I was pleasantly surprised to see Betsy's Hart's "Breast-feeding wars go into overdrive" last Friday's Rocky Mountain News. Seems that the Massachusetts legislature just banned hospitals throughout the state from giving out free samples of infant formula, provided by formula companies, to new mothers.
Wow. While I'm all for government helping families and parents out by offering services like subsidized daycare, preschool, and fulltime kindergarten, making the breastfeeding vs. formula choice for families is no help.
Not all mothers are able to breastfeed (or want to) or are successful pumping so dads and grandparents can help. And what about adoptive parents bringing home their newborns? I'm sure they'd appreciate a few formula coupons and samples to add to their supplies at home.
Of course, if parents don't want it, they can refuse to take the samples home. Or better yet, they can donate them to their local foodbank or sell them on eBay.
Still, Ms. Hart has an interesting take on the matter:
But more and more I've come to think we so desperately want to believe, literally, there is some formula, preferably a comparatively easy one, for making our babies better, stronger, faster. Some pill, some expert advice, some technique, some guarantee, some answer to this business of childrearing. And so we've glommed onto breastfeeding as the national Rosetta stone of bringing up a perfectly, happy, healthy little one.
Wouldn't it be nice if it were that easy? Wouldn't it kind of let us off the hook as parents?
All in all, it's very brave of her to be so forward with her "formula use is o.k. too" viewpoint. With so many different groups, so-called experts, and now the Massachusetts legislature telling folks how to parent, it's almost radical to say, "Do what's best for you and your family."
Cheers Betsy!
