'Breast is Best'

[OddSocksandRainbowDocs]

It's National Breastfeeding Week and I've seen the phrase 'Breast is Best' banded about quite a few times.

Whilst I agree breastfeeding is scientifically better, some mothers (myself included) physically could not breastfeed so chose to formula feed instead. I was made to feel like a failure by a midwife for choosing to do so.

My little one is now one and a half. She is happy, she is healthy.

I don't know who needs to hear this but 'Breast is Best' isn't always the case. 'Fed is Best' is most definitely the case. It doesn't matter how you feed your baby, as long as the baby is fed, that is all that matters

I mean this is just ridiculous, it's not like the choice for newborns or infants is either breast milk or crisps, chocolate and pizza.

OP you're absolutely correct. Breast milk is food, formula is food. Both are equal.

In developed countries with access to plentiful fresh, clean water the differences between breast milk and formula are negligible, mainly related to the GI tract, and very much short term.

The people who insist that breast milk is "liquid gold" and suggest using it for everything from eye infections to rashes to serious conditions have sadly bypassed all scientific fact and jumped straight into lactivist woo and swallowed it all down.

People do understand that some women can't breastfeed.
But most women who formula feed can physically breastfeed.

Oh not this again! I'm so fed up of not being able to be proud of breastfeeding my babies without someone getting the arse on because they didn't BF there's.

I was cringing for you with breastfeeding cafe anecdote but see you’ve well and truly crossed the rubicon now passing bullshit stereotypes and heading straight to ageism.

I disagree, breast is ALWAYS best. And that's coming from somone who did not breast feed. But if you can't, or won't breast feed, then fed is best! Nobody can make you feel guilty, that's your own guilt taking over.

Just going to leave this article here

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/jun/20/is-breast-really-best-i-looked-at-all-the-data-to-find-out?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

It's a really sensible take on a very emotive issue.

@Whiskeypowers might be a stereotype but they were older mums all of them and that’s the truth. As someone said on this thread regarding breastfeeding being the best option - if the truth offends you it’s still true. Applies to BF being scientifically better apparently and applies to my experience of the horrendous middle class mummy bf militants

I think this from the article sums it up really well.

It is one thing to say: “Breastfeeding has benefits for your child, so let me help support you in figuring it out, and hopefully it will be something you enjoy.” It is quite another to say: “This is the most important thing you can do for your child, and if it doesn’t work for you, that’s very unfortunate and, in the long run, will have serious consequences.” Of course, no one is literally saying the latter, but this is how a lot of women are hearing what is said.

@SuperPets at no point did I state FF is the best option because I was unable to breastfeed, my point was that a baby being fed is the most important part. It should not be judged in the slightest how that baby is fed and I feel 'breast is best' doesn't promote this.
My DS exclusively breastfed all her children, unfortunately after suffering diarrhoea and vomiting her daughter contracted e-coli through her breastmilk, Although she stopped feeding her as soon a symptoms started it was too late to stop transmission through her milk. This resulted in a very scary time for us all and a years course of antibiotics needed for my DN. At no point did I or anyone else think she should give up feeding her daughter in the way she wanted though. So yes we can speak about the benefits of breastmilk all day long but let's not pretend that it is this holy grail of nectar some people wish us to think.

I'm going to leave this thread now as I have said what I wanted to, I hope you have a lovely day

My kids were formula fed from day 1 as was I. I honestly couldn't point to a single way in which any of us have suffered. I find the whole argument bemusing. I think I'm meant to understand that we're inferior to all the breast feeders or something?!

The science says breast feeding is best.

We shouldn’t be afraid of sharing scientific fact and knowledge in case someone is upset.

I also failed to breastfeed but am not offended by being presented with scientific fact.

What makes you ask if you are "meant to feel inferior"?

Actually this mantra caused me to have ptsd. I had my daughter after severe eclampsia and a heart attack (heart stopped I was resist) I developed kidney and liver issues as a result. She was fine - c section, I was in intensive care for a week. No milk came in and I beat myself up daily surrounded by ‘breast is best’ mantra - I had failed totally as a mother. I had severe pnd and ptsd. I was surrounded by the breast is best message and my god I tried. And I failed.

She lived on cow and gate and has the immune system
of an ox. She’s already got some of her GCSEs at level 9 and she is 15 and she’s done an A level. She’s 6 foot and like an Amazon warrior .
Cow and gate did her no harm at all.

in fact most studies to prove ‘breast is best’ and flawed.
read an interesting research article in 2007 where they compared one Breast fed and one formula fed baby in the SAME family
on the 11 main inductors they formula fed baby was identical to the breast fed baby except for asthma- the formula fed one is less likely to have it.

seriously pregnancy is hard enough never mind a safe delivery.

healthy mum and healthy baby are the goals - fuck the rest of it and do what is BEST for you and best for your baby.

