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Yet more conflicting advice on Breast feeding

According to the latest research breast is NO better than formula!

No wonder Mums get so confused, we are constantly pressured by the NHS into accepting breast is the only way to go and yet another study shows that may not be the case.

Its food for thought- literally! lol
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1241051/Breast-milk-NOT-better-baby-formula-scientists-claim.html
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Replies

  • I'm not convinced - even if there are no proven health benefits, the bonding experience is the most wonderful thing in the world and I really can't wait to do it again! For me breast will always be best whatever the scientists say!
    It's free, it helps you lose weight, it's on tap (well, you know what i mean!) at the right temperature....
    For me, there's no contest!
  • Doesn't make any difference to me what they say- I loved BFing my son and will do the same with this one! One thing is for sure tho, breastmilk tastes 1 million times better than formula lol!
  • interesting that this research was done in norway where breast feeding is really pushed, and for longer than in this country.

    Im going to try breastfeeding because i want to and because it is cheaper and more convenient .My sister managed to breastfeed her children successfully so ive seen a positive experience of BF, which i know many people don't get. If I can't BF then so be it, bottles will be the way forward! im not going to stress about it or let any over zealous health professionals or nosy buggers push me into anything!
    each to their own and whatever suits their family best xx
  • Hi Manolo Girl

    You are right there is so much conflicting advice out there for pregnant women eg swine flu vaccine alcohol etc..they certainly dont make it easy for us!

    Interesting article, Im sure alot of breat feeding friendly midwives will be up in arms...think the reality is that sometimes women feel pressured into breastfeeding or guilty if they cant do it...sometimes it is a struggle even if its something they believe strongly in. I dont think women should be made to feel guilty if its not what they wish to do... and there are many bottle fed babies who dont have excema, suffer with allergies etc,

    The article doesnt mention there are also health benefits to women - loosing the baby weight more quickly, the bonding that it encourages, reduced risk of certain cancers. also financial benefits and ease of feeding as you dont need to be sterilising equipment etc

    thanks for sharing will send the link to some of my midwife friends..

    xxx
  • I think breastfeeding is a great choice - I bf'd Neve for 9 weeks but simply did not have enough milk so had to combine, what annoys me is when the government are offering midwives incentives to push breastfeeding as hard as possible with the breast is best policy but not listening to why mothers may have to/choose to use formula.

    Its good to see some levelling in the arguament and I have to admit I am surprised but I can't think of anything worse than a new mother really struggling on with breastfeeding through misplaced guilt and because other people want her to. What a miserable start to motherhood - I hope this research relieves a lot of peoples guilt.

    x

    [Modified by: Lottie+Neve on January 06, 2010 07:08 PM]

  • Tosh (the article, not you MG).

    Firstly, it's in the Daily Heil.

    Secondly, the article itself acknowledges that babies who are breastfed DO have health and IQ advantages. Examining 'underlying controls on breastfeeding ability' might well be very valid in Scandinavia where the breastfeeding rates are FAR higher than in the UK and it's fair to say that the majority of women who do not breastfeed to 6 months and beyond there don't do so because of physical inability; but in the UK it's not inability that's the problem - it's societal attitude and lack of support. What this study seems to be saying is 'breastfed babies are healthier - but there might be other factors that we need to look at AS WELL AS the breastfeeding'.

    The fact remains, and is acknowledged, that babies who are breastfed are healthier than babies who are fed artificial milk. Breastfed babies are less likely to die of cot death, they are less likely to suffer from gasteroenteristis, glue ear, they have higher IQ's. These facts have been scientifically proven over and over. It might suit the DM's target readership to think that these militant breastfeeders taking over the UK and wapping their tits out to offend public decency are doing it for their own gratification and not the health of their children, but regardless of the spin they want to put on one isolated study, breast is still best. Factoid.
  • Hmm, an interesting read, thanks for posting.

    My instinct tells me that breast must still be best just because it's totally natural. In the same way that I think most people would eat organic all the time if they could afford to.

    However my brother and I were both bottle fed (like so many children born in the late 70s) and have no allergies, rarely have a day off sick, have never been obese and are both of above average intelligence (not to be big-headed but I did win the Weakest Link two years ago, ha ha ha)....So if I can't manage it I'm certainly not going to beat myself up about it too much.
    The problem with these studies is that it is so hard to separate out all the possible lifestyle factors and so on - they can't put identical babies in a lab and feed one breast milk and the other formula.

  • I put my tin hat on when I posted this as I know its always a hugely emotive and controversial subject for people.

    I just thought it was worth a read, yes its in the Mail but the research as not conducted by them!

    Anyway its useful to read opinions and see what people think- its all information and that can only be a good thing I guess.

    Like everyone else, I hope to BF but find the NHS forcing it down your throat at every opportunity very annoying- not ONCE has anyone talked to me about the birth- but they have talked about BFing at every single appointment!

    So research like this is always worth casting an eye over in my opinion, if only to dismiss it !

  • i am actually just sat watching the breastfeeding video from the mw! but like mrs setters said, take anythig in the daily mail with a pinch of salt. and remember, any sort of research is done with a particular aim in mind, so if they wanted to find evidence that formula was as good as breast they would, but it might be at the expense of ignoring other factors.
  • Mrs Setters, very well put - as usual you've hit the nail on the head!
  • Hello ladies, g/c here, but don't necessarily take one study too much to heart, when so many others show the advantages of bf. I read the article and tbh the whole study sounds a little odd to me - almost like he was trying to find a case against bf.

