Breastfeeding in the news this morning

[Jackieharris]

From what I heard on the radio a Brazilian study has linked breastfeeding with intelligence & 'success' later in life.

I've not read the study or seen any details so not sure about validity/is it applicable to UK/how long the sample bf for etc.

But I did also hear that in Scotland the bf rate at 10 days is less than 50%. I'm quite shocked at that. I'd have guessed it would be more like 70-80%.

Can't see this study/news changing that though.

What are the chances of GO announcing spectacular new investment in bf support in today's budget?

"So, its hardly surprising that there is a correlation between breast feeding and life success. However, its a false correlation, like the one that shows more crime is committed/ reported where there are more police"

The research tried to control for education and social class of parent.

Unless what you're saying is that choosing to breastfeed, regardless of class or education, is a marker for good parenting? If so, does that mean you think people who choose to formula feed are then going to be poorer parents all round, and that social class and education (closely tied to breastfeeding rates) are irrelevant?

The ministry of health funded the research. The focus was actually more on the monthly income than the IQ angle that everyone's run with. Both were used because they are quantifiable.
No dispute that BF is better, the research wasn't conducted to prove this. Formula feeding is rare in Brazil compared with other countries and BF practiced across all social classes. Especially as it has the potential to reduce the risk of infant mortality. Or this is the belief here anyway.
The interest was in the fatty acids in the breastmilk. Why? Because according the Brazilian government website it was to back up the need for breastmilk banks in hospitals. Clearly a complete waste of money
UK fucking media have spun the breastfeeding = intelligence angle, and the results in MN have been like watching a carcrash, a lot of self justification and some ignorant statements about Brazil thrown in too.

"The mums who pay for formulas base their shopping on educated information. "

Utter, utter bollocks.

There is no independent good quality research comparing different brands to see which ones are better tolerated by babies.

Women know fuck all about formula.

Bugger me, most don't even read the instructions on the back of the tin, hence the high numbers making up feeds incorrectly.

Toma You are not that dizzy and you scored a good point! I must confess that I did not read the paper. I agree that to try to find out the composition of the mum's milk and the impact of its various components is indeed a very welcome research! No it is not a waste of monies.
However the discussion on the MN was also quite beneficial I believe- at least to me:
It reminded me that I must go to the primary resource (here the paper) before talking and that I must remind myself that the media have a tendency to distort scientific researches (and 'bollocking' them when they report them. (That does not mean that what I stated is completely erroneous- it just does not apply to this specific research- it applies more to how it has been conveyed by the media. Yeah I am still in the wrong for jumping into the discussion without going back to the paper.)
Beloved: I think there are researches about the various formulas and that the mums you are referring to are not the ones to take any notice about any research- including this Brasilian one.

Personally I am quite alarmed that this made it into the media. As far as I'm aware it didn't here in Brazil, which speaks volumes about the British media and the culture of motherhood in the UK. To put it bluntly it was news because they knew it would start mum fight. The media loves a mum fight.

Speaking as someone who formula fed, what i am saying is that breastfeeding is an indicator of good parenting. However, what i was really saying is that it is not one of the things that leads to "success" in later life.

The things that i listed are IMO the things that enhance the chances of success in later life. What does educational toys, conversation, books etc have to do with class?

Soooo mums that try damn hard and are defeated by it aren't showing good parenting.

Given that it is the only parenting choice that involves the use of your body,pain and discomfort I think that is frankly the most ridiculous thing I've heard.

There isn't a good parent in the country as all the other preferable parenting choices most parents turn a blind eye to at least one of them at some point.Love the way I was a good parent for 6 weeks and then became a bad parent after.

"Beloved: I think there are researches about the various formulas"

There is no independent testing of formula so parents can see which ones are best tolerated, are least likely to cause constipation etc.

There aren't. Parents are reliant on marketing materials put out by the individual companies.

Most parents don't seem to care very much as far as I can see.

Odd really, given the effort and research people put in to buying a buggy, say, that they're not more concerned about what may turn out to be their baby's sole source of nutrition for six months.

UK us are so trusting of big brands.

Formula is one of the most scrutinised foods around.I save my angst for breakfast cereal. But that's me- slack mum.

what i am saying is that breastfeeding is an indicator of good parenting. However, what i was really saying is that it is not one of the things that leads to "success" in later life.

^
This.

For a good summary of the research in question and how the results should be intepreted, then this article is a really good read. Essentially it points out that a study conducted in Brasil where links between socio-economic status (a major influence on academic performance and 'success') and breastfeeding are not akin to those in more developed countries.

Always take what you here about the latest research with a pinch of salt. The media are very bad at reporting the necessary caveats/ confounders etc that should be taken into account when you evaluate a piece of research work.

the difference in IQ was less than 4 points "higher IQ scores (difference of 3·76 points" so it s not that the breastfed were super intelligent while the formula fed were below average... gap of 4 points means what exactly? in the IQ scales each category covers nine points so both ff and bf babies could end up in same category anyway. Alternate Wechsler IQ Classifications (after Groth-Marnat 2009)
120–129 Superior Well above average
110–119 High average High average
90–109 Average Average
80–89 Low average Low average

more years of education? les than one year more on average. the differences are there but they are not huge they been blown out of proportion... more years of education (0·91 years, 0·42–1·40),

and what was the intelligence level of the parents? surely IQ is in part down to genes. did BF confer an increased IQ over that expected given the the parents IQ? so many questions. and in any case just a few points higher IQ

as a mother who breastfeed each of her four children for years, can I just say I am disappointed?

