Infant Formula Regularly Marketed to Africa
I am absolutely disgusted and horrified at this! Those of you who home birth and are home birth supporters have undoubtedly heard the argument against home birth go something like this:
Women in third world countries who deliver their own babies without "prenatal" care/hospital care have higher infant mortality rate"
Of course women who can barely feed themselves are going to deliver unhealthy babies! That's just basic common sense. My point? How can a comparison between women who barely have food and shelter to women who DO have food and shelter make for fair research and information?
And now, add that to the fact, that Infant formula companies are regularly promoting their products in Africa in violation of international standards "adopted to protect infant health" as stated on AllAfrica.com. Is this going to be used in the argument against home birth?
The violation of these standards have serious repercussions:
This is nothing short of genocide. In a country known for their struggles with the basic necessities, breast milk is the ONLY saving grace these babies have and now...even THAT is being taken away from them.
If you formula-feed your baby out of need and not want, PLEASE inquire into the brand you have chosen.
If they market to Africa or any third world country. Please consider writing them and/or boycotting their products.
Women in third world countries who deliver their own babies without "prenatal" care/hospital care have higher infant mortality rate"
Of course women who can barely feed themselves are going to deliver unhealthy babies! That's just basic common sense. My point? How can a comparison between women who barely have food and shelter to women who DO have food and shelter make for fair research and information?
And now, add that to the fact, that Infant formula companies are regularly promoting their products in Africa in violation of international standards "adopted to protect infant health" as stated on AllAfrica.com. Is this going to be used in the argument against home birth?
The violation of these standards have serious repercussions:
"Yet UNICEF estimates that 1.4 million children under the age of two die each year due to the improper promotion of infant formula over breast milk, particularly in low-income countries."
This is nothing short of genocide. In a country known for their struggles with the basic necessities, breast milk is the ONLY saving grace these babies have and now...even THAT is being taken away from them.
If you formula-feed your baby out of need and not want, PLEASE inquire into the brand you have chosen.
If they market to Africa or any third world country. Please consider writing them and/or boycotting their products.
Amplify’d from www.naturalnews.com
So widely accepted are the benefits of breastfeeding that in 1981, the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) adopted an international code for the promotion of infant formulas and other breast milk substitutes. The purpose of the guidelines is to promote breastfeeding and the make sure that breast milk substitutes are used only with informed consent and only when absolutely necessary.
Breast milk provides important nutrition and disease protection, and plays a critical role in the development of a child's immune system.
"[Breastfeeding] could save 41 percent of newborns who would otherwise die in their first month of life," writes Andreas Moritz in Timeless Secrets of Health & Rejuvenation.
"Breastfeeding right away not only increases the likelihood that infants will continue to breastfeed, but also gives them colostrum, a mother's first milk," Moritz writes." As research has demonstrated, colostrum is rich in antibodies and essential nutrients, important for building a strong immune system right from the start. Early breastfeeding also helps mothers through improved lactation and less loss of blood."
Yet UNICEF estimates that 1.4 million children under the age of two die each year due to the improper promotion of infant formula over breast milk, particularly in low-income countries.
Improper practices include giving bottles to newborns, which interferes with a mother's own milk production and can make it difficult for her to resume breastfeeding; giving away formula and related products to health care facilities; advertising formula directly to mothers; offering discounted formula; placing advertisements disguised as "educational materials" in health facilities; and failing to prominently label formula packages in a language easily understood by the mother.
"Specified text should be on the packaging, warning that breast feeding is best for babies and that the products should only be used on the advice of a health professional," the code reads. "There should be no pictures or text that might idealize the use of infant formula."
Sources for this story include: http://allafrica.com/stories/201008....
See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/ap6lw
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