You want to bottle feed, then do so. You want to breast feed, then do so. It is NOT the governments job to dictate how a mother should feed her child. I am find with the government writing "GUIDE" lines as long as they are suggestions and NOT mandates! The government has their hands in enough aspects of our lives. Dictating how a mother feeds her child is crossing the line.

If only mothers knew the nutrient value of breast milk, add in the value of those nutrients, I think you'd see more mothers breastfeeding. Mothers breast milk contains Lauric Acid which is mainly found in coconut oil !!! If you never heard about the importance of lauric acid, please do some research on it, you'll be amazed of its benefits. Lauric acid when consumed breaks down into monolaurin.

I don't think the government should be telling us anything about how to conduct our private lives!!!!

A happy mother is the real key. Neither my two children nor two of my grandchildren were breast fed. They were healthy babies, children, and teens. They are not obese nor have any allergies. This intervention is outrageous. And, of course, no one can force this practice on anyone else.

ABSOLUTELY NOT! That is strictly the mother's decision. Has the word "private" been removed from the dictionary?

This is a terrible representation of breastfeeding women and advocates.

1) The government should encourage women to breastfeed as a matter of public health. Encouraging healthy practices does not include: bullying, coercing, guilting, or demanding that someone do something. There are many factors to consider when a woman decides to breastfeed or not and either choice can be completely valid and meaningful.

2) I am a breastfeeding advocate. I do not think mothers who use bottles or formula are lazy or selfish. I respect a woman's right to choose the best manner in which to feed her baby. I trust that a mother knows what is best for her baby. This is the opinion shared by the vast majority of my colleagues. Our job is to dispel the myths surrounding breastfeeding, help break down barriers to breastfeeding, help women who want to breastfeed be successful and promote policies that are breastfeeding-friendly. It is not our job to judge, criticize or belittle mums who do not breastfeed. In my opinion, we should support all women in motherhood.

Breastfeeding is a very important public health issue, but it is not an indication of the quality of person or ability to parent effectively.

This is deliberately inflammatory and divisive. The news story itself - that breastfeeding is going to be encouraged in NJ hospitals is actually part of a national movement toward "baby friendly" hospitals and (I believe) part of the ACA. Breastfeeding has consistently been shown to offer numerous health benefits to infants and toddlers and is recommended to at least 6 months by every health agency that has said anything about nursing.

That said, nowhere is it mentioned that mothers are going to be FORCED to breastfeed. That's just silly. But being educated about the benefits of breastmilk for infants, and provided support and help in initiating breastfeeding is a positive no matter how you look at it. A mother clearly still has the right to refuse this help if she so chooses. "Encouraging" and "pressuring" are not the same thing.

Stop trying to divide moms into camps. We're all doing what's best for our particular, unique babies. That may or may not include nursing, formula, or a combination of the two. Stop using this one decision to judge whether a mom is "good" or not. It's sickening.

The problem is that the questions you're asking are all backwards. Let's try to rephrase them, shall we?

Is NOT breastfeeding a private decision, WITHOUT THE INFLUENCE of marketing campaigns and media?
Should mother be pressured, whether by MEDIA or MANUFACTURERS to use ARTIFICIAL MILK?
Should the government be involved in MAKING PUBLIC HEALTH RECOMMENDATIONS?
Do you think mothers who use artificial milk were ADEQUATELY INFORMED and as WELL SUPPORTED as breastfeeding mothers?

Breastfeeding is biological norm, NOT artificial milk feeding. Babies are meant to be breastfed like they are meant to be born with 10 fingers and 10 toes. If marketing campaigns, crummy media stories (like this one) and government/healthcare policies were preventing babies from having all of their fingers and toes, we would question it. And we would do so without blaming mothers. So let's try to do so with this topic, for the SAKE of mothers and babies.

My first child wanted nothing to do with breastmilk - i tried for 48 hours straight to nurse him, but he latched quickly to a bottle. No worries, and I wasn't upset. He has matured into a wonderful, healthy and contributing member to society, with no health issues. My second child latched onto me for dear life as soon as the cord was cut and is also growing into a wonderful, healthy, mature young lady. It is the mother's PRIVATE choice, and it is not for anyone, much less the government, to put its nose in.