    I don't think there is anything really wrong with formula, it's just that breastmilk is what mother nature actually designed for my baby - and the more research that is done into bf the more benefits seem to come out, eg. your breastmilk actually changes during the day, starting with 'wake-up' milk in the morning and ending with 'sleepy' milk in the night - so clever!

    I do think that a good outcome of studies like this is that formula feeding mums can stop beating themselves up about it though (I mean some mums feel so guilty if they don't bf) - there is a lot of pressure to bf, and if for whatever reason mum's can't, they shouldn't be made to feel bad.

    Just for me personally, there is so much more to bf than the pure differences between bm and formula - for me it's the bonding experience, the ease of nightfeeds, the not having to wash and make up bottles, not having to shop for formula - and this has to be best - I had a failsafe way to stop my baby crying at any time (just about) - I think bf is a real comfort to the baby and (sorry, not meaning to offend) but bottlefeeding never looks quite the same to me.

    Mx

    Just modified to add that for all we know this research could have been funded by SMA or some giant formula company - with the objective to show that formula is as good as bm - they are not allowed to advertise newborn milk - what a great indirect advert!!


    [Modified by: xx Mims xx on January 06, 2010 09:15 PM]

  • Knew I'd seen an article about this somewhere else and just found it:
    http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/families/article6718276.ece
    Not wanting to add fuel to the fire, just think it makes interesting reading.
    Personally I'm all for breastfeeding and have two nursing tops sitting in my wardrobe that I very much hope will have many outings!
    xx
    (37+2)
  • g/c, but as a mum who has, and still is, bfed both my children, this is an interesting topic for me. Tbh I found the Daily Mail article hugely confusing to read, it seemed to have been written to deliberately smudge the results of the original study to support the point the Daily Mail wanted to make (as usual!!) Reading very carefully what the study actually seems to say is that the children of women who succesfully bfeed are healthier, becasue these mums were healthier during pregnancy. BUT this study was done in Norway!!!! A country which has one of the highes bfing rates in Europe, in Norway it is pretty rare for anyone to give formula unless there is a medical reason why they can't bfeed so the same study is just not valid for mums who choose not to bfed for personal reasons as is common in the UK. At the end of the day I don't care what the surveys say, I am sure that bfing reduced the number of bugs my children caught as babies. Several times whilst feeding them I have been ill with stomach bugs, colds etc, my oh has caught them, my eldest has caught them, but the child I have been bfing never has, because they are getting my antibodies through the milk. Add on top of this the fact that bfing is free, you never run out, and gives you a good excuse to sit on your arse for large portions of the day and tbh I don't care if there aren't any other benefits!!! image
    xx
  • I would like to breast feed but mainly for the bonding and because its cheaper than buying expensive formula!!! Free food!!!
  • here here BEDHEAD!
  • I think its good to give the facts so that women have all the info to make an educated decision- I also think pro FF articles probably help ease the guilt of women who cant manage bf and stops them feeling like failures or bad mothers. Clearly breast is ideally best because its tailor made specifically for that child where as formular has a kind of one size fits all approach which unfortunately doesnt always.

    I dont think there is any mother/mother 2b on here who doesnt hope to do the best for their child but its good to know that if all doesnt go to plan its not the end of the world or long term damaging to the child. For the record I really hope to bf myself but was ff as my mum just couldnt get the hang of it and I was hungry !

    after reading Mrs Setters post I now have the Radio 2 Factoid music in my head (Steve Wright show) lol
  • I think its good to give the facts so that women have all the info to make an educated decision- I also think pro FF articles probably help ease the guilt of women who cant manage bf and stops them feeling like failures or bad mothers. Clearly breast is ideally best because its tailor made specifically for that child where as formular has a kind of one size fits all approach which unfortunately doesnt always.

    I dont think there is any mother/mother 2b on here who doesnt hope to do the best for their child but its good to know that if all doesnt go to plan its not the end of the world or long term damaging to the child. For the record I really hope to bf myself but was ff as my mum just couldnt get the hang of it and I was hungry !

    after reading Mrs Setters post I now have the Radio 2 Factoid music in my head (Steve Wright show) lol
  • I completely agree with you Manologirl, I think it's good to read as much as you can.

    I plan to try breastfeeding and if successful I will stick with it as long as I and my baby feel happy doing so, but if I have to go to formula for any reason then so be it.

    And what is wrong with Daily Mail btw?!
  • Thanks for posting MG, i think its good to share articles like this so that people can make up their own minds. I dont think any article/ research is 100% unbiased but that doesnt mean you shouldnt read it and come to your own conclusion!
    I shall have a read x
  • the fact of it is, how can an artificially produced cow-based milk be better for a baby that breastmilk?? its absurd!!

    yes BF is not appropriate for everyone, and i dont think it particularly matters what is fed, its up to the parents and child, but for gods sakes, it is ridiculous to even place formula in the same category!!

    and i BF my lo for 2 weeks and then FF, and i agree with lemoncupcake, formula tastes rank!! xx
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