Category: *Top Blogs

It’s World Breastfeeding Week: What Sets Apart The ‘Fed Is Best’ Message From The ‘Breast Is Best’ Message?

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In a world filled with infant feeding advice and conflicting messages, a beacon of wisdom and support emerges – our newly published  Fed Is Best book: The Unintended Harms of the “Breast Is Best” Message and How to Find the Right Approach for You and Your Baby.

Our transformative book promises to navigate the intricate landscape of infant feeding choices, empowering parents with knowledge and judgment-free support. Our highly anticipated book will reshape the conversation around infant nutrition, offering a comprehensive, science-backed, and inclusive perspective on the myriad ways families can safely and optimally nourish their babies. Click here to purchase our newly published, groundbreaking book!

 

Let’s Talk About What The Fed Is Best Foundation Stands For

  1. We are committed to providing parents with vital knowledge and education about breastfeeding safely, a mission that sets us apart from other healthcare organizations. The data supports our mission: One in 71 exclusively breastfed babies is rehospitalized for serious health complications of insufficient breastfeeding, which is unacceptable. Click here for a FREE infant feeding plan.  

Our book received endorsement from Dr. Marianne Neifert, pediatrician and co-founder of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine.

 

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What Does Fed Is Best Mean?

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The phraseology of Fed is Best is frequently misinterpreted, and we want to clarify what it means to our readers. Nutritionally speaking, “fed” refers to the absorptive state or the first stage of nutrition, in which a baby receives adequate nutrition to maintain optimal bodily functions and achieve healthy growth and development. 

Fed is best means a baby can achieve this fully fed state required to thrive from two clinically-approved sources of nutrition. One is human milk, and the other is infant formula.

Source: Science Simplified, May 13, 2020, Biology/Physiology, Video focused on details of Fed State of Metabolism.

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Breastfeeding pressure is real, and research suggests it’s linked to mental health conditions in mothers

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Families are under enormous pressure to exclusively breastfeed from major health organizations such as the WHO, Baby-Friendly USA, CDC, AAP, ACOG, WIC offices, and the majority of US  hospitals.  

The “Breast is Best” public health campaign has permeated US culture and influenced hospital policies; even though US families face impossible barriers to breastfeeding exclusively, the pressure remains, and it is up to families to meet the unattainable guidelines for the majority of families.

By the way, there is no evidence that Baby-Friendly policies are effective for increasing long-term breastfeeding rates.

It has been shown in ample research that exclusively breastfeeding can cause serious complications for infants experiencing insufficient milk intake, a concern we discuss daily. The same pressure to exclusively breastfeed has now been linked to mental health complications, according to a recent research paper published in Research Psychiatry.

Breastfeeding pressure even has a pseudonym, “BRESSURE,” but it’s not funny. 

 

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How Breastfeeding Coercion Stripped this Psychiatrist of Her Confidence and Mental Health

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By Michelle M., Psychiatrist, MD, and First-Time Mother

It’s taken me a long time to really have the strength to talk about this, but I think it’s time.

I’m a 40-year-old, first time mom to an amazing 9-month-old son. Throughout my pregnancy I was repeatedly asked if I would breastfeed and received endless lectures on the benefits.  I was honestly skeptical about the claimed breastfeeding benefits… (liquid gold? seriously?), but continued to answer “yes”, as it felt like saying “no” would be the wrong answer.

I figured I would try, and if it worked, great!  If it didn’t, then formula was “Plan B”.  I really didn’t think much of it, and figured the baby would get fed one way or another.

Fast forward to my 37th week of pregnancy.  My water broke with no warning, and I had an awful labor due to a failed epidural and uterine tachysystole.  Then to top it all off, I had an emergency c-section when my baby’s heart rate disappeared from the monitors. Labor and delivery didn’t go exactly as planned, but I was elated when it was over, and I had my beautiful baby. 

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My Baby Scream-Cried The Entire Second Night In The Hospital

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My name is Amber, and I am the mother of a charming, beautiful, and vivacious baby boy. I want to share with you a story: the story of my son’s birth and his first few months earthside. It is a multidimensional story full of love and heartbreak, but I think it’s important that other new mothers hear it. I hope they will know they are not alone if their early motherhood experiences are not what they always dreamed of.

I was working in an emergency room as a nurse and heading into my second-to-last semester of school to become a nurse practitioner. My husband and I had only been trying to conceive for a month. Because I have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and irregular periods, I figured getting pregnant would take longer, but there I was on September 1 with a positive test. We were ecstatic. As a planner, I spent most of the next nine months thinking about and planning everything about my son’s birth. I consider myself a well-educated woman and medical professional, so it was no surprise that the heart of my plans included breastfeeding my son. I spent months researching the best pumps for when I had to return to work, deciding on a storage-and-feeding set, and learning about ways to strengthen the breastfeeding bond. Formula feeding never crossed my mind. After all, I was always told breast was best. Sure, I had some friends who gave some formula here or there, but I just knew I would be one of the ones who would exclusively breastfeed and pump for my son. Continue reading →