Baby Formula is Not Rat Poison

Seriously? Breast-feeding IS best, and formula, though it's come a long way, is NOT a comparable replacement. It's just not. You can justify it however you want, but it's not as good as breastfeeding.

"People do have jobs, go to school, or other issues that prevent them from breast feeding. Not everyone wants to be uneducated, dependent on others, bare foot, pregnant, and a house wife like yourself"

Talk about ignorant! I have a job, a degree, finished another certificate program the first 3 months of my son's life, do not depend on anyone else, am not barefoot OR pregnant... but I am still nursing my son 9 months later. It's called: Pump at work. Nurse when you're home. Do what you can for your CHILD, and not what's convenient for you. Period.

Obviously this isn't about people who can't breastfeed for reasons like medications, lack of production, etc. It's for moms who don't even want or try to give their child the best. Breastfeeding isn't a lifestyle choice like so many moms have made it. Most women CAN breastfeed. They choose not to.

No, formula is not rat poison. I was given only formula. My mom didn't want to breastfeed. I am healthy, well-adjusted, intelligent... but that does not mean that it was the BEST option for me. It was the best option for my mom. It's a person choice when it comes down to it, and if I can, I choose to give my kids the best I can give them.

So sorry to read such an ignorant article. But it only makes me aware of what deficits we still have in this country when it comes to lack of good education. Hopefully we learn from this and know what not to do. This is just another point to prove the dangers of (bad) media. When in the hands of ignorant people the damage can be countless :-(. Can't blame you though. You are only following the "majority", so I can't expect you to think for yourself.

Certainly, some women who are on medications can't breast feed. However, most of the ones who just "couldn't" either didn't try very hard or didn't really want to do it. If it was as difficult as some say it is, the human race would have died out long ago.

I completely agree !!!! I was breast fed, and OHGoodness, guess what? I have HORRIBLE allergies. I tried to breastfeed my first born, but I kept thinking I was doing something wrong, he just would not latch on. My Dr. finally look at me and stated that I had "inset nipples", I didn't even know there was such a thing. So needless to say, I didn't even bother with my 2nd. Granted my babies have allergies and asthma, but they have played sports and cheered ALL THROUGH SCHOOL, and low and behold they are still here and HEALTHY! Glad to know there are open minded people still out there.

I for one am a working professional and a mother who decided against breastfeeding. My daughter did not suffer from my decision, in fact, she was always healthy and over 100% on the well baby chart in the height/weight category. She is now a teenager and over 6 ft tall.
I don't regret it a day....in fact i feel more working mothers should consider it. Too many women want their cake and eat it too...they take 3 hours out of their work day and go behind closed doors to pump...and expect everyone else to pick up their slack. To them I say...If you wanted a baby and wanted to breastfeed...you should have been a stay at home mom!
Just my opinion.....

Mothers who believe breastfeeding is the priority to being a good parent discriminate against moms on medication, adoptive parents, 2 dad families, working moms, and moms with mastitis or other breastfeeding issues. Please read "Beyond Bottles and Breasts - The Key To Whole Baby Nourishment" for a common sense perspective to the breastfeeding/formula feeding issue. Http://bit.ly/cW6gAB

@janet, saying that "Mothers who believe breastfeeding is the priority to being a good parent discriminate against moms on medication, adoptive parents, 2 dad families, working moms, and moms with mastitis or other breastfeeding issues" makes as much (or as little, in this case) sense as saying that mothers who believe having biological children is preferable "discriminate against" adoptive parents, step-parents, or the childless. My believing something is good doesn't hurt anyone else or "exclude or restrict members of one group from opportunities that are available to other groups" (the definition of discrimination, per Wikipedia). Just as your belief that breastfeeding is inconsequential to good mothering or infant health doesn't discriminate against me. Whether a woman's choice not to breastfeed excludes herself and/or her child from health or emotional benefits is an entirely separate question.

That's awesome that your not judgemental, but let's be honest here, we know that a lot of women, and men , are. I am not judgemental person, but I know what it's like to be judged. I can remember sitting in the food court at a mall, bottle feeding my child, and hearing comments on how I should be breastfeeding, and getting dirty looks left and right. These people had no clue about my situation and why I wasn't breastfeeding, but yet they did judge me anyway. Trust me, I was jealous of woman who could breastfeed. And angry at woman who could, but used stupid excuses on why they didn't. For instance, I have a friend, who's ignorant husband called her a "cow" and made "mooing" noises at her when she tried to breastfeed. She gave it up, because she was already self conscious about it to begin with, and that made it worse. Honestly, I was angry at her for letting her husband make her feel this way, and I wanted to kill him for being so insenstive to her. However, it was her choice, not mine. I only wish I could have the choice, but I just didn't. So my point is, why not all breastfeeding mother's judge, neither do all bottle feeding mom's, most of us, are probably jealous that we can't. I'm just saying, to those who do judge, think before you do. You have no clue what that lady's reasons are to or not to breastfeed, and until you are in her shoes, you have no right to judge her.

Emily, nothing is ever mentioned because this is simply not true. A mother can be malnurished and still make healthy breast milk. The women's body would be depleted to make the milk - it wouldn't be healthy for the mom, but still good for the baby.

Michelle - were that only true. Maternal deficiencies in diet do affect the quality of breast milk. That's been established for some time now.

CLM - please share your source for this information. I'm a certified breastfeeding peer counselor and I know the women I work with would be surprised to learn that what we have always taught on this subject is incorrect.

I wasn't allowed to post links but try kellymom or women'shealthabout.com for information from medical professionals which contradicts what you are saying.

A quote from one medical professional: "The quality of breast milk is only affected in extreme cases of deprivation, or by excessive intake of a particular food."

Again, no one is recommending that a nursing mother not eat properly, but unless very severe, a bad diet will only hurt the nursing mother, NOT the quality of her milk. The myth that women who breastfeed must maintain some extreme super-healthy diet only serves to discourage breastfeeding (like the myth that you can't have drink or two while breastfeeding.)