'Breastfeeding causes colic'???

[Catz]

I had a slightly awkward conversation with two friends at a baby group today. They have 5 children between them and are bottlefeeding their newborns. I have one child and am BF her at 8 months. They were talking about BF and essentially implying that I was naive and trying too hard. I don't tend to comment on people's feeding choices but what they were saying sounded factually wrong to me and so I said so. Can I just check one of their arguments. They say BF babies are more likely to get colic. Surely this is wrong I've even seen graphs saying the opposite on the back of bottles! Their view was based on an extensive study of 'lots of their friends' so apparently I must be wrong! Who's right?

If anyone is interested, the other reasons not to BF are:

1. Breastfeeding doesn't make the child less likely to be ill (in the experience of 'lots of their friends') as the baby has its own immune system anyway. Plus a friend's baby got chicken pox whilst being bf (?! - did anyone claim that couldn't happen?)
2. BF doesn't promote health because one of the mums I was talking to was BF as a baby and she is often more ill than the rest of her family who were bottlefed (she's in her mid 30s...)
3. If you read the back of a formula packet you'll see that formula is essentially the same as breastmilk.

Apparently my views are wrong as I am inexperienced and once I am more experienced I will see that most 'research' on this is 'wrong' so anything I say is irrelevant anyway!

[Catz]

woops that would be 3 not 4 at the end

[emkana]

Compelte bollox, the lot

[pooka]

Oh dear
As far as I am aware there is no evidence whatsoever to suggest that breastfed babies are more susceptible to colic.

[JingleyJen]

How on earth do we start trying to educate all these ladies? So much seems to be about urban myth and conversation with relations.

FWIW I don't think more bf babies get colic, it has been proven about antibodies passing through breastmilk, FORMULA IS NOT BREASTMILK in the same as goats milk is not the same as cows milk and hamster milk..

[gagarin]

Feeding (and life) choices are all personal.

If scientific (or scientific-ish!) information counted for much then evey baby would be breast feed by non-smoking low BMI parents.

And we know that's not true!

Arguing the case for any type of life style choice is impossible. I tend to avoid those discussions and work on feeling comfortable about my choices.

[moondog]

They are talking shite.
Complete and utter shite.

[moondog]

They are talking shite.
Complete and utter shite.

[yama]

I thought bf babies were more likely to get colic. I still b/fed for nine months though. I didn't see it as a reason not to f/feed.

Wow - there really is a lot of misinformation out there.

[princessosyth]

They know they are wrong, they are just being pig-headed.

[Catz]

Thanks for the replies.

Gagarin - I avoid starting conversations like this but I do respond when people comment on MY choices. The very fact that I was sitting there BF an 8 month old prompted the 'I starred to BF DD but then looked at the back of the packet and saw formula was the same' comment. Then we got onto 'Once DS came along I knew not to bother as BF causes colic'. I've noticed that sometimes simply BF next to a baby who is bottlefed provokes people into 'justifying' their view without me even commenting.

[moondog]

They probably don't know they are wrong though unfortunately.
They have created their own relaity,aided and abetted by complicated forces 9not least those of formula companies who want mothers to believe there is no real difference between breastmilk and formula.)

[theyoungvisiter]

Look, you know this is not about whether bf is better or worse but purely about justifying their own choices.

Most people are happy to make their child-raising choices and live with them, but there is a certain type of person that takes it personally if you make ANY decision that differs from theirs, particularly if that decision is more in line with medical advice. It makes them touchy and defensive and they feel they have to go on the attack to justify why they chose to go against the general advice.

You are happy with your choice - your baby is far behind the age of colic - who cares what your "friends" say on the matter? Don't play the game and feel you need to justify your choices right back.

[LittleBella]

They sound extremely insecure and rather stupid.

[Catz]

I know there's probably no point in responding as far as they are concerned but I dislike the way that myths build up and there are always other mums listening in at baby groups (some of whom are new and bf). Certainly if I had had that conversation with 'experienced mums' when DD was a few weeks old it might have swung things for me (if I'd not already found MN). Also what are you supposed to say when people tell you that bf is pointless, just nod and agree?

[StealthPolarBear]

can this thread be used as evidence when people come on saying everyone knows all the facts, no one actually thinks formula is the same as breastmilk etc etc

[StealthPolarBear]

depends who they are
if they matter - tell them the facts
if they don't matter - nod, agree and do it your way

[sweetkitty]

I thought bottlefed babies got more colic as they took in more air when feeding as it's a different way of feeding than BFing where they have to work harder to get the milk and rest more. But I'm not an expert.

Whenever I fed the DDs outside I would always get a comment about it from other Mums and why they didn't BF ranging from the usual "milk didn't come in" "baby too hungry didn't produce enough milk" to "I like a drink too much" "yuck a baby sucking on my tits that freaks me out"

I really don't give a toss how anyone else feeds their baby we all make our choices.

[Sabire]

Colic is a developmental thing - many babies get it to some degree (over half); I've always understood that it affected both breast and artificially fed babies more or less equally.

That said - according to the Department of Health Feeding Survey 2005, which surveyed the feeding experiences of nearly 10 000 mothers, women who ff were more likely to report that their babies had colic than bf mums. They were also more likely to report that their babies were constipated, had episodes of vomiting, diarrheoa, thrush (which surprised me actually) and chest infections.

So there you go.

Your friends were referring to a 'survey sample' of approximately..... oh - 10 or 15 children. Not very representative compared to a survey sample of nearly 10 000.......

[gagarin]

Catz - it's hard not to respond but I just used to try and look smug!

[Catz]

Thanks for the survey Sabire that's the kind of thing I thought I'd heard.

I've found the pack of bottles I mentioned in my OP that made me think that BF babies have less colic. According to the back of the AVENT pack BF babies have about 4 mins colic a night on average, AVENT bottles 12 mins and others 22 mins. Now clearly that is marketing for AVENT but interesting that even a bottle company claims that BF babies have significantly lower rates of colic (based on 145 2 wk old babies). Of course I'm not trying to claim that the back of the packet is water tight research (!) but even a company with much to gain from selling bottles suggests that BF is better for colic.

Hmm. Naturally will not be going back to friends with this (they are actually very good friends - I'm just a bit hacked off with the conversation today) but thought I'd put that on incase anyone for whom it is relevant is interested.

They are both teachers by the way, not stupid...

[FoxyLoxy9]

So if they looked at the back of the packet of formula and found it was essentially the same as breastmilk, why pay for something you have for free?

[MoominMum]

We mix-feed and at first I would say he was less colicky bf-ing, but since we've switched to the Dr Browns bottles i have to say he has more colic when bf-ing than when we bottle-feed. I put this down to position - he's more reclined whilst bf-ing but can sit upright to bottle-feed. It wouldn't stop me trying to bf as much as possible tho' - I just take greater care winding and make sure he gets his orangey-num-nums (infacol) when necessary.