Mayor Bloomberg Sucks it Up
Seems that Mayor Bloomberg has fixed all the pot holes in NYC. The latest thing on his to do list is regulating the beverages we consume from cradle to grave. In addition to sixteen oz sodas, baby formula is now on the outs in the Big Apple. Starting September 3, 2012, this baby food will be kept under lock and key with the narcotics. Expect to hear intensified wailing on the maternity floor.
While in principle we all know that Mother's milk is best, is government intervention required? Will distributing formula in a hospital setting or including it in a take home gift package actually determine the course of a newborns health? When does the mayor's "Latch On" initiative infringe on a woman's right to choose? And when, as Time Magazine's May 10, 2012 graphically illustrates, will children need to learn to drink from a bottle or cup.
We would not survive as a species if the inability to breast feed was pervasive. But despite the small number of women afflicted with this problem, baby formula was introduced 150 years ago by Henri Nestle for mother's who lost babies to malnutrition. When Nestle distributed free baby formula to third world countries in the mid 1970's, it became the subject of boycotts that continue to this day. Poverty and illiteracy caused babies to die when the formula was mixed with contaminated water.
Knowledge is key and the most important thing is that babies be fed round the clock. Breast milk, formula, or a combination can be considered options. There does not have to be a Draconian one size fits all solution to feeding baby. However a young, stressed out or busy mother accomplishes feeding her child, the goal is nutrition.
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