Emily Oster on Breastfeeding - minimal benefits.

[IamOvercome]

I am pregnant with my first and am an economist so I was recommended books by fellow economist Emily Oster. The books don’t give advice. They review the statistical studies underlying pregnancy advice and whether they are any good or not.

It’s been such an eye opener. For example it is pushed pushed and pushed some more that breast is best. But when you review the evidence there is minimal evidence for benefits of breastfeeding for babies. The strongest evidence is actually for mothers that it can marginally reduce chance of breast cancer in later life.

Same with not introducing babies to bottle to confuse them when breastfeeding. Literally no concrete evidence for it.

Yet this is all pushed as clear cut facts by midwives and other health professionals.

I literally said in my post why it’s ridiculous.

Because your grandmother didn't do it? Srsly?

Because your grandmother didn't do it? Srsly?

She assumes she didn't. Granny could have merrily been breastfeeding two or three at a time. Her post seemed to be unaware it was even possible.

@Blossomtoes

It is called tandem nursing

It’s ridiculous, is what it’s called. Pregnancy is hard enough on a woman’s body without breastfeeding at the same time, let alone producing enough milk for two kids at once. Clearly my gran’s body didn’t get the memo about natural contraception.

But you must realise that for - literally - 100s of 1000s of years, almost all of human history in fact, this is exactly what women have done…..?

Familiea also aren't getting full info about avoiding SIDS. I was terrified of SIDS, especially when I couldn't EBF because it had been really emphasised antenatally. Yet much bigger risk reductions are from not smoking, not bed sharing, baby sleeping on back and using a dummy. Yet EBFing gets pushed as a big one, and people even get encouraged to co-sleep so they can BF .

According to UNICEF co sleeping (safely) reduces the risk of SIDS

@TheKeatingFive

I literally said in my post why it’s ridiculous.

Because your grandmother didn't do it? Srsly?

I said:

Pregnancy is hard enough on a woman’s body without breastfeeding at the same time, let alone producing enough milk for two kids at once.

I really couldn’t have made it clearer. Just because something’s possible it doesn’t mean it’s a good idea.

@Franca123

I can't take the idea of breast feeding a school age child. I wish I could wash my brain.

How incredibly rude and ignorant of you. I breastfed 3 children up to age 5 or thereabout. I'm not saying they developed superpowers as a result and i don't go bragging about it but I'd appreciate some tolerance and realisation that you may not have experienced everything in life and others have the right to do it differently. If not just keep quiet.

Just because something’s possible it doesn’t mean it’s a good idea.

But where's the evidence it isn't? It's just producing more milk. I know about 6/7 women who've done it without issues. So if you want to and are able to, why not?

@Blossomtoes

It is called tandem nursing

It’s ridiculous, is what it’s called. Pregnancy is hard enough on a woman’s body without breastfeeding at the same time, let alone producing enough milk for two kids at once. Clearly my gran’s body didn’t get the memo about natural contraception.

I breastfed 3 children over 10 years and now expressing for my 4th. During quite a few of those 10years i have breastfed more than 1 child at a time (though never more than 2) as they first 3 stopped around age 5. It's perfectly doable. I work full time and always have. i don't have super powers. But I also don't expect everyone to do it. Some tolerance would however be welcome here. Just because you don't understand it (possibly due to lack of exposure and/or education on the subject) doesn't make it wrong or weird.

I’m surprised people are tying to explain. ‘It’s perfectly doable’.

Of course it’s perfectly doable.

We wouldn’t be sitting here having this conversation, except for it.

The human species would have fallen extinct if women hadn’t tandem fed.

Contraception and family planning is, evolutionarily speaking, a very, very, very recent thing. Come on!

Contraception and family planning is, evolutionarily speaking, a very, very, very recent thing

So is women not dying in childbirth. Do we think that was a good thing? Contraception owes nothing to evolution, it’s entirely man made.

I can't take the idea of breast feeding a school age child. I wish I could wash my brain.

How funny! well, DD was in Reception yes, but had she been born 2 weeks later she would still have been in Nursery when she stopped bfing. Does that sound better?

@MadameDragon

She’s an economist rather than in the medical field and where she’s writing on topics I have worked on she makes lots of errors so I have to assume the other chapters are similarly affected. I like the research driven approach but it should be written by someone in the field.

Exactly. Or a statistician. She’s not that either.

@Blossomtoes

Contraception and family planning is, evolutionarily speaking, a very, very, very recent thing

So is women not dying in childbirth. Do we think that was a good thing? Contraception owes nothing to evolution, it’s entirely man made.

Yes, contraception is man made.

Being able to say ‘we’re going to have 2 children, and we’re going to have them 2.5 years apart’ is a very modern luxury.

