How do they know all of this info about breastfeeding?

[Washingtonmachine]

Specifically when your baby gets sick your breastmilk makes antibodies.

Also just the general information that we are told about the benefits of breastfeeding for both mum and baby.

Its nice to read, but how do I know its true.

Because some really clever people study these things.

You do your research and decide what works best for you. We decided on formula from day one. Healthy babies and happy parents.

🤔

If you’re genuinely interested and not being goady the Emily Oster books are a good read.

Do you mean specifically how are different research studies carried out?

The microbiology of breastmilk was tested in labs.

How do we know the earth is round?

This is an example of one of the pieces of research - there's lots of similar ones https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.4161/19490976.2014.969984

There's a Journal of Human Lactation - you could look up some research studies in that to see what the methods were?
https://journals.sagepub.com/home/jhl

Here is a good current researcher in the science of breastfeeding. Check out her publications:
https://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/natalie.shenker/publications.html

Here is an example of how break milk cells kill cancer cells. https://metro.co.uk/video/breast-milk-contains-substance-kill-tumour-cells-1464407/
It is magic stuff.

A lot of studying is done in the process of trying to replicate a passable alternative with formulas as well as general research.
It's the same as how we know levels of the content of blood through lab work.

I’d still recommend the books but this article whilst a few years is an interesting read:
https://amp.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/jun/20/is-breast-really-best-i-looked-at-all-the-data-to-find-out
In the books she takes the same approach to looking at not only breastfeeding in more depth but also all the other typical pregnancy and baby recommendations.

My husband is part of a longitudinal study, where they have followed all children born in a particular week in 1970 throughout their lives. Breastfeeding is one of the things that is studied, alongside lots of other things. I know, for example, that the negative effects of mothers smoking whilst pregnant came out of their study.

There will be other studies too, but this is one of the types of research that will feed in.

That's not what was asked

@DameKatyDenisesClagnuts just ignore her, she pops up on literally every breastfeeding thread saying the same thing every time. It's really bizarre.

That's research? Every day is a school day

Here's a example which uses the 1970 and 1958 cohorts, apparently breastfeeding increases social mobility!

https://cls.ucl.ac.uk/breastfeeding-boosts-ability-to-climb-social-ladder/

Thank you, in currently breastfeeding and I'm the only one in my family this generation and last, from what I know of.

My mum and MIL didn't BF so I'm getting a lot of pressure and side comments about baby feeding frequently and not sleeping. Being told that always holding the baby will be making a rod for my own back.

I like reading about the benefits but some of them seem so outlandish it makes me wonder how they got the information, thats why I have asked.

What’s bizarre - using formula is a legitimate choice when considering whether to use formula or breast feed. Nothing wrong with the choice - worked well for our family.

Sometimes relatives want to get the chance to feed your baby. Undermining breastfeeding I think is linked to that sometimes. Not saying it's the case here as I don't know them of course

Is it AI?

Aslong as you’re getting your information from credible sources you can be relatively confident it’s true and if not, find or ask
for a source.

Yes, like methods and evidence.

Some people will have opinion on everything. Next it’ll be that your baby isn’t weaning at 3 months like in their day, and when they are that they’re eating finger foods when they only did purées. Then it’ll be why aren’t they potty trained at 18 months old, all of mine were. Or I can’t believe you’re going back to work and putting a 1YO in nursery, I never went back to work. Anything to do with car seats. And on and on. Ad infinitum. There’s also probably an element of they’d like to feed the baby like it’s a little doll. Also, maybe they got lucky but bottle fed babies can be shocking sleepers too- there are also studies on this. The only real benefit is that someone else can do the feeds so it’s not all on you.

Involved and caring grandparents are absolutely lovely to have but I think sometimes they need to learn to bite their tongue a bit 🤣 Smile and nod. Practice saying ‘we’re fine as we are thanks’. Try not to let it drive you mad.