But it is best. Like, scientifically proven to best when compared to formula. It’s a fact.

There is literally no reason to take this personally.

You made the best choice you could for the situation you were in and what you could manage. And that’s fine.

@neshtastic first one for you regarding dementia and breastfeeding history.

www.cbsnews.com/news/breast-feeding-may-lower-moms-risk-of-alzheimers-disease/#app

Inferior in what way?

My mum drank and smoked throughout her pregnancy with me. I'm perfectly healthy and I don't feel inferior in any way to people who's mums didn't do those things. But I also wouldn't laugh at the suggestion that abstaining from drinking and smoking is a good idea during pregnancy.

Note - I am not in any way suggesting that formula is harmful in the same way as smoking and drinking. Formula is fine and a great way to feed babies. It's just an example of how "we did it and it makes no difference" is a stupid argument.

Breastfeeding has some, relatively small, benefits. It has next to no impact on obesity, IQ and overall future health (most of these perceived 'benefits' are explained by social factors). It is good for their immune systems as babies but doesn't provide some long-term inherent protection. Formula feeding is perfectly nutritional and sustains healthy growth and development; it isn't comparable to feeding them junk as some are suggesting. Having a tiny baby is hard enough and breastfeeding support in this country is shocking. Overall I believe if formula feeding works best for you then there should be no shame, no judgement. There's no such thing as perfect parenting, and breastfeeding isn't morally superior; it's a choice about what is practical for you and your family, just like the millions of other choices and compromises we make around parenting every day as they grow up.

I think you're right, I think a great amount of parents who breast feed feel superior to those who don't/can't and that's what causes this huge argument, I don't understand why anyone cares what another parent chooses to feed their baby, unless we're talking about giving them smarties our whole grapes etc.

I breast fed my child but I am very scientifically minded and pay attention to evidence and fact so I know that formula is equal to breast milk, couldn't give a fuck what other parents do and nor should anyone else.

@neshtastic second one - regarding breastfeeding and lower ovarian cancer risk.
You'll appreciate that on an individual basis all these risks or decreases in risk maybe small but on population levels where governments are marking important Heath funding decisions they become very significant.

www.unicef.org.uk/babyfriendly/news-and-research/baby-friendly-research/maternal-health-research/ovarian-cancer/amp/

We shouldn’t be afraid of sharing scientific fact and knowledge in case someone is upset.

I agree.

I don't want anyone to beat themselves up if they couldn't breastfeed, but let's not hide the truth to make them feel better.

The "mantra" (ie fact) did not cause you to have ptsd. A heart attack and a wekk in ICU would do that, but three words that happen to be true did not.

Nobody would have expected someone in your position to BF easily and you, like most people, formula fed, which is totally supported by HCP's and society in the UK.

I breast fed my child but I am very scientifically minded and pay attention to evidence and fact so I know that formula is equal to breast milk, couldn't give a fuck what other parents do and nor should anyone else.

You're not and you dont, since it is not in any way equal.

Lying about science to make other people more comfortable in their choices....an ongoing theme these days it seems.

Beautiful comment x

I am very scientifically minded and pay attention to evidence and fact so I know that formula is equal to breast milk, couldn't give a fuck what other parents do and nor should anyone else.

This isn't true, though. At all.

And it's especially not true for women in developing countries and their babies.

Describing the composition differences between breast milk and formula which is all I have done is not the same thing as the massive Demographic and societal / cultural sweeping generalisations your more recent posts contained.

people are rightly offended by - embellished in your case I suspect - anecdotes pertaining to the age or appearance or indeed status of a breastfeeding mother. People would rightly be offended by the denigration of the formal feeding mother.

people being offended by actual facts pertaining to breast milk and your average tub of formula because most of them chose not to breastfeed is baffling to me

the closet thing to denigration of a formula feeding mother on this thread that I can find is the statement that most women can breastfeed but chose not to. That cannot be said of the comments aimed towards breastfeeding women sow of which I’ve read inherently are ignorant and offensive.
. If a woman who wanted to breastfeed but couldn’t cannot extricate her own experience from the factual aspects of the debate then that doesn’t mean she’s correct in her reactions nor that she is being pilloried / viewed as a failure.