Another Reason I Have Issues With Formula.

Beetles. In Baby Formula.

( I will guess you are thinking, "Are you kidding me?")

No, I'm not kidding you. Similac issued a huge voluntary recall today regarding "certain lines of powdered formula which comes in plastic tubs, or 8 oz., 12.4 oz., and 12.9 oz. cans" made in a plant out of Sturgis, Michigan because the formula was processed alla beetles. Whether or not the beetles are definitely in the formula is unclear.

And what little formula has Gabe been getting in two bottles per week while I work (because I only get enough while pumping over three shifts for one bottle)?
Similac Advanced with Iron.

And why do we use this formula?
We already had it in the house because the manufacturer sent it to us... so it was free (we just finished our first can after one month of using it, and we have another that would have lasted us until he started weaning from the bottle for that feeding). And our pedi recommends it.

Annnnnd was I planning on keeping him on this formula?
I was planning on buying some Earth's Best Organic formula if we ran out.

How do I feel right now?
Angry. Guilty. Infuriated. Frustrated. Disappointed. And a little lucky.

Why do I feel like this?
Because I have been trying to load Similac's recall website for a very long time now, and it is just plain overloaded. The page will not load. I managed to get on it for a second earlier this evening, and I was relieved to find the can we are just finishing was not recalled. But I didn't get to load the can we were planning to open tomorrow. And I tried calling their recall hotline for awhile, but gave up with the endless busy signals.

Oh, and because I could have been feeding my baby beetles, which are really great for a little baby's GI tract. Instances like this are surefire proof that eating local, whole foods you make for your baby and family are THEE way to live healthy, happy lives.

I do feel lucky, though, because Gabriel mainly breastfeeds so even if we were affected by the recall, he would not have had much exposure. Any exposure is horrible, but I am thankful that breastfeeding does limit Gabe's ability to be hit by things like beetles in the belly.

So what now?
I will be at Whole Foods at the crack of dawn tomorrow morning, praying that they did not sell out of Earth's Best formula tonight. And if all else fails, I will somehow have to work around Gabe nursing.

Here is the info site and Similac hotline to find out if your baby's formula was part of the recall (If you can get through!!):

http://similac.com/recall/

(800) 986-8850

More from the baby news desk...

Every time I start to think facebook is pointless, someone shares something extremely interesting, and I am hooked on updates again.

Today, I was captivated by this Huffington Post article by John Robbins regarding Chinese babies growing breasts due to mistakenly high levels of estrogen in formula.

And don't point fingers at the formula-producers just yet. Supposedly, the most likely point for the hormones to have entered the picture was with the cows... as in excess estrogen via the bovine growth hormone.

I encourage you to read the article and read about other occurrences of hormones in milk and the issues involved. It left me unsettled.

But let's be proactive. Here's a relevant excerpt from the H.P. article regarding what to do about all of this:

What's a consumer to do?

If at all possible, breast-feed your babies, and support breast-feeding friendly workplaces and other environments. It's hard to overstate the health advantages of breast-feeding for both mother and baby. They are enormous, and particularly so today, when the possibility exists that commercially available infant formula could be contaminated with excess hormones.

If you are going to buy dairy products, try to get them from organic sources. Organic milk products by law can't be produced with bovine growth hormone (BGH). Or look for dairy products that specifically say they are produced without BGH (also called recombinant bovine somatotropin, or rBST). Starbucks only uses dairy products that have not been produced with the hormone. Ben & Jerry's ice cream likewise uses only milk and cream from dairy farms that have pledged not to use BGH.

If you're going to eat cheese, remember that American-made cheeses are likely to be contaminated with BGH and excess levels of IGF-1 unless they're organic or labeled BGH-free. Most cheeses that are imported from Europe are safe, though, since much of Europe has banned the hormone. (John Robbins, 2010)

Hmm... after my cheese-loving post yesterday, I'm left wondering if our VT cheese is organic and bgh-free. Time for more research!

Postpartum Depression: Not Just a Girl Thing

Or so says a new study about postpartum depression.

Basically, this study (by psychiatrists Gregory Simon and James Paulson of Eastern Virginia Medical School) supports a multi-dimensional postpartum depression. It argues PPD can be caused not only by hormones, but also situational issues such as sleep deprivation, financial pressure, separation anxiety, and so on. So?

Well, if PPD isn't only due to crashing and raging post-pregnancy hormones, but the pressure of new baby life, it naturally follows that PPD can hit Mommy-- and Daddy.

What's important here isn't only the science. The NPR article linked above highlights a major issue regarding men and depression: Many more American men than women suffering depression will never admit to their struggle.

If you or someone you know is a new Daddy and could be suffering from post-partum depression, seek support. Don't be ashamed and don't be silent. You'll be an even better Daddy for seeking help.

