Sorry to be a killjoy again.. I'm still not convinced. MmeLindt's case is just not enough for me to sound credible enough telling people about it.
Even though I followed to the letter this very complex method of making up milk feeds, I still don't quite see that the benefit outweighs the risk, most importantly by seeing how everyone around me who didn't do it and that their children had less S+D than my DS (Yes.... I know this doesn't prove anything). Even though I made it according to guidelines, DS continued to have sickness + diarrhoea on and off despite all my effort(hence that time we sent the formula back to Hipp for testing), generally he was still a very healthy baby. Up to when he was weaned properly at 7 months, he was having between 8-12 bottles of formula milk per day. He just fed non-stop. All I can remember up to 7 months of his life was me pondering about how I can improve on making his milk right, and FAST. Screaming baby, anyones? A lot of my time was just spent making milk. I was knackered from it. What's a new mum to do when you have to look after a hungry baby, except to make up sodding milk bottles all the time!
Now thinking back, my tiredness from making an average of 9 bottles the right way day and night, took all the energy from me. I was lacking sleep enough as it was have a hyper baby. It just seems crazy and slightly unreasonable to me now - how due to my obsession making milk right meant that my tiredness and lack of sleep caused me to be far more prone to neglecting him(due to ill health and tiredness. I was ill so much due to lack of rest and worrying), falling asleep whilst looking after him, having accidents such as tripping down the stairs when carrying him, dropping him etc.
I just don't want another mum to be as miserable as I was because I was, frankly, frightened for my DS's life over the formula milk issue, and miserable because I spent so much of time time making milk. All because of reading many articles and forums such as this one, when there are probably many more risks that I'm taking just by spending so much of my extremely precious little time and effort I had left on this. Which is the reason why I find it important to put my views on this across, just so parents know the guidelines, but also another parent's view who has followed it and wishes to challenge it.
I'm definitely not against following the guidelines and wish that everyone would if possible. What makes me want to put all this into perspective is how most the articles and posts on MN have been a bit too accusing, judgemental and sounding like it's the end of your baby's life if you don't follow it! Also, 'parents are lazy if they don't follow it..' or 'If you decide not to heed this advice...then that is your prerogative.' sort of thing, puts me of slightly. I just don't sense you really 'care' for the welfare of other's babies or parents, rather just sounds like you're being self-righteous, judgemental and how you know so much more than they do, either from experience or from reading statistics. I could be completely wrong, I hope I am, but it's just how the tone of it all comes across. Hence all the nasty replies that come back to you. Perhaps mums just like to have a good argument natter. 