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Once upon a time Mums felt guilty and kept breastfeeding a secret as it was only the "poor" people who breastfed their baby, now it has come full circle and many FF Mums do the same thing for one reason or another.
Lets just stop bickering and simply say 'some mums BF and some FF" we are all doing the best we can and love our babies equally.
Honestly, there are bigger issues going on right now......
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seeming this study has come forward.. are they going to do anything about it that anyone has read?
I hope they do.... coz like me, i stopped BFing at 5 weeks and ive tried so many formula's and now mia is on one that suits her, but i would still like to know im not giving her bad stuff.. does that make sense?
question - can someone give me a quick lesson on what pro - biotics are and what do they do??
BellyBelly Life Subscriber
That definitely makes sense Hollye, if you're giving formula, you want it to be developed so it's as close to human milk as possible, and hopefully advances in technology will allow us to get there one day!
I'm not a pro-biotics expert, I'll just link to the Wikipedia info.
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all interesting how each little thing we interfere with throws out so much
yes i agree kel. I think we would be better off having our bubs in the bush and NO access to formula.
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wow.. on the pro biotics thing. are you able to get it seperate to give to bubs??
BellyBelly Life Subscriber
I imagine so? I don't think they're a new thing...I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, but is Yakult a pro-biotic?
BellyBelly Life Subscriber
holly go to your health food shop you can get it in kids form, i think its a powder HTH!
BellyBelly Member
Just another reason why breast is best. But sometimes breast cant be done for what ever reason. I dont think anybody is pointing fingers saying"Your kid will be fat if you feed it formula."
But its just ANOTHER study proving the benefits of breast. If possible.....
Alot of women who FF (NOT ALL) feel the need to ignore the facts. Your not a bad mother if you FF, not at all. But please dont deny (SP) the goodness of it. This to me shows that you are not truly happy in your reasons to FF.
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This to me shows that you are not truly happy in your reasons to FF.
ur right kass, im not. i never have been. i gave up.. i shouldnt have. I took up smoking again so re-lactating isnt the best idea. I stuffed up big time, but i have learnt my lesson and once Mia is off bottles.. they will be givin away and for the next bub i WILL not have bottles.. formula.. or even a pump. And i swear that hospital gives the next bub formula, oh boy will they be sorry. AND if they tell me they dont have time to help me to breast feed they will be getting a new bum hole!!!
thanks girls, will be heading to the health food shop on monday.
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I must admit it was articles like this that made me feel sooo distressed when I needed to feed my baby formula at 2 weeks old. I had low supply and he really wasn't well (forget meeting percentiles or whatever- he was plain losing weight and looking very unwell).
I had tried and tried to boost supply following advice from midwives and hospital lactation consultants. I was a member of the ABA and used their helpline. I thought I was doing everything right and shouldn't have to be dealing with the situation I was in. But I was and I had to give my son formula or face him being even sicker and in hospital and our BFing journey over for sure.
So I comp fed the barest minimum I could, got in a top notch lactation consultant and beat the supply issues. After almost 2 weeks my son was back off formula which I was ecstatic about but these stats still played with my mind... until I realised that they are referring to full time formula fed babