During The Infant Formula Shortage, This Historian Corrected Misconceptions That Claimed No Babies Starved Before Infant Formula Was Invented Because Everyone Breastfed Their Babies
Some people thought it was wise to tell panicking parents they shouldn't worry about the shortage because they should have been breastfeeding in the first place.
As if pregnancy were not difficult enough, parents now have to prepare for a plethora of issues their newborns could face. Parents these days must deal with an unimaginable amount of potential problems unique to our times.
We're barely through a devastating pandemic, and there's already another virus we have to keep an eye on. Oh, have you heard of microplastics?
Don't worry; you don't have to hear about them to breathe them in. It turns out they are everywhere, and scientists don't yet know how badly they affect humans.
Additionally, social media is being used as a tool to destabilize governments all over the world. Lawmakers don't even know where to begin to regulate questionable tech practices.
In case that's not enough, a powerful group of people is trying to take us back to the good old times when racism was the norm and women didn't have rights. Fun times ahead, people.
The rate of "inflation" (it's price gouging premium; billionaires have a subscription to it) across the globe is astronomical. But the problem that really caused panic for all parents is the milk formula shortage.
Early this year, the formula shortage was the highlight. While parents were busy hopping from one store to the next looking for infant formula, some people thought it was the perfect time to say there was no need to panic.
Parents could simply go au naturel and breastfeed their babies. They didn't take into consideration that some moms couldn't lactate, some babies need an extra dose of nutrition that only formulas can provide, and many other factors.
Thankfully, Dr. Carla Cevasco, a historian of infant feeding, was ready to correct long-held misconceptions that the formula shortage was no problem since moms could just opt to breastfeed their young. Here's what she had to say:
Why do people lie about verifiable facts? Dr. Cevasco will enumerate just how wrong these claims are.
@Cevasco_CarlaIt's historically proven that parents needed to feed their babies something other than milk because:
@Cevasco_Carla(a) Some birth parents are unable to breastfeed because they either died in childbirth, have physical conditions, or had to return to work.
@Cevasco_Carla
Or they were not given the option to breastfeed by their abuser/enslaver to get them fertile as soon as possible.
@Cevasco_Carla
(b) Some babies are incapable of breastfeeding because they cannot latch, are premature, or have other health conditions.
@Cevasco_Carla
(c) Some babies are not raised by their birth parents.
@Cevasco_Carla
So how did babies survive back then if breastfeeding wasn't an option and infant formula hadn't been invented yet?
@Cevasco_Carla
Someone else would either volunteer, be forced, or be paid to breastfeed the child.
@Cevasco_Carla
This wasn't an ideal solution, but it's what they had.
@Cevasco_Carla
What happened if there was literally no breastmilk to be had?
@Cevasco_Carla
The Wabanaki women fed their babies a mixture of boiled walnuts, cornmeal, and water.
@Cevasco_Carla
In Europe, babies ate mixtures of animal milk or water.
@Cevasco_Carla
These alternative solutions were not always safe and didn't offer enough nutrition for the growing infant.
@Cevasco_Carla
Before formula milk was invented, a lot of babies died of starvation and illness.
@Cevasco_Carla
They didn't have safe or nutritious food.
@Cevasco_Carla
In the US, would more parents choose to breastfeed if safe systems were in place?
@Cevasco_Carla
The short answer is yes. More parents would breastfeed if they had paid parental leave, access to lactation consultants, pumping rooms, and the right to breastfeed in public.
@Cevasco_Carla
This is in no way advertising the infant formula companies that are causing the shortage.
@Cevasco_Carla
However, infant formula by itself is not a bad thing. Thanks to this invention, babies don't have to starve to death anymore.
@Cevasco_Carla
The babies whose right to live is under threat because of the shortage (a.k.a. artificial shortage to raise prices).
@Cevasco_Carla
It's amazing that parents have the option to either breastfeed or bottle-feed their babies.
@Cevasco_Carla
Because there will always be babies who will need formulated milk for one reason or another.
@Cevasco_Carla
The only thing that should concern us is that babies are not going hungry.
@Cevasco_Carla
People soon shared their own stories about why specially formulated milk was necessary.
@TheEbonSwan
This mom, who had access to lactation consultants and tools to aid lactation, couldn't produce enough milk. If she hadn't had access to formula, her babies would have starved.
@abenyola
Other parents actually cannot produce milk no matter how hard they try.
@Ankeborgsboende
Some moms choose formula milk simply because they believe it's what is best for them and their babies.
@kristysf
Oddly enough, people these days will give you the stink eye if you bottle-feed your baby in public.
@bereesiekat
People have to be more realistic about the past. It wasn't that great, and without the advancements of science, a lot of babies starved to death.
@laura118b
It used to be the norm that not all babies would survive infancy. The situation was that bad, and we shouldn't glorify it.
@TKSquaredLLC
An expecting mom had less to worry about because of the informative thread. Like others, she doesn't have the right to a year-long maternity leave to breastfeed her baby.
@weirdowoman24
Dr. Cevasco debunked those claims really fast and helped clear the confusion for a lot of people.
@MaaloufMD
Jumping in during a crisis like this one only to offer unwanted and unverified advice is not as helpful as people think. Your hot takes are interesting to read, but they are not keeping any babies from starving.
The reality is that this crisis hit home for a lot of parents who depend on infant formula to feed their babies. Good for you if you can breastfeed your baby or you have access to donated breastmilk, but do not diminish what others are going through simply because you are not in the same boat.
