Over the years, the rates for breastfeeding in America have reduced drastically. The film “The Milky Way”, tells us the reasons behind it. Today, the average American mother has a career, a home to manage as well as a baby to bring up. Breastfeeding tends to take a backseat when a mother has other responsibilities. And breastfed babies are turned away from the breast very early.
Breastfed babies vs formula-fed babies
This is where formula companies come into play. Milky Way alleges that formula companies view babies as a “business”, and babies aren’t their passion or their duty. They add that formula companies earn around 8 billion dollars a year and use a large chunk of this money for marketing.
“The monetary returns are well worth the money they invest in doctors’ education, hospital design, pediatric organizations, research, as well as supplying free formula to hospitals, gift bags and breastfeeding “education” to mothers,” says Chantal Molnar, the producer of “The Milky Way” film.
These marketing campaigns are how they influence mothers into believing that formulas are better than breastfeeding.
The film alleges that formula leads to a much higher chance of child obesity as a result of the unnatural source of nutrients and vitamins that built their health up as a baby. More formula kids have diabetes that they should really only encounter as an adult, than breastfed kids do.
Another “advantage” of formula for American mothers is bigger boobs.
Society and the sexualization of women has resulted in many mothers wanting curvy feminine bodies. And the one thing going through pregnancy gives you, is the boobs – this eliminates the need for a surgical procedure.
A natural phenomenon
What several mothers don’t realise is that breastfeeding is a natural phenomenon. Once babies are born, their habitat becomes the mother, and a baby’s source of nutrients comes from the mother’s milk or being breastfed.
A mother naturally produces milk after giving birth because the baby is meant to feed from the mother. Formulas don’t contain the same vitamins and nutrients of breast milk. Formulas are not natural, and hence they don’t build a healthy baby.
The lack of time to breastfeed, the convenience of the formula and the supposed benefits of it are what creates the divide between the breastfed babies and the formula babies.
It is important for mothers to know what they are feeding their baby, as Chantal Molnar puts it, “it defines who you are as a mother”.
So when considering the formula, one must take into account the positives as well as the negatives of it.
What’s your take on this topic of children being breastfed vs drinking formula milk? Was your child breastfed or given formula milk? We’d love to hear from you!
Here is a short excerpt from the film, The Milky Way:
Are you a breastfeeding mum? Join our FB group!
theAsianparent also has a Singapore Breastfeeding Mums Support Group that you can join for mum-to-mum advice.
Also read: Babies who breastfeed maybe deficient in Vitamin D