Ive got a bone to pick with Mitt Romney (Rep-of course).
As many of you are aware and maybe some others are not, I am LDS (Mormon). Not at all an 'in your face' Mormon. Very private about my religious choices, beliefs and value system. I'm not sure if that's my personality or what, hmmmm now that I think about it its not much my personality, I am usually very expressive about my opinions but maybe because I value other peoples choices to choose something so intimate and life changing. I'm definitely not one of those out to convert the world. I'm not even out to convert my husband. I'm happy where he is, I'm happy where I am, and we get along just fine, better than fine. We agree on some things, God, charity, agency, Sacrament, the suspiciousness of Noah and the Ark (and other Bible stories) "they'll put anything in that book" (Jose Vergara quote), we disagree on others, Modern day revelation, temples, tithing, etc. But it works for us.
Anyways, I veered a little.
So, another little fact about myself, I'm a huge advocate for breastfeeding. There are only a slight percentage of reasons in my book why someone shouldn't be able to breastfeed (I wont list them), but that's not to say that I don't completely respect a woman's choice to not breastfeed, I just don't understand it. I nursed Cailin until she was almost 3 and Avrie 2.5 is still nursing. I love it, its great for flying, an amazing bond (Cailin still remembers nursing, I hope she never loses that) One more fact about myself, I birthed both my girls at home with a midwife, surrounded by sisters and mom, and of course hubbie. So, in my mind I had it easy. This is about women who hospital birth who have to fight the system, resist the temptations and stand up for themselves and their families over and over and over again. (can you tell I don't have much respect for the medical community?)
Ok, so here is goes...
Mitt Romney, as governor of MA pressured his states Public Health Council to rescind a ban of free formula given by hospitals to new mothers and paid for by formula companies. Does everyone understand the complexity to this decision?
By not allowing formula samples in hospitals we are finally raising the bar for women in our society. No, I'm sorry, it is not OK to not even try to breastfeed your baby. It is not OK to give up just because it feels funny. You are obligated to try 110% to provide everything you can for your child, and if you don't want to, if its inconvenient, then don't have babies. By providing formula samples in the hospital we are first choosing to ignore the guidelines we supposedly subscribe to set by WHO (The World Health Organization) and we are giving women an easy out, when it gets a little trying in the beginning, 2am and your baby is screaming and wont latch on. Instead of working through it knowing it will get better. You grab that free sample lovingly (maliciously) given to you by the formula company. One thing leads to another 3 weeks later your milk has dried up your baby wont latch on anymore and you are walking around telling everyone you had a low milk supply "My body just wouldn't make enough" Oh, boo hoo and bull sh**!!
Background: In 2005 MA became the 1st state to prohibit formula sample bags in hospitals. Supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC).
Fortunately the Public Health Council in MA resisted his pressure and kept the ban.
Unfortunately he fired and replaced 3 members in the committee (I wonder what their vote was?) right before the vote and it passed. That's called playing dirty!
Just a side note...2 weeks later Mitt Romney announced a deal with Bristol Myers (largest formula company in the world) to build a
$66 million pharmaceutical plant in...where?... Devens
Massachusetts!!! Coincidence????? I THINK NOT!!!!!
How much do I hate formula companies? More than I can even verbalize. It ignites a bonfire within me that makes it necessary for me to breath into a paper bag. That's not to say that I don't think there is a time and place for formula. On the contrary, I think in the proper time and place formula can be a life saving manna. It is a spectacular invention. But it should definitely be the exception not the norm.
Lets not even go into Nestle taking their formula into remote villages in South Africa, getting children and mothers addicted, then leaving them with no clean sanitized water, no money to pay for the formula and no more breast milk left in their bodies. Nestle is personally responsible for millions of infant deaths in South Africa and other Third World Countries and no one is holding them responsible. Grrrrrrr!!!!! Why? Because big dollar companies are so intertwined in our government, you can't tell where one starts and the other begins. That's why they aren't held responsible. Because the committee set by the government to monitor and regualte formula companies consists mainly of board members from the formula companies. Ok class, can you say 'CONFLICT OF INTEREST'?
link :
http://www.mothering.com/articles/new_baby/breastfeeding/formula-profit.htmlOkay, so this is for all the Mormons out there who support candidates solely because they are Mormon or call a particular plumber solely because he is Mormon or make assumptions about someone solely because they are Mormon.
In the case of the politicians, generally speaking this is how is goes...if they are Republicans they are probably corrupt, if they are Democrats they are probably corrupt, so if you ask me the worst breed of politicians...are politicians. And that's my 8 cents about that!!!