None of my children are very intelligent, or brainy. Not too dim, not too bright. in the middle iyswim.

cheated. what was wrong with my milk?

That's hilarious bananaandcustard. It's always the mother's fault somehow isn't it?!

Shame on you banana

I'm very positive about BFing but we were very fortunate and had no problems - I always say my DC took to it like ducklings to water
Only slight prob was getting them to ever stop LOL

Like several others though I'd be interested to read details of how they "controlled" for other factors, such as social and economic indicators, and intelligence of both mother and father. My suspicion is that there may be some slightly hidden factors which haven't been fully taken into account (in this and similar studies) which may partially explain the link described here.

Given the huge and undeniable differences between breast feeding and bottle feeding - not just the milk but the experience of feeding from the baby's POV, it's really telling that people are so cynical about feeding choices having ANY significant health or developmental consequences.

Why - given the very real differences between breast milk and formula, does it seem so, unlikely to people that it might make a difference to health and development? What happened to 'you are what you eat'? If it's worth a reminder - the change at a population level from babies mostly being fed on human milk to mostly being fed on processed cows' milk is, at least in evolutionary terms, the fastest and most radical change in the history of human nutrition. The fact that that it's happened alongside the creation and widespread use of antibiotics, the rise of modern medicine and huge increases in prosperity in Western countries has left us in the dark as to possible impact of the medium to long term effects of feeding babies on non-human milk. When you have a situation where only a tiny fraction of babies in a population are exclusively breastfed for more than a few weeks (so in effect no proper 'control' group where you can compare properly against the physiological norm), and this goes on for decades, what you have in effect is a giant, uncontrolled experiment in infant nutrition going on.

FF newborns do get more infections, stomach upsets, respiratory illnesses than breastfed babies. They have more hospital admissions, and need more GP appointments than fully breastfed babies. I just wonder what the stats on mortality and serious morbidity would look like if we didn't have antibiotics...... I wonder how many people would support the view that it's ok that very small babies who aren't breastfed get more infections and have more hospitalisations and gp visits than breastfed babies, on the basis that we can 'fix' them with drips and antibiotics, so in the medium to long term it doesn't matter.

I think people really don't want infant feeding choices to have any health or developmental consequences. That's the position they start with, and any interest or engagement with issue is primarily shaped by a focus on the feelings and lifestyle choices of adults and that seems to set the parameters for any discussion of the issue. The health and developmental aspects always appear to be secondary.

Beloved72 - not so in my case. 12 years on, it just seems like the whole breast feeding stress I put myself through was an irrelevant drop in the ocean. I think people can be a little too prescriptive about telling other people how to care for their babies.

I do agree Beloved that the experience of BFing for the baby is different to feeding from a bottle. It will just naturally be that much closer an experience, and also more responsive to the baby's needs, as long as things are going well. I think this, and not purely the quality of milk itself (though significant differences there too) will contribute to benefits such as those focused on here relating to gains in intelligence. Other more physical benefits, such as better health with less infections and illnesses, probably more related to the milk itself.

"Beloved72 - not so in my case. 12 years on, it just seems like the whole breast feeding stress I put myself through was an irrelevant drop in the ocean."

It always will be if you are the sort of person who needs to see visible and incontrovertible evidence of harm or benefit at a personal level. And of course most lifestyle choices don't provide us with clear evidence of harm or benefit at an individual level - hence high rates of smoking in pregnancy for decades, and there still being no personal consensus that it was a bad thing until studies were done which revealed patterns of significant harm at a population level. People who smoked in pregnancy whose children appear to be well probably often feel the same way you do - that it's a storm in a tea cup.

"I think people can be a little too prescriptive about telling other people how to care for their babies."

Ah, but this is the thing - flagging these issues up and discussing them ISN'T prescriptive. It seems to me that nobody is telling anyone what to do, and that accusing people of being prescriptive and anti choice is another straw man argument used to silence those who are making a case for breastfeeding.

Yes, I agree again Beloved that you do almost feel you shouldn't discuss say the benefits of BFing (clearly demonstrated in research findings) and the likely reasons for these because people will say you're telling them what they should do or making them feel bad about their experience or choices.
And that's even when I've made a variety of points on what you could call both "sides" of the argument (ie. earlier point was to query whether all confounding factors have really been included, particularly as some may be relatively hidden)

I disagree Juggling I hated it so much I'd peel them off regardless of need,with a bottle they could eat what they needed. The lack of pain,stress and boredom made bottle feeding a far more enjoyable and closer experience.

May also add an unpleasant fact about my breastfeeding for years?
I got eczema from my OWN milk. yes, if it dripped on my skin, or feet, I got big rash.

I put up with it to save money and have brainy kids.

no such luck,
still have sensitive skin,
no money
and average intelligent level kids.

TOTALLY CHEATED!

No, its not that Beloved72. I don't need to see results. I tried. It didn't work. I tried harder. It still didn't work. I got stressed. I tried a third time. Still no luck. I got very stressed. By now, the baby is 10 days old and I started to bottle feed.
Now 12 years further on, I know what has mattered in parenting and breast feeding is a good start (as the mother and baby can do it) but babies will thrive as long as they are properly fed irrespective.

I thought breast feeding was important at the time, but now I know its only important when you've not yet done any of the other parts of parenting.

As to being prescriptive, it is right to note that breast is best, but when that gets repeated to the exclusion of all else and consequently it trips over into making any new mother who can't breast feed feel bad about her parenting, then you've gone too far.