Formula should be unbranded and babies needing formula should be cup-fed.

[foxytocin]

But that is not what is going on here, is it?

While I cannot say that it is the fault of the bottle and teat manufacturer or the milk maker,
surely this is why monitoring of the Code in Haiti is so important?

Too many medical people think that formula is a good thing. Even in this sort of disaster. It makes me feel so bloody impotent.

So many people seem to be imagining this situation in a Western culture. Some of the comments on that article - "Why is a baby over 12 months being given formula when they can have regular milk?" and the assumption that wet-nursing or relactation is something difficult, impossible or unusual, and definitely not something one would attempt if they had a lot to deal with themselves

I do agree that formula should be distributed in Haiti but like Tiktok said on another thread should be tightly controlled and monitored so that manufactureres do not market to a vulnerable population. There will be babies that do need it, that dont have anyone immediate available to bf them or while they are waiting for someone to be available.

Whilst i do agree with formula being unbranded and available on prescription as it is really expensive how it is given to my baby is up to me, and if i choose to used a bottle than its my decision. I did try cup feeding but my dd never took to it.

Piglet, imo it's criminally overpriced. Isn't there something like an 80% mark up on the stuff? It's not like it's sterile or anything, which might justify the cost.

Its about £8 a pop so expensive for something that is vital not just somthing that you can do without, if you have to rely on it like i did. gosh wish that bf was successful.

I saw a programme recently about the slums in India as was surprised that wet nursing was NOT going on. A 17 month old boy (who was abandoned by his mother and the grandmother had to take him on) was crying in hunger and the grandmother had to beg around the slum for his milk. I naturally assumed she would have breastfed him (or an auntie/close friend).

Anyhow it made me think about the situation in Haiti on hoping that this would NOT be the case and hopefully bf is being encouraged.

so you should deny a small baby the comfort of sucking to drink out a hard cup, just because its formula, thats like punishment plus people say it like its the mother`s choice but sometimes its not.

and especially in this situation of haiti, as long as the babys r getting fed thats what matters!!!

Tend to agree with dustycups about the cup requirement seeming to punish the baby for no good reason.

Open to being convinced by the thinking behind it, but think it seems a little harsh.

Cup feeding forces medical staff (human beings) to hold the child and feed him. Children, especially those who have been through trauma, need reassurance through touch as well as nutrition.

How far can this medical staff be from this child? not just a bottle, a bottle held at arms length with a rubber glove as well. I am sure he/she doesn't realise the implication of how this child is being fed. It is not a criticism of the people who are out there working. It is a highlight of why aid staff need training in Infant feeding in Emergencies.

I assume the title was aimed at the situation in Haiti BTW - people seem to be assuming it is aimed at all formula feeding. I think the idea was a shock title to get more people to open the thread. ?

Foxy I bottlefed my dd when she was a baby, she was always in my arms and close to my chest ALWAYS! When she was an older toddler about 20months + she used to have a bottle in her bed before going to bed. Just because a mum ff a child with a bottle does not mean she does it mechanically at arms length, it would be similar contact as is bf but obviously differences. I do wish that i was successful in bf but I tried to make it as much like the bf experience that i could and maintin that close skin to skin bond.

As long as the babies in Haiti are getting the nutrition if a bf lady is not available it does not mater one jot how they are fed, cup or bottle imo.

I see. I was thinking that a bottle would make it easier to have a cuddly feed than a cup.

Of course the human contact is crucial. I guess in that kind of situation, with so much to do, the temptation to give the bottle and then go off to do something else must be quite strong.

Piglet I think foxy is talking about Haiti where aid workers may be feeding two or more babies at once or feeding a child whilst doing something else at the same time. Not a mother bottlefeeding a child having a nice cuddle.

Oh ok Bertie, its good in theory and yes i agree, but really the situation is really bad in Haiti and nurses carers are struggeling and sometimes have to juggle more than one thing or baby. For a young baby though even if they are drinking from a bottle they cannot hold it themselves so you have to pick them up and put them in your arms to feed well imo you do.

Perhaps there aren't enough nurses to feed them one to one.

Or perhaps that child in the picture was badly injured, and picking them up to feed would not be a good idea?

Formula will be essential for many of these orphaned babies who are in medical care, since we can't fly enough wet nurses out to Haiti... but what does concern me is formula finding its way into the hands of mothers who are successfully breastfeeding, don't know how to make up formula safely, or can't read the instructions, and end up with a sick baby as a result. Sadly all too common in disaster zones.

Cupfeeding vs bottle? Not sure it matters at this stage, for a baby in medical care, who has been orphaned, just getting the nutrition is important.