Nurse said something strange about breastfed babies

And yet if you look at a playground full of children it’s not obvious which were breast fed or not. So that’s how much ‘better’ it is. In the developed world this is relatively insignificant data over huge numbers, and yet the guilt and anxiety ‘breast is best’ induces for new mothers is so damaging and toxic. It’s actually a national scandal.

Maybe she just reads newspapers?

If you're going to make a complaint every time someone says something dumb about parenting, you're going to be complaining all the time. Welcome to parenthood! Just let these things wash over you and don't take them on board. You know your child and situation best.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/jun/20/is-breast-really-best-i-looked-at-all-the-data-to-find-out

One of mine was breastfed till 8 weeks, the other till 8 months. Now 13 and 14 and guess which one is performing better st school? A better eater? No allergies? Yup, the one formula fed from 8 weeks. I'm not wholly convinced it's the liquid gold it's made out to be so midwives/health visitors etc should not be dishing out such comments. Take no notice and do what works for you for as long as it works for you. There's enough pressure as a new parent as it is

Wow, highly inappropriate from a medical professional!

this could have sent someone overboard who was already struggling.

and if this were true I’m not sure where I got both my formula fed babies, one is an accountant and the other is just starting their masters in engineering.

Not bad for formula fed babies!

Exactly—every child is different, breastfeeding or not

Ah, some of us are just human and empathise with the rawness felt by people who are vulnerable.

WTF is a social analyst. Do you do anything useful?

@skinnyblonde what an unempathetic comment to a new mum who is feeling vulnerable and sensitive and has done her very best.

Fed is best.

That is not how statistics work. You don't just pluck out a random example that shows the opposite. You look at the data overall. I'm a social analyst.

Yes it's true. Breastfeeding is better all round. Do you have a problem with facts? Cow's milk is also for calves, while we're stating facts.

Yes it is if it prevents the grief and stress such silly and ill judged comments make to new and vulnerable mothers. Let's put the mother at the heart of best practice for a change.

My mum has 3 pure formula fed children. One is a solicitor, the other a GP and the third a social worker all with masters degrees and who have passed their eleven pluses. Absolutely no correlation at all.

@Driftingawaynow and @AmyFl

Yep, I reckon the practice nurse has read those research papers in full, alongside the papers that indicate infinitesimal difference. I reckon she's discussed them with Lactation Consultants and paediatricians and they have mutually concluded it's acceptable to make the comment she made to vulnerable mothers who are struggling to breast feed.

Well done both of you 👏 👏

Yes there is a link & it’s always be known. She should have worded her comment more carefully but this is in no way cause for a formal complaint - is it really worth all the expense to the NHS & the grief and stress you will cause to her? Sorry you experienced this though.

The nurse was probably thinking of this study. They found that breastfeeding can increase a baby's IQ - dependent on their genotype. It's an interesting paper.

Breast-feeding and FADS2 polymorphisms on IQ: Evidence of gene–environment interaction

Authors:
Avshalom Caspi, Terrie Moffitt, et al.

Journal:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)
Year: 2007
Link to article

🧬 What They Found:

The benefit of breastfeeding depends on a baby’s genotype, specifically the FADS2 gene.

FADS2 helps convert precursor fats into DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), a key fatty acid for brain development.

Babies with the “CC” or “CG” version of the FADS2 gene got a 6–7 point IQ boost if breastfed.

Babies with the “GG” version didn’t show that IQ benefit from breastfeeding.

Sorry haven’t rtft but she’s probs referring to this or similar? https://www.bbc.com/news/health-31925449.amp

“Dr Bernardo Lessa Horta, from the Federal University of Pelotas in Brazil, said his study offers a unique insight because in the population he studied, breastfeeding was evenly distributed across social class - not something just practised by the rich and educated.”

@Chocolateegg123 with DS1, I found bf really difficult and very painful. I had infective mastitis and then a breast abscess. The community midwives and hv were overbearing about breast feeding. When I was struggling my hv actually said "well bottle feeding mothers put themselves first and breastfeeding mothers put the baby first." I needed permission to stop and that comment pushed me into PND and another week of agony - breastfeeding with drain from the abscess taped over my shoulder.

I gave up bf after 8 weeks and was heartbroken and unwell and felt a complete failure who was letting down my baby.

DD was much easier to feed and I had learnt more about it. I fed her for 8 months.

They are grown up now and all of the following is true.

DS1 limited breast then formula:
Bronchiolitis, eczema, asthma, repeated ear infections.

DD breast until 8 months
Bronchiolitis, eczema, asthma, repeated ear infections.

DS took a first from Oxford, has a PhD and has already published a 4* monograph.

DD took a first from Cambridge and is a teacher.

The best thing about breastfeeding is that the DC don't remember it. They remember their first graze and mummy's arms, their favourite dinners, scoring their first goal, coming last in a race and knowing they are loved and mum is always there to mend grazed knees and broken hearts.

I know a lot of people who were dedicated to bf and then once weaned fed their dc absolute shite the years post bf are equally if not more important.

Report her - she is peddling nonsense.

But this isn’t a petty little comment. It’s inaccurate and insensitive. Imagine how many other mums she’s saying this to - some who will be really struggling. The OP should absolutely complain.

Just ignore her and do what works for you. It also is bollocks (and I say that as someone who BF all children exclusively for the first 6 months and then carried on BF until 2.5-3 years). None of mine are geniuses, both have SN and one has severe learning difficulties.

this might make you feel better. But also explains why people might think like her. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/jun/20/is-breast-really-best-i-looked-at-all-the-data-to-find-out

TLDR - siblings where one is breastfed and the other is not show almost no difference in intelligence.

Nobody is telling her to continue, as you confirm you didn’t bother to read the replies.
Most replies are advising her to do what is right for her.
FF is how most babies are fed, I don’t get the angst, nobody cares.

Plenty of research to show that breast milk is better than formula health/nutrtion wise however like everyone said the intelligence link isn’t proven. She should not have made that comment especially when you expressed your mental health concerns.

Breastfeeding absolutely wrecked my mental health and I switched to formula soon after so if that’s what you need to do then so be it. Another poster mentioned about the food you feed them post weaning and that is a very valid point because that will matter more in my view as a healthy and varied diet will set them for life.

When I was pregnant with my eldest in 2019 I went to an NHS breastfeeding class. The midwife said (this is a direct quote) "formula is cow's milk. Cows have large bodies and small brains and that's what babies who are fed formula will have". My jaw hit the floor.

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