So does anyone else find the term 'artificial feeding' in relation to the use of formula milk a bit irritating?

[bangandthedirtisgone]

Or is it just me?

As someone who has breastfed, bottlefed, and tubefed her babies breastmilk, expressed breastmilk, formula and fortified formula, I cannot really work up a sweat about 'artificial feeding'.

It is what it is. I stand by my choices.

I don't think it's any worse than 'formula' which has all sorts of scientific connotations that are potentially misleading.

Here is a nice link to some studies on the relationship between obesity and breastfeeding. Bandolier is also a great site for anyone wanting to understand how to read and critique research papers. One of the biggest problems in trying to look at the evidence for or against doing anything health related is finding reliable and understandable information, as interpreting statistics is tricky. I learned how to use stats and epidemiology as part of my Masters in Public Health and found it very challenging! Unfortunately very few commentators in the press or elsewhere seem to pay much attention to getting a true understanding of the results presented, always preferring to pick up the headlines.

www.medicine.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/booth/hliving/breastob.html

I totally agree with all the posters who say much earlier on in the thread, that yes - technically speaking, based on mother natures way of getting milk to our bubs - via our breasts - formula milk is artificial milk.

Having said that, I think it is a nasty term and would hope to never hear it used in RL.I was very fortunate to be able to breastfeed DS and hope to do the same with DC2. I would have been devastated had I not been able to breastfeed and distraught if someone had then asked if I was 'artifically feeding' my baby.

As grown ups, we should all know when tact comes into play and surely this is one of those times?

I was unable to deliver DS naturally and had to have csection. Was horrified when someone in RL asked me if I felt any less of a mother because I hadnt pushed DS out! I know I didnt deliver DS naturally but if anyone was to suggest I had an artificial birth (even though if we want to be pedantic, technically that is true) - I would have to exercise great restraint not to smack them round the chops! I would find that hugely offensive and likewise find this term the same.

tis a silly term. Formula is no more or less 'artificial' than food. So you could say all babies from 6 months are on 'artificial' feeding.
Long as baby is alive and thriving, who minds others people's business.

course you shouldn't. Dunt matter how they came out if they get to be ok.

you know, this doesn't stop even among tube fed children. You can choose to give man-made feed or you can make real food, blend it with a super machine and put it down the tube.
And yes, there's judgeness among those who do or don't blend

I agree with Leonie. I have had 2 C Sections, and wouldnt be at all bothered if someone said that I had had an artificial birth. To me that is exactly what happened.

Just to be ultra pedantic, Riven, not all babies are "artficially fed" from 6 months. DD1 is 2.4 and has never touched a drop of formula.
She did however have a piece of toblerone before before breakfast this morning to keep her quiet. So not claiming any moral high ground.

Duh, just realised I misread your post. Must have strong coffee before posting.

Ditto what Puzzlerocks says. My three dc's have had about half a tin of formula between them - ever. And all of that was given during a 4 week period with my first when I was struggling with bf.

"I explained already on this thread why I didn't/couldn't bf - then you get the "child's welfare" like I couldn't give a shit. sabire, honestly - women need SUPPORT not judgement."

How does acknowledging that women need support with breastfeeding automatically mean not talking about the health issues for babies? Should we all just pretend these things don't matter or don't exist, just to protect the feelings of people who haven't been able to breastfeed? What nonsense. Women need support to breastfeed, but society as a whole also needs to know the reasons why breastfeeding is important for babies, otherwise what motivation is there to make the major changes in maternity care needed right now to improve breastfeeding rates?

Breastfeeding is rare in babies over 8 weeks in the UK - partly because of the myth that's constantly being perpetuated, that it doesn't matter to children how they're fed, and that this choice only concerns and affects mothers themselves.

Riven is right. I feed my children artificial food every day. Home cooked at that

a Sunday roast or vegetarian chilli is certainly man made, but no one uses the term 'artificial' because no value judgments are being made

which rather proves that using the term about formula is not about factual statement (then you could equally use it about dhs's home-baked bread), it's about emotions

I have never heard the term artificial feeding. Sounds ridiculous to me, I think I would laugh at someone if they used that term with me! Sounds moronic.

Feed your baby what you want to, its your choice and bollox to anyone who doesnt agree with your choices. It is, frankly, none of their business.

I think that artificial feeding is factually correct, but nonetheless a pretty judgey way of just saying bottle/formula feeding.

In defence of scarey teacher, I had an awful time with bf counsellor too. She walked into SCBU, picked up one of my prem v low birth weight babies, and picked DC1 up without asking. Then said "I heard you have had problems breastfeeding - why don't you try this, by the way my hands are clean...) as she proceeded to shove her finger into DC1s mouth to stimulate sucking reflex, without even washing her hands!!! This is a baby who was v poorly in SCBU It felt as if me bf my child was the most important thing in the world to her, over and above DC1s immediate health. Although as I was in a terribel state after the birth i couldn't actually say anything at the time - i wish I could meet her in my now recovered state and shake her!!

