Benefits of breastfeeding 'wear off' by 5

[greygal]

Had 6 week check for DS today with my GP. He asked all the 'normal' questions, including how I was finding breastfeeding.

I've been really lucky and had no pain, soreness etc and DS is gaining wait incredibly well so I explained that despite my longest sleep in 6 weeks being 4 hours in one go, I felt that it was going really well and felt positive about continuing.

He then launched into a rant about there being far too much pressure on mothers to breastfeed and that by the age of 5, any benefits to a baby of being breast-fed had worn off!

AIBU to wonder why the bloody hell we're all bothering (especially people who have cracked, bloody nipples/ blocked milk ducts/ mastitis etc)?

Is it true that there is no difference between a breast fed and formula fed child by 5 years of age?

I was formula fed but am not offended by the suggestion bf might increase IQ. It's obviously possible - why not? Doesn't mean the effects would be noticeable in an individual or that all bf babies will grow up to be more intelligent than all ff babies.

Well you can’t win really. Formula feed and your made to feel shit for not BF. BF and you’re made to feel bad about not FF! I’m not a medic but even if benefits wear off after 5 then that’s pretty damn good.

So true @ice. That phrase, “a mother’s place is in the wrong” springs to mind.

Does anyone actually believe that there’s something in breast milk that contribites to higher IQ?

No one knows either way, is the answer.

it’s really, really difficult to do these kinds of studies because there are too many confounding factors. Most of the research in the area is of poor quality or hasn’t been replicated. The general thought in epidemiology is that it’s almost impossible to tease out the physical effects from the demographic effects.

I’ve read around the literature quite a bit and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a study I’d consider rock solid in terms of accounting for class/wealth/behavioural differences or other confounding factors.

If there is an effect, it’s small, especially in the West, that’s about all you can say. In the individual other factors have far more influence. The IQ of your twins will be a Mix of heredity and upbringing. It’s impossible to measure the difference BF makes to the individual.

Again people are confusing the individual and population level

I have no idea which of DD's classmates has been bf or ff. I can't tell with any of the kids are work either. What i can spot though is, involved parenting, neglect, ott parenting, caring parenting etc. I can spot kids that are bright and kids that try hard. I can spot the confident ones and the shy ones. The ones that struggle and the ones that are having a great time.

Yes by 5-6 it will be irrelevant probably,as it's only one of the many many factors that make a child loved,confident,well adjusted,happy etc.

WhT I'm trying to say is love your kid,raise them well,do your best,care for them. That's what will stand out,not what you chose to feed them as a baby.

That phrase, “a mother’s place is in the wrong” springs to mind

And it starts before you even have the baby

You can only do what you can do at the time.

Well they both have giant heads - the neonatologist panicked when they were about 6 months and they were 12th centile for height and had shot to 97th or whatever it is for head circumference. We were rushed in for scans and the tech doing it said “oh don’t worry, turns out they just have really big brains”. All that pumped milk must have done its job 😂

Did this really happen?

Backenette - love your post. It requires a certain amount of experience with interpreting studies to understand the complexities of scientific research and confounding factors and what is poor quality research and recognising the differences between individual and population level.

But the media or certain organisations spin a 'result' and the majority of people reading it just take it as fact.

@bobstersmum my discussion with the doctor? Yeah, it did.

That phrase, “a mother’s place is in the wrong” springs to mind

Hell yes. When I weaned DS at 18m I was judged IN ONE DAY by someone from back home who thought it was disgusting I was breastfeeding a toddler and an expat Mum who thought I was the pinnacle of neglect for not feeding until he weaned himself.

Women can’t win. No one should be feeling any guilt about feeding their baby breast milk, formula or any mix of the two. Parenting is hard enough wothoutvthe guilt and judgement.

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That’s amazing @melamin. Love it.

Did he say the benefits have worn off by age five, or a baby being breastfed is better off than a baby who is ff? Because they are two completely separate things. My kids weren't breastfed and I would not believe a breastfed baby was better off than mine were.

4 hours sleep is bloody amazing for a breastfed baby

I may have read it wrong, but I thought it was the mother who had four hours sleep, not the baby?

@TabbyMumz that by the age of 5, there is no discernible difference between a child who was breast fed and one that wasn't as the benefits had stopped having an effect. He agreed that under the age of 5, breastfeeding had benefits that formula feeding doesn't have.

@Farmerswife36 we both get 4 hours, then two lots of 3! It feels like a whole night after getting half that for weeks on end!

I guess he's just talking nutritionally
The impact on attachment will last a lifetime

@greygal - I don't know if it is any help, but with my twins, I used to have a good dinner, then rest with my feet up and feed them whenever from about 6pm, with plenty snacks and drinks for me. I am sure that it helped them through the night so much better than their older brother, who woke up more than the two of them together (or it was just him - totally possible ).

And children who are formula fed have benefits that breastfed babies don't.

What are those benefits Tabby?

@TabbyMumz do they? I'm learning loads about this topic so I'm genuinely interested. What are the benefits of formula over breast?

@Melamin will take any advice offered! He seems to have stopped clustering in the evenings recently so I always worry that he'll be really hungry when he's asleep! Haha