formula required a prescription.

[staralfur]

I am very pro-breastfeeding, but I've also been that new mom who is awake sobbing at midnight because my nipples are bleeding and my baby won't stop feeding and I haven't slept more than two of the last 48 hours. That was one of the lowest points in my life and I can't blame anyone for a second for mixing up a bottle of formula. I can't imagine being in that state and not even having the option.

I've always been pretty open about not understanding why someone would choose formula without even giving breastfeeding a shot. But at the end of the day... no one owes me or anyone else an explanation. I also believe that as great as breastfeeding is, a mom who is downright miserable isn't a beneficial trade-off for breastmilk.

 

[Dragonfly]

I dont think formula on prescription only either. Just may help some mums if it was. We all should have choices, taking things making it harder to get isnt going to help any one I dont think. I wouldnt want my choices taken away from me so I dont think its ok to do to others. Some mums choose to formula feed, some choose to breastfeed and both want their choice respected. Restricting formula would cause more outrage and probably more poverty effecting children which no one wants surely.

 

[staralfur]

When I was a baby I was very allergic (as in I was hospitalized) to my mom's breastmilk. I believe socitycourty had a similar issue with her LO. Stuff like that is rare, but I wonder if maybe in that situation prescription formula would be good. Like... if you really have no other option but to give formula, then you wouldn't have to pay for it. But then it's still available for purchase for those who choose to use it for non-medical reasons.

 

[Piper84]

I dont agree with formul only being available on prescription because it is a perfectly acceptable choice so i dont think it needs to be shunned away and people having to justify it at every turn.

It's not primarily about the mother's choice; it's about the baby's access to life-saving nutrition. Why is it being available free on prescription equal to mothers being "shunned"? Just for once, it would be refreshing to see a discussion about formula where we are not reminded how formula feeding is all a mother's personal choice, forgetting that the most important people in the equation are babies.

I'm confused... Formula is food. Food keeps you alive. No one would suggest that one needs a perscription for food, right? Even if you feel formula is inferior to breastmilk, should we be forcing people to buy apples instead of chips? Where is personal choice in all of this?

Formula is a synthetic dairy substitute processed according to combinations of ingredients designed and overseen by scientists, and is sold at anti-competitive prices at great financial disadvantage to a lot of parents. I don't know any other food that this applies to. No-one is forcing anyone to make a choice between formula and breastmilk as if they were being forced to choose between apples and chips. I'm really not sure where the choice thing comes into this discussion.

If it were available on prescription it would be free (in the UK and Germany at least) and very probably a generic version which avoided the questionable marketing tactics of a lot of formula companies. For me, access to affordable (or free), life-saving nutrients for a baby is more important than anything else discussed in this thread.

 

[onetwothreebp]

Just for once, it would be refreshing to see a discussion about formula where we are not reminded how formula feeding is all a mother's personal choice, forgetting that the most important people in the equation are babies.

But it IS the mother's choice. These are my breasts and I am free to do what I please with them.

 

[special_kala]

It being on prescription would be creating a even bigger divide between mums. The people who are going to choose formula are still going to do so and for those who feel they have failed at breastfeeding are going to feel 100x worse when they have to go justify why they need formula.

Breast milk is life saving nutrition to millions of babies but thats not the case in the UK. Formula should be heavily heavily regulated in struggling countries because the use of formula does kill babies in countries like Africa or the Philippines. In some instances formula should not be a option but we are in a country where very luckily we have options others dont.

In my ideal world everyone would breastfeed, not because they feel like they should but because its just the done thing, next in line would be it at least being very much considered by every woman but thats not going to happen so as far as im concerned we need to support those who choose to breastfeed as much as we can and protect breastfeeding from formula companies whilst allowing those who choose to or have to formula feed to do so without judgement.

 

[Noelle610]

I'm confused... Formula is food. Food keeps you alive. No one would suggest that one needs a perscription for food, right? Even if you feel formula is inferior to breastmilk, should we be forcing people to buy apples instead of chips? Where is personal choice in all of this?

Formula is a synthetic dairy substitute processed according to combinations of ingredients designed and overseen by scientists, and is sold at anti-competitive prices at great financial disadvantage to a lot of parents. I don't know any other food that this applies to. No-one is forcing anyone to make a choice between formula and breastmilk as if they were being forced to choose between apples and chips. I'm really not sure where the choice thing comes into this discussion.

If it were available on prescription it would be free (in the UK and Germany at least) and very probably a generic version which avoided the questionable marketing tactics of a lot of formula companies. For me, access to affordable (or free), life-saving nutrients for a baby is more important than anything else discussed in this thread.

It wouldn't be free in the US. The cost would vary greatly based on the insurance one has, but that's a different concept entirely.

I think it's fair to question the way formula is marketed and sold. There's no doubt in my mind it could be done more ethically and regulated better.

But I still don't understand why choice shouldn't come into the equation. If formula is available only by perscription, it would be up to a medical professional to determine how a mother should feed her child. What constitutes a "need" for formula? An inability to breastfeed? What about a woman suffering from postpartum depression who needs medication that's not compatable with breastfeeding? Or a woman who needs to go back to work 6 weeks postpartum and struggles to pump? The vast majority of breastfeeding moms I know supplement with formula because they don't pump enough when they're separated from their babies. They should require a perscription for this? That just seems insane to me.

