Read and judge for yourself.

Formula poses health risks that women are not aware of. Why would women be aware of it? It is not written on the can and sure as hell the formula companies are not going to tell you so I have provided some links to other websites/references so that you as mothers may read and judge for themselves. Please look at this information objectively and try not to see them as a personal attack on yourselves as formula uses. Many babies would not be here if it was not for formula and many turn out fine with no health problems what so ever. Be assured that very few babies die from incorrect preparation of formula in Australia because we have running water and the facilities we need to prepare it correctly. Very few babies die because of formula use in Australia but a lot of health problems facing Australia can be traced back to the increase in use of formula since WWII (things like the increase in obesity, diabetes etc). It is estimated that by increasing breastfeeding rates in Australia as much as $120 million could be saved just on the five major illnesses that breastfeeding helps protect your baby against.

This first one directs you to many links on articles written on the subject of the risk of formula use

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breast_feeding#Health_risks_of_formula_feeding

I found this quote on the World Health Organisation (WHO) website.

“The protections promotion and support of breastfeeding rank among the most effective interventions to improve child survival. It is estimated that high coverage of optimal breastfeeding practices could avert 13 % of the 10.6 billion deaths of children under 5 years occurring globally every year. Exclusive breastfeeding in the first 6 mths of life is particularly beneficial, and infants who are not breastfed in the first month of life may be as much as 25 times more likely to die than infants that are exclusively breastfed.”

We are talking millions of children worldwide.

These following sites discuss the topic further as well as the point I was trying to raise in Breast is not best. Again try to look at them objectively.

http://www.promom.org/bf_info/risks.htm

http://www.babymilkaction.org/resources/briefings/tessasoya03.html   (this one is for soya based formula)

http://www.babymilkaction.org/resources/rcmaug01.html

http://www.lactationconsultant.info/commerabm.html

http://www.breastfeedingalberta.ca/resolution_wha47_5_(1994).htm

Now what you will also notice is that a lot of information found comes from breastfeeding sites or sites like WHO who actively promote the benefits of breastfeeding. This information should not be thought of as biased on the contrary I have found that formula manufacturers for pure marketing reasons are not going to tell you these facts. Formula has come a long way from what it used to be and it is better than some of the alternatives I've seen used (boiled cows milk with sugar and water!!) but it has not come far enough to support the claim as being as close to breastfeeding as it reckons. When you have 2 choices in how you feed your child and the first choice does not work then you only have one choice left. Mothers have to choose it or their baby may die. However because formula manufacturers spend billions of dollars promoting their product and many women indirectly market it for them mothers are not giving breastfeeding a chance. Too many women give up breastfeeding because formula is seen as an ok substitute. Formula companies have a lot of money to make from promoting their product $$$$$ what do breastfeeding women gain from telling the fact about formula feeding? Absolutely nothing apart from the knowledge that by passing on this information a baby might receive their natural food source.

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I know there are mother that cannot breastfeed (the statistics for physical reasons why are about 2-3% of women worldwide), and there is no doubt the same percentage that for emotional or circumstantial reasons cannot breastfeed, however for every person that I know that could genuinely not breastfeed there are at least 3 others who could have continued if only they had received support and information that allowed them to do so.

So please if you are breastfeeding and are having difficulties please find help. There are lactation consultants and breastfeeding counsellor all over Australia. Moreover, if after you get help you cannot continue be assured that formula is the next best option that you have as a parent.