For most of human history, women had babies when they were impregnated. There was no contraception. There was no family planning.

This meant that women being pregnant and breastfeeding at the same time was entirely normal. Women breastfeeding more than one child at a time was entirely normal.

Are you genuinely struggling with this, @Blossomtoes?

My body didn’t get the contraception memo, either. I stated getting my periods again 5 months after DC1 was born, even though I EBF for 6 months.

We started TTC when DC1 was 7 months and I got pregnant 2 months later, so yes, was pregnant and breastfeeding at the same time.

This is completely and utterly unremarkable.

This meant that women being pregnant and breastfeeding at the same time was entirely normal. Women breastfeeding more than one child at a time was entirely normal

So, as I pointed out, was women dying in childbirth. Do we see that as a good thing? Or do we celebrate that it rarely happens now?

So you accept then, that the answer to ‘how could she possibly have breastfed more than one of them at once?’ is: quite easily. It’s a perfectly normal, natural thing to do.

@NurseBernard

So you accept then, that the answer to ‘how could she possibly have breastfed more than one of them at once?’ is: quite easily. It’s a perfectly normal, natural thing to do.

You’ve completely missed the point - no idea whether that’s intentional or not. If the “natural” weaning age is between 4 and 7, she’d have been feeding six kids at once or a minimum of four. That’s normal and natural, is it?

I don't really understand it when people say...

breastfeeding is only cheaper if we don't value women's time.

I bottle feed and the amount of time I spend cleaning bottles... sterilising bottles... making up formula before I even get onto the feeding part 🙄 sure, other people can feed my baby and occasionally they do, but I suspect they'd have to do it a lot to make the amount of time I spend on it all less than a breastfeeding mother. So as far as I can see, breastfeeding is also cheaper if we do value women's time.

So, as I pointed out, was women dying in childbirth. Do we see that as a good thing? Or do we celebrate that it rarely happens now?

So you're equating dying and bfing children?

Do I need to point out to you why ones a bad thing and the other is fine if it works for you? Really?

@Meg87

I don't really understand it when people say...

breastfeeding is only cheaper if we don't value women's time.

I bottle feed and the amount of time I spend cleaning bottles... sterilising bottles... making up formula before I even get onto the feeding part 🙄 sure, other people can feed my baby and occasionally they do, but I suspect they'd have to do it a lot to make the amount of time I spend on it all less than a breastfeeding mother. So as far as I can see, breastfeeding is also cheaper if we do value women's time.

It is quite different having baby solely depend on you for milk though, and especially during cluster feeding this can be relentless. No one is saying preparing bottles and formula is easy or time consuming, but I think it's fair to say that breastfeeding is a big commitment.

@Blossomtoes

This meant that women being pregnant and breastfeeding at the same time was entirely normal. Women breastfeeding more than one child at a time was entirely normal

So, as I pointed out, was women dying in childbirth. Do we see that as a good thing? Or do we celebrate that it rarely happens now?

Are you comparing tandem feeding to women dying in childbirth? Yes it's a good thing fewer women die in childbirth but that doesn't automatically mean that fewer women tandem feeding is also a good thing.

Blossomtoes - the natural weaning age is between 4 and 7. And feeding a newborn isn't the same as feeding a 4yrs old. Some she could have been feeding 2, 3 or 4 kids at the same time but not with the same intensity or frequency or indeed simultaneously.

@TheKeatingFive

So, as I pointed out, was women dying in childbirth. Do we see that as a good thing? Or do we celebrate that it rarely happens now?

So you're equating dying and bfing children?

Do I need to point out to you why ones a bad thing and the other is fine if it works for you? Really?

You’re brighter than that. You’re letting yourself down when you make yourself look foolish in order to be provocative.

You’re letting yourself down when you make yourself look foolish in order to be provocative.

Honestly this makes no sense at all. Talk about scraping the barrel of argument.

I can't get passed the first page and someone saying they have a better bond with their bf baby over their ff baby. What an absolutely shocking thing to say.

I have done both before someone accuses me of being jealous I couldnt bf or whatever.

What a truly dreadful thing to say/think.

And cost may or may not come into it. I’ve seen several posts on MN over the years from women saying they we advised that breastfeeding would be cheaper but they didn’t feel that was actually the case once they had factored in things like the cost of breast pumps, lactation consultants, etc etc.

This is nonsense. Who needs a lactation consultant, FFS? It's hardly a routine requirement.

I'm sure I was lucky, but for me the cost of breastfeeding was solely a breast pump, which lasted me through three children. It hardly equates to all those tins of formula, bottles, sterilising equipment, etc etc.

There are also the less tangible benefits, like helping to keep weight down, sheer convenience, and simply the fact that if my children were feeling off at all they could easily be comforted and would be getting some nutrition at the same time.