I just got wind of an article on Parents.com that relays the new initiative Mayor Bloomberg plans to launch this September 3. Here are the specifics according to Shott:
As part of his Latch on NYC initiative, which launches September 3, the city will keep tabs on the number of bottles that participating hospitals stock and use, making it the most restrictive pro-breast-milk program in the nation, reports the Post.
More than half of the city’s 40 hospitals have also agreed to give up swag bags sporting formula-company logos, toss out formula-branded freebies, and document a medical reason for every bottle that a newborn receives.
Policies like Latch on NYC do nothing but create more stress and anxiety for expectant mothers. If a mom is willing and able to breastfeed her child, she will. If she’s not, she should have a viable alternative without being put through a major guilt trip. Why should NYC’s mayor–or anyone else, for that matter–have the right to institute a policy that make a new mother’s time with her baby anything but joyful?
My response to her article:
As a woman who was apprehensive and guarded about having her baby in a traditional hospital setting I truly appreciate Mayor Bloomberg's efforts in educating the masses and creating true social change. I've come to realize people can be given the statistical data, facts, and figures on the benefits of breastfeeding, but still choose to feed their new baby's chemically laced formula. It's mind-boggling to me and just basic common sense that a person would willingly choose the healthier alternative. But like my mama always says, "All sense ain't common". I documented my hospital birth experience here and here, and I was quite appalled at the push from the nursing for pain killers and formula. I refused both and I was obviously an anomaly. I shocked the nurse during my discharge when I took the two huge Similac containers out of its niffy backbag and stuffed it with diapers, instead of formula. She said to me, "Just take it just in case, please." Just in case of what, my breasts stop working or I get lazy and selfishly decide I don't want to feed my baby the best stuff on Earth?
I agree that breastfeeding is not always as simple for some as it was for me, but to be able to produce milk and feed your child formula is just ludicrous. Being a mother is a sacrifice, make a decision for the betterment of your child. I applaud anyone who actively creates change for the world. Kudos to Mayor Bloomberg for understanding a change is needed. And what are breast for any way, TOO FEED YOUR DAMN BABIES. In the words of Henry Ford, “Don't find fault, find a remedy; anybody can complain”. Bloomberg is creating policies that will greatly impact several of the preventative issues that many American children face due to unhealthy lifestyle choices, like not breastfeeding. These issues include, but are not limited to, childhood obesity, childhood diabetes, asthma, allergies, bacterial meningitis,gastrointestinal issues, and possibly autism {don't quote me on this, but I truly feel there is a correlation to the drugs given during hospital births and autism}.
Blurb from NYC.GOV
Latch On NYC is a citywide initiative to support mothers who choose to breastfeed and limit practices that interfere with that choice. It involves both a hospital commitment to limit infant formula promotion and a public awareness campaign on the benefits of breast milk.
Hospitals joining Latch On NYC have agreed to:
- Enforce the New York State hospital regulation to not supplement breastfeeding infants with formula unless medically indicated and documented on the infant’s
medical chart - Limit access to infant formula by hospital staff
- Discontinue the distribution of promotional or free
infant formula - Prohibit the display and distribution of infant formula advertising or promotional materials in any hospital location
Additionally, the Health Department is launching a subway and hospital poster campaign highlighting the benefits of breast milk, such as reducing the risk of ear infections, diarrhea and pneumonia. {SOURCE}
The only program I see with this program is the need for quality breast pumps to be issued via the hospital.
"Feeding synthetic human milk is not a neutral lifestyle choice. It is a critical maternal-infant health decision with monumental implications." -- Katie Allison Granju
For more information on program check below:
Initiative Description here
Committed Hospitals here
FAQ here
101 Reasons to Breastfeed Your Child here
