Slimshandy wrote: ↑Mon Apr 15, 2024 3:42 pm
WellPreserved wrote: ↑Mon Apr 15, 2024 2:51 pm
Slimshandy wrote: ↑Mon Apr 15, 2024 12:36 pm
That’s a very privileged point of view.
A nursing mother isn’t always available. Some babies are adopted… some babies are born to a mother with a very low milk supply, some babies are born with a milk allergy, some babies had their mother die during birth…
Fact of the matter is, some babies needed formula and there wasn’t any way to get breast milk.
I'm remembering back to Covid when we had a shortage of formula compounded by the fact that we only have several sources, and some started sharing FB posts recommending "grandmother's recipes". These posts were flagged by FB as mis-information as they should have been because feeding your infant cows milk and karo, while some of our grandmothers may have done it, is just not safe. In our community, the reaction to these posts was pretty fierce, even from the crunchy moms, as most understood that these recommendations weren't safe. Mom's were referred to our local breast bank and La Leche and donations of breast milk were plentiful. Donations of formula including samples were given to our local food bank. Our regional "community action"/CHIP worked with our non-profits to acquire formula from out-of-county. Mom's and women in general help each other and that includes in feeding their infants.
This is not coming from a place of privilege. I am well aware that not all women can (or should) breast feed and formula is the most viable option. Women who breastfeed can and should help those who can't when there is a formula shortage. I find this safer and more reasonable then relying on grandma's recipe.
I consider myself kind of a crunchy mom and will in many cases go for herbals, traditional healing, and "grandma's" recommendations. But I also recognize that historically those herbals and medicines were out of necessity when other options weren't available. For example, if someone had an infection, I would recommend an antibiotic, not blood letting, even though blood letting was the course of action for 1000s of years.
We don’t have a local breast milk bank… the closest La leche is over four hours away.
That was just not a plausible solution for many others around the country.
It was not easy to get donated breast milk, and there was no formula on the shelves.
It was a privilege to be able to get breast milk when the formula was gone, and tons of women were not that privileged.
Women deserve safe options to feed their infants. In times of formula shortage, these options can include consulting with their pediatrician, mid-wife, or doula on appropriate formula free diet, reaching out to LL or other women's organizations (online or in person) to find sources of nutrition, reaching out to your local "mom" group or maternity wing of your local hospital to get connected with other mom's who are breast feeding or formula feeding, reaching out to CHIP or local food banks for options, if your infant is old enough, perhaps weaning early. Googling (ha!) what organizations such as UNICEF recommend when servicing communities that don't have safe formula options, i.e., communities without potable water. IMO, relying on someone's "grandma's recipe" via social media is dangerous and not a safe option.
Women deserve safe options to obtain an abortion whether that is a medical abortion or surgical abortion. Thankfully, there are still many groups in the US that are working to provide that to all women. IMO, relying on herbal recipes posted on social media is dangerous and not a safe option.
I'm not surprised that the above remedies are prolific on social media but I think that's indicative of a larger problem in this country. Where women (and kids and men) are relying on SM to form connections rather than forming connections with members of their community so when in times of need, they look to SM for answers. Unfortunately, SM is rife with dangerous, ill-informed information.
"The books that the world calls immoral are books that show its own shame." - Oscar Wilde