Ok, I'm angry. Pissed off actually. I hate to say those things as I know my in-laws read the blog and they have never seen this side of me. Please forgive my rant but I'm only human. I'm being careful not to use the many expletives that are bouncing around in my head as I type this. Here it goes...
What the HELL is this in the news about baby formula having traces of melamine??? Did the food industries learn NOTHING from the craziness of the pet foods last year?? Hello? So by their ignorance, I could be putting our child's health at risk??
For those of you who don't know, not that we have placed a billboard ad telling everyone, but we are not able to give Shelby breast milk any longer. I never felt my milk come in. I watched for the symptoms but never experienced them. I got little coaching from the lactation consultants (LCs) at the hospital. I've heard some of my friends tell me about their LC experiences when they gave birth and I sure wish I had received that much attention and information! Anyway, I digress. I pumped for awhile once I realized that I did have some milk but alas, it wasn't much. Apparently size doesn't matter when it comes to this particular exercise. We supplemented with formula but over time, she got more formula than breast milk and I could never find the time to pump with all of her colicky/reflux/whatever symptoms. Much of my time was spent calming her down or catching up on much needed sleep. I feel incredibly guilty about not being able to provide this important milk to our child, especially now that this news story has surfaced.
Anyway, this whole situation just makes me so angry. In the article link above, the FDA states that they are "unable to identify any melamine exposure level as safe for infants." REALLY? Of course you can't! NO level is safe, morons. Just come out and say it, for crying out loud. Who are you [FDA] protecting anyway? The American public or the big corporate giants? But the FDA is concerned and doesn't want the American public to overreact about this trace amount. Geez... And reading further down the article, apparently the FDA said at one time there is NO safe level for these contaminants in infant formula. So which is it? Back pedal much?
I went to Enfamil's website (the brand Shelby rec'd during her hospital stay and the brand we recently switched back to) and they had a press release from September. This is when melamine was found in the Chinese infant formulas, in which there were about 3 deaths and 50,000 illnesses. FIFTY THOUSAND. Wow. Anyway, Enfamil's press release stated (and I quote) "Mead Johnson can assure our customers that the ingredients we use in our products have not been contaminated with melamine." and "Melamine is not present in any of our formulas or ingredients." But in the article, they are called out as well.
Here's a nice quote from the article that just sets me off: "FDA scientists said then that they couldn't set an acceptable level of melamine exposure in infant formula because science hadn't had enough time to understand the chemical's effects on infants' underdeveloped kidneys." So is my baby a guinea pig? Will infants have to become ill or possibly die in America so that the scientists can understand the effects? Am I reading that correctly or am I being over dramatic...
Anyway, I'm mad as hell about this. Currently, with the help of my dearest friend, I am looking into making our own formula (complete with appropriate nutrients) or finding an organic formula (possibly from Whole Foods). I know, I know. The FDA doesn't want us making our own formulas but this is the same agency that (I believe and it may not be your belief) puts people's lives at risk every day by letting CRAP pass through their system and they put their FDA "SAFE" label on it.
These alternatives may be more expensive but our daughter's health and well being is totally worth it. If I have to eat ramen noodles for the next year until she is on 100% solids, I will. If it means she is getting what she needs from a food that won't possible harm her.
Temporarily stepping off my soap box.
2 comments:
"Right on!" about the FDA. Obviously they are a puppet of Big Business. But maybe that will change...
I read that too, and I have no idea what to make of it. Some research turned up the actual numbers. FDA says 1 PPM is OK (I don't agree, but that's their "standard"). Some of the Chinese formulas tested this summer contained over 2500 PPM. While we're nowhere near that number, I am more than a little concerned with their casual approach to this.
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