Hey Morgaine,

Those are good articles and great food for thought, but i'm afraid i'm on my soapbox again...sorry!

I note that the articles refer to the fact that SIDS-like conditions exist in horses, cattle, sheep, goats and monkeys, NONE of which are FF. I also note that the articles refer to "cows-milk bottle-feeding", NOT formula feeding. The prevalence in modern formula of e.coli (which can "block" the reaction to endotoxic shock until it is too late) is as close to nil as makes no difference. The bacteria that cause the problems are not IN the formula, it's just that the formula does a (slightly) less good job if protecting the baby - that breast is best for the immune system has been known for decades, that doesn't equate to all FF babies being significantly at risk, nor does BFing provide 100% protection from these things. Also, some of these studies are quite old (1949!!?? - post war formula was what left my dad with rickets!) - formulas improve year on year in catering to the needs of baby's bodies. Again the risk factors are there, but they don't paint a full picture. The FF baby who is not cared for properly, given inappropriate things to eat, not kept clean, and left where there is animal faeces or spoilt food is OBVIOUSLY more at risk of contracting e.coli and similar than an excellently cared-for FF baby.

Please don't misunderstand me. I FULLY support breastfeeding and i fed my DD myself for as long as i could. However, i do think when it comes to research like this, the "facts" can be misleading - a little bit of the picture is true, but the whole picture can give us a wider, fuller truth. A woman who had so many problems BFing that she moved to FFing should know that BFing can do something to contribute towards defence against SIDS. BUt this knowledge should only translate into a little extra determination next time, a little extra courage to DEMAND the help she deserves in BFing, a little more power over knowing her choices, and not be something to add her the pile she beats herself up with over her inability to BF.

Breastmilk is another shield against SIDS, but if a woman has to FF her baby there are many other ways to ensure they're as safe as possible. I agree that a woman should be given as much support as possible to BF her child, but i don't think it's helpful to take these studies as gospel when they're clearly flawed. This generates panic and stress and terror of failing to BF, all of which contribute to failure to BF.

As for mammals and co-sleeping there are many, many mammals (most of the deer species for instance) which leave their young while they eat or hunt, sometimes for days (seals) at a time. Little deer are spotted so they can hide alone for long stretches of time when they're too small and vulnerable to be with the herd. There is no evidence this increases the incidence of sudden death and in fact mother nature has designed those creatures to work that way for survival. Some creatures young cannot even mess (pandas) without mum's stimulations, so that they don't pee or poop when hidden and are sniffed out by predators. Wolf cubs, panther cubs and leopard cubs may all be left in dens alone for hours during the first few weeks when their mothers are hunting. It is very common among "loner" species when there is no pride to hunt/babysit. We are not wild animals and we cannot know our history long-enough back to know whether co-sleeping is biologically indicated or culturally dictated.

Mothering is one of the most important jobs, yet we aren't paid for it and we are expected to be 'super mums' and stay on top of everything else in our life while mothering.
Man, i agree 200%!!!!

Bx