Unless I woke up in Cuba or North Korea, you raise your children as you see fit. Government has no say in the choices of the private sector.

Can we stop with the hysteria.? These guidelines mean that new mothers will be provided with the knowledge and tools to enable them to to make the best decision for themselves and their babies. As a breastfeeding educator, I have heard too many women lament the lack of support and information when their babies were born.
However, no one is going to force moms to breastfeed.

I knew the comments on this topic would be interesting. I'd love to see if any of you are interested in blogging about breastfeeding and bottles, pro or con. Email me at deborah.bell@patch.com if you have some interest.

NO! This is a mother's personal choice and the government needs to butt out of our private lives.

Although it's tough for a man to comment on this, at first glance I would think this should be a mother's call and hers alone no?

This also goes to the larger question: exactly how much supervision for our own good from nanny government do we need? if the NJDH is just making suggestions and wants to maybe provide pamphlets or a web-site re: the subject then I guess it can. But this article reads like they are issuing rules or dictating specific guidelines to hospitals. At what point are a free people responsible for their own lives? WHen did we lose the capacity to make our own decisions? It is the symptom of the larger over-regulation of the American life with no recourse at the polls. You can vote out a congressperson, but how do you vote out an Assistant Secretary In Charge Of Mammary Affairs And Chesticular Nutrition For The State Of New Jersey who is passing down new regulattions at his/her whim? Enough. Please. Big Government creates a small, infantilized citizenry.

On another note, as a father, I enjoyed helping out with the bottle-feeding...I didn't even mind the three am shift (well, not always).

Finally, I don't think breast vs. bottle is at the root of childhood obesity, I think it's as simple as wolfing down empty calories while spending hours in the basement at the playstation on a beautiful day when 30+ years ago, the bottle-fed kids, most of whom were thin, were outside organizing games of running bases or kickball. IMHO.

Fascinating that a woman should have a choice about whether the child in her womb should be born but once she chooses life her choices for feeding and nourishment should be limited by the government. NJDOH needs to make their recommendations but when it comes to breastfeeding, "my body my choice" seems an apropos adage.

I clicked through to the NJ.com article and read:

"If the rules are adopted, New Jersey would be one of only four states — including New York, California and Massachusetts — that require hospitals to have written policies that encourage breast-feeding.

The changes would direct hospitals to support breast-feeding before and after birth, and require hospitals to have written policies for identifying and supporting the needs of a breast-feeding mother and child.

Hospitals would also be required to have lactation-support rooms for consultation, breast-feeding and pumping.

Under the proposed regulations, new moms will be asked how they want to feed their babies. If a mother is having trouble breast-feeding, hospital staff will work with her to overcome those difficulties and they can offer formula as an alternative, said Donna Leusner, a spokeswoman for the Department of Health."

cont....

There is nothing wrong with a mother making her own decision on how to feed her baby. What is needed is education, so the mother can make this decision based on knowledge. What better place for this education than the hospital? I happily (and lazily, might I add.....no heating up bottles in the middle of the night) breastfed all of our four children for years. Linda Pregenzer, wife of Gerard Pregenzer, MD (Ob/Gyn)

patricia roman ,i am a nurse midwife, who encourages breast feeding, but strongly agrees, that this is a mothers choice and she needs to be comfortable .education is needed and ,prenatal care, should be the front line of education. there are way to many so called guidelines impossed by goverment lately ,that i wonder where i live sometimes .now, i am waiting to see if there will be some type of tax ,moms that bottle feed will be paying just wait and see.

patricia roman so true

Definetely a Mother's choice. Hospitals are providing support and education which ius great but sometimes circumstances don't work out. If baby has low blood sugar they will get the bottle first. It can work out during the hospital stay and then when you go home it doesn't work as well and need to supplement. What if the mother doesn't produce enough milk. There are plenty of reasons a woman can't brestfeed. There is also the mental factor that if you don't succeed women feel bad as it's "supposed to be the natural and normal thing to do". Maybe putting in place an in-home after birth service could be more beneficial.

