To ask why some mothers insist on breastfeeding despite weight loss?

[doodahdayy]

I follow a group on Facebook of babies born during the same month as ds2, and a few mums have had problems with babies dropping centiles along with hospital admissions, formula top ups etc. Despite all this they seem adamant they want to continue breastfeeding. I know bf is optimum when it works, but surely sometimes you need to admit it's just not working? Is it really that rewarding to the mum to keep trying through all the issues? In a few years will it even matter?

🥕 🐛 🤣

I think the answer is there's not one right answer for everyone op. Like most things baby related. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Same here - formula was so easy and DC’s have grown up healthy with none of health issues some claim they will suffer from. Healthy babies = happy parents.

I felt pretty primitive when I was trying to get breastfeeding sorted. Don't forget that pre formula (or wet nurses etc), if you couldn't breastfeed your baby, there was a pretty good chance he or she would die. It's a very basic instinct. Plus at that time you're usually dealing with huge sleep deprivation etc etc so your capacity for making rational decisions is pretty shot. Plus you do get a lot of pressure that breast is best etc etc. Basically, I was pretty insane in those first few weeks, and I reckon I'm not the only one.

I don't think I've ever read anything about health issues coming from formula. Only the additional benefits of bf that can't be replicated.

The only health issues I’m aware of is higher chance of obesity later in life.
Here’s part of one study

if u tap to read it gets rid of the blur

You’ve got that completely the wrong way round
There are no additional health benefits of breast feeding as it’s the normal way to feed a baby. Saying it has additional benefits is casting formula as the biological default when it’s not.
Babies are supposed to receive breast milk.
If they don’t then they are at increased risk of various infections, obesity, diabetes etc etc

This isn’t to make anyone feel bad about bottle feeding at all, most babies will thrive on either feeding method. But just as a philosophical question, to say BF provides extra benefits is bizarre. It’s like saying collecting your waste in a stoma is the biological norm but if you poo out your own bum it has extra benefits.

Exactly!
Breastfeeding protects against a number of risks; absence of breastfeeding (ie formula) increase those risks.

and no I’m not saying formula causes problems, it’s simply not as protective as breast milk.

I did my research and weighed up the pros and cons of both breast and formula feeding. For our family formula feeding was the best option.

Yes I completely agree with you both. I just worded it the way I did because I was trying not to cause offence to women who wanted to breastfeed but didn't receive the right support etc.

No one has milk for the first few days. Your body produces tiny volumes of colostrum which is highly dense in nutrients. Baby then cluster feeds to help signal (along with hormonal changes from giving birth) to the body to produce milk.
Ever mothers milk doesn't come in until day 3 or 4.

@TheCourseOfTheRiverChanged
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/everybody-calm-down-about-breastfeeding/
Emily Oster's explanations of what the data actually shows are really important, I think. Alot of the claims that have been made for EBF on this thread aren't backed up by any data. I love her emphasis on breastfeeding being right when it feels right for mum.
I experienced huge pressure to breastfeed AND ENJOY IT. The pressure really came from myself, I had lots going on including PND, but I really wish I could have enjoyed the amount of breastfeeding I got to do without the endless ladling of guilt that's so readily available to mums.

At the end of that article it says Emily Oster is a professor of economics? So the benefits, or otherwise, of breastfeeding would hardly be her area of expertise! Anyone can reference various studies to back up whatever point they want to make

I totally get what you said about the notion that you should ENJOY breastfeeding. So much about pregnancy/childbirth/newborn baby stuff is pushed as this beautiful magical experience but like some of it is so messy and hard and NOT pretty like it’s shown in advertising etc! Not enjoying an aspect of caring for a child (at any stage) isn’t a reason not to do it though! Just because something is hard, doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing.

Of course there are instances where breastfeeding is not possible, in which cases thank goodness we have the availability of formula.