If the Chinese government is smart they will take this opportunity to push breastfeeding as the best milk source for babies in China, otherwise Chinese mothers will just switch to imported milk powder and more babies will continue lose out.

In my experience it is mainly poor families (can't afford the status symbol of powdered milk) that breast feed and only when Mum and Bub are growing up together in the same city (many poor countryside or smaller city families have had to leave the baby with the Grandparents as they work in bigger cities).

Either way the Chinese government must improve the protection of children if it wants the one child policy to continue, along with its ruling position.

i applaud xiao wu and LLC's efforts.

it's vital that people get informed about breastfeeding and la leche does a wonderful and very difficult job. as xiao wu and my personal experience say, breastfeeding is undermined by a network of media and health care professionals who promote formula and advise new mothers accordingly.

on day one, i worriedly asked my doctor at the hospital if i would have enough milk and he replied, 'don't worry -- you'll buy some.'

i specifically asked the nurses to not feed sugar water to my baby between nursing sessions -- but they did, making her not feel hungry when she was brought to me. i put a stop to that by insisting that my baby is next to me at all time.

i was given free samples of this and that and was bombarded by advertising for formula, bottles, cleaning equipment and pacifiers in parenting magazines and on television.

i was made to feel uncomfortable by others when trying to feed my baby outside my home.

it's sad that it takes something like this milk scandal tragedy to shake up people into thinking more carefully about what they're feeding their babies.

this is what happens when

1. people don't understand their true nature -- how ridiculous is it that we need to be reminded that we are mammals.

2. we allow large businesses to control fundamental aspects of our lives.

formula and milk from other animals do not help build human bodies and human brains. if you want to grow a cow, feed it cow's milk. a human baby needs human milk.

In Australia it's poorer women who breast feed less, as poorer women are often less educated and probably are under financial pressure to return to work sooner.

I hope if anything good comes out of this debacle, it's that breast is best and that there is support for breastfeeding mums.

I went to a hospital that was really supportive of breastfeeding. The midwives came in every day to teach me how to breastfeed my child. It's really not easy when you first begin. We are taught here that breast is best for the first six months.

Chendu woman looks for clients to sell her breast milk to (Chinese):

link

This young lady is very intelligent. Women have breasts to feed their children,they were not originally just for men's gawking at. In these days it seems too to be quicker and more "PROFITABLE" to kill people,than to take precautions for safety,especially while producing goods that people will ingest, it is especially more of a true crime while the health of children are involved. As long as a female is well and takes of herself,her breast milk is the best source of nourishment for a baby and young children. I am the mother of four,and,all my children were breastfeed,it wasn't fashionable,but i wanted my children to get the best nutrition,they are healthy,intelligent adults now. keep up the good work. they can put breast milk in bottles and refrigerate it so no problem.

I would just echo the other comments that endorse breast feeding.

Cows' milk is not made for other species, and has been linked with all sorts of illness.

http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2007nl/mar/dairy.htm

Also, the consumption of human milk is associated with higher IQ levels, and I find it a bit sad that the average mainland mother would feed substandard food to their child when his/her brain and body is in the most need of nutritious food, and then a few years later, the same parents will spend a fortune on the child's education. What a waste!