Read about one Dad's struggle here.
Seek online support here.

Bye Bye, Ty.

I'm guessing you have already heard about this recall, but if not, McNeil recalled a whole lotta meds (yes, please hum 'whole lotta love' - led zeppelin while reading this entry). Infant meds and all. Supposedly no medical problems were reported from the recalled Tylenol, but it had more concentrated doses of active ingredient than intended.

Oh. Now I feel better? hmmm....

My other issue with Tylenol has to do with immunizations-- i.e. The Mind Battle of Last Night
Whereas prior to our new pedi visit, I was told by docs that T is safe to pair with shots, our new pedi issued me warning about controversial studies suggesting (a) T could make shots less effective (that the low grade fever is actually contributing to a stronger immunity later) or (b) possibly contribute to autism.

I had always been wary of the latter, but actually did not know about the former. I am so relieved to have found G a doctor who doesn't just dismiss these studies. I'm not saying I believe anything 100% to be true 100% of the time, but I think there's something to be said for weighing all of the evidence.

So last night, G's temp hits 100.4 and he turns into cranky city USA. My husband and I wearily took turns walking and rocking him, ever careful of his bruised little chubby leg. And we start the give Tylenol debate. We didn't. That was the right decision for us at that moment, and within an hour or so, G was back to his usual 97.whatever temp.

And when my Mom called us at 8:30 this morning to tell us about the recall, I found myself oddly smirking (in an evil Grinch sort of way) at that infant dropper bottle.

Now I just wonder how long this war will last.

Media Spotlight: Milk Banking

How much do I LOVE this USA Today article (by Trevor Hughes) on milk banking and donating milk?

Enough, that even though my landlord gave me a little 'tude and is failing to schedule timely maintenance calls for me, I am still smiling. (But seriously, landlords out there, take care of your tenants. They pay your bills.)

Image from USA Today, by Frank Pompa

Source: Human Milk Banking Association of North America

It's great to see milk banking getting some media exposure. It's great to see the ounces donated per year on the rise. It's not great that the ounces needed are not nearly being met. It motivates me to repeat donating.

And when I consider repeating my donation, I see why it is so hard to hit the needed ounces-- I'm now working part-time+, and the milk I pump generally needs to go to my baby. There are a million and one booby traps for breastfeeding Mommies, and while work isn't trapping me from breastfeeding, it might just trap me from donating again right now.

But for now, instead of sighing about my wishes to donate again (210 oz. went out in March), I'm just going to revel in the exposure of milk banking with some favorite quotes from the article...


Actress Alysia Reiner: "Donating milk 'is simply an area so many women don't know about,' she says. 'They say 'What, a milk bank? No way.' "

Mandy Belfort, a neonatologist at Children's Hospital Boston: "There's also some evidence that preterm babies who receive breast milk have better developmental outcomes than babies that receive formula... In New England, we are starting to talk more and more about using donor milk more routinely."

Consider milk donation.
Visit http://hmbana.org today!

D is for Breastfeeding.

A new study just made the news on CNN. A whole lotta numbers. The ones I found the most interesting?

-14% of mothers exclusively breastfeed for the American Academy of Pediatrics first six months.

-"Bartick refers to a 2007 CDC survey of hospitals and birthing centers, which scored each facility to determine how well it complied with recommendations meant to encourage women to breastfeed... According to that survey, Bartick says, "U.S. hospitals scored a 63 - that's a D.""

Something I agreed with?
"He believes the mothers and grandmothers of new moms also need to be educated about the benefits of breastfeeding because for their generations, feeding their babies formula was the norm."

What I'd add?
Let's not just get Moms, hospitals, and Grandmoms on board with breastfeeding-- Daddies need the education, too.

Lucky Prevnar 13

Goober has already had his first two rounds of Prevnar, the pneumococcal vaccine, but it looks like his next two rounds will be switched to Prevnar 13, a newly CDC and FDA-approved and allegedly more widely-protecting version of the vaccine. Read more here.

Immunizations of any kind do make me nervous, and after reading Tylenol in tandem with vaccines could be linked to autism, we avoided Tylenol after his four month shots. I'm not too sure I want to switch from Prevnar to Prevnar 13 just yet, but I definitely want to protect my baby.

How do you feel about new and improved vaccines being given to your infant?

Turning Heads (News in SIDS Research)

If you haven't already read, read here.

There is an emphasis in this research that this information is merely a hint, a building block, in the mysterious and awful world of SIDS. But knowing that a baby could have low seratonin levels and therefore could not be able to process the brainwaves to move the head in order to get more oxygen is enough information for me to NOT put my baby to sleep on his belly (not that I needed to be convinced)... not that he sleeps in his crib yet anyway because his reflux tortures him nightly so badly that he has to sit up to sleep.