tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34653319.post522924276165081733..comments2023-07-31T06:08:43.215-07:00Comments on Secret Agent Mom: She Blinded Me With ScienceUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34653319.post-49935590707098353482009-04-08T07:24:00.000-07:002009-04-08T07:24:00.000-07:00Wow. Do these essays just spring fully formed from...Wow. Do these essays just spring fully formed from your brain like some child of Zeus? You should submit part of this to the Atlantic's Letters to the Editor. Between the callings for Ms. Rosin's head and the formula fans, this is a very eloquent, levelheaded response. (And I am totally buying next month's issue just to read all the vitriol.)Melissahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04160296221681376909noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34653319.post-26996430177092201342009-04-02T07:04:00.000-07:002009-04-02T07:04:00.000-07:00Exactly. My point about supplementation advice is ...Exactly. My point about supplementation advice is really about the fact that it's not at all uncommon for a new mother in Memphis to be told that it's okay to supplement (with no qualifiers or caveats), but it is extremely rare for her to be told that she can breastfeed exclusively with success.Sassy Molassyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06522088532798183319noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34653319.post-412579044243039992009-04-02T06:56:00.000-07:002009-04-02T06:56:00.000-07:00I hope it's clear the vitriol isn't in any way dir...I hope it's clear the vitriol isn't in any way directed towards you, Sarah. I can, in some abstract way, understand what it must be like to feel that sort of peer (and inner) pressure, but it's just so far out of the reality in this part of the world. Down here, we want to throw a parade for every mother who manages to breastfeed past the first doctor's visit where she's informed that the baby is jaundiced or has low blood sugar and needs "something more."Memphisotanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13570015395806348343noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34653319.post-13566371357059323592009-04-01T12:30:00.000-07:002009-04-01T12:30:00.000-07:00Sure. I'm not saying it's better to quit than to s...Sure. I'm not saying it's better to quit than to supplement. I'm saying the decision to supplement should be made with all the facts taken into consideration.Sassy Molassyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06522088532798183319noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34653319.post-42589501368286848312009-04-01T06:34:00.000-07:002009-04-01T06:34:00.000-07:00But Kristy, I've seen a ton of moms struggle to pu...But Kristy, I've seen a ton of moms struggle to pump enough once they get back to work, or stressed because they think the baby is starving, who just give up on breastfeeding altogether because they have the "all-or-nothing" mentality. Sure, exclusive breastfeeding is best, but doesn't just about anything beat giving it up altogether?Stephaniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05844808198833729652noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34653319.post-34580178305407279322009-03-31T19:15:00.000-07:002009-03-31T19:15:00.000-07:00Whew, lady! I didn't know this article would brin...Whew, lady! I didn't know this article would bring such a vitriol response when I posted it on facebook. I'm going to bed and will read your blog tomorrow. Good night and until tomorrow.Sarah Janehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07547553441674259664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34653319.post-24641491500500042642009-03-31T17:42:00.000-07:002009-03-31T17:42:00.000-07:00It's true that it need not be all or nothing, but ...It's true that it need not be all or nothing, but I think mothers need to make that decision with the understanding that some of the immediate helth benefits of breastfeeding, like the reduced risk of ear infections and diarrheal illness, are affected by any amount of formula supplementation. There is plentiful documentation showing that the intestinal flora of a baby who has had one bottle of formula in the past two weeks is dramatically different from that of a breastfed baby.<BR/><BR/>It seems like there are plenty of moms who are told they can supplement with no ill effects to the nursing relationship (and given a "breastfeeding success kit" that includes a bottle of RTF complete with a nipple), but in my (considerable) experience with new mothers, it rarely goes well for the breastfeeding once supplementation is started.Sweet Sassy Molassyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07955536215422459315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34653319.post-89777454964021940532009-03-31T15:35:00.000-07:002009-03-31T15:35:00.000-07:00One bit of advice I always give new moms is to avo...One bit of advice I always give new moms is to avoid the "all or nothing" mentality. You can sub in a bottle of formula a day and still keep nursing, or you can nurse once a day while doing formula the rest- there is no rule that you can only do one or the other. I think that mentality has derailed a lot of mothers' best intentions.Stephaniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05844808198833729652noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34653319.post-71920355799709332492009-03-31T12:47:00.000-07:002009-03-31T12:47:00.000-07:00Put THAT in your bottle and suck it, Ms. Rosin.I c...Put THAT in your bottle and suck it, Ms. Rosin.<BR/><BR/>I can't wrap my mind around a grown-ass woman making such a huge, life-affecting decision because it's what the cool kids are doing. Grow a pair! If you choose to do whatever it takes for you, individually, to breastfeed just so no one will look askance at you over your Bugaboo on the playground, then that is no one's fault but your own, and at least your baby will benefit from it.<BR/><BR/>I also take exception to the statement that breastfeeding mothers can't work in "any meaningful way." With three of my four kids, I returned to work ful time when they were six weeks old, yet not one of them ever had a single bottle of formula. And with the other one? I built a business from the ground up and opened its doors when she was four months old.<BR/><BR/>I understand that my teaching job offers a schedule that is more mom friendly than some jobs, but you know what? We all make our choices in life. There are other things I would enjoy and be good at, but I have periodically weighed those other possibilities against my priorities in life, and this is where we are now. I know I'm lucky to have the choice, but it's not like we're rolling in the dough either. We all make sacrifices as parents.Sassy Molassyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06522088532798183319noreply@blogger.com