Exclusive BF for 6 months may be harmful

[Longtalljosie]

Oh bloody hell

The problem is it's only one study but will be seized on even if later it's put into context.

The other problem is the way it implies that breastfeeding is in some way a problem.

The third problem is the possibility they might turn out to be right, because I loved BLW and want to do it again...

I can hear certain members of my wider family from here...

Thanks crapbarry

Hear hear pookamoo. And Aitch.

This is the media putting a silly spin on a non story (what, a switch doesn't flick in a baby's gut on the day they are 6 months old?). You need to respond to your baby's needs IMHO. But then it's taken me 4 years and 2 children to get this stroppy build that confidence in myself and my children.

We're too used to being able to search the Internet for an instant absolute answer to trust our instincts and judgement any more.

btw - my brother was weaned at 9 weeks and he has no allergies (a bit of hayfever) and went to Cambridge uni so I guess he's doing okay despite being weaned "too early!"

I think the story got a lot of airtime because it gets lots of people riled, not just those of us with babies etc.

Personally, I'm just pissed off that many of the misconceptions from it will add grist to the mill of all the 'so when are you going to stop breastfeeding?' brigade.

Luckily, I'll just carry on ignoring them.

Am interested in the weaning / allergy thing because DH and are very allergic-y types. Have followed the guidelines by not giving the DCs nuts (I'm allergic), but perhaps I should be introducing them. Gah.

OMFG. One of the scientists on Vanessa Feltz now.

It is merely her and her colleagues opinions on the need to review the research.

So, they set the cat amongst the pigeons for absolutely no sodding reason? Nothing scientifically proven at all.

pencilmein - so far as I'm aware that's mainly advice for those in northern areas with low sunlight exposure/higher likelihood of poverty. If you're in the affluent south, and your child eats a decent diet, vitamin drops are pretty much unnecessary. This was what my HV told me, and makes sense to me too.

crapberry - sorry to digress but there are actually affluent areas in the North you know! Plus there is a helluva lot of sunshine, especially in the NE of the country throughout the year. You comment makes it sound as if all us Northerners are snivelling around in smog, eating sausage rolls every day - FGS!

WinkyWinkola - No the press did that.

I exclusively breastfed both DS and DD until they were 6m. DS is now 4 and he's anaemic. Makes me feel sick to read stories like this, I absolutely broke myself trying to stick to the government's guidelines and perhaps in doing so, I have caused DS to be anaemic .

this is an interesting position statement from the The British Dietetic Association
Specialist Paediatric Group...it is measured but argues that introduction to allergens earlier than 6 months may be beneficial, specifically wheat.

From all the reading of papers that I"ve done (control freak) the WHO guidelines are there in the main to encourage breastfeeding as the main source of nutrition to 6 months.

I have concluded that breastfeeding, accompanied by tastes of foods from 5 months ish (when baby sitting independently and has lost tongue thrust reflex) is the way to go as exposure to potentially allergenic foods early on may prevent allergies.

That's just me.

The point is that even if this "research" is later discredited or shown to be without foundation, people's opinions on exclusive breast feeding will already have taken a knock, judging by the reactions of many of us. My guess is that the ebf message was beginning to take a serious hold and the formula and baby-food manufacturers needed to do something like to send people scurrying back to them. And let's face it, most of do use jars and packets at some point. Most babies eat family food beyond a year, so the "season" for pre-prepared baby food only lasts a few months (used to be 3-12 ish months, with the new guidelines on ebf that dropped to 6-12 months or a 30% market share). So opening up the 4-6 month market again is quite a large chunk of their sales I would imagine. Just a thought.

Arghhh - just sought this thread out after having Daily-Mail-reading MIL on the phone gloating at me

Apparently, in addition to starving them and giving them all sorts of problems in later life, I am also depriving my youngest of valuable iron sources from formula milk by foisting nasty poisonous breast milk upon her.

I sought out the offending Daily Mail article and it does indeed seem to suggest that babies are better off on formula milk.

"There is growing evidence that breastfeeding alone for six months does not give babies all the nutrition they need, with some becoming iron deficient. Babies fed on formula milk get extra iron, but they too are exposed to other drawbacks of late introduction of solid foods."

I had thought that most of the extra iron in formula milk wasn't actually absorbed that well?

Apologies if this has already come up. I did have had a quick read through the thread but, I confess, have not read it thoroughly.

TheOldestCat - an allergic family here too. I did eat peanuts during pregnancy (because the advice on that changed in 08 or 09) but thought I would have to avoid giving anything with them in to DS for a long time just in case. Now it's hard to be sure what the best thing to do is.

Here's the actual BMJ article. Off to read it now.

fifitot - I know, I'm from an affluent part of the north :) but sunlight exposure is less above a certain latitude (north of birmingham iirc).

HV did say that as far as she was aware, they were to recommend vitamin drops to all, because those raised in poor areas, particularly in the north, were slightly more likely to have vitamin deficiencies - it wasn't that all northerners were bad or anything like that, just statistics :)

sorry if I've offended you though!

Damn it, sorry, Athens access only.

But babies are introduced to potential allergens through their mother's milk!!!

I can guarantee that my DD3 knew about it when I ate wheat- she displayed exactly the same symptoms as me- extreme abdominal discomfort and flatulence. I doubt that introducing her directly to wheat at 4 months would have been of any benefit.

I have only just started "solid" food at 8 months, how crap do I feel right now :(

Right, so standard medical advice to keep your child covered in factor 100 sunscreen at all times is now being dressed up as a nutritional deficiency, is it? Hahahahahahahaha

This is making me very sad. I think there is a place for formula but I hate the way the formula companies work and this is going to make so many more people think that it's best to not even try breastfeeding (fair enough if they wouldn't have done it anyway).

It's so sad to hear that people have really, really struggled to holkd out til 6 months.

I can imagine first time parents desperately following The Rules, but do HCPs have to say "wait til six months"? Aren't they allowed to use a bit of common sense and suggest that if it really is such hard work, then maybe allow the baby to take the lead (and parents to take the hint)?

Nobody, AFAIK, suddenly dropped BF at 4 months to feed their baby exclusively on Cow and Gate packet mixes. We gradually introduced things bit by bit, from 4 months, if the baby seemed interested and physically/neurologically up to it. I do remember having to be very strict with DS otherwise he'd overeat and not have room for milk though.

Divster, and everybody feeling don't feel crap! Let the dust settle on this one. I've been a mother for 17 years and I've learned to view these "studies" with extreme detachment.

What about formula fed babies? Should they be weaned earlier than the recomended six months too? Why does the article leave them out?

orangepoo- your DS is 4! He is most likely to be anaemic due to a deficient diet now, not when he was breastfed at 6 months! Please don't feel that it was breastfeeding him that caused this.

wimple- because, surprise surprise, formula meets all the nutritional standards set...for formula.

Both my children did BLW from about 18-20 weeks by stealing my food and definitely eating it. I knew they were ready they were EBF until that stage and introduced no formula ever with either of them. We are from a highly allergic family, and the guilt I felt by not EBF for 6 months was enormous. I tried but both were feeding constantly and my mothers instinct was not satisfied. However, both were sitting up very very early on their own 20 weeks and 16 weeks.