To think breastfeeding has made no difference to my dd and is massively overrated in terms of benefits?

[Placeanditspatrons]

I've nearly driven myself to a breakdown feeding my dd. She is 16 months now and I'm still feeding. She has been ill more times and worse than my formula fed from four months son. She does not recover any faster and she catches anything I get and gets it worse, despite supppsedly the antibodies passing to her and either preventing or reducing the severity of the illness.

I know it's anecdotal and the studies say overall bf babies are healthier but how much healthier? I mean I we talking one less cold? One less ear injection? Statistically? Many of my friends have said similar. Again anecdotal but I can't help wondering - after the colostrum which is more important I guess - does it really make any noticeable difference?

Mind, my 12 year old only breastfed for 7 weeks is bordering on genius and my 6 year old was breastfed for 11 months and is only above average.

Oh and BF did sweet fuck all for my DD. She picked up every germ going from her older brother and was permanently snotty nosed. I did wonder why I bothered, tbh.

My DS was BF but I'd say in his circle of "friends" (I guess about 10 babies, even BF and FF), he's not ill any less than the others.

One of my friends is still BF at 15 months and her ds is constantly ill.

I think BF is great (I really enjoyed it) but I do think that people overestimate what it can do - someone on my local FB page posted the other week lamenting that her DD caught chicken pox "even though she was breastfed".

I mean...it ain't a chickenpox repellant!!!

www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/study-shows-no-long-term-cognitive-benefit-to-breastfeeding-a7651596.html

there is also better brain developpment

How do we know that for that particular child that that is true?

(Way too many 'thats' there...)

Some people say the benefits are more strongly evident in countries where there's no guaranteed access to safe drinking water etc. I breastfed my ds exclusively for 2 months and mixed feeding until 7 months. He strived in terms of gaining weight but he had his first cold at 2 weeks and lasted nearly a month. And then picked up another cold next month. So I thought sod it.

Yes it is overrated and I say that as a breast fed baby and breast feeder.

Let's see what the next decade makes us 'aspire to'

Nice to see the attitudes to breastfeeding remain uncompromisingly hostile in the UK.

You only have to look at Brazil to pour scorn on the breastfeeding will make you less likely to be obese stance.

Massively high breast feeding rates on course to become the most obese country in the world. Junk food,sugary drinks and lack of exercise being the cause.

Eating junk and not getting enough exercise makes you obese, end of. No amount of breast milk will save you from it.

Where's the hostility - many of us have breastfed! We are just giving our own experiences.

I really enjoyed it. But it didn't stop my dc getting sick.

And also I was bfed til I was 2 and am fat and greedy.

I breastfed all four of mine. The oldest two got pretty much every bug going; chest infections, ear infections, the lot. The youngest two have always enjoyed rude health. I put it down to the older two being winter born and us living in a dirty city and the younger two being summer born and us moving to the country.

However, I once read a comment on here from a farmers wife that there was a massive difference between the lambs on their farm who were reared by their mothers and those who were hand reared and it made me wonder. I did once look at DS's reception class when they were lined up in assembly and the ones that I knew from nursery etc that had been breastfed seemed to be overall a bit healthier looking. But that is just a subjective opinion.

DSis and I were fed completely differently - I BF to 13mo, she was FF from about 3 weeks as she had an undiagnosed tongue tie and it hurt too much. In real terms, there is bugger all difference between us. So. A bit of anecdata for you I do find that when you have two, they do definitely pick up more bugs from one another rather than being able to keep PFB at home away from all the other germy children. You may be seeing a result of this.

The thing is, that while breast is best, it doesn't mean that formula is bad - not in a developed country with good access to clean drinking water and sterilisation equipment. And by 16mo, it's not even a choice for you between breast milk and formula - you could move your baby (allergies allowing) straight on to cows milk and they would be fine. 16mo is great, particularly expressing - I doubt I would have stuck it out for more than about a month if I'd been doing that.

The problem with research into breast feeding is that's it's unethical, you simply can't test it. So you have to rely on case studies.

[sweeping generalisation coming up, brace yourselves]

So, if on the whole middle class mums breast feed and those on low income or benefits formula feed, you would find that breastfed children on the whole did better at school and formula fed children were more likely to be obese.

Studies looking at it in third world countries would show lower infant mortality from breast feeding as formula introduces the risk of using unclean water, which simply isn't that much of a risk in Surrey.

I think in the grand scheme of things it doesn't really matter, can you look at an adult and work out how they were fed as babies? Nope!

I agree that the benefits are hugely overstated. There are some very small limited benefits when you look at twin studies, but that's about it. It's not the magic elixir that it's often portrayed as.

The problem is that given that breastfeeding is often (for good reason) seen as hard work, and can be painful, difficult at the begging etc, and puts a lot of the emphasis on the mother, we like to think it must be better. Because if it's harder, it needs to be better, because otherwisr why aren't we doing it.

The word "breastapo" is offensive on so many levels. Please don't use it.

Sorry if I repeat what someone else had said but I haven't read all posts. I think long term health benefits are equally important. E.g. Breastfed babies are less likely to be obese, get diabetes etc when they are older.
So, even if you feel cheated you really have given your DD the beast start

boat race 30, no, they are not more likely to get diabetes or be obese. There is a correlation as people from wealthier families who are more likely to breastfeed are less likely to be diabetic or obese. It's no more a cause than saying that owning a Mercedes makes you less likely to be obese. Twin studies have shown no difference.

Fucking hate the breast feeding police who talk about it makes a better bond. Both of my DC were FF and there's nothing wrong with our bond. It's totally insinuating BF children are closer to their mothers than FF babies, it's hurtful and a load of shit.

"There is a correlation as people from wealthier families who are more likely to breastfeed are less likely to be diabetic or obese"

I would imagine that any study comparing breastfeeding and formula feeding wouldn't be just confined to the uk and that particular sociological phenomena.

On the whole my FF child was/is healthier than BF, but she was mixed fed for the first couple of weeks til my milk came in properly (top ups), which could've contributed to eczema and other allergy issues. 10 months bf was enough for us!

There's hurt and upset on both sides.

I find it hurtful, when something that was really hard for me personally to do, and that I feel proud of, is mocked and people pretend it doesn't have any benefits at all, ever.

I can understand too why people get hurt when they can't manage it, and are very wrongly made to feel shit about it and why they need to think there are no difference or benefits at all.

It's not black and white and it's different for everyone. Why do there have to be so many insults and generalisations thrown about when this subject comes up?

I just wish the over-sensitive militants on both sides would cut it out so we can all get back to feeding our babies, however the hell we like, in peace.

There are benefits but highly overinflated benefits.Benefits not as big as those in other parenting choices and benefits that when weighed up with all the information and your own personal history really aren't worth the stress if breast feeding is a nightmare.

Very well said GlamClam