So, as of now, synthetic breast milk is not readily available. And, the quality control for mom’s selling breast milk is virtually non-existent, so, unless one knows the donor, using such milk is potentially dangerous.
So what it a poor family supposed to do to feed their infants. Formula eats up a significant portion of the family’s food budget. Moreover, most food banks do NOT stock formula milk, because the practice upsets those folks who are promoting breast feeding. These folks quote the UN guidelines on infant feeding, which advocates only breast milk.
And, we do know that infant formula lacks many of the antibodies that human breastmilk contains, which may explain why these breast-fed children incur fewer infections in their lives. (However a lot of the other claims may have been influenced by the fact that higher income families breast fed their kids, and it was the benefits of the higher income that afforded these children better outcomes.)
And, to have the food banks refer the family to specialists takes significant time and effort. something they dearly lack.In the meantime, the infant is not getting formula- so it is at risk. There needs to be some sort of compromise to let infant children get formula if it is impossible for mom to produce it reliably.
We really do need those synthetic breast milk supplies soon.
Learning from these last two posts. I didn’t know food banks stocked formula. As much as I am an advocate of breast feeding (and breast fed my one child) this angers me. I wonder what percentage of low income people don’t have much choice about early weaning and needing to use formula out of necessity. Roy, thank you for this series.
It bothered me, too, Alana.
Babies need to have a healthy start! We have two new great grandbabies on the way!
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That is super, Martha!