I don't think the government should be involved at all. That is not the role government should play in our country. What is happening around us is fascist, and everyone is nodding and smiling, saying, "yes, let them dictate what is best and force us to do it---we are are just children too weak and stupid to make our own choices, good or bad." I don't understand who this hypnotized population is! It doesn't matter if you prefer breastfeeding or formula feeding or think one is better or worse. The government/law should have zero say in how you choose to raise your child unless you are actively and intentionally abusing the child in some way. Hospitals should offer information, instruction, and supplies for any feeding a mother chooses.

Agree. Maybe this fiasco does indeed has to do with hospitals now wanting us to pay for formula if we want it. And not about much else. Women today are educated, smart, and informed. This is doing nothing more than dividing us again.

Let that not happen!

For years women were stigmatized if they wanted to breastfeed because of all the money pumped into hospitals by formula companies. Unfortunately nowadays rather then just acknowledging the facts and letting families decide what is best for them there is a bit too much push back. And that is a mistake too. The best thing is for each side to give an equal amount of information and let the families themselves decide based upon their own situation.

I was in Shoprite about a month ago and they had moved all of the formula to the front of the store in a locked cage. A young lady in the next aisle asked to buy some. When asked how much, she said, "As much as you have. I hate having to buy it like this." That angered me so much. This woman should not have felt humiliated just because she didn't breast feed. My sister and I were bottle fed. We've managed to get through life JUST FINE. It's a personal decision. Unbiased information is great. Then let the mother decide. Government can kiss off.

I think it's great that hospitals will educate women in the hospitals and provide support to mothers. Though, ultimately, you cannot force a woman to breastfeed!! About the $ issue-When i had my first child 11 years ago, I was sent home with a backpack of formula. This formula was provided as free samples to hospitals- from pharmaceutical companies who manuacture the formulas. My education on breastfeeding 11yrs ago came from my Latina family members-mom, aunts, cousins, friends, grandma..who all simultaneously felt the need to get very "hands on" on how to teach me to nurse in the "best way" possible. Lol! I'm thankful they were there (perhaps not as forcefully...), but still thankful because I'm pretty sure I would have reached for that pack of formula a lot sooner had i not heard their coaching voices in the background. I knew that I wanted to breastfeed, but sometimes there are complications & can be very difficult and without education & support, it may seem that the only option is to not do it. I think, as women, we need to support and educate each other, work together gracefully & be respectful of each others choices.

The government got involved with School Lunch Programs...and look how well that turned out!!...All my kids were bottle fed...and they are healthy and happy. Maybe a little less fast food and TV would help with the obesity problem...but that is the PARENTS job, not the government!

I agree that it's a great idea if women would respect one another's choices. Unfortunately that's not how it works in real life. I didn't breast feed my kids, but it wasn't for a lack of the PRESSURE to breast feed. Anyone who tells you otherwise is either naive or deluded. There are enough pushy mothers who feel the need to tell you how to raise your kids, and it starts from the baby's first exit from the birth canal.

I'm fine with the choice to breast feed. I just wish the mammary militants were as tolerant of other women's decisions if it's not in accord with their own.

This article is ridiculously biased. Did anyone bother to actually read proposal? They're not forcing anyone to breastfeed, they're suggesting having standard guidelines to help with infant feeding which includes breastfeeding and formula. Nobody is forcing anybody to do anything. And honestly if you want to avoid government imposed guidelines then maybe you should be birthing at home and not in a hospital.

Welcome to the "Nanny State" aka socialism! I say the government is way too intrusive in our lives! I suppose it should be a welcomed change! Once these same children reach 3 or a parent then hands these breast fed children over to the schools for the rest of their indoctrination. Wake up parents, if you need the government to tell you how to raise your child, you probably should not be having a baby! It is only going to get worse from here with this Obamacare socialize medicine! Just wait!

*3 or so,

Krissy - I have four TVs, subscribe to the Star Ledger, and several magazines. But not any Parents magazines. By artificial milk, do you mean baby formula? Not sure. I am a grandmother not raising children myself now. I thought La Lache had this issue well in hand for assisting nursing moms. But maybe I am incorrect. I feel i've said enough on this issue. Not meaning to cause you or anyone angst. My final thoughts might be that no women need feel guilt about choosing either way. And the government need not involve themselves. A woman and her doctor can certainly figure out the best way to nurture Baby.