In response to a call for ways in which the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could advance the health needs of children, the United States Breastfeeding Committee submitted a letter detailing its concerns with the safety and efficacy of infant formula. In summary, the Committee seeks:
1. Adequate testing of new ingredients prior to their addition to infant formula and updated FDA review and approval procedures for those ingredients.
2. Close monitoring for adverse reactions to the products and a public report of those reactions.
3. Review and any necessary repudiation of the health claims made in the marketing of formula.
4. Advice to …read more

Over 2,000 mothers were studied from the third trimester of pregnancy through the first year of their infants’ lives. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) surveyed the mothers about their infant feeding practices. Results from this Infant Feeding Practices Study II will be available publicly from the CDC at the end of 2008, but in the meantime the American Academy of Pediatrics reports:
Among the study findings were that one-fourth of mothers do not place their child on their backs to sleep, as recommended by the American Academy of …read more

Yesterday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning against the use of Mommy’s Bliss Nipple Cream, marketed by MOM Enterprises, Inc. to nursing mothers for treatment of cracked and sore nipples. The packaging specifically states that it is not necessary to remove the cream before nursing, but two ingredients in the cream may be harmful to nursing infants. The FDA describes the dangers of chlorphenesin and phenoxyethanol:
Chlorphenesin relaxes skeletal muscle and can depress the central nervous system and cause respiratory depression (slow or shallow breathing) in infants. Phenoxyethanol is a preservative that is primarily used in cosmetics and …read more

Need help safely choosing and using a breast pump? Check out the new breast pump website launched by the the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Breast pumps are considered medical devices and thus the FDA regulates them. As part of an initiative with the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee the FDA put together this site to offer breast pump basics. It answers important questions like:
“Is it safe to buy a used breast pump or share a breast pump?” 
“Can I rent a pump?”
“Are there programs to help me pay for a pump?”
You can also learn how to file a report of a problem with your pump.