No More Mixed Messages: Mexico Bans Free Formula Samples
Within an hour of giving birth, a new mom is encouraged to breast-feed her infant, and to continue doing so for months to come. But the pro-breast-feeding stance encouraged by the likes of the World Health Organzation often falls by the wayside when moms head home—especially if they’re given free samples of formula.
That’s why the Mexican government announced Tuesday that it would outlaw hospitals from distributing free baby formula in order to encourage women to breast-feed, the BBC reports. Formula is still available for purchase in stores and can be distributed for free at a doctor’s discretion if a mother is unable to breast-feed.
Mexico has been slow to adhere to WHO guidelines to restrict formula marketing, which have been honed for more than 20 years. Hospitals and formula companies have a long-standing relationship, with the former receiving monetary compensation for marketing the latter’s product to an eager audience. Formula samples are common in American hospitals as well, although many have stopped handing them out in recent years. New moms are often sent home with what’s known as a “discharge pack” containing free formula and coupons for future purchases. A 2008 study found that American women who were given these supply kits were about 9 percent less likely to breast-feed exclusively for 10 weeks compared with moms who had not received them.
The free formula samples give new moms mixed messages about the best way to care for their baby. WHO recommends that babies be breast-fed exclusively for the first six months of life, with other food incorporated along with breast milk for the first two years. But when health care professionals hand out formula, they’re implying that they endorse its use. As a result, Mexico has one of the lowest breast-feeding rates in Latin America, with only one in seven mothers sticking to the recommended six months. Globally, 40 percent of infants are breast-fed during this time period, putting Mexico well behind the average.
Last year, the government attempted to promote breast-feeding through a series of ads with topless moms and covered with a banner that read “give your breast to your child, don’t turn your back on them.” The plan backfired, as many moms felt the government was guilt-tripping them instead of addressing the barriers to breast-feeding. Because it’s not the norm in Mexico, those who do breast-feed face stigma from their peers, including rueful stares when feeding in public and strict workplace guidelines that infringe on their ability to pump.
The ban on formula doesn’t address social perceptions, but by clearly making breast-feeding the recommended option, it has the potential to increase the community of moms needed to normalize breast-feeding. It can have a broader public health implications too.
Breast-feeding benefits extend to both mom and baby. It helps moms get back to their prepregnancy weight and can lengthen the time between births. Breast milk is packed with more nutrients and antibodies than formula and protects infants against bacterial infections. Limited access to clean water—a common problem for the more than half of Mexico’s population living below the poverty line—makes breast-feeding all the more critical, as formula powder mixed with unsanitary water can lead to respiratory infections and diarrhea.
The positive effects continue later in life for children who are not fed formula, according to WHO, with decreased risks of type 2 diabetes or becoming obese—a major concern for Mexico, one of the fattest countries in the world.
Related stories on TakePart:
• It’s Official: Instagram Will Now Allow Breast-Feeding Pics From Non-Celebs
• The World’s Worst Place to Give Birth
Original article from TakePart
