to ask if you would use donated breastmilk if it was available rather than formula?

[bubbleymummy]

Inspired by another thread.

I personally would rather use donated milk. If you wouldn't - why not?

surely research disproves a hypothesis (null) rather than the opposite

If the WHO information is correct, Belarus has a life expectancy that is nearly 20 years lower than the UK, so I am not sure how we are defining developed country for this purpose.

really interesting rolloittherecollette.

And presumably we, as individuals, can reduce the risk of gastroenteritis by being scrupulous about how we prepare bottles?

bubbly i am not just trying to be difficult here, honest. but when you say things like "You can say that one is MORE LIKELY to be ill but there are no guarantees." I wonder why there is such a huge pressure for women to bf their babies on the basis of they may be less likely to get ill but there are no guarentees.

When you say your not going to bf the general reaction can be that you don't care about your babies health and they will be more healthy if they are bf.

To me a "well they may be more likely to get ill if you ff but they may not." It's not making me think breast is best for long term health tbh.

I dont know...a hypothesis is usually just a considered point. I know mine always are...I think of the nh, then do my background and proposal and ethics and go from there.

You see altinkum, that is why i don't trust all these theories and studies because you don't always get the full story. With the cancer one for instance, they have picked out a certain part of the theory and focused on it because they know it will mislead people into thinking bf reduces breast cancer, when actually they have failed to mention a very important part (its only when the genes are already present in the family.

I think the onus is on the reader to consider a paper critically.

Well i shall be leaving this thread, it takes up so much time! On the whole, the thread has not made me think my choice to ff was a bad one in the long term. Maybe i would have had a healthier baby in theory (not that there was anything wrong with either of my babies health wise) but i am safe in the knowledge that going on the poor, twisted to suit evidence on here, my dc will be fine in the long term even though they weren't bf.

I have lisened and taken in what has been said, i haven't just brushed anyone elses opinion off completely. So taking that into account, i am now happier then ever with my choices i have made and i hope that eveyone's dc, regardless of bf or ff, live a long healthy life

jamielee gastro diseases in the infant are more common in bottle fed babies, and formula fed babies (two different things) because of several reasons:

1. Cleanliness of the bottle (so important for bottle fed babies even if the bottle contains BM). This of course can be influenced by the carer.
2. Gut protection. BM lines the immature gut with a protective coating which helps to stop gastro bugs from infecting the baby. Formula or other things such as water remove this coating, thus making the baby more prone to gastro bugs. Therefore babies fed anything other than BM are more prone to gastro bugs. This can't be influenced by hygiene (although good hygiene will limit the potential for infection)
3. Infection from contaminated food. Formula powder is not sterile and can contain very dangerous bacteria. These can pretty much always be killed by ensuring that the water used to make up the feed is at 70 degrees (then left to cool). This is also something that can be influenced by the carer.

So to a certain extent a person has control if they're formula or bottle feeding, but unless they're exclusively breastfeeding their baby won't have that protective gut lining. But yes, you can certainly reduce the risk.

After my mother had my brother the hospital asked her to donate breast milk for other babies as hers was of a very good standard apparently. There was a mother on the ward who had had breast implants that prevented her from feeding her baby, most of the milk I think went to her baby. This was a premature ward so I think they wanted to give breast milk specifically; not sure though as I was quite young at the time.

FF for me. Thats probably because I ff both my children through choice.

Oh and as for which one is better, BF or FF, I like the idea of the all natural route, unless I have no other alternative than to FF. ITs what babies have had for millions of years and has done them no harm, plus its free and I made it.

But then again I haven't had my LO yet so won't pretend I know enough about it.

I am not convinced that Belarus is a comparable country to the UK.

First I would want to know how clean the tap water/local well water is, how many of those formular feeding carers have access to sterilisers and what local advice on sterilising bottle and other equipment is, also what local advice is given to carers re heating water for formula. Unless formula is prepared in the same way as here (which is by no means a given) we cannot know how many of those cases would have been unavoidable (e.g. to do with the gut flora, as mentioned by organiccarrot).

Yes I would. DS had DBM when he was first born. then got sent up to the ward as there was no room for him in SCBU and they were hoping he would manage. He had Formula there and it was disastrous for him especially considering we late found out he was Dairy Intolerent

I have also donated BM for many months and it take some effort to get enough milk to supply SCBU never mind for the open market

Thanks organic

Don't some formula companies put probiotics in, thus affecting no 2) on your list .....

Mrs sparkle said on the 'poor twisted to suit evidence' which is ironic as that is exactly what she has done!

Ldmummy - women with implants can feed babies - I know a few women with breast implants who bf

Jamie
Even if formula did contain probiotics the only way to protect a babies' gut is with exclusive breast milk
Probiotics in formula will not do that