I have BF other DC since, but I still absolutely hate (that is strong, but I'm afraid that's how I feel) those people who are completely blinded by BF to the detriment of all other aspects of babies and mums health. My DC1 would have died without "artificial feeding ", and could well have died from infections from that stupid stupid woman - so I think it is completely unfair to lambast scaryteacher when some bf advocates are completely over the top and unthinking.

I'm not even sure that 'artificial feeding' is factually correct.

What would people say the definition of 'artificial feeding' is?

HArd to know what to call it - it's not breastmilk & doesn't have the mum & baby advantages of breastmilk. Formula feeding sounds better possibly.

'Just to be ultra pedantic, Riven, not all babies are "artficially fed" from 6 months. DD1 is 2.4 and has never touched a drop of formula.
She did however have a piece of toblerone before before breakfast this morning to keep her quiet. So not claiming any moral high ground'

I meant 'non-breastmilk'.

Whilst I understand that there are advantages to the baby in bfing, please tell me what the advantages are for the mum?

I found it no hassle to sterilise and make up bottles; as one couldn't go out without a changing bag anyway, it was just another thing to put in there. Ds was cradled whilst he was fed, and I used to spend hours cuddling him, so no difference there. I don't agree either that ff babies don't bond as well as bf babies; ds and I have a very close bond, and he is rapidly approaching 14.

I could also measure what he was taking - important when they are falling off the bottom of the weight charts. As for the 'cramming the last ounce in' argument, if I'd tried that he would have projectile vomited everywhere, so I didn't. When he'd had enough, that was it.

It took over a year before ds was out of the woods healthwise and we knew what the problems were and how they would be dealt with. I was diagnosed with a chronic (and so far incurable) autoimmune disease triggered by being pregnant; dh was away at sea for a lot of the time (including when ds was born); the midwife assured me on the home visit that I'd go another 3 weeks to my due date, 25 hours later I'd given birth, another 6 hours after that ds was in SCUBU and was seriously ill and tubed up to the eyeballs and I was trying to deal with doctors and to take in what they were telling me in a fog of post delivery exhaustion/hormones; and I wasn't well either with aforementioned auto-immune disease, so not bfing meant one less thing for me to deal with. I was subsequently told I shouldn't have any more children. But hey, judge away, having ff makes me a bad mother?

Thanks Stonethecrows; comforting to see someone else has had the same experience.

It's used in the Mat unit where I work. Tis correct non?

stonethecrows the person who you called a breastfeeding counsellor who saw you in the SCBU unit is most certainly not a breastfeeding counsellor. Her 'technique' if you can call it that is not what anyone who is properly trained in infant feeding would have ever ever done. What you have described is a physical assault on your baby and and emotional assault on yourself.

In all fairness and truth, the conduct of this person is worth a letter of complain to the Maternity Liasions of this hospital because he or she should be prevented with causing such distress to you and your baby and more importantly highlight the need to have properly trained people to deal with mothers and babies in the SCBU.

It is people like these who do a great disservice to breastfeeding support when they use the word 'counsellor' as their job description and assault people in this way.

But meat, vegetables and other foods don't need extensive modification and chemical processing in order to become edible.

Give a human infant cows milk which hasn't been 'denatured' by being broken down, having sugars removed and fats added, and it would eventually die or become very ill.

And modern formula have added ingredients which are made by very complex methods and involve extensive chemical processing, which is why none of them (other than Hipp, which doesn't contain any of the new 'super ingredients') can be produced in an organic form.

Point I'm making is that formula really can't be compared with any sort of food we cook in our kitchen. It is an 'artificial food'.

"It felt as if me bf my child was the most important thing in the world to her, over and above DC1s immediate health".

Stonethecrows, I don't want to comment on the behaviour of the particular bf counsellor you encountered (I particularly hate the idea of people handling babies in situations like this without first gaining permission from the mother), but I would want to point out that bf is sometimes literally life-saving for preterm babies. I attended a BLISS breastfeeding study earlier this year where a paediatric consultant from one of the top neonatal units in the UK talked at length about this issue. He said that in his unit they encourage parents to think of breastmilk as medicine for preterm babies.

The RCM makes a case that about 100 preterm babies a year die from not getting breastmilk, and many more end up extremely poorly. BF counsellors and bf specialist midwives who work with mothers with poorly and early babies know this. That's probably why they are so keen for mums to overcome their bf problems and establish breastfeeding, not because they are driven by any sort of blind ideology.

Now this is what most people I know would probably understand if someone mentioned the term 'artificial feeding' to them.

Nutritional support also known as artificial feeding.

"Nutritional Support

Also called: Artificial feeding, Artificial hydration and nutrition, Hyperalimentation, Parenteral nutrition, TPN, Tube feeding
Nutritional support is for people who cannot get enough nourishment by eating or drinking. You may need it if you

Can't swallow
Have problems with your appetite or are severely malnourished
Can't absorb nutrients through your digestive system

You receive nutritional support through a needle or catheter placed in your vein or with a feeding tube, which goes into your stomach. "