When you study history, you often discover that some of the most positive things that occur are due to chance or someone screwing up. The purpose of this article is to try and highlight why a shortage of baby formula is actually in the interest of the American people.
Thank you. I got a lot of pushback and flack when I said something similar about the baby formula shortage. People have this notion that there are millions of women who can't breastfeed who MUST have formula for their babies. I like to ask people what they think happened before these formula corporations existed. Do they think millions of babies just died because there was no Similac? It is ludicrous.
The existence of mother's groups sharing milk and milk banks is slowly arriving but these sources have been around a long time. Oddly the NYT had to write about the risks of such alternatives as if the risks were significant. As this article indicates the effort to eliminate nature continues.
As I understand it, every woman who has breast fed has the capability to do that even into old age - if I'm wrong I hope to be corrected. Aside from our fear of others, why should there ever be a shortage of human milk for human babies?
Yes, that's my understanding too. You can resume breast feeding just from the stimulation of a child nursing. But also, it's pretty easy to create a short term "formula" in an emergency that is far superior to anything sold by a corporation. When I'm reading these news stories about infants who are showing up undernourished and dehydrated because of the formula shortage, it makes me wonder if their parents have full cognitive function. Of course, it doesn't help that every corporate source is screaming that it isn't "safe" to make your own formula. Yes, I'm just sure people couldn't safely feed babies before the existence of powdered seed oils and soy.
Howdy, Linda! (as well as all here at this 'stack') Well stated
Yes, I believe many 'parents' today do suffer from lack of cognitive function----due to too many injections, especially the most recent one, as well as reliance on chemical meds. Also, due in part to lack of community & family support for breastfeeding & other natural ways of caring for our health. The true wisdom that used to be passed from Mom to Mom in a family and community is sorely lacking (or non-existent) in most areas of the world today.
The thought of 'making your own' ANYTHING seems to be foreign to far too many of the younger generations. Just try to mention things such as gargling with warm salt water for a sore throat & watch the reaction. Happened to me with a young one (teen-age now) and you would have thought I had horns & snakes growing on my head the way she looked at me! She had never heard of such a thing....only chemical meds. So, so sad
Wait--are you saying that before there was powdered infant formula, that any baby whose mother couldn't breast feed just died? Or that any baby without a wet nurse just died? That no one made milk substitutes for infants? They made milk substitutes for infants in ancient times!
Lol. yes that’s exactly what I’m saying. Are you saying they didn’t?! The substitutes were like boiled walnuts or animal milk with breadcrumbs. Many infants were malnourished or died because of illness of these “substitutes” you speak of lol. Like why are you exalting this? And nostalgic for a time when enslaved people were forced to breastfeed and also infants died? Formula and modern science literally keep babies alive today. Not saying they should escape criticism but all of this is so tone deaf and wrong.
This is insane. People successfully fed babies for millennia without highly processed soy and seed oils. I'm sure some babies died, just as today, but not having some corporation make formula in a factory was by no means a death (or malnourishment) sentence. People used goat's milk or mare's milk and whatever cultural additives they thought were healthy. "Enslaved people were forced to breastfeed"? WTF are you on? Seriously, I think you are commenting on the wrong page if that is your world view--and I am by no means against "modern science." Powdered infant formula does not represent modern science--more like corporate greed. FFS.
Thanks for this info. I’m passing it on to my daughter who just had our first grandchild 4 weeks ago. Her little one had the tongue and lip tie condition, so she’s been having a tough time with the breastfeeding but is getting through it. And big time incentive to make it work due to current formula crises. Thankfully, her and my wife’s eyes are wide opened to the medical/corporate corruption. I’m buying them Dr Mendelsohn’s book that you mentioned. Really appreciate your writing.
I have been suffering with mastitis for days. First I got shingles, then mastitis and after 4 days of not being able to get rid of my fever I hesitatingly started an antibiotic. I haven’t been on an antibiotic in nearly 20 years. Even so, breastfeeding is natures medicine and I will breastfeed this little one for 3-4 years unless she weans on her own earlier. My 4 previous children also got the benefit of extended breastfeeding. I knew a lot of things stated in the article but some were still just truly appalling to see, for instance the White House conversation. Of course our country is full of unhealthy people; we don’t even know what healthy is anymore.
Awww, thanks Alice. I tried it all to get the clog out. I think I did kick the mastitis and got sick with something else. Even so, nursing is worth every second.
I learned a trick to soak the infected breast in hot water (as hot as you can stand w/o burning) and massage the lump away. It worked wonders for me and I never had to use antibiotics...also, if you have enough milk, try drinking a cup of peppermint tea every day. That worked wonders as well and I never had any mastitis issues afterwards...
