Alberta Moms Unformulated

Alberta moms unformulated
Expectant parents lack breastfeeding strategies: data

By JENNA MCMURRAY, SUN MEDIA

Last Updated: 17th August 2009, 2:18am

StoryCommentsEmail Story Print Size A A A Report Typo Share with:
Facebook Digg Del.icio.us Google Stumble Upon Newsvine Reddit Technorati Feed Me Yahoo Simpy Squidoo Spurl Blogmarks Netvouz Scuttle Sitejot + What are these? CALGARY -- Expectant moms in Alberta are less worried about how to feed their newborns than any other mothers in Canada, according to new numbers released this week.

Data collected by Leger Marketing showed only 20% of Alberta moms think about their breastfeeding strategy and create a formula feeding contingency plan before their babies are born.

"In Alberta, moms are more likely to think about which clothes to buy their babies than how to feed their babies," said Dr. Peter Nieman, a Calgary pediatrician.

NEED A PLAN

"We'd like to change that -- we'd like moms to be proactive and have a plan and clearly they don't.

"If nine out of 10 moms thought about their baby's nutrition, that'd be ideal."

The percentage of mothers in Alberta who said they expected breastfeeding to be difficult was just 7%, the lowest in Canada.

But up to 40% of mothers end up needing a formula for their children, said Nieman, meaning that planning ahead is important so mothers are not caught off-guard should they fall into that category.

"It's best to be prepared and have a Plan B, like having a spare tire in your trunk," he said.

Melissa Parsons is a Calgary mom who gave birth to her first child, Maiya, two months ago and said her main concerns during her pregnancy were her own diet as well as labour preparation, diapering, and buying a crib and changing table.

"It's kind of funny now, looking back, I thought I would just breastfeed and things would be fine," said Parsons, who quickly found out Maiya could not breastfeed and required formula instead.

STRESSFUL SITUATION

"It was kind of stressful, I didn't know what to do," said Parsons.

"It's hard to deal with when you're a new mom and you're tired. It's really important to know what could happen -- it's not talked about as much and we need to be honest about it."

Nieman said it's important for moms to breastfeed whenever possible, as it is considered most nutritional for the baby, but said for the women who use a formula, it's important to ensure the mixture is probiotic and includes protein, Omega 3 and iron.

JENNA.MCMURRAY@SUNMEDIA.CA