aibu to love this blog post about why formula feeding is brilliant?!

[girlwithasecretsmile]

I think it's great to have a post talking about good things about formula for once but part of me feels bad for laughing so much.

passmethebottleblog.wordpress.com/

dr
Exactly.

"It is estimated that feeding 10 babies with breast milk exclusively can prevent 1 case of NEC and treating 8 infants with breast milk can prevent 1 case of surgical NEC or death"

From the link below.

Moving the conversation on to NEC feels very much like derailing from the initial point. NEC is horrendous, it is also rare.

The babies discussed in the studies (some of which are very old by the way) should all have technically still been in the womb, getting sustenance from the umbilical cord. I have no doubt that breast milk is better for these babies, I am grateful that for women who are unable to express or feed, milk banks exist (although donated milk does lack the ‘personally tailored to your babies needs’ benefit)

I also think it’s incredibly important to be sensitive about this. Premature babies are often incredibly unwell and many need extensive and invasive treatment and intervention to survive. To so angrily suggest that all ff prem babies die is not true. It is also incredibly hard to attribute illness at this stage to one thing as so many issues arise with premature births.

The blog in question wasn’t discussing premature babies. She was merely talking about her negative experiences breastfeeding her (I assume?) full term baby and how formula worked for her.

Talking about all the dead babies isn't useful advice is it
Well, to be fair, if you're making a reasonable suggestion about how some deaths might be prevented then, yes, it it.

@DrKrogersfavouritepatient in that case Dr, we need to discuss exogenous and endogenous factors such as mothers age, marital status, occupation of parents, air pollution, living environment...

I've just read that and yes I can see that feeding breast milk alone can reduce the chance, but I think you also have to appreciate that it's not just not breastfeeding that could contribute to a baby getting this it's literally hundreds of other things as well. Being premature for a start off puts babies at massive risk of loads of conditions, including this one.

At 6 months 99% of babies are formula fed

Really? My DD is in the 1%, but not the 1% I'd hoped for.

People really need to believe that it won't make a difference to babies how they are fed.

We are a formula feeding culture which focuses on the needs of adults when talking about feeding choices and when it comes to talking about reducing the risk of illness and optimising the health of babies the rule is

• minimise
• minimise
• minimise

Says it all really.

The vast maj of babies aren't premature so this isnt really relavent for most.

Surely you consider things differently when in that position and of the best you can in those circumstances.

Having had a baby in SCBU I can honestly saying providing breast milk was way down on my worry list. I managed it but it took a huge amount of effort and I would never judge anybody who didn't do the same.

The rest in a more positive position can surely crack on regardless. Weighing up all the pros and cons and making choices that suit their circumstances the best.

Because Mini most of the benefits from breastfeeding are minimal. It's the most scrutinised food in the world and still they find minimal benefits involving tiny stats which often get over inflated and twisted by people like yourself.

Sad that as a society we never focus on more worthy issues.

xMaeow that figure isn't correct.

1% of babies are exclusively breastfed at 6 months.

But more are mixed fed or on breastmilk and solids.

I think the figure for 'any breastfeeding' is about 20%. To put that in perspective 80% of Norwegian babies are still breastfed at that point, so we are spectacularly, um, unenthusiastic about breastfeeding in the U.K. By comparison.

But you know fish can't see the water. Most people in the UK don't see it as a problem that the vast majority of U.K. babies get suboptimal feeding.

I'm absolutely not minimizing but 3 in 10,000 babies get NEC. Most of those babies are premature an vulnerable and there are too many other factors to consider blaming it all on formula.

Formula also saves babies lives doesn't it?

Breast milk is nutritionally better for babies, yes. I'm not denying that but formula is a perfectly acceptable substitute, it is not dangerous when prepared properly. It is a brilliant resource for those who cannot breastfeed or choose not to breastfeed.

I expect most children and adults in the UK are suboptimally fed, too. Why aren't we ranting about that?

DrKrogersfavouritepatient in that case Dr, we need to discuss exogenous and endogenous factors such as mothers age, marital status, occupation of parents, air pollution, living environment...
OK, fill your boots, feel free to discuss those factors.

"Because Mini most of the benefits from breastfeeding are minimal. It's the most scrutinised food in the world and still they find minimal benefits involving tiny stats which often get over inflated and twisted by people like yourself"

'They'?

And by 'people like myself I assume you mean the American Academy of Paediatrics, UNICEF, the World Health Organisation, the NHS and the Royal College of Midwives, because I've never quoted or linked to research on mumsnet which isn't from these sources or is quoted by them.

formula is a perfectly acceptable substitute partly true
it is not dangerous when prepared properly. Not really true
It is a brilliant resource for those who cannot breastfeed or choose not to breastfeed. clearly.

"I expect most children and adults in the UK are suboptimally fed, too. Why aren't we ranting about that?"

I think you'll find that there is a lot of discussion about poor diet in adults and children.

The difference is that little babies are

1. Especially immunologically vulnerable which is why evolution has created a method of feeding which compensates for that and which almost all women can do
2. It's not complicated - the safest and best infant food is available, free, on tap. There just needs to be cultural change so that more women choose not to reject it in preference for an inferior, less safe, less complete man-made product.

Other European countries have effected this sort of change so there's no reason we can't do it in the UK if we had the will.

How is it dangerous when prepared properly?

And what about women who just do not want to breastfeed?

well those two questions are entirely separate.
If you actually want to learn about the risks of formula as opposed to breastfeeding you just look up the information, as anyone who is genuinely interested in learning would do.
If your position is that of someone who purely wants to defend the position of mothers who choose not to breastfeed then you're unlikely to be interested in investigating the risks of formula feeding.
I don't consider it my responsibility to feed you the data. I don't care how you choose to feed your baby because your baby is not my concern

She didn't say dangerous. She said less safe. Which it is,because it can be prepared 'improperly' (by mistake). Breastmilk can't, t comes out fresh and sterile.

I expect most children and adults in the UK are suboptimally fed, too. Why aren't we ranting about that?"
Really? really?
how have you missed all this stuff?