To think there is too much pressure to formula feed?

[daffodilsandprimroses]

I’ve been considering making this post for a while but was worried about being flamed - I probably will be.

I am definitely not speaking to or about the women who made a choice to formula feed, either from the start or after trying breastfeeding and deciding it wasn’t for them.

I am talking about the women like me who really wanted to breastfeed and tried.

I found the midwives were very quick to leap to pushing formula once breastfeeding wasn’t working. When ds lost weight after birth rather than helping support me to feed him we were put on a feeding plan involving formula.

Why is there no support for breastfeeding?

@whyhell0there For example, there are long-term repercussions at population level that are correlated with NOT breastfeeding, such as increased prevalence of auto-immune conditions. When we deviate from what is biologically expected, of course there will be health repercussions.

Interesting- please could you link to data on this as I’ve never seen this claim.

I also feel a bit uncomfortable with “biologically expected”. If I’d conducted my pregnancies in a way that was “biologically expected” and not for example had early induction, my I would have died of pre eclampsia and likely my baby too. That’s assuming the appendicitis I had as a teenager didn’t get me first

If I’d conducted my pregnancies in a way that was “biologically expected” and not for example had early induction

No, but you accepted the ‘health repercussions’ sorry quoting PP there of deviating from what was ‘biologically expected’ because (I’m assuming here) that you agree that the health of you and your baby is more important than what was ‘biologically expected’.

Preservation of life trumps everything IMO

[quote FudgeSundae]**@whyhell0there* For example, there are long-term repercussions at population level that are correlated with NOT breastfeeding, such as increased prevalence of auto-immune conditions. When we deviate from what is biologically expected, of course there will be health repercussions.*

Interesting- please could you link to data on this as I’ve never seen this claim.

I also feel a bit uncomfortable with “biologically expected”. If I’d conducted my pregnancies in a way that was “biologically expected” and not for example had early induction, my I would have died of pre eclampsia and likely my baby too. That’s assuming the appendicitis I had as a teenager didn’t get me first [/quote]
I found this info highlighted in the book 'Breastfeeding Uncovered: who really decides how we feed our babies?' by Amy Brown (a public health researcher specialising in infant feeding). Excellent, in-depth, informative book. Unfortunately I don't have a reference to hand for the findings I mentioned (I will never earn any scientist cred like this, I know! )

@FTEngineerM

If I’d conducted my pregnancies in a way that was “biologically expected” and not for example had early induction

No, but you accepted the ‘health repercussions’ sorry quoting PP there of deviating from what was ‘biologically expected’ because (I’m assuming here) that you agree that the health of you and your baby is more important than what was ‘biologically expected’.

Preservation of life trumps everything IMO

Yes, and formula can often be instrumental in preserving life as well, but it's got to the stage where we've lost a lot of collective knowledge about breastfeeding and therefore we are often told that formula is the answer in many cases where basic breastfeeding knowledge would suffice (when a mother wants to breastfeed).

Direct quote from my HV when ds was a newborn: "if you breastfeed, your son will never have a bond with his father". Appalling 'advice' and far from true.

Yes, and formula can often be instrumental in preserving life as well, but it's got to the stage where we've lost a lot of collective knowledge about breastfeeding and therefore we are often told that formula is the answer in many cases where basic breastfeeding knowledge would suffice (when a mother wants to breastfeed)

This.

When my mother had us formula was the new, “scientific” way of feeding. Pushed as best for baby, carefully formulated so completely balanced nutrition, unaffected by mothers diet, measurable so took all the guesswork out of feeding, caused nice steady weight gain, and meant strict regimes could be implemented to stop babies becoming clingy and needy. Plus everything could be cleaned and sterilised!!

Breastfeeding in comparison was unhygienic, and unpredictable. My mum was horrified when I bf, so ingrained was the teaching.

As a consequence we lost a whole generation of breastfeeding knowledge. Instead of reassurance that constant feeding etc was normal, I got a constant battery of comments about how my milk can’t be good enough if she wasn’t going 4 hours/all night, that my milk must be upsetting her stomach because her poo shouldn’t be runny like that, how do I know I’m not starving her, why don’t i try a bottle and if she takes it i know she’s not getting enough...