Bottle feeding = 120 Mars bars by 8 months

[MrsDoolittle]

OOoer

they blow up b/c they eat too much!

my dad was bf'd till the age of two. he stayed skinny till his mid-50s, when he ate too much for his declining metabolism to keep up.

he had to start exercising, stop eating so much to lose weight.

hardly rocket science!

parping myself off this thread now, b/c fwiw, the nipple brigade on here sometimes REALLY puts me off!

i ff dd1 after severe PND and bf'd dd2.

there's room for everyone, and nearlythree, i am VERY sorry for your experience.

i strongly doubt your experience is unique, however.

expat, you've just contradicted yourself. They blow up 'because they eat too much'...yes! that is a 'lifestyle factor' and zero to do with the genetics you were sure were 'most' of the reason for someone's size and shape.

The nutrition someone has at whatever age is a 'lifestyle' factor in determining how they grow.

Yes, I contradicted myself, tik. Are you happy? B/c I am sick to death of hte level of sactimoniousness on here sometimes, particularly when it comes to breast v bottle. Last month, several members almost left b/c of the pompousness on here.

So some people can't or don't BF, despite knowing breast is best? BFD! Their progency are NOT necessarily doomed to a life of obesity, disease, low intelligence, lack of opportunities, etc.

FFS!

And threads like this and nearlythree's experience just show up the worst of MN, IMO.

Now I am well and truly parping, b/c these threads NEVER end well, IME.

Lots of claps for you expat. Don't go. vunerable mothers need people like you to stick up for them

in support of ex pat- few peopel I imagine ff guilt free but in some cases it is teh best option there are also other factors that are just as important to your child's development and if bf limits or affects these factors than the child may well be benefiting from bf but suffering in other ways - it is about obtainingthe optimum balance in all areas.
also bf also provides certain amounts of fat and sugars etc but no one equates that to mars bars

expat, I didn't intend to make you cross or exasperated or to recruit myself into any pompous or sanctimonious brigade .

Can't see anything I have written to justify it....all I did was to challenge you (courteously) about your opinion that genetics are the main player in the sort of shape and size people end up 'enjoying', which by implication was an opinion that it didn't matter (size or shape-wise) how a baby was fed as an infant.

I pointed out (non-pompously, I thought) that lifestyle factors are known to be important in size and shape. You agreed, and offered the explanation that people (including your dad) eat too much! So it's diet, innit, and not genetics I don't think anyone suggests that someone can bf until two and then stuff their face afterwards and expect the 'lifestyle' factor of breastfeeding to protect them from the 'lifestyle' factor of too many pies.

Because I am seen as a bf supporter on here I am somehow presumed to be popmpous, sanctimonious and judgemental about people's feeding, but anyone who reads my posts will know that it's just not true.

I was having a conversation with you about lifestyle and size, expat. That's all.

Sheesh.

i usually steer clear of these threads because they really get on my tits, but the title of this one has got me.

it's very sad that some women don't have good support and as a result can't breastfeed. yes, that must be addressed as a priority, and sites such as this go a long way to helping. but some women don't have a choice about bottlefeeding: massive bloodloss in childbirth, adoptive parents, sometimes breasts just don't produce milk - hell, don't some of us wear glasses? so does that mean we're failures because our eyes don't work properly?

we should be supportive of everyone. in an ideal world we'd all be b/f, but thank god for f/f or we'd be in a much worse place. as adults, do we go around blaming our problems on whether we were f/f or b/f? no. there are far more important inputs: a safe, loving home, education; i could go on but that's probably a whole new discussion...

as for the 120 mars bars. how ridiculous! i notice they don't say how many equivalent mars bars b/f babies consume. it might even be more! who knows - because it's inflammatory twaddle written by a journalist who wants to provoke a reaction, who doesn't reference any research. really can't take it seriously.

oh - and i was f/f because my mum was very ill and didn't have any milk. am i obese? no. have i been scarred for life? no. let's just get this all in perspective. thank god my mum was ok. i was just fine on f/f.

oh parp!!!!

I think though, that genetics play a HUGE role in whether you are likely to have any allergies or have a predisposition for certain diseases.

Diet and lifestyle after breast or formula feeding also is a major factor.

Personally I think the benefits of breastmilk are at their highest during the first few months of life but don't continue to have such an impact into adulthood.

Ooooh a lot more posts since I last visited.

harpsi - yes I do agree diet has a part to play in weight but only when solids are started.

Not wanting to contradict myself here, but genetics and metabolism play the biggest parts in weight gain - myself and my friend lead similar lives and enjoy the same foods regularly. This friend is a skinny size 8 I am a size 14 going on 16.

It is a known fact for many people that metabolism slows down as you get older, hence a previous poster's dad putting weight on in his 50's. (No hope for me then!!)

