Evidence against early weaning

[floozles]

Just wondering if anyone can point me to the evidence for not weaning until 6 months (am looking into it as planning to start solids for DD at 22 weeks). I've read through the Optimal Duration for Exclusive Breastfeeding:A Systematic Review published by the WHO and am left scratching my head. As far as I can ascertain, the review was carried out predominantly to see if there was any evidence of harm in recommending exclusive breastfeeding until 6 months in developing countries, in terms of reduced weight gain & poor iron status.

There is evidence of reduced GI infections in babies exclusively breastfed for 3 months vs 6 months in a study from Belarusse, and reduced eczema in the Belarusse study and a study from Finland which looked at children of atopic parents only.

The summary states that 'Besides their reduced morbidity due to gastrointestinal infection, infants breastfed exclusively for 6 or more months had no observable deficits in growth, and their mothers were more likely to remain amenorrheic for 6 months postpartum. No benefits of introducing complementary foods between 4 and 6 months have been demonstrated, with the exception
of improved iron status in one developing country setting (Honduras).'

I can see how exclusive breastfeeding till 6 months is ideal in developing countries where you don't really want your baby getting d&v, and prolonged amenorrhoea is useful in terms of birth control. I can't see from this any real evidence that giving my daughter a daily spoonful of apple puree from 22 weeks will harm her.

Just wondering if there's more up-to-date evidence that I've yet to come across.

[Ducks head below parapet...]

Tiktok - and apologies OP this is a slight tangent but leads on from what was said abotu the calorie content - if the calories/fat content increases in an older baby does this mean that it is misguided to worry about supply when weaning (as I have been).

Where is the tipping point between less milk taken because of solids and less (quantity) of milk needed because of the higher calorie content? Or does the self regulation only occur without the external factor of solids - ie the solids interfere with this? Am quite confused.

Tiktok, you have a problem with the word 'definitely' but when I said I 'definitely' heard the peanut thing described as an experiment I 'definitely' was telling the truth cos I did hear that! But I understand the problem with the word and accept your argument but I think in the context of the sentence everyone could see that it was not necessarily a fact, it is just my memory of the incident, so to me it was a fact!

Habbibu, don't worry I don't feel persecuted! But I don't think weaning at 5mths can be compared to smoking. It is one thing damaging yourself intentionally but quite another to accuse a mum of damaging her baby intentionally through weaning. I think it can be compared to FF in a way - we know BF is better but for lots of reasons some people do/have to FF. Not always because they want to tho. I didn't want to wean at 5mths, I wanted to wait until 6 but it just didn't work out that way.

Lots of people here will say I didn't need to wean - just increase the time at the breast, which I did and it nearly killed me . Like when people say they can't BF, some say 'you just didn't get the right support' but sometimes it just comes down to the fact that they couldn't, for whatever reason. Only the mother was there at the time so no one can really say for certain what would have worked.

After weaning, my twins stopped the cluster feeding, so that reinforced my decision to wean at that time. Some will say they would have stopped anyway cos my milk would have caught up, but it went on for five days and even my LLL book (Mothering Multiples) said if they cluster feed for five days introduce solids. No one knows for sure what was the best thing to do but I am happy with the decision I made.

Tiktok, sorry for the confusion re milk research. Someone said that when a baby increases its demand for milk, your body doesn't make more milk, it makes a different type of milk. I had never heard that before.

Neenz, sorry - I wasn't comparing weaning early to smoking at all, and I'm sorry if it came across that way - I was simply noting that people don't always do what is best for themselves (and their families sometimes) despite guidelines being really clear - it's just part of being human, I guess! But I'm not here saying that I think anyone's particular decision to wean, ff etc is necessarily not what's best for them, as circumstances vary so widely.

As I said earlier - twins is a bit of a different ball game, to say the least, and I can't imagine feeding 2 babies every hour...

flooze, fwiw, I think a spirit of critical enquiry is wise in all areas of life, and really agree with your post of 11:01:06 - weaning discussions on MN along these lines could, I think, be very constructive, and I've enjoyed this one, so thanks!

Am just starting to read Dicing with Death: Chance, Risk and Health which looks really interesting...

I have enjoyed the thread too - and I think I have just about survived intact

Actually, I came across as a bit too nice before - I do think weaning at 6 weeks is just plain wrong, say, and also before 17 weeks.

Hi Tik Tok - of course no-one sensible think that. You are just repeating me in your own words - I chuck in personal opinions while you clearly have an admirable and successful mission to inform. I express myself more frivolously. But we were saying the same thing.

neenz - you said "The govt changed the advice on peanuts 10 years ago to see if it had an effect on allergies." When you were called on that, you said you had 'definitely' heard 'someone' say this...I accept this is not the same as saying what you heard was 'definitely' true, of course, sorry. Just don't be dogmatic about what you're saying, even if you have definitely heard someone say it

I'll try to help with the milk question: when the baby increases his demands for milk, that is, by feeding more often, the milk will increase in quantity, of course it will...at whatever age.

Kate: if demand falls when weaning, then supply might be an issue if demand drops too far. But it won't disappear suddenly.

Norma, yes, we were saying the same thing - that's my point. You were saying (I paraphrase) 'why oh why do people think everyone has to stick rigidly to guidelines as if every baby has to start solids at exactly the same age?'

And my response was to say 'straw man' - because anyone who really says or thinks that is i) very rare and ii) very silly

thanks tiktok

Ah well - you say 'ridiculous', I say 'frivolous' - could almost be a song. And with that paraphrasing style - even though it misrepresented what I said - you could get a job writing copy for Points of View.