(MintPress)—As hospitals in New York stress the importance of breastfeeding through an all out ban on free formula samples, a Time Magazine cover depicting a mother standing while nursing her three-year-old son, hoisted on a stool, is causing outrage, calling into question the line between natural health and cultural acceptance.
In response to pressure by the New York City Health Department, 23 out of 40 hospitals in New York with birthing units have announced they will eliminate the formula “gifts” given to new mothers in take-home packages. The move is seen as a step in the right direction among health professionals and breastfeeding advocates, who see formula samples as a marketing method for pharmaceutical companies that sell the product, and contrary to medical advice.
While breastfeeding among infants is no doubt gaining widespread medical support, there is still a culture clash when it comes to the socially acceptable time to stop. The newest edition of Time Magazine has frustrated those who point to the benefits of extended nursing, claiming the image makes mothers look radical, rather than nurturing and natural.
Health benefits
Public Citizen, an advocacy group, began a campaign this spring calling on hospitals to halt the practice of free formula giveaways, citing the message of doubt it promotes among mothers planning to nurse naturally.
“Formula makers use this insidious marketing tactic to encourage mothers to feed their babies formula instead of breastfeeding,” Public Citizen said in a press release. “Mothers who receive formula samples are less likely to breastfeed exclusively and breastfeed for shorter periods of time.”
Rhode Island was the first state to have all public hospitals ban the practice of formula giveaways. Banning such samples is nothing new, as most states throughout the nation have at least some hospitals that have taken similar action. However, implementing the practice on a large scale, as seen in New York, sets a precedent that’s hard to ignore.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics nursing should be done exclusively for the first six months and should continue “for as long as is mutually desired by the mother and baby.” The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a child be nursed until at least two years old, and beyond.
The New York Department of Health, responsible for the pro-nursing push in hospitals, promotes the practice, saying breast milk has the right blend of nutrients, including fat, water, sugar and protein, that a child needs — and it’s easier for an infant to digest. The department also points to preventative benefits of natural milk, citing it reduces the risk of ear infections, respiratory infections and other illnesses.
Dr. William Sears, author of Baby Book and the man behind the Times article, indicates on his website that breastfed babies are also less likely to be obese and suffer from diabetes. They are also, he argues, more prone to intelligence, as the fat found in natural mothers’ milk supports nerve tissue growth.
A movement for attachment
The recent cover of Time Magazine and the banning of formula giveaways in hospitals draws attention to a growing movement known as attachment parenting. The method, although considered progressive, is actually seen by those within the culture as a shift to a traditional and natural style of parenting.
A cornerstone of the movement is the advocacy of breastfeeding. Falling in line with WHO and American Pediatric Society guidelines, parents within the movement practice breastfeeding until a natural weaning process takes place — a timeline that’s a little different for everyone.
According to the nonprofit group Attachment Parenting International (API), “Breastfeeding satisfies an infant’s nutritional and emotional needs better than any other method of infant feeding.” While those who practice the style of parenting also point to the tremendous health benefits of natural nursing, the act is seen as one that promotes a close bond between mother and child — considered helpful in securing the foundation for healthy relationships in the future and an attitude of inclusion.
“Through education, support, advocacy and research, our principal goal is to heighten global awareness of the profound significance of secure attachment — not only to invest in our children’s bright futures, but to reduce and ultimately prevent emotional and physical mistreatment of children, addiction, crime, behavioral disorders, mental illness, and other outcomes of early unhealthy attachment,” API states on its website.
Attachment parenting is also behind movements like the ever-popular baby sling, which is designed to allow children to rest in a kangaroo-like pouch tied around the mother’s chest, and seen as an alternative to the stroller.
Culture clash
Not everyone in America is on board with the attachment philosophy, at least when it applies to breastfeeding through toddler years.
According to data compiled by the WHO, 74 percent of women with children at least tried breastfeeding. However, only 13.6 percent of those women did so until their child was at least six months old. In India, on the other hand, nearly 47 percent of women nursed through six months. The rate in Cambodia is as high as 60 percent, highlighting a disparity in cultures over the “socially acceptable” time to wean a child.
“Nursing beyond the first year (also known as extended breastfeeding) is normal, healthy and common in many countries,” acknowledges the Baby Center on its website. “However, some Western societies, with their emphasis on independence and self-sufficiency, take a dim view of the practice.”
Arguing against societal beliefs that nursing will create children unable to function on their own, the Baby Center indicates the opposite is more likely to prevail from such practices, referencing the Baby Center Medical Advisory Board as its source for information.
“Our culture tends to believe that pushing children away will help them develop a strong sense of self-worth and independence,” Nursing Mother’s Companion author Kathleen Huggins said on Baby Center’s website. “When, in fact, the opposite is true. Forcing a child to stop nursing before he’s developmentally ready won’t necessarily create a more confident child; rather, it could make him more clingy.”
The organization also points to the fact that weaning when the child is ready might not be seen as the most socially acceptable method right now in the U.S., but it is the most natural, and it could be due for a comeback. Before formula was common, society was accustomed to nursing at least through the first year.