The treatment for mild mastitis in dogs is frozen cabbage leaves that have been rolled flat by a rolling pin. Apply to the breast several times a day. I don't know why, but it works for dogs, anyway.
Cabbage leaves contain natural sulphur compounds which fight infection. Rolling the leaf with rolling pin helps soften and release the compounds. Keep leaf in bra all day, switching out with new every few hours. Roll clean leaf right before applying.
I used her advice! Belladonna, phytolacca, and hepar sulph. I honestly think I had kicked the mastitis but I got scared when I woke up with an even higher fever yesterday. I just didn’t want an abscess so hesitantly took abx. I actually think I have covid now though - am nebulizing hydrogen peroxide, iodine and saline and am feeling better. Fever is closer to 100 now so way better than the 102.5 it was most of yesterday. Can’t know for sure because I’m not getting tested, but the husband has a low fever with severe body aches.
I usually get mastitis at least once with each nursling, and know all the tricks. I’ll have to say the triple whammy of shingles, mastitis, and covid (or whatever this is) has sucked. :( thank you so much for the kind words!!
I feel like you of all people would understand this … it’s a sad world when I feel like I should go to urgent care or the ER to just get checked out to make sure nothing terrible is going on but am more worried about what might happen once I’m there. I would refuse a covid test so I’m sure that would make them mad, but since they don’t treat covid and just send you home for it what’s the point of the test? Still can’t seem to get my temp quite back to normal but has been mostly under 100 all day so I hope that is a good sign. Thank you for your writings!
In general it's worth it to go to the ER for medical problems you have unless you know what you have and you understand what the typical medical management may be for the condition and you do not believe that would serve you OR do you think the condition is manageable and you cannot afford an ER bill.
I have known a lot of people who have been seriously injured by a necessary medical care, but I also know famous natural medicine people who died because they refused to get conventional medical care for an easily treatable issue.
As far as covid treatment goes, there are a lot of different approaches I believe can be quite helpful.
Keep up the great work. Maybe your husband should start nebulizing food grade hydrogen peroxide (to nip it in the bud) & maybe you should increase nebbing.
Lol I’ve been telling him that - I think he doesn’t necessarily believe it will help, but he finally did tonight. He started taking ivermectin too so hopefully he’ll be feeling better soon. (I’ve nebulized 3x today, am about to go for #4). I don’t want to take ivermectin and the antibiotic, I’m not trying to overwhelm my clearly fragile system :(
I am of the opinion that there is sometimes a mycoplasmal bacterial co-infection with COVID which is why either doxycycline or azithromycin sometimes is very helpful
Remember, he should consider his weight when dosing ivermectin. Some people don't take enough ivermectin. Nebbing hydrogen peroxide can be used for any virus. I am so impressed by you guys! Hugs to you both.
Awww, you’re so kind! We’re on top of it - had it compounded for weight when we bought it many months ago. :) I’ve lost a lot of weight in the past 2 weeks so the ivermectin I have for myself is possibly too much now anyway. I didn’t even think of trying hydrogen peroxide for the shingles - are you saying it would’ve helped with that? Ugh. Looking forward to my skin healing and not feeling like I have bugs crawling on me all the time and having my pants jacked up to under my boobs so it doesn’t touch it.
So sorry about the shingles! I got THAT right before COVID, I feel your pain. Wishing you strength and support!!! You can do this….your children are so blessed to have a strong mom like you!
It does for many women, but not always all of them. High dose vitamin C would also help w inflammation, pain and breaking up a blockage and is safe to take.
My midwives have recommended this as well, as the leaves draw out impurities, and the cool leaves also soothe the pain of mastitis. Your husband will laugh and you will laugh at yourself with them stuffed in your bra!
I nursed my daughter for 4 years. I also got bad mastitis but I was told hot compresses and to keep nursing. It worked, my girl sucked that out, after 3 days I was a spouting like a geyser. Good luck, patience and trying to remove anxiety was really helpful for me.
I can give my personal “stamp of approval” on not only this article and La Leche League but also Dr. Mendelsohn’s book, “How to raise a healthy child...in spite of your doctor”. I raised two children that were exclusively breastfed and without commercial baby food. Once they developed an interest in what we were eating, they ate THAT and as the result, we never experienced weird food issues (“Precious only eats chicken nuggets dipped in ice cream, he would literally starve otherwise”). Reading LLL’s “the womanly art of breastfeeding” and Dr. Mendelsohn’s book nourished my natural instincts related to child rearing. Today, my daughter is continuing an unbroken lineage of breastfeeding with her first child. Like me, she says it feels “right”.
