Mayor Bloomberg's infant formula plan aimed at promoting breast-feeding in NYC hospitals

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg on CBS This Morning on June 13, 2012

/ CBS

(CBS/AP) First he took on big servings of soda. Next on Mayor Michael Bloomberg's agenda is infant formula.

Going into effect on September 3, New York City's mayor will implement his voluntary Latch On NYC initiative in which infant formula will be kept locked away at hospitals to encourage breast-feeding for new mothers.

Report: Massachusetts birth hospitals ditch free infant formula gift bags
Breast-Feeding State by State: Who's #1?

Under the new program, reported by the New York Post, mothers who insist on bottle-feeding will still be able to do so, but nurses would have to sign out the baby formula, which would always be on hand for mothers who have difficulty breast-feeding.

The Post reports that 27 of the city's 40 hospitals have also agreed to eliminate gift bag giveaways of infant formula and other free items like lanyards or mugs with formula-company logos.

The mayor has gotten criticized over the new policy, which is set to take effect in September. While some are chiding the mayor for imposing a "nanny state," The National Alliance for Breast-feeding Advocacy says it's a good program.

The Alliance's executive director says keeping baby formula under lock and key, like medicines are kept, helps prevent hospital staffers from reaching for a bottle first, instead of encouraging new mothers to nurse their babies.

The program is voluntary for hospitals, and is part of a nationwide effort to improve newborns' health by promoting breast-feeding for babies.

Some city hospitals are already taking part in the program. At NYU Langone Medical Center, breast-feeding rates have surged from 39 percent of new moms to 68 percent since the program was implemented, the Post reported.

Earlier this month, Massachusetts health officials announced they would eliminate free giveaways of infant formula at the state's 49 hospitals beginning at the end of July to promote breast-feeding.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that moms exclusively breast-feed for the first six months of a newborn's life to boost protection against many illnesses and allergies.

Babies who are fed formula and stop breast-feeding early may be more at risk for diabetes, respiratory and ear infections and are more likely to require doctor visits, prescriptions or hospitalizations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Children who aren't breast-fed are also more likely to be obese and are at a higher risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

The CDC says in the U.S., most babies start breast-feeding, but within the first week, half have already been given formula, and by 9 months, only 31% of babies are breast-feeding at all.

The CDC has more on breast-feeding.

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Breast-Feeding State by State: Who's #1?

[Brea92]

When I had my son I told all the nurses I was breastfeeding, did not want him gone longer than he had to be, no formula, and no pacifiers-he even had a no pacifier sign in his bassinet.
On our last day in the hospital (we had to spend an extra day in the hospital because he had a slight fever when born) they took him from 5 am to 1 pm.
Breastfeeding newborns need to be fed every two hours. I kept asking the nurses where he was and how he was and no one would answer me. Finally I went to the nursery where I thought he might be and he was shoved behind all the other babies laying flat in that plastic bassinet (all the other babies were propped up) spit up from being fed formula all over himself and a pacifier in the corner. One of the nurses saw my look of horror and tried to hide the no pacifier sign like I hadn't put it in there and clean him up, but the damage was done. I yelled at all of them and left.
If a woman wants to formula feed, POWER TO HER, but I DIDN'T WANT TO, and my son should NOT have been fed formula against my wishes. People bend over backwards for those formula feeding, but not breastfeeding.

[LeeSomerset]

I breastfed my two girls many years ago and it amazes me today that breastfeeding is not always the first choice for new moms, especially when considering all the health benefits for the baby AND the mom. I came across a contest from insidershealth on Pinterest http://pinterest.com/pin/18647785927884743/ and Facebook http://www.facebook.com/InsidersHealth whose prize is a pricey breastpump for the winner. All you have to do is enter a photo of you and your baby. I think it's a great way to support breastfeeding! Ultimately though, I believe every mother's decision should be hers and hers alone.

