Parents' Right to Information

Published by IFM

How does a person decide whether or not to feed a baby infant formula?

While exclusive breastfeeding is the ideal and recommended method of feeding infants for the first six months, there are cases in which a mother cannot or chooses not to breastfeed. There are many social, cultural and economic factors that influence the decision.

Research has shown that marketing practices are not the primary influence in infant feeding decisions. However, any decision about feeding choices should be made in conjunction with a health professional who provides complete and accurate information about options for meeting the infant's nutritional needs.

IFM member companies unequivocally agree that breastfeeding is the ideal and recommended method of feeding infants. In cases in which mothers are unable or choose not to breastfeed, it is critical that they are provided with objective and consistent information on optimal feeding practices so they can make informed feeding choices. To ensure their confidence in the feeding method that is selected, parents should receive accurate information about all infant feeding options from health care professionals.

Information about feeding choices is best obtained from physicians, nutritionists and other health professionals who are trained in this area and who will take into account the individual infant's nutritional needs. While the WHO recommends that infants be breastfed exclusively for six months, it also recognizes that some mothers will be unable, or choose not to. In these cases, the WHO's Expert Consultation on the Optimal Duration of Exclusive Breastfeeding states that: "These mothers should also be supported to optimize their infants' nutrition."

IFM member companies provide educational support to health care professionals to ensure that they have accurate information about infant and young child feeding practices. Accurately informed, health care workers can best help parents to exercise their right to make informed choices about what works best for their personal situation.

Many mothers who cannot or choose not to breastfeed report feelings of failure and guilt and at the same time they express a desire for more information. Providing these mothers with accurate information about all appropriate forms of infant feeding would help alleviate their feelings of worry, frustration, anger, resentment and lack of trust in their health care professional.

A study of new mothers, which probed their experience of, and attitudes toward, using infant formula, revealed that the majority of mothers received information about breastfeeding (80 percent), while less than half received information about infant formula feeding (47 percent). It is noted that mothers "often have to work hard to find information about infant formula feeding, sometimes when in a state of anxiety because they had not planned to infant formula feed." (Ellie Lee & Frank Furedi; Mothers' experience of and attitudes to using infant formula in the early months: Key Findings. University of Kent; June 2005).

How do you go about teaching parents when and how to safely use infant formula?

Any decisions about feeding a baby infant formula should be made in consultation with

a health care professional. If infant formula is used, it is critical that the preparation, handling and storage instructions found on every package label be followed precisely to ensure the product's safety.

IFM member companies, in accordance with the WHO Code, recommend that babies be breastfed exclusively during the first six months of life. Decisions about feeding a baby infant formula, which is recognized by WHO as the most nutritious and safe alternative food source to breastfeeding, should be made in consultation with a health care professional. This professional should teach parents when and how to use infant formula.

So that parents know how to use infant formula, all packaging contains clear instructions on the proper preparation, handling and storage of the product. The label information is explained both graphically and in appropriate languages to facilitate its proper use. It is critical to follow the preparation, handling and storage instructions found on every package prior to feeding a baby infant formula.

To ensure the safe preparation of infant formula, the caregiver must use clean utensils, safe water, and the exact proportions of water to infant formula. Although no infant formula will ever be the equivalent of breast-milk, infant formulas offer mothers the best and safest alternative. When done correctly, infant formula feeding, like breastfeeding, can offer mother and child an opportunity to enjoy warm bonding moments and to provide the baby with optimal nutrition

It is important to consult with a health care professional about infant formula feeding and to have them answer specific feeding questions. It is also important to follow all manufacturer directions. General recommendations for use of infant formula include:

• Carefully cleaning the preparation area as well as bottles and utensils.
• Hand washing with clean water and soap prior to mixing the infant formula.
• Using safe, clear drinking water.
• If boiling water, letting it cool to body temperature before mixing.
• Freshly preparing one bottle at a time of infant formula and discarding any left-over infant formula from a feeding.

Breastfeeding is recognized as the best feeding method for infants. However, cases in which infant formula might be used as an alternative to breastfeeding include:

• A baby fails to thrive because the mother cannot satisfy its nutritional needs with breast-milk alone.
• The baby is at risk because it was born prematurely or with a metabolic or other nutritional disorder.
• The mother is employed outside the home and legislation does not allow for adequate maternity leave or time off during work hours for breastfeeding or pumping.
• The mother dies in childbirth or is separated from her baby during adoption or foster care. A mother is advised not to breastfeed because she suffers from an infectious disease that could be transmitted to the baby.
• A mother is receiving chemotherapy, other cancer treatments or other medications that are excreted in the breast-milk, or she has been exposed to such hazardous environmental agents as lead.
• A mother frequently uses illegal drugs or alcohol.
• A mother stops breastfeeding for whatever reason before her baby has reached the age of six months and the baby needs a nutritious alternative to breast-milk.

Infants with infectious illnesses, such as colds or diarrhea, should still be breastfed and, in fact, will most likely benefit from breastfeeding. In many cases of premature infants, breastmilk can be expressed, then fortified with specially prepared infant formulas and fed to the infant through a nasogastric tube or bottle. Many mothers resume breastfeeding once the baby is home from the hospital and growing adequately.