How anyone can say, with a straight face, that feeding ANY baby milk from ANOTHER SPECIES is better than the milk designed specifically for THAT baby is absolutely and utterly stupid. Research bottle feeding rescue animals...you’ll see that it’s difficult to manage with a mother’s milk substitute. It is my hope that current events, including the infant formula shortage, will wake folks up to the many foolish policies that have been in place for too many years. Always, always follow the money...
Since this topic is presently in the news, and long-standing entrenched things can only change in moments of "crises" my hope is that this article can be a tool advocates of breast-feeding can use to help change the dysfunctional paradigm we exist within.
My "babies" are 19 & 24. They were both exclusively breastfed thank goodness. There are millions of living cells in breastmilk, and there is not one living cell in formula. I skipped the "well child" visits. I never liked the pediatrician. I had no idea the growth charts were made by the formula companies. It makes sense now. I appreciate you and this article. I had the same thought, this shortage will spark more mothers to breastfeed. That is a good thing!
One again, you have written an excellent piece! I benefited greatly from the La Leche League's awesome book "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding" I was totally set on breastfeeding as it was, but having that book during my pregnancy (1985) was sooooo vital to me being able to stand up against any that tried to push me to 'supplement' with the 'liquid poison' All my son ever got was my milk. Never any formula whatsoever. I carried that book with me like a Bible! My mother & many close family friends were excellent examples as well, all having chosen to exclusively or primarily breastfeed during the 50's & then the 70's, times when 'the modern woman doesn't do that' was a very strong message. Take care, all.....and stay true to what God created. He truly knows best!
Great article. I'm 75, and my mother's doctor told her formula was healthier than breastmilk! I became a la leche league leader when ,I birthed my son in 1978. Best training I ever received!
Thank you for this so informative article. As a pregnant young woman, my Mom encouraged me to attend a local La Leche League meeting. What a wonderful resource it was, both in information and connections with other like minded Moms. There I learned about Dr. Mendelsohn’s book and it became a personal favorite. I’ve recommended it to so many new Moms. In the late 80’s I became a LLL Leader, facilitating lots of new Moms in their breastfeeding journeys. What a joy that was. Now I’m encouraging my daughter as she is breastfeeding her second, after also doing so with her first. I guess you could say I’ve been crunchy since the 80’s with no plans to stop. 😊
Thanks for writing this piece. Very informative and insightful — I was particularly stuck by a time of crisis being required to change entrenched thinking.
I’ve breastfed my four children, with my youngest still nursing at age 2 currently. I’ve done this despite having mastitis multiple times over the years, and more challenging still, I have D-MER (dysphoric milk ejection reflex). As the name implies, that means that I get feelings of dysphoria (anxiety, depression, general misery and the sense that something is terribly wrong but I can’t remember what it is) instead of the euphoria and happy bonding feelings that many experience.
I am incredibly grateful to my own mother, my many friends, my dear friend who is a midwife, and all the other influential people in my life for creating a culture where I never really considered NOT breastfeeding despite facing some challenges along the way. I wouldn’t trade in my breastfeeding journey for the world, and my children are happy and healthy and securely attached.
That is an interesting problem I have not heard of before. I wonder what caused it and if a neurological circuit got scrambled or theres some type of a retained unconscious trauma pattern.
I had not thought of that- that it might be retained trauma. I have assumed it was neurological and / or hormonal in some way but I don’t actually know the latest research. I have found it somewhat alleviated through magnesium supplementation and, in my last pregnancy, I took encapsulated placenta pills and found it by far the most mild of the four times. Perhaps unrelated but I would certainly do those things again because it seemed to help.
Everything you write is soooo true! I have 4 kids and completely breastfed each of them. My first, at his 6 month checkup was crawling and active but didn't sleep well at all. Dr. didn't even look at the fact that he was completely active and strong for his age, just looked at his growth chart and said he was failing to thrive and that I needed to supplement with formula. I found another Dr. in that practice for his next appt. and found a way to teach my son to fall asleep to deal with the sleep problem. At the 9 month appt., he was walking back and forth across the table and was still not even on the growth chart but the Dr. looked at him said he's doing fine, no worries, just keep feeding him constantly with whatever natural food you can, cheese, fruits, veggies. I stayed with her till she left the practice and had no problem with my second son. My third child, my first daughter, we had the same problem b/c now we were with a new Dr. Her first year was okay but at her 1 year apt she hadn't gained any weight from the 9 month appt. and the Dr. said I needed to start supplementing with pediasure or something like that. I looked at the ingredients in the store and saw it was basically sugar water and refused to buy it for her. I knew it was just b/c she was learning to walk and all her energy was going towards that so we did nothing. Went back a week later for a weight check and she had gained one pound in that week. The Dr. said that the pediasure must've worked and I said that no, I hadn't used it b/c my daughter never developed a taste for it 🤣. That she had learned to walk and was able to gain weight again b/c she wasn't so focused on that goal anymore...he just looked at me like I had 2 heads. Left that practice a few months later and no problems with our new practice after that. The Dr's listened to me and believed me when I told them what was wrong with my kids.