[adelaidelopez]

I never write comments online about anything, but I HAD to on what this idiot mayor is involving himself regarding breastfeeding. With all of the crime and corruption going on in his city, this is how he wastes our tax money. First off, I'm one of the many thousands of women that is unable to breastfeed. It was a long time ago when I tried and couldn't. My baby would have starved because of the physical inability to breastfeed. I still was made to feel guilty and cried many hours over it after desperately trying for weeks before I finally had to give up before my baby suffered from the stress I was going through. Also, I had to go back to work within two months from the birth of my child. How does Mayor Bloomberg feel working women should deal with that? Not all women can take their babies to work with them, nor go home every few hours to feed them. This mayor is out of touch with reality and needs to concentrate on more important issues such as crime and corruption and stop trying to chip away at our freedom.

[burgernutr]

Even though CBS did one of the only credible jobs of reporting on this issue that I have seen in the media, many people have totally misinterpreted the purpose of this program. Here is my commentary on the topic. NO ONE is banning formula. Breastfeeding mothers rights have been violated for generations when hospital employees have coerced women into feeding formula when they didn't need to, or worse yet fed their babies formula without parental permission or medical need.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jay-gordon/world-breastfeeding-week_b_1739878.html

[MsMomChicago]

Bloomberg needs to get off his soapbox and realize that being a loving, caring mother has nothing to do with feeding a baby through a breast. Yes, we all know that breastfeeding is best for a baby. But, the reality
is that it just sometimes doesn't work out that way. He'd be better off starting a campaign that would promote making it easier for working mothers to breastfeed in the city. That would make too much sense, though, wouldn't it.

http://msmom.me/2012/08/02/byof-bring-your-own-formula/

[Buffy Register]

Guess what Mr. Mayor, some moms are not able to breast feed. Maybe because their bodies won't produce milk and maybe because of a job situation.

These guys talk out of both sides of thier mouths. To me this is the government having control over a woman's body!

[radiomankc]

I can't believe Bloomberg is interfering in women's issues. They have SOOOO had enough of this crap.

[A-Father1968]

This is just incremental incursion into a realm that is not necessary. A government(NYC) in this case that just wants to intervene and control the masses. you can't do this.. or this.. or that..you have to do this.. this is how socialism takes a foot hold. All in the name of government knows best. NYC and California are the two trash receptacles of this nation.

[MsMomChicago]

Sometimes, the decision to not breastfeed is not a "choice". Some mothers are just not able to do so.

http://msmom.me/2012/07/28/breastfeeding-is-natural-if-youre-a-monkey/

[palmasabina]

Agreed. And under this directive, the formula would of course be there for those moms for whom breastfeeding is not possible.

[palmasabina]

There seems to be a wide sentiment that Bloomberg is mandating breastfeeding for new moms, but that is a misrepresentation of what the article is saying. He is simply trying to create an environment where moms are more likely to succeed should they CHOOSE to breastfeed. It's true we are lucky that formula is an option when needed. I had to use it for my daughter when I went back to work. But there is no doubt that a free bottle of formula in your hospital room when you're sleep-deprived and at wits end trying to get a crying newborn to latch on might be very tempting despite how committed you are to nursing. I think what Bloomberg is trying to do though is tip the balance away from corporate power --he's doing this with sugar drinks too-- and give moms and babies a chance to get their latch on without interference from profit-making strategies. Given that breastfeeding is very good for baby's long-term health --so many good studies have come out in the last year showing that breastfeeding is linked to lower percentage of health issues later in life- and that breastfeeding in the beginning can be challenging requiring lots of support, he's requiring that Hospitals keep formula in the same dispensaries as the medications so if a nurse wants to give some to a mom, it has to be signed out—in other words, it requires mindfulness. He is also asking hospitals to voluntarily agree not to give out the formula swag bags they routinely do when you leave. More than half of NYC hospitals agreed to this. I think the issue is that if a mom is faced with some difficulty nursing and she's on the fence about whether she wants to commit to it, she should be in an environment which supports her and gives her every opportunity to get the breastfeeding down because the long term benefits to her, baby and society are great. If formula bottles are too readily available in your hospital room next to the soap and toothbrush, there may be less incentive to put the work into getting the latch on. I don't think of it as taking away choices for mom; I see it as giving mom and baby a safe space and support to work on this without the formula companies coming in too soon. Of course I support the use of formula when the breastfeeding is just not an option or not enough or baby can't tolerate it. It just shouldn't be the "go to" solution at the first sign of challenge. I applaud Bloomberg for taking on these complex issues. These decisions show a great deal of forward thinking about the health of generations to come.