So, I had a disagreement with a very intelligent, well educated (childless) friend who claims that there are 'schools of thought' as to which is healthier - breast or formula feeding

[bangandthedirtisgone]

She doesn't have children, so I suppose she wouldn't necessarily have researched it. She's Cambridge educated to masters level and works in the City.

Can't remember why but we were talking about breastfeeding and I said breastmilk far healthier than formula. According to her that's not the case, there are 'schools of thought' as to whichever is the healthier, and that there is no definitive answer.

This really shocked me, I mean, fine not to have an opinion, but to have that one!

may be she was being neutral? 'there is no definitive answer'she was certainly vague enough.she may have been saying 'it's none of my business/i dont want to get judgey with you'...in a round about way?

she may have been saying 'i do not want to side with you in this thorny debate; that we will not resolve right here right now...especially as i am childless and havent read up on it'

She's not backwards in coming forwards beans. If she had meant what you're suggesting she would have said it.

She genuinely thinks she's right.

well ,there are school of thought, some are more wrong than others

is she considering having a baby and cannot conceive of the idea of bfeeding a baby with her own body?

No, she hates children.

Well, thanks heavens she doesn't want children.

Anna is right - having a Cantab MA in eg physics or geography doesn;t mean you know anything about anything else

[polishes MSc in subject not relevant to bf]

and I agree she might have been trying to sound non-judgey

Did you ask her to back up her argument? Am interested in what the 'schools' of thought are, as was under the impression that it's more of a market driven thing?

Ask her who are the medical professionals who are advocating formula is as good/better than breast milk? Really. I am wondering...

Obviously she doesn't know about breastfeeding. That's the point of the thread

She doesn't do non-judgey.

Exactly ilove, that's what I was wondering too, where she had got it from exactly.

Might she have picked up on research that says that various toxins have been found in bm, without having looked into it further and has just taken that at face value without finding that even if that is taken into account, bm is still best.

Or maybe she is heard something about the very few women for whom it is not advisable to bf like HIV positive mothers.

I have my charitable hat on today obviously.

I would assume that she has picked up on a small piece of research and extrapolated across it across all mothers and all breastmilk.

If it matters (like if she is thinking of having children), show her the way to the real research.

A Cambridge education doesn't give common sense! Since she doesn't like children I don't think that I would even bother with a sensible answer. I would just tell her that there are no schools of thought, breast milk is the ideal, natural food-formula is a manufactured copy.

she has a masters yes but is it in infant nutrition? if notb then ptretty much irrelevant (beyond her being able to read research / able I mean....)

I have a degree in religion in philosophy, if I were to cash this against an opinion about, say, biocrabons I'd be talking out of my fat arse

Calm down cupcake, who is getting upset about it, other than you?

One should try not to offer up facts on things one knows little about, cupcake.

Opinions sure but not facts.

Otherwise there is a real danger that you are talking a load of twaddle which is at best annoying for anyone who listens to you and at worst misleading.

Isn't the point of the thread that this woman is so sure that formula is considered by many to be healthier than breastmilk? And that it's shocking that we live in a society where bright people absorb this message?

You're all getting hung up on the red herring that is the cambridge education IMO.

I am the OP, and I'm not upset.

I disagreed with my friend, then talked about it here.

No tears, no tantrums, just a discussion.

yes, cupcake I'm with you there on the ffing and infant death. Let's just beat the poor women who failed at bfing round the head with some more guilt shall we? I'm assuming Redonherhead is a bfer?

Is it possible she has a parent/family member who got their info in the 1950s or 1960s? Medics were taught that ff was best, then, because babies gain weight faster on formula. So she may just be working from very, very dated/disproven information, coming from a source she's inclined to trust.

That or she is just someone who has to have an opinion on absolutely everything....

she'll probably change her tune if she ever has DC. Some people are too educated for their own good and can't see sense outside of academic theorising.

"there is no definitive answer"

snort. There really, really is. I think there are more than 13 thousand studies which have found that breastfeeding is healthier than bottlefeeding. That's pretty 'definitive'

Graduating from Cambridge provides you with a BA, then a freebie MA. That's it. It doesn't confer wisdom, believe me!

some lovely and rather 'academic' bedtime reading for your friend, OP.