When parents are handed their little bundle of joy at the hospital, many nurses will also hand over another small gift: a tote bag full of baby formula. This little hospital souvenir is a traditional giveaway, but consumer advocates are questioning the generosity. According to NBC, advocates are saying that the free baby formula is an attempt to undermine breastfeeding. Consumer and health organizations have taken pains to write more than 2,600 hospitals about the practice.
They called the facilities to stop distributing the free formula samples, because it entangles healthcare providers into pharmaceutical and food manufacturers' marketing. By handing new parents a specific baby formula brand, they are essentially endorsing that product. That heightens that brand's popularity, and damages other companies in the baby formula industry. Also, by giving parents a bag of formula, advocates say that the hospitals are discouraging breastfeeding- a practice which is known to be the healthiest way to feed an infant.
Most hospitals are distributing Abbott Laboratories, Mead Johnson Nutrition Co., or Nestle SA formulas. The consumer advocates have also contacted these companies, asking them to stop distributing in bulk to hospitals for the purpose of the giveaway bags. The president of Public Citizen explained the dangers of the baby formula gifts to NBC News. In his interview, he said that hospitals aim to promote the health of infants and mothers. In order to this, they need to eliminate the promotion of infant formula.
Recently, groups have championed a boost in the US rates for breastfeeding mothers. They say that this will help both mother and baby by reducing obesity and boosting immunity. At the moment, only 14 percent of all 6-month-old infants are breastfed. US health officials hope to increase this statistic by 26 percent by 2020, but fear that the hospitals are interfering with their goals. Lower income women tend to rely on the free stash of baby formula from the hospital, rather than breast-feed.
Many medical professionals say that a baby should be nursed for at least the first six months of life. Hospitals are standing by their decision to provide mothers with free baby formula, saying that they are meeting the mother's needs this way. About 66 percent of all hospitals give away the free baby food. This statistic has fallen since 2007, when 73 percent of hospitals provided the going-away gift. Normally, the hospital present is a tote bag displaying the formula company's logo which is filled with samples of their products.
Along with formula, the bag may hold diapers, pamphlets, and other baby must-haves. Sometimes the bags even come with pamphlets which champion the benefits of a certain formula. US health organizations and advocate groups believe that these pamphlets may sway indecisive mothers towards feeding their babies with formula and forgetting breastfeeding altogether. One consumer group reminds new mothers that once the free formula is used up, they will need to spend between $800 and $2,800 on baby formula. As a result of the petitions, a few hospitals have already halted their formula giveaways. Other medical facilities say that while breast-feeding may be the best option, mothers need to have the resources to make on educated choice as to how they will feed their children.
While the baby formula giveaways cannot be considered medical malpractice, they certainly have the power to give women the wrong advice. Hospitals are responsible to encourage their patients towards the healthiest methods for themselves and their babies. While in some cases a mother may need to feed her baby on a powdered formula, other mothers should choose traditional breastfeeding. Advocates want to see the hospitals encourage the choice that is scientifically proven to be the most beneficial.