Early findings about link to obesity & formula

[ShootingStar]

Gee thank you for the support.

I am happy i chose to feed my son formula, as he is one happy and healthy boy today.. and to me thats all that matters.

[BellyBelly]

But if you are happy why do you feel guilty?

[Arimeh]

I think its more that formula feeders get judged for not breastfeeding, so the guilt stems from people's opinions. Even if you are happy with the decision that you have made in your child's own best interests, society can be one nasty judgemental wench, and if you don't go along with what is considered the norm, then opinions and articles can make you feel uncomfortable with it being shoved in your face.
Just my opinion of course.

[BellyBelly]

I don't think anything is being shoved in ones face. I had a drip/epidural with my daughter and I have no guilt over that. I used formula with my son for a couple of months and I have no guilt with that. I have dealt with it! I dont care if someone thinks epidurals are evil! I did what I had to at the time!

No-where in that article does it say, 'thou who feedeth their child formula is a bad mother and has done the wrong thing.'

Nor has it been suggested anywhere. And if it was I would remove it. You said that yourself, that is your impression!

See, you can make a choice, because yes the stuff is going to be everywhere because thats an important issue in which study is always being done. You can choose to continue to feel guilt/victimised or you can choose to work through your guilt and can it forever. It's up to you. People create their own guilt. They are the only people who can fix their own guilt.

Have a read of this particularly the steps where it has a little work through as to how you can overcome guilt.

https://www.bellybelly.com.au/forums...940-guilt.html

Is this not helping? Sorry but I am not one to beat around the bush, you could get some sympathy or empathy from people but will that actually fix the problem? You could go somewhere else or speak to someone in real life and the triggers go off again... if guilt is a real and difficult issue for you, then you can do something about it for good. Who wants to carry it around for their lifetime???

I think these studies are great to keep up, no matter what health issue they all go towards improving the health of our generation and help with progress to make things bigger and better (formula included) and I won't feel guilty for posting them, pardon the pun!

I also didn't realise you were asking for support in saying it was making you feel guilty - if you need it, please say so... there is a formula forum too so other FF'ers can support you.

[Arimeh]

Just to clear something up, when I said "being shoved in ones face" I meant articles and opinions from people as a whole, not in particular from THIS site.

[BellyBelly]

I know what you mean. See I look at things differently.... when I saw that article, I thought, 'Oh wow, that's interesting! They think it could be something as simple as pro-biotics....' and thought that the intelligent women on BB would like to hear about it too... I also thought, wow, I wonder how they will go about changing things and potentially reducing obesity with these findings....

But I guess not everyone has the same interest level and headspace that I am at, I find it all interesting I guess I think that other people will be interested too but emotions can get in the way of interest sometimes! Wouldn't it be nice if you never felt guilt again about it!

[Rouge]

PLEASE! Can we not do this again. Can we just let this be another piece of information that you can either take or leave. We all know where this is going to head, and it doesn't need to.

I see these arguments all the time and it makes me so sad, because when you get down to it most often its misunderstandings and miscommunication. Very few people think that they are better than someone else because they did things right, whatever they are, and if they do well I hope someone bumps into the pedestal they've put themselves on and knocks some reality into them.

I'm posting this as a member, not as a moderator, as a mother, and as a friend and as someone who has been on BOTH sides.

If you can't read these articles without it evoking some sort of negative emotion please don't read them, there are a few posts/articles etc that have done the same from me and I just put them on ignore so they don't tempt me. Its just not worth it, no one wants anyone to feel that way, and we don't have to! Its torture.

I say this with well intentions and no blame on any party I just think we really need to move past this debate because its just going to keep going around and around and around in circles.

Peace out.

[BellyBelly]

Sorry mum...

*Slaps hand*

[ShootingStar]

I am happy that he is healthy and i dont see how forumla feeding my son has done him any harm.
I felt guilty because i wanted to breastfeed for my own inner being, but couldnt.

I just am forever reading all these things that are pointing towards those mothers who have forumla fed have done the wrong thing. When most of the time we had no choice. I would just for once like to read something saying i did the right thing, instead of all this negative on formula. To mean it seem the word "forumla" is like curse word in language of parent hood.

I just would have thought from such a site that is ranked so high, i would have received a little of that support.

[Rouge]

Don't feel guilty hon, I am sure that wasn't Kelly's intent to make others feel guilty for their choices. Its more of providing information so that others can make an educated choice on how to feed their child.

This study (or one similar) came out shortly after I had started FF Paris and I remember how it made me feel, and then I realised I had no need to feel guilty. I did what I thought was best for both of us at the time, I learned from my experience and put that experience to good use in the future. And that is all we can do as parents. I think we need to try to stop beating ourselves up for things that we did "then" with finding they have now. And sometimes information and support isn't available to us. If I knew then what I knew now I would have done a lot of things differently, but I refuse to beat myself up for it. This is how we learn and how we grow. And to some people this study may not impact as greatly on another because for them whatever they get out of FF may mean more to them iykwim and thats ok too. Information is just that, and if that attributes to the choices you make good, and if it doesn't thats fine too but there is always going to be someone who may find the information useful and thats important I think.

And if a mother dare says she doesn't feel guilty for something she's done over the course of her childs life, or a decision she's made or an outcome of a situation she's lying her butt off LOL! I once saw something that said "Moth-er-hood def. see 'Guilt' " LOL!