Bobbie is disrupting the market with a European sensibility and a “fed is best” philosophy.
This New FDA-Approved Baby Formula Brand is Bridging the Gap between Lobbyists and Lactivists
Like so much about becoming a first-time mother, breastfeeding is one of those things you can’t really wrap your brain around until there is a small infant, attached to your nipple, who depends on your body’s nutrients to supply its own. And it’s not just the sensation, which can range from uncomfortable to unbearably painful, that is hard to mentally prepare for; it’s the simple mechanics, the time (30-35 hours a week, minimum), and the energy (cold, hard calories) that this mammalian pastime requires every. single. day. Breastfeeding is hard—like, really really hard—and with extremely common challenges such as latch difficulties, production issues, and demanding postpartum work schedules compounding what is already a complicated physical and emotional endeavor, it’s perhaps not surprising that 83% of new parents turn to formula to ensure their babies are receiving adequate nutrition.
For Laura Modi, it was a combination of low supply and mastitis (inflammation of the breast tissue, which can often lead to infection) that ultimately caused her to switch to formula when she had her first child five years ago. A Google alum, and the former director of host operations and community at Airbnb, Modi headed to the pharmacy to choose between Enfamil or Similac, the two household formula brands—made by pharmaceutical companies—that have long cornered the U.S. market, the standards for which haven’t been updated by the FDA since the 1980s. She quickly hid the canister in the back of her kitchen cupboard so no one could see it. “I was embarrassed,” Modi says of the feelings of guilt and inadequacy that often plague women who can’t or who choose not to breastfeed as a “breast is best” mentality pervades newly woke parenting philosophies. “There's a perception that no one is formula feeding, or it's shameful,” says Modi, rightfully pointing out that it’s softly-lit, intimate images of nursing mothers that dominate social media and popular culture when infant feeding is addressed, if it’s addressed at all. “You hit a point as a new mom when you want to put your middle finger up to society,” continues Modi—not to mention the U.S. Government, which has yet to pass a national statutory paid maternity, paternity or parental leave policy, but still encourages women to exclusively breastfeed until babies are six months old. (The Family and Medical Leave Act enables some employees to take up to 12 weeks unpaid maternity leave but only 60% of workers are eligible).
This story originally appeared on: Vogue - Author:Celia Ellenberg