 

[Noelle610]

I dont agree with formul only being available on prescription because it is a perfectly acceptable choice so i dont think it needs to be shunned away and people having to justify it at every turn.

It's not primarily about the mother's choice; it's about the baby's access to life-saving nutrition. Why is it being available free on prescription equal to mothers being "shunned"? Just for once, it would be refreshing to see a discussion about formula where we are not reminded how formula feeding is all a mother's personal choice, forgetting that the most important people in the equation are babies.

I also have to disagree wtih you here. Why isn't it about the mother's choice as well? A mother is a person just as much as a baby is a person.

It's not so much that being available via perscription equates to being shunned; it's that it leaves the option in someone's hands other than the mothers.

Obviously babies are important - we all believe that or we wouldn't spend a large amount of time on a parenting forum. But what's better for a baby? Being fed with breastmilk but having an extremely depressed mother who is struggling to breastfeed? Or being fed formula and having a mother who is engaged, committed and able to care for them fully?

I don't think it's just about nutrition.

 

[shorman]

Everyone is different like I said formula saved me I was so depressed I couldn't of coped if I had to ask my doctor constantly for prescriptions, and yes when I choose not to breast feed I thought very hard abou the happiness and health of my child and guess what I didn't even bother trying with my other two because I point blank didn't want to and they haven't died and are all very healthy and i have a great bond with all of them we are lucky I'm this country that formula actually as a lot of good things in it for babies fine might not be breastmilk but they aren't lacking in anything and to me happy mum happy baby

 

[Piper84]

I'm confused... Formula is food. Food keeps you alive. No one would suggest that one needs a perscription for food, right? Even if you feel formula is inferior to breastmilk, should we be forcing people to buy apples instead of chips? Where is personal choice in all of this?

Formula is a synthetic dairy substitute processed according to combinations of ingredients designed and overseen by scientists, and is sold at anti-competitive prices at great financial disadvantage to a lot of parents. I don't know any other food that this applies to. No-one is forcing anyone to make a choice between formula and breastmilk as if they were being forced to choose between apples and chips. I'm really not sure where the choice thing comes into this discussion.

If it were available on prescription it would be free (in the UK and Germany at least) and very probably a generic version which avoided the questionable marketing tactics of a lot of formula companies. For me, access to affordable (or free), life-saving nutrients for a baby is more important than anything else discussed in this thread.

It wouldn't be free in the US. The cost would vary greatly based on the insurance one has, but that's a different concept entirely.

I think it's fair to question the way formula is marketed and sold. There's no doubt in my mind it could be done more ethically and regulated better.

But I still don't understand why choice shouldn't come into the equation. If formula is available only by perscription, it would be up to a medical professional to determine how a mother should feed her child. What constitutes a "need" for formula? An inability to breastfeed? What about a woman suffering from postpartum depression who needs medication that's not compatable with breastfeeding? Or a woman who needs to go back to work 6 weeks postpartum and struggles to pump? The vast majority of breastfeeding moms I know supplement with formula because they don't pump enough when they're separated from their babies. They should require a perscription for this? That just seems insane to me.

All of the reasons you mention ideally - physical or psychological inability to BF.

I also have to disagree wtih you here. Why isn't it about the mother's choice as well? A mother is a person just as much as a baby is a person.

It's not so much that being available via perscription equates to being shunned; it's that it leaves the option in someone's hands other than the mothers.

Obviously babies are important - we all believe that or we wouldn't spend a large amount of time on a parenting forum. But what's better for a baby? Being fed with breastmilk but having an extremely depressed mother who is struggling to breastfeed? Or being fed formula and having a mother who is engaged, committed and able to care for them fully?

I don't think it's just about nutrition.

I see what you mean about options, but I would envisage a situation where formula is prescribed freely to people who show any need for it. If I have to temporarily take medication incompatible with BFing, I will go to the chemist, buy the formula and get a subsequent prescription and get my money back by taking the original receipt to the chemist's with the paediatrician's prescription. It's how it works here if you have to buy your child medication without having a prescription first.

 

[Noelle610]

I guess I just don't understand how you could diagnose an inability to breastfeed for psychological reasons. Who deems what is an appropriate "reason"? Wouldn't that leave room for judgement on the professional's part, about who "should" be breastfeeding? I just can't see any good coming from that in the world we live in.

I had severe postpartum depression and insomnia. Severe. At my worst I was sleeping maybe an hour in a 24 hour period. I was a mess. The first professional I saw told me I needed to "relax" and that I would be fine. The second didn't take my insomnia seriously. The third professional was horrified at the previous responses to my condition and promptly gave me the medication I needed. Within two weeks I was a different person entirely. It's even more scary to look back with perspective and realize how crazy I was.

This was about the time I weaned. What if I had needed a perscription for formula? It's unlikely the first two professionals would have given it to me. What if I had been in an even darker place, but someone out there believed I should have "kept trying"?

