Not a week goes by when there’s not a new headline about breastfeeding or formula feeding. Sometimes, it’s about mothers being shamed for breastfeeding in public. Sometimes, it’s about mothers feeling shamed for using formula when they either choose not to breastfeed or can’t for medical reasons. And sometimes it’s questions about whether breast milk is really that much better than formula after all.
The fact is, it’s a luxury that those of us living in relatively peaceful countries see fit to argue about these issues at all. Many women in Syria, for instance, wouldn’t think twice about these controversies. They wouldn’t care if they were told to cover up while nursing or judged for using a bottle. They would be happy to just be able to feed their infants at all, by whichever method they could.
In war-torn parts of Syria, maternal and newborn care is in shambles. The stress of the conflict is purportedly affecting milk production among some new mothers while others assume that they simply won’t manage to breastfeed because of the crisis, so they don’t. Meanwhile, the government network of pharmacies providing formula has collapsed, leaving some infants subsisting on water and sugar, according to a report earlier this year by the nonprofit news service, Women’s eNews.
Having done both breastfeeding and formula-feeding, my heart breaks for Syrian women who don’t have either option — who must struggle to feed the littlest of souls. The tragic situation there puts the breast vs. formula debate around here in to perspective, doesn’t it?
In fact, it would be great if, at least temporarily, we could take a breather from the debate. Instead of talking about how “disgusting” it is for a woman to breastfeed in public, talk about how disgusting it is that a civil war is leaving infants malnourished. Instead of railing against formula companies for offering free samples that might discourage U.S. mothers from breastfeeding, consider donating your free samples to a local food bank — it’s not the same as getting it in the hands of mothers in Syria, but you’re still doing something to help those in need.
For now, at least two groups are working to provide infant formula in Syria through a program called Bake Sales for Babies. DoSomething.org, the youth community service organization, is running the fundraising campaign, which encourages young people to set up milk and cookie stands in their communities to raise money for Karam Foundation, a U.S. charity working on the ground in Syria. Karam will give formula and winter care packages to Syrian families in need. (DoSomething.org’s bake sales will also raise money for USA for UNHCR, which supports the United Nations Refugee Agency, to provide shelter and basic supplies to Syrian refugees.)
If you’re interested in doing a bake sale or just donating money, great! But at the very least, whether you’re breastfeeding or bottle-feeding, try not to let the controversies over either consume you. It could be so much worse.
Image courtesy of ThinkStock