I have to admit I keep saying the same thing every time I read an article about the baby formula shortage. “You have breasts!” Like, what did mothers do before baby formula was invented? Let their babies starve?
I believe I got cow’s milk.
Baby formula was considered a ripoff intended for Third World mothers when I was a teenager.
Not all babies take to it or tolerate it. Some don’t thrive on it and have special needs. Some women simply can’t nurse, or run out of milk.
Lots of babies grew up in the old days with health problems caused by nutritional deficiencies.
My mom and all her siblings had cow’s milk. She was born in 1917.
It was called failure to thrive and was a common cause of infant death.
Many did starve. Or grew up malnourished.
My 1st wife could not breast feed at all she tried, but didn’t have a lot of milk, so formula my kids got they turned our fine
Well some may have starved. But, For the most part Rosie has a point. Of course there are exceptions such as adopted babies or with CPS, medical conditions, babies who can’t latch (cleft pallets) , etc
However those babies can’t equal the amount of formula being demanded.
Perhaps Many women’s milk May have already dried up at this point. But, if there’s any question moving forward - I hope new mothers will nurse.
I was under the impression there was a ‘push’ by the medical community to nurse.
the ww2 generation didn’t all breast feed...at least my mother and her contemporaries didn’t.. my mil didn’t...they were taught that formula was best...thus the great assault on natural mother hood and a good marriage started.
You're right, of course!
Prior to the widespread availability of baby formula, no baby was ever malnourished, or had a cow's milk allergy, or was troubled with similar attendant difficulties, and no woman had difficulty producing enough breastmilk.
/mordant sarcasm
Regards,
What did motorists do before the invention of the automobile?
Yeah, sure, riding a horse might not be as quick or convenient as driving a car, but these modern people are so pampered and lazy and entitled!
/mordant sarcasm
Regards,
By the same logic, there's no way a single woman should ever come up short on her rent because she still has something between her legs that can earn her money and it's her fault she's not using it if she needs to make ends meet.
The whole breastfeeding argument is bitterly divisive, most so among mothers who wanted to be breastfeeders but for one reason or another couldn't do it. It's a very toxic world and it gets fed regularly with new mothers who are at the height of emotion and sensitivity to judgement. Best we stay out of that entirely and figure out how to get the dang formula to the babies.
Babies did starve if mom did not produce enough milk
Babies used to use wet nurses if available. Otherwise they died.
Like, what did mothers do before baby formula was invented? Let their babies starve?
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In 1945 for whatever reason, I rejected breast milk so my mom put me on goat’s milk and I quickly began to thrive.
Okay, I breastfed both of my girls, but I was a stay at home Mom and was able to do that. Breastfeeding requires that you breastfeed fairly regularly, otherwise, the milk dries up. If you never started breastfeeding and immediately went to formula, I'm thinking that it might be difficult to start breastfeeding now.
If I am wrong, please correct me. Also, as an aside, the breast pump to save for later never worked for me as I just couldn't get the milk to come out with the pump -- and, I had a lot of milk.