeed, ALL data shows that this is best.
IF you cannot, formula (when mixed properly) is a suitable substitute.
The problem as was pointed out above, that there are many instances where the formula is NOT mixed properly and can pose a health risk for the infants.
I worked as a Pediatric/Newborn nurse for many years.
I watched a Mother who was educated mix formula. She was doing it completely wrong and creating an unhealthy mix to feed her baby. I attempted to reeducate her on how to properly mix formula. She wasn't interested. She was convinced she was the one that was correct and I was incorrect....
Never mind that part of our training is how to mix formula....and how to get the appropriate kcal/oz.

[Achilleaze]

44. republicans got Gilead on their fear-and-hate twisted minds

[cilla4progress]

53. No one should be surprised

any more.

RESIST!

[hunter]

55. Any man in my strongly matriarchal family who tried to discourage breast feeding...

... would come home to find all their stuff piled up in the street and burnt, and the locks on the doors changed.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

56. Trump allowed his BFF Putin to introduce the measure without threat.

It wasn't the proposal he objected to, it was who would get credit for putting it forward. Russia continues to rehabilitate its image from global adversary to benevolent provider, while Trump leads our country in the opposite direction.

Threatening someone with retaliation if they don't do things your way are the actions of a bully. Where's Melania? I thought she had made it her purpose to be against bullying. Oh, that's right: "I Don't Care, Do U?"

Somehow the rest of the world has to band together to totally negate Trump's threats. I don't know how they'd do it, I only have faith that it can be done. The more you give into a bully the worse his actions become. Trump is not only a bully -- he's an ignorant, narcissistic sociopath. He's got to be stopped, either at the ballot box, by Mueller, or by a concerted effort by the rest of the world's free nations. I know we'll be able to recover from his insanity eventually, it's just that I won't live long enough to see it. Nor will my brother's children (my wife and I don't have children), nor his grandchildren.

Of course, he's a Trump supporter. Or at least against Obama and Hillary.

[McCamy Taylor]

57. Bribes have changed hands. This is Kushner's job. He collects the money.

[Freethinker65]

58. WTF is wrong with this administration? How much bribe $$$$ from corporations did they get???

[pangaia]

59. I well remember NESTLE trying to convince women

that breast feeding was BAD,BAD,BAD for their children and it was better to use 'substitute' products -'FORMULA!!!" Especially lower income women and women from so-called 'Third World Countries.'

And here it is.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nestl%C3%A9_boycott

[CTyankee]

62. My funny story about breastfeeding...

When my daughter was 8 months old I was nursing her about 4 hour intervals. We were living in the West Village in NYC at the time. In those days the show Jeopardy was in a studio midtown. I had been interviewed as a possible contestant on the show and got a call from the show that I had been accepted and was told when it would be and what time to get there. I had fed my daughter right before I left for the studio. I didn't realize how long it would be but figured it was just a half hour show so I could back in plenty of time for the next feeding.

And I got to the studio and waited and waited and waited....I couldn't just walk out but I knew the milk would let down and saw myself on national TV with milk staining my dress. Mercifully, the show was done (I came in second and won a little money) before I needed to nurse again and I jumped in a cab. The milk let down on the way home and I was a bit soaked by the time I reached our apartment.

I couldn't rescue the dress unfortunately but other than that everything was good...

I remember how totally nice the show's host at the time, Art Fleming, was. This was in 1964.

[LeftInTX]

72. Cool story!!

Even if you let down on stage, I wonder if most of the TV audience would have "gotten it" back then?

[CTyankee]

95. Well, I dunno. Maybe or maybe not. I just didn't want to take that chance.

Another funny story about my Jeopardy appearance is that my husband at the time had also auditioned for the show. He was certain he would get on because he was a graduate of Harvard and at that time I didn't even have a BA. But they didn't choose him (perhaps because he acted like he was superior to most people).

[amlehn]

63. I dried up after 6 or 7 weeks

No amount of pumping helped. Coincidentally that's also when I had to go back to work, after no paid leave. I'm a little confused on the push back from either side. I don't think this should be an issue to focus on. I am weirded out though on the US being the one to pull out from measures. But as long as the younglings are healthy, that's what matters. I was never shamed of not being able to breast feed. Although, I was gawked at by my FIL though when I did breast feed in front of him. That was pretty uncomfortable.

[Puzzler]

64. Oh FFS ... for the millionth time

-Puzzler

[LeftInTX]

73. This is embrassasing....

Make America Backward Again.

[SunSeeker]

79. Can't rip breastfeeding babies from moms at the border if we're on record supporting breastfeeding!

[Demovictory9]

82. nestle junk food ferry

[SunSeeker]

86. Sickening. They are killing us.

[Laffy Kat]

98. Only the US would come out against mother's milk.

Unbelievable.

[ck4829]

99. K&R

[exboyfil]

101. Seriously these folks would fight anything that takes even

a dime out of the pockets of large corporate interests. I remember debating this topic in 1979-1980, and we are still fighting about it nearly forty years later? When freaking Russia has to be your ethical barometer?

[vlyons]

102. Your tax $$$ hard at work pushing Soylent Green

And that my fellow DUers is what's wrong with America. Corporations are not people, but they sure as Hell want to run the world for profit for the .001%. They only see people as profit centers.

[Vinca]

103. Next up the outlawing of apple pie.

[AllyCat]

106. What in the actual f*ck???

Monsanto and Abbott worried about sales?

[HockeyMom]

110. Canned Formula is safer

than Powdered Formula since it does not have to be mixed with water. However, it is very expensive, plus the bottles and nipples still need to be sterilized or that can cause contamination as well. Probably poor women and those in third world countries would use powdered because of cost factor. Might they also skimp on powder to stretch it?

Many years ago I used to work for Bristol-Myers. Enfamil is manufactured by Mead Johnson which is a subsidiary of Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceuticals.

[HockeyMom]

111. Allergies

My daughter was/still is severely allergic to cow's milk, and soy, which pretty much was all formula back then. It was so bad that I myself could not drink milk or use soy sauce while nursing her or she would double up screaming and have diarrhea.

Her Pediatrician recommended that I give her goats milk if I wanted to supplement. That is what she drank growing up. Today you can find goats milk in any supermarket but 20-30 years ago it was extremely difficult to find. As an adult today, she uses almond milk, or goats milk. She breastfed both her sons, but they also do not drink cows milk; only almond or goats milk.

[lark]

113. Duh, US puts profits of rich corporations (donors) above health of babies.

OTOH how could any country that steals babies from their mothers arms and puts them in cages care anything in the world about children at all. They ony care about profits and used the babies to enrich greatly donor corporations, paying a DeVos company $700/day for every child, and all they did was keep them in cages, provide no comfort but rather extreme overcrowding and danger. That's why drumpf won't end this, they've already taken the bribes and now need to torture the children and their parents accordingly.

[psychopomp]

114. This is a very disturbing story

but not out of character for the menagerie occupying the US government.

[Nitram]

115. Is there any part of a mother's or a young child's life they won't try to control?

It sickens me.

[geardaddy]

116. Nestle. n/t

[Joe Chi Minh]

117. Bloody Nestle all over again. By the early seventies, they'd

been responsible for countless infant-deaths in Africa, by pushing powdered milk on unsuspecting mothers of young babies. Probably, elsewhere, too.