I do agree breast is best, but like a lot of other mothers I couldn't, and REFUSE to be made to feel shitty about it.

Joolstoo, I don't understand how you can make a judgement on this (that breastfeeding is more important in the early months).

It's gonna depend on the individual, surely?

Some effects of infant nutrition can be lifelong and incurable, when you are looking at (rare) major disease. Of course that is going to affect far fewer babies than the ones affected by ear infections/gastro-intestinal /chest infections, so numerically, I suppose, you could say the first months show more importance. But for individuals concerned, it won't feel like that.

tiktok - clearly, I'm nowhere as genned up on this subject as you are - but ....... I think you're agreeing with me????

I certainly agree with your last post!

Nope - not agreeing

I was questioning how anyone (eg Joolstoo ) could make a judgement on whether the first months of bf are more imortant.

How can you say how a baby is fed in the first few months of life will not affect the way a we eat in later life? A ff baby is more likely to take more in one feed as they dont have to do any work, there is also a tendencey towards a fixed amout at a fixed time, A bf baby regulates there own milk intake. IMO this sets eating patterns that go past starting solids. I would compare bf + ff to a jared sunday dinner and fresh homemade dinner.
To those who tried to bf but for whatever seasons felt ff would be better for your baby, at least you tried and nobody can ask any more of you so you shouldnt feel bad, i just wish there was more help for people wanting to bf. If i had not had help from a bc i would not have got part the first 3 weeks as at 2 weeks i had had enough.

IME bottle fed babies only take as much as they need from the bottle - any more and they're sick anyway. The pattern of four-hourly feeds is very outdated and feeding on demand is recommended by the midwives and health visitors where I come from, which is what I did. How can I possibly force my FF baby to take more milk than he wants? Sorry but i'm confused by this.

littlepiggie - the comment about comparing FF and BF to homemade dinner and a jarred sunday dinner won't really help any mother who is feeling bad about FF.

you say you're not agreeing but you said

"I suppose, you could say the first months show more importance."

I absolutely agree it's 'gonna depend on the individual' especially when you take into account their genetics, diet and lifestyle.

You can see the evidence if you look at your breast milk. The composition of the feed changes from start to end of the feed. By the end they're getting their pudding and it's richer and creamier, at the start there's more protein. No point in bottle feeders getting worried about these things as long as they also do sensible things like avoiding sugar in the child's diet as it gets older etc. Also many a bottle feeding mother presented with a crying baby and not knowing what to do with it gives it a bottle. It's a natural instinct. If you're breast feeding and do that and they've just had a feed they don't get more milk shoved into them unless they need over a few days to increase the supply. If they're bottle feeding it's not quite the same.
For me breastfeeding was enjoyable, very emotionally intense and felt right for the babies but no point in getting too worried if you don't manage it. Sadly it seems to be a class issue in the UK - the better off you are the more likely you breastfeed and for longer.

i know ff who push to get 'a bit more' by holding the bottle in, stoping the baby from pushing it out.

"Also many a bottle feeding mother presented with a crying baby and not knowing what to do with it gives it a bottle. It's a natural instinct. If you're breast feeding and do that and they've just had a feed they don't get more milk shoved into them unless they need over a few days to increase the supply. If they're bottle feeding it's not quite the same."

Well I've done both, and I was far less likely to shove a bottle into a crying ds3's face than a breast into ds1 or ds2. For starters I had a certain number of bottles sterilised, I wasn't about to go willy nilly using them up, whereas with breastfed ds1 and ds2 I was quite happy to try them out on a feed and see if they wanted it. Don't think what you've written above is remotely true.

DS3 was also sick as a dog when overfed.

How many mars bars to breastfed babies get? Milk is meant to be high in calories- babies need them.

A breast fed baby may suck but will only get milk if they want to get it out, with a bottle milk comes out want it or not.

jimjams, I think you may have misunderstood the article when you ask: "How many mars bars to breastfed babies get? Milk is meant to be high in calories- babies need them".
the point is that the article says that bottlefed babies get 30,000 more calories b ythe time she is eight months old than a breastfed baby. Obviously, without references, it isn't possible to comment on that particular factoid. but the significance (if true/verifiable) is pretty clear.

I'm not sure that is necesarily the case littlepiggie. My friend has such a good supply and strong letdown that milk literally gushes out of her. If her dd goes near her breasts then she certainly gets milk in her mouth.

I also think the mars bar thing is wrong, bit agree with the point it is trying to make.
My aim is not to offend people that wanted to bf but couldnt, if anything they have put there babies health obove their own feelings, nobody can fault them for that.

I can't help wonder at the truth of that 30,000 cals comment. Like aitch says, that works out at around 10lbs in weight and ff babies aren't 10lbs heavier than bf babies by 8 months old.