Baby Formula?

Richard Hollerman

What? What does this have to do with our website, www.Truediscipleship.com? In general (and there are some exceptions), we know that a mother should “nurse” or breast feed her baby. There are some 3.6 million babies born in America each year (with a decline this past year). (There are also some 140 millions of babies born around the world!) We, of course, know that (barring some medical conditions) a mother should feed her own son or daughter after they are born. This would generally be at birth—although in some rare situations a mother can’t feed her own babies. (A “wet mother” is one who substitutes for a mother who is physically unable to feed her own baby. But some countries even forbid this for there is some risk associated with this practice.)

So, yes, there may be a need for a little bit of “formula” but surely 95% or maybe 98% is unneeded. Let us use God’s “natural” way of feeding an infant—from the mother herself. Sadly, we know that generally women want to feed their baby “formula” not because it is good for the baby or even for the mother (actually there are many negatives and health detriments), but because (1) it is convenient, (2) some deem this to be healthier, and (3) the mother may be working away from the house.

If the mother (and father) knows that natural ways of feeding their baby are more healthy, and the mother is rightfully working at home (see 1 Timothy 5:14; Titus 2:3-5), surely there would be little need for a commercial formula. Generally the negatives will dissipate with this information. If so, all of this “hype” about the formula is without solid foundation. And even wrong. Don’t you agree? I was raised on natural baby food from the mother, and at least some (hopefully, many) of you were too.

We read this: “In 2003, the WHO and UNICEF published their Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding, which restated that “processed-food products for…young children should, when sold or otherwise distributed, meet applicable standards recommended by the Codex Alimentarius Commission”, and also warned that “lack of breastfeeding—and especially lack of exclusive breastfeeding during the first half-year of life—are important risk factors for infant and childhood morbidity and mortality”. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infant_formula).

As this quotation warns us, a baby should be feed naturally at least for a half year, but we would suggest longer—perhaps a year or more. Some cultures suggest two or three or more years! In this way, the “risk factors” and child death can be avoided.

We also know that anything having to do with cow’s milk (meant for baby cows) can be harmful for a baby. In fact, certain diseases can come to the child in this way. In order to avoid these illnesses, we must avoid cow’s milk found in certain “formulas.”

We read further: “the use of infant formula in less economically developed countries is linked to poorer health outcomes because of the prevalence of unsanitary preparation conditions, including lack of clean water and lack of sanitizing equipment. A formula-fed child living in unclean conditions is between 6 and 25 times more likely to die of diarrhea and four times more likely to die of pneumonia than a breastfed child. Rarely, use of powdered infant formula (PIF) has been associated with serious illness, and even death, due to infection with Cronobacter sakazakii and other microorganisms that can be introduced to PIF during its production. Although C. sakazakii can cause illness in all age groups, infants are believed to be at greatest risk of infection. Between 1958 and 2006, there have been several dozen reported cases of C. sakazakii infection worldwide. The WHO believes that such infections are under-reported. (Ibid.)

We realize that most mothers, at least in America, use formula and a much lower percentage of mothers use a natural method. We read: “Despite the recommendation that babies be exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months, less than 40% of infants below this age are exclusively breastfed worldwide. The overwhelming majority of American babies are not exclusively breastfed for this period—in 2005 under 12% of babies were breastfed exclusively for the first 6 months, with over 60% of babies of 2 months of age being fed formula, and approximately one in four breastfed infants having infant formula feeding within two days of birth.” (Ibid.)

Thus, if only 12% of babies are fed in a natural way with many in the world also using formula, we can see the prevalence of this, regardless of the health hazards.

For these reasons and others, we believe that it might be wise to avoid formula-feeding of an infant. We know that feeding a baby in a natural way—in public—can be immodest (even extremely immodest) but if this can be overcome in some way, it would generally be best. Perhaps feeding the baby in a private place, or feeding the baby at home (and away from prying eyes), or the like may be best. Of course, we know that this may be an issue with a husband if one is (hopefully) married.

If you should want to have a much more thorough explanation of the various ways of feeding a baby, we suggest that you consult this article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infant_formula. We do observe–for your benefit—that this article has absolutely nothing regarding a spiritual dimension! Further, it has little comment about the issue of modesty. Thus, we encourage much discretion in considering this subject.