Green Options

Bisphenol A (BPA) has gotten a lot of press recently, from infant formula to Sigg bottles, it’s everywhere.  But did you know that it’s also in your canned foods, especially canned tomato products, pasta sauces, and vegetables?

BPA is a compound used to manufacture plastics and has been in mainstream use for over 50 years.  But for all of its benefits, BPA has some significant drawbacks.  It can leach from plastics and plastic linings into the product that it holds, especially with acidic foods like tomatoes.  From the food products it then is absorbed into the human body, where it causes damage to the cardiovascular and reproductive systems, and can contribute to incidences of cancer, diabetes, asthma and obesity.

Can’t get that baby to sleep through the night?

Want those full 9 hours of sleep you remember?

Pump your baby full of Enfamil’s “Restfull” formula! It’s,

Specially designed to help babies feel full longer and sleep better…[It] thickens gently in baby’s tummy and digests slowly.

Because didn’t you hear? Formula-feeding is apparently,

A natural way to help keep your baby feeling satisfied.

Ri-ight. Because as a natural parent, when you’re not forcing your baby to sleep through the cry-it-out method, certainly you’re hoping to find something that will stick in their bellies. Or even better, something that will magically “thicken” in their bellies.

The breast versus bottle fight has taken a turn, now that an evolutionary scientist has gotten involved. Most of the debate thus far has focused on the physical benefits of breastfeeding, both to mama and baby.

But what if evolution designed us so that breastfeeding is emotionally, psychologically preferable to formula-feeding?

Intriguing new research suggests that some women develop postpartum depression due to reaching for the bottle instead of pulling out the breast.

It may be the end of World Breastfeeding Week, but the entire month of August is dedicated to breastmilk. Just in time, 200 hospitals of the 7,569 nationwide have ditched the formula freebies in favor of Healthy Baby Bounty Bags. And there’s not a drop of imitation breastmilk in them.

Because you know what? Getting a formula sample after you’ve given birth is like being given a Big Mac after your annual physical. Sure, it’s “food“, but it’s not the same, not as healthy.

These goodie bags contain samples from companies that make products that actually support breastfeeding. Sure, they’re companies giving breast swag to get noticed, but this is for good reason; to encourage breastfeeding while ditching the formula.

Best part about the new mom swag? The bags are green. Not only are they reusable as a breastmilk cooler, they’re made of recycled materials. Righteous. So what kind of goodies can these mamas expect?

New York state government finally got back to work and has passed a law to help encourage breastfeeding.

Interestingly enough, the same week, a mother was pushed into breastfeeding in a family restroom at a Brooklyn Ikea store. (Maybe those lawmakers spent too much time bickering before passing the law?)

The press release by Senator Malcolm A. Smith said the bill was passed because of,

The recognition that many women forgo the option of breastfeeding their child, despite the health and economic implications of using formula. Oftentimes, women who forgo breastfeeding are those who can least afford it—low-income women, whose child was often placed on formula shortly after birth, without their knowing.

Senator Liz Krueger (D-Manhattan) has worked for years on the legislation.

This is good for baby and this is good for mom.

So milk-filled boobs have their own Bill of Rights. Does that mean breasts can sport firearms (finally!)? Not so much. Here’s what this new bill includes:

Many of the regulars at Eco Child’s Play chimed in to discuss a feminist’s disregard of breastfeeding.

Breastmilk’s benefits don’t outweigh that of formula, she claims, or at least there are only tiny benefits.

While almost 74 percent of babies in the U.S. are breastfed at birth, only about 21 percent are breastfed through the recommended year. That means many, many parents turn to formula at some point.

But a new comprehensive British study shows that formula-feeders are poorly informed and supported,

Mistakes in preparation of bottle feeds were common.

Now, while we could pull the, “Well, I never measure how much I breastfeed wrong” holier-than-thou stuff, we have to recognize that some parents will formula-feed. We don’t want them to do it wrong!

I consider myself a lactivist. I mean, if there is truly a place in the world for a woman who thinks that babies should be fed what nature made for them, instead of the breastmilk from a distantly related species.

That means I know that breastmilk is simply better than formula.

But now an author and feminist says that we should question the breastmilk/formula debate. Is breastmilk really better, or are the differences so minute that it doesn’t matter what you put in baby’s mouth?

Joan Wolf was interviewed by the Times in the UK, where she said,

The evidence to date suggests it probably doesn’t make much difference if you breastfeed.

She says that many studies contradict one another, and others which show no discernible difference in health benefits. There are numerous claims about breastfeeding, she says, which can’t be proven:

Breastmilk has less protein than formula, which may explain why nursers tend to grow more slowly than their formula-fed counterparts.

And for the formula-fed babies, that’s not a good thing. What researchers found worried them, as they said it could help predict obesity in children.

The randomized study of 1,000 children followed them for 2 years, comparing those fed “regular” formula and low protein formula with breastfeeding babies.

Kids who had used the low protein formula were approximately the same height as those fed the higher protein formula, but the latter group weighed more. Kids with low-protein formula weighed closer to what the breastfed babies weighed.

Researchers say that a few things should probably change…

All around the internet, women are circulating an article. Whether you’re formula-feeding and proud or an out-and-about breastfeeder, this article is for you.

When people say that breast-feeding is “free,” I want to hit them with a two-by-four. It’s only free if a woman’s time is worth nothing

After I wrote a blog called “Formula is Voldemort“, Crimson Wife shared the link to this, er, interesting op-ed.

Hanna Rosin wrote “The Case Against Breastfeeding” for the Atlantic. Monday, it was reposted on MSNBC.
Her argument is that breastfeeding isn’t nearly as beneficial as its made out to be.
At best, kids get a few less tummy aches and colds. At worst, breastfeeding is a tool that keeps us from true equality with men.

Ahh.  I see researchers have a new F-word: formula. An Australian National University study criticized researchers for taking a “Voldemort” approach to naming formula in their studies of infants. Said Dr. Julia Smith:

We looked at the findings of nearly 80 authoritative studies, all of which highlighted that formula-fed babies tend to be at higher risk of poor health than children fed on breast milk.

But where was the mention of formula? Nowhere that mattered, said researchers.

On November 28, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it has established safe levels of melamine and an analogue, cyanuric acid, in infant formulas and associated products.