Breastfeeding did not come easy for me either. My problem though was not that I didn't have enough milk, it was that I had too much milk! It took till my 4th child to realize that but it was b/c of the LaLeche league that I figured that out and it made it sooo much easier for my last child. I also had to fight Doctor's on medications that I needed to take when breastfeeding. I have a severe allergy to poison ivy. I swell up and have huge blisters and constant itching and anxiety. The first time it happened they put me on prednisone and said I had to stop nursing. My son was 1 year old though so it wasn't horrible but we were both disappointed. The second son was 9 months old and I refused to stop nursing then and they found something else that worked for the both of us plus I learned that jewelweed soap worked even better and started to keep it on hand for when I would inevitably come in contact with it. Then with my third daughter, I ended up with a cyst that needed to be excised and then ran a very high fever afterwards. She was only 3 months old and the doctor said that the medicine he needed me to use meant I couldn't breastfeed. I refused to take and it told him that there had to be something else. My husband backed me up and he did find one that worked.
I think nursing my 4 kids was the absolute best thing I could do for them. I refused to buy baby food either and made my own from the leftovers from our meals and buy steaming my own veggies and fruits and freezing them in ice cube trays to be used as needed. Was it extra work for me? You bet! But it was definitely worth it in the long run!
Thanks. This is very reassuring. The information makes one feel sane bc the pr campaigns leave you alert but doubting yourself. When I heard there was a formula shortage I thought, ‘super. Maybe people can accept that they don’t need it.’
Not mentioned in this article is the unacceptably high levels of aluminum that have been found in almost all commercial brands of baby formula. Although many of these brands are sold in the UK or Europe, they are manufactured by the same global corporations that manufacture brands sold in the US. Not only are they contaminated with aluminum, the packaging does not list it as an ingredient. It begs to wonder what else might not be listed in the ingredients? This article describes the study and measurements of aluminum in various brands of baby formula https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3851493/
Thank you - I did not mean that as a criticism - only to point out that the list of ingredients does not honestly and completely list the ingredients, but thank you for including this important information in your article.
For mothers who fully vaccinate AND formula feed, their infants receive a whopping dose of aluminum in early childhood.
What are the things I love about life is that I have spent decades studying this topic, but every day I learn about something interesting and useful that I had never come across before.
And that was in 2013 which was a follow-up of a previous study. They note that some might be accounted for as part of packaging, that source couldn't account for how the contamination arrived. Aside from how awful the standard ingredients are, has the contamination issue been resolved? Does the FDA care?
Thank you for the history, corruption and benefits/challenge of breastfeeding...a few days ago I was trying to make some of these points but was not successful in my deliver...people got defensive and made it political only....so again, THANK YOU .....this is not only needed but more importantly, brilliant and much appreciated.....
Thank you for your willlingness to call out the liars and their lies. I've always depended more on faith and common sense than current trends. I made it to 75 using this OS. My kids and theirs seem to understand that here in the Matrix you cannot believe what 'they' want you to believe.
Thank you. I got a lot of pushback and flack when I said something similar about the baby formula shortage. People have this notion that there are millions of women who can't breastfeed who MUST have formula for their babies. I like to ask people what they think happened before these formula corporations existed. Do they think millions of babies just died because there was no Similac? It is ludicrous.
Welcome to my world...
The existence of mother's groups sharing milk and milk banks is slowly arriving but these sources have been around a long time. Oddly the NYT had to write about the risks of such alternatives as if the risks were significant. As this article indicates the effort to eliminate nature continues.
As I understand it, every woman who has breast fed has the capability to do that even into old age - if I'm wrong I hope to be corrected. Aside from our fear of others, why should there ever be a shortage of human milk for human babies?
Yes, that's my understanding too. You can resume breast feeding just from the stimulation of a child nursing. But also, it's pretty easy to create a short term "formula" in an emergency that is far superior to anything sold by a corporation. When I'm reading these news stories about infants who are showing up undernourished and dehydrated because of the formula shortage, it makes me wonder if their parents have full cognitive function. Of course, it doesn't help that every corporate source is screaming that it isn't "safe" to make your own formula. Yes, I'm just sure people couldn't safely feed babies before the existence of powdered seed oils and soy.
