One of the easiest ways of generating controversy today is to start a conversation about breastfeeding versus formula. You’d see supporters of both camps come running in guns blazing and all.
But it’s time we end that fight and stop shaming parents over their choice of their baby’s meal.
We’ve heard stories of women with double mastectomies being shamed for using formula. We’ve also heard about mothers who said that breastfeeding helped them bond with their child after postpartum depression. Each parent has their reasons for breastfeeding or using a formula, but because the issue is sensitive, emotional and so intertwined with our identities and cultural values, a divide that creates an extra layer of stress for new parents is forged.
And let’s be honest, extra stress is the last thing we all need, especially during this trying period of the pandemic and civil unrest when most of us are trying to parent and work, often simultaneously, from home.
The question “when will the breastfeeding versus formula battle end?” still rages.
The Pressure to Breastfeed Is Real
Breastfeeding in Nigeria isn’t a new phenomenon and of course, research shows there are benefits for the baby, including boosting the immune system, helping to prevent obesity, and lowering the risk of type 1 and type 2 diabetes. But not breastfeeding doesn’t make you a bad parent.
A professor of Political science at the University of Toronto and author of Lactivism, Courtney Jung, says when she was expecting her first child, she experienced intense pressure to breastfeed from other moms—according to her, this pressure bordered on “smugness.” Research shows that for new moms who aren’t able to exclusively breastfeed (for whatever reasons), the pressure to do so can trigger or cause them to experience symptoms of postpartum depression.
While breastfeeding is always the preferred option, ‘We could all agree to disagree.’ Studies aren’t clear on whether or not breastfeeding can benefit a child’s cognitive development, and one study compared babies who lost a large amount of weight after birth and found that the infants that received formula in addition to breastmilk were less likely to be readmitted to the hospital.
It’s not that formula is superior, but it certainly doesn’t need to be demonized.
Agreeing to disagree simply means changing the conversation around how we feed our babies and taking into consideration that there are various reasons one will opt for formula instead of breastfeeding and vice versa. Pediatrics Partners, as a hospital focused on the wellbeing of children, is committed to encouraging parents to feed their babies the best way they can because we understand that not all women are going to breastfeed or can. While we normalize and support breastfeeding, we also understand that not all parents can breastfeed, and some can, but choose not to.
The question is how do we change the conversation so that no parent feels ashamed of their choice if they’re just trying their best?
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