 

[special_kala]

So doctors would be in the position where they could say to a woman "your not depressed enough to not breastfeed so carry on BF"?

What about those who simply choose to FF?

 

[Noelle610]

So doctors would be in the position where they could say to a woman "your not depressed enough to not breastfeed so carry on BF"?

What about those who simply choose to FF?

Right. That's very concerning, IMO.

 

[CeeDee]

So doctors would be in the position where they could say to a woman "your not depressed enough to not breastfeed so carry on BF"?

What about those who simply choose to FF?

You can go from doctor to doctor until someone prescribes it for you and tells you what you want to hear. People do that now.

I don't think formula should be by prescription it is food. No one prescribes food. Or maybe they do. I don’t think it will increase breastfeeding rates especially if prescriptions are free or discounted. It would probably have the opposite effect.

I am pro breastfeeding and I had lots of problems (nipple pain, feeding every hour, mastitis, clogged duct, slow weight gain, sleep deprivation, etc....), but with support and determination I got through it. It was my CHOICE and everyone should have the choice to choose how they want to feed their LO.

 

[Noelle610]

I was just speaking with a friend of mine and thought of this debate.

Her LO is on perscription formula - he was a preemie, born at 31 weeks. She put in a request for her pesrcription refill two weeks ago. It should have been filled on Friday. As of yesterday the pharmacy hadn't completed the request. They begin to run out of formula and of course she started to freak out a bit. Luckily the perscription was filled today, but how often would this happen if formula was perscription only? If you're not lactating, what do you do? I know I've had to beg for perscription refills.

 

[onetwothreebp]

I agree with CeeDee, I think it would have the opposite effect. Formula is expensive so a lot of low income moms choose to breastfeed. If formula was free, I think there would be a decrease in breast feeding

 

[lindseymw]

So doctors would be in the position where they could say to a woman "your not depressed enough to not breastfeed so carry on BF"?

What about those who simply choose to FF?

It already happens, the 'you're not depressed enough to.....'

Where I work, you have to do an initial assessment and see 'how depressed you are' by filling in a questionnaire. If your score isn't high enough, you are deemed 'not depressed enough' to access our service. We are unable to accept the referral. It's horrible but it's the NICE guidelines that set the scores & the service doesn't get paid if we treat them. It's sad that the staff are torn between being ethically right and the financial side of the business.

Unfortunately, the questionnaire used doesn't give the full picture.

I can see exactly the same happening if formula was prescription only.

I personally think it would be a complete waste of the doctor's time, patient's time & the pharmacist's time. It wouldn't increase breastfeeding rate, I think it would have the opposite effect. I for one probably would have switched to formula quicker if it was free.

 

[Bex84]

I think rather than putting it on perscription there should be more support for bf mums. I had some lovely ladies come visit me in hospital who turned around and said oh sorry we cant help as wrong home address and was about 5 mins out of catchment which is a shame as they were helpful. I struggled to start with and we had thrush. The doctors just said give up. After 6 months told me no benefit. We recently got to 22 months where lo self weened but i wouldhave loved some support. I have no problem with ff but i think support for breast feeding is abismol or at least is in my area

 

[steph.]

I think rather than putting it on perscription there should be more support for bf mums. I had some lovely ladies come visit me in hospital who turned around and said oh sorry we cant help as wrong home address and was about 5 mins out of catchment which is a shame as they were helpful. I struggled to start with and we had thrush. The doctors just said give up. After 6 months told me no benefit. We recently got to 22 months where lo self weened but i wouldhave loved some support. I have no problem with ff but i think support for breast feeding is abismol or at least is in my area

I was told this by my GP too. When I found out I was pregnant with #2 I just went to him so he could refer me to the OB. I mentioned I was still breastfeeding my then 14 month old and he turned to me and said "Why are you doing that? There is no benefit after 6 months, she is just manipulating you. You have gone to medical school and studied paediatrics, you should really know better. " I could have punched him. I also went to see a child health nurse and mentioned to her that my dd didnt drink much cows milk/formula but was still being breastfed. She looked down at my A cups and said "Doesnt look like you are making much milk anymore. Give her formula". My boobies are small but mighty!

 

[AngelofTroy]

Reading this I can see that a lot of people would find it distressing to have to 'prove' their need for formula. However.. personally as someone who tried to exclusively breastfeed but ended up having to supplement and subsequently combi feed.. I would have felt better about getting Micah's formula via prescription. I was advised to supplement, by my GP, HV and even my lactation consultant! And yet.. In the supermarket i felt judged, with its big warning signs about how inferior formula is to breast milk, and it's "you do not deserve loyalty points" malarkey. I can get points on alcohol, junk food, maybe even cigarettes? (Don't know as I have never smoked) but not on essential balanced nutrition for my child. I shouldn't have had to feel guilty, formula is not poison, it's a perfectly good way to feed your child.. but at that time I did feel guilty. I would tell strangers our breastfeeding story to justify buying it. I wanted 'combi feeding ON MEDICAL ADVICE' printed on a tshirt! It's ridiculous that society made me feel that way. But if at that time I'd been given a prescription, I would have felt better about collecting it than buying formula over the counter, as it would have effectively served as my tshirt!!