Howdy, Linda! (as well as all here at this 'stack') Well stated
Yes, I believe many 'parents' today do suffer from lack of cognitive function----due to too many injections, especially the most recent one, as well as reliance on chemical meds. Also, due in part to lack of community & family support for breastfeeding & other natural ways of caring for our health. The true wisdom that used to be passed from Mom to Mom in a family and community is sorely lacking (or non-existent) in most areas of the world today.
The thought of 'making your own' ANYTHING seems to be foreign to far too many of the younger generations. Just try to mention things such as gargling with warm salt water for a sore throat & watch the reaction. Happened to me with a young one (teen-age now) and you would have thought I had horns & snakes growing on my head the way she looked at me! She had never heard of such a thing....only chemical meds. So, so sad
So sad
Lol yes they did
Wait--are you saying that before there was powdered infant formula, that any baby whose mother couldn't breast feed just died? Or that any baby without a wet nurse just died? That no one made milk substitutes for infants? They made milk substitutes for infants in ancient times!
Lol. yes that’s exactly what I’m saying. Are you saying they didn’t?! The substitutes were like boiled walnuts or animal milk with breadcrumbs. Many infants were malnourished or died because of illness of these “substitutes” you speak of lol. Like why are you exalting this? And nostalgic for a time when enslaved people were forced to breastfeed and also infants died? Formula and modern science literally keep babies alive today. Not saying they should escape criticism but all of this is so tone deaf and wrong.
This is insane. People successfully fed babies for millennia without highly processed soy and seed oils. I'm sure some babies died, just as today, but not having some corporation make formula in a factory was by no means a death (or malnourishment) sentence. People used goat's milk or mare's milk and whatever cultural additives they thought were healthy. "Enslaved people were forced to breastfeed"? WTF are you on? Seriously, I think you are commenting on the wrong page if that is your world view--and I am by no means against "modern science." Powdered infant formula does not represent modern science--more like corporate greed. FFS.
Thanks for this info. I’m passing it on to my daughter who just had our first grandchild 4 weeks ago. Her little one had the tongue and lip tie condition, so she’s been having a tough time with the breastfeeding but is getting through it. And big time incentive to make it work due to current formula crises. Thankfully, her and my wife’s eyes are wide opened to the medical/corporate corruption. I’m buying them Dr Mendelsohn’s book that you mentioned. Really appreciate your writing.
The three bucks he wrote that I liked were confessions of a medical heretic, gendered medicine, and the one mentioned in this article.
I will definitely be looking him up for my kids to read as well!
George Wootan also has a great book. "Take Charge of your Child's health". It was given to me as a gift in 1992 when my son was born.
I have been suffering with mastitis for days. First I got shingles, then mastitis and after 4 days of not being able to get rid of my fever I hesitatingly started an antibiotic. I haven’t been on an antibiotic in nearly 20 years. Even so, breastfeeding is natures medicine and I will breastfeed this little one for 3-4 years unless she weans on her own earlier. My 4 previous children also got the benefit of extended breastfeeding. I knew a lot of things stated in the article but some were still just truly appalling to see, for instance the White House conversation. Of course our country is full of unhealthy people; we don’t even know what healthy is anymore.
I experienced mastitis too, warm compresses, rest, and lots of breastfeeding in different positions. Feel better mama!
Awww, thanks Alice. I tried it all to get the clog out. I think I did kick the mastitis and got sick with something else. Even so, nursing is worth every second.
I learned a trick to soak the infected breast in hot water (as hot as you can stand w/o burning) and massage the lump away. It worked wonders for me and I never had to use antibiotics...also, if you have enough milk, try drinking a cup of peppermint tea every day. That worked wonders as well and I never had any mastitis issues afterwards...
The treatment for mild mastitis in dogs is frozen cabbage leaves that have been rolled flat by a rolling pin. Apply to the breast several times a day. I don't know why, but it works for dogs, anyway.
Cabbage leaves contain natural sulphur compounds which fight infection. Rolling the leaf with rolling pin helps soften and release the compounds. Keep leaf in bra all day, switching out with new every few hours. Roll clean leaf right before applying.
Oh, it just does work. Slavic women have been using in
for a very long time. The leaves don't have to be frozen but
flatten, yes. I know what you thinking but, it's true.
Careful. Cabbage leaves will also dry out your supply. That's the old midwife aide for women who lost their babies and no longer needed milk.
Alice is right, the rule is “heat, rest, and baby at the breast” nurse, nurse, nurse...it will help more than anything. Take care of yourself❤️
The cure I know offhand is sage tea...make sure its good tasting culinary sage...also here is an article re mastitis in other mammals, no offense, just for the herbal cures discussed. https://southern.sare.org/news/herbal-treatments-effective-in-treating-or-preventing-mastitis-in-dairy-cattle/ best Som
In dogs, we use sage to dry up the dam.
thank you
Hang in there, mama!
I wonder what homeopathy remedies there are for mastitis? Joette Calabrese is one resource to check. If you have time, energy, and want to.
Keep up your great work! You are doing a good job!!! May God heal you soon and may you and your little one thrive in all ways. 🙏🏻
I used her advice! Belladonna, phytolacca, and hepar sulph. I honestly think I had kicked the mastitis but I got scared when I woke up with an even higher fever yesterday. I just didn’t want an abscess so hesitantly took abx. I actually think I have covid now though - am nebulizing hydrogen peroxide, iodine and saline and am feeling better. Fever is closer to 100 now so way better than the 102.5 it was most of yesterday. Can’t know for sure because I’m not getting tested, but the husband has a low fever with severe body aches.
I usually get mastitis at least once with each nursling, and know all the tricks. I’ll have to say the triple whammy of shingles, mastitis, and covid (or whatever this is) has sucked. :( thank you so much for the kind words!!
I wish you the best of luck!
I feel like you of all people would understand this … it’s a sad world when I feel like I should go to urgent care or the ER to just get checked out to make sure nothing terrible is going on but am more worried about what might happen once I’m there. I would refuse a covid test so I’m sure that would make them mad, but since they don’t treat covid and just send you home for it what’s the point of the test? Still can’t seem to get my temp quite back to normal but has been mostly under 100 all day so I hope that is a good sign. Thank you for your writings!
In general it's worth it to go to the ER for medical problems you have unless you know what you have and you understand what the typical medical management may be for the condition and you do not believe that would serve you OR do you think the condition is manageable and you cannot afford an ER bill.
I have known a lot of people who have been seriously injured by a necessary medical care, but I also know famous natural medicine people who died because they refused to get conventional medical care for an easily treatable issue.
As far as covid treatment goes, there are a lot of different approaches I believe can be quite helpful.
Keep up the great work. Maybe your husband should start nebulizing food grade hydrogen peroxide (to nip it in the bud) & maybe you should increase nebbing.
Lol I’ve been telling him that - I think he doesn’t necessarily believe it will help, but he finally did tonight. He started taking ivermectin too so hopefully he’ll be feeling better soon. (I’ve nebulized 3x today, am about to go for #4). I don’t want to take ivermectin and the antibiotic, I’m not trying to overwhelm my clearly fragile system :(
I am of the opinion that there is sometimes a mycoplasmal bacterial co-infection with COVID which is why either doxycycline or azithromycin sometimes is very helpful
Remember, he should consider his weight when dosing ivermectin. Some people don't take enough ivermectin. Nebbing hydrogen peroxide can be used for any virus. I am so impressed by you guys! Hugs to you both.
Awww, you’re so kind! We’re on top of it - had it compounded for weight when we bought it many months ago. :) I’ve lost a lot of weight in the past 2 weeks so the ivermectin I have for myself is possibly too much now anyway. I didn’t even think of trying hydrogen peroxide for the shingles - are you saying it would’ve helped with that? Ugh. Looking forward to my skin healing and not feeling like I have bugs crawling on me all the time and having my pants jacked up to under my boobs so it doesn’t touch it.
I'm curious to know what nebbing is!
Me too…
Using the nebulizer
So sorry about the shingles! I got THAT right before COVID, I feel your pain. Wishing you strength and support!!! You can do this….your children are so blessed to have a strong mom like you!
Put uncooked cabbage leaves in your bra between feedings. It more often than not helps w the mastitis. For real.
I am going to have to try this out at some point to see if it works.
It does for many women, but not always all of them. High dose vitamin C would also help w inflammation, pain and breaking up a blockage and is safe to take.
My midwives have recommended this as well, as the leaves draw out impurities, and the cool leaves also soothe the pain of mastitis. Your husband will laugh and you will laugh at yourself with them stuffed in your bra!
I nursed my daughter for 4 years. I also got bad mastitis but I was told hot compresses and to keep nursing. It worked, my girl sucked that out, after 3 days I was a spouting like a geyser. Good luck, patience and trying to remove anxiety was really helpful for me.
I can give my personal “stamp of approval” on not only this article and La Leche League but also Dr. Mendelsohn’s book, “How to raise a healthy child...in spite of your doctor”. I raised two children that were exclusively breastfed and without commercial baby food. Once they developed an interest in what we were eating, they ate THAT and as the result, we never experienced weird food issues (“Precious only eats chicken nuggets dipped in ice cream, he would literally starve otherwise”). Reading LLL’s “the womanly art of breastfeeding” and Dr. Mendelsohn’s book nourished my natural instincts related to child rearing. Today, my daughter is continuing an unbroken lineage of breastfeeding with her first child. Like me, she says it feels “right”.
How anyone can say, with a straight face, that feeding ANY baby milk from ANOTHER SPECIES is better than the milk designed specifically for THAT baby is absolutely and utterly stupid. Research bottle feeding rescue animals...you’ll see that it’s difficult to manage with a mother’s milk substitute. It is my hope that current events, including the infant formula shortage, will wake folks up to the many foolish policies that have been in place for too many years. Always, always follow the money...
Since this topic is presently in the news, and long-standing entrenched things can only change in moments of "crises" my hope is that this article can be a tool advocates of breast-feeding can use to help change the dysfunctional paradigm we exist within.
My "babies" are 19 & 24. They were both exclusively breastfed thank goodness. There are millions of living cells in breastmilk, and there is not one living cell in formula. I skipped the "well child" visits. I never liked the pediatrician. I had no idea the growth charts were made by the formula companies. It makes sense now. I appreciate you and this article. I had the same thought, this shortage will spark more mothers to breastfeed. That is a good thing!
One again, you have written an excellent piece! I benefited greatly from the La Leche League's awesome book "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding" I was totally set on breastfeeding as it was, but having that book during my pregnancy (1985) was sooooo vital to me being able to stand up against any that tried to push me to 'supplement' with the 'liquid poison' All my son ever got was my milk. Never any formula whatsoever. I carried that book with me like a Bible! My mother & many close family friends were excellent examples as well, all having chosen to exclusively or primarily breastfeed during the 50's & then the 70's, times when 'the modern woman doesn't do that' was a very strong message. Take care, all.....and stay true to what God created. He truly knows best!
Great article. I'm 75, and my mother's doctor told her formula was healthier than breastmilk! I became a la leche league leader when ,I birthed my son in 1978. Best training I ever received!
Thank you! I despise formula. Nestle are baby killers and I have never purchased nor given formula to my children .
Weston A Price has a homemade formula recipe with raw milk if you insist on formula feeding. https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/faq-homemade-baby-formula/.
“Fed is best” is the dumbest slogan on the planet. Breast milk is best. Formula is a poor substitute.
Finally uterus transplants in men (“transwomen”) so that he can gestate a child is NEVER going to happen. Junior is due for a reboot, right?
I think sooner or later it will…
Also I really appreciate the Westin Price foundation.
I’ve been boycotting Nestle since the 90’s. Boycotting is easy, I don’t eat their crap!
I indulge in Nespresso Pellegrino and Perrier occasionally but I really should give it all up
Pellegrino = lithium = in just the right amounts = good for mood!
Thank you for this so informative article. As a pregnant young woman, my Mom encouraged me to attend a local La Leche League meeting. What a wonderful resource it was, both in information and connections with other like minded Moms. There I learned about Dr. Mendelsohn’s book and it became a personal favorite. I’ve recommended it to so many new Moms. In the late 80’s I became a LLL Leader, facilitating lots of new Moms in their breastfeeding journeys. What a joy that was. Now I’m encouraging my daughter as she is breastfeeding her second, after also doing so with her first. I guess you could say I’ve been crunchy since the 80’s with no plans to stop. 😊
Thanks for writing this piece. Very informative and insightful — I was particularly stuck by a time of crisis being required to change entrenched thinking.
I’ve breastfed my four children, with my youngest still nursing at age 2 currently. I’ve done this despite having mastitis multiple times over the years, and more challenging still, I have D-MER (dysphoric milk ejection reflex). As the name implies, that means that I get feelings of dysphoria (anxiety, depression, general misery and the sense that something is terribly wrong but I can’t remember what it is) instead of the euphoria and happy bonding feelings that many experience.
I am incredibly grateful to my own mother, my many friends, my dear friend who is a midwife, and all the other influential people in my life for creating a culture where I never really considered NOT breastfeeding despite facing some challenges along the way. I wouldn’t trade in my breastfeeding journey for the world, and my children are happy and healthy and securely attached.
That is an interesting problem I have not heard of before. I wonder what caused it and if a neurological circuit got scrambled or theres some type of a retained unconscious trauma pattern.
I had not thought of that- that it might be retained trauma. I have assumed it was neurological and / or hormonal in some way but I don’t actually know the latest research. I have found it somewhat alleviated through magnesium supplementation and, in my last pregnancy, I took encapsulated placenta pills and found it by far the most mild of the four times. Perhaps unrelated but I would certainly do those things again because it seemed to help.
Everything you write is soooo true! I have 4 kids and completely breastfed each of them. My first, at his 6 month checkup was crawling and active but didn't sleep well at all. Dr. didn't even look at the fact that he was completely active and strong for his age, just looked at his growth chart and said he was failing to thrive and that I needed to supplement with formula. I found another Dr. in that practice for his next appt. and found a way to teach my son to fall asleep to deal with the sleep problem. At the 9 month appt., he was walking back and forth across the table and was still not even on the growth chart but the Dr. looked at him said he's doing fine, no worries, just keep feeding him constantly with whatever natural food you can, cheese, fruits, veggies. I stayed with her till she left the practice and had no problem with my second son. My third child, my first daughter, we had the same problem b/c now we were with a new Dr. Her first year was okay but at her 1 year apt she hadn't gained any weight from the 9 month appt. and the Dr. said I needed to start supplementing with pediasure or something like that. I looked at the ingredients in the store and saw it was basically sugar water and refused to buy it for her. I knew it was just b/c she was learning to walk and all her energy was going towards that so we did nothing. Went back a week later for a weight check and she had gained one pound in that week. The Dr. said that the pediasure must've worked and I said that no, I hadn't used it b/c my daughter never developed a taste for it 🤣. That she had learned to walk and was able to gain weight again b/c she wasn't so focused on that goal anymore...he just looked at me like I had 2 heads. Left that practice a few months later and no problems with our new practice after that. The Dr's listened to me and believed me when I told them what was wrong with my kids.
Breastfeeding did not come easy for me either. My problem though was not that I didn't have enough milk, it was that I had too much milk! It took till my 4th child to realize that but it was b/c of the LaLeche league that I figured that out and it made it sooo much easier for my last child. I also had to fight Doctor's on medications that I needed to take when breastfeeding. I have a severe allergy to poison ivy. I swell up and have huge blisters and constant itching and anxiety. The first time it happened they put me on prednisone and said I had to stop nursing. My son was 1 year old though so it wasn't horrible but we were both disappointed. The second son was 9 months old and I refused to stop nursing then and they found something else that worked for the both of us plus I learned that jewelweed soap worked even better and started to keep it on hand for when I would inevitably come in contact with it. Then with my third daughter, I ended up with a cyst that needed to be excised and then ran a very high fever afterwards. She was only 3 months old and the doctor said that the medicine he needed me to use meant I couldn't breastfeed. I refused to take and it told him that there had to be something else. My husband backed me up and he did find one that worked.
I think nursing my 4 kids was the absolute best thing I could do for them. I refused to buy baby food either and made my own from the leftovers from our meals and buy steaming my own veggies and fruits and freezing them in ice cube trays to be used as needed. Was it extra work for me? You bet! But it was definitely worth it in the long run!
I can’t agree more! Great article!! I know a few patients who continue to breast feed for years and donate their milk to NICUs.
Thanks. This is very reassuring. The information makes one feel sane bc the pr campaigns leave you alert but doubting yourself. When I heard there was a formula shortage I thought, ‘super. Maybe people can accept that they don’t need it.’
There are many forms of gaslighting…
Not mentioned in this article is the unacceptably high levels of aluminum that have been found in almost all commercial brands of baby formula. Although many of these brands are sold in the UK or Europe, they are manufactured by the same global corporations that manufacture brands sold in the US. Not only are they contaminated with aluminum, the packaging does not list it as an ingredient. It begs to wonder what else might not be listed in the ingredients? This article describes the study and measurements of aluminum in various brands of baby formula https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3851493/
Oh dear. I consider aluminum to be one of the most problematic toxins so I am going to need to add that in. Thank you for mentioning this.
Thank you - I did not mean that as a criticism - only to point out that the list of ingredients does not honestly and completely list the ingredients, but thank you for including this important information in your article.
For mothers who fully vaccinate AND formula feed, their infants receive a whopping dose of aluminum in early childhood.
What are the things I love about life is that I have spent decades studying this topic, but every day I learn about something interesting and useful that I had never come across before.
And that was in 2013 which was a follow-up of a previous study. They note that some might be accounted for as part of packaging, that source couldn't account for how the contamination arrived. Aside from how awful the standard ingredients are, has the contamination issue been resolved? Does the FDA care?
Thank you for the history, corruption and benefits/challenge of breastfeeding...a few days ago I was trying to make some of these points but was not successful in my deliver...people got defensive and made it political only....so again, THANK YOU .....this is not only needed but more importantly, brilliant and much appreciated.....
That's why I wrote it!
Thank you for your willlingness to call out the liars and their lies. I've always depended more on faith and common sense than current trends. I made it to 75 using this OS. My kids and theirs seem to understand that here in the Matrix you cannot believe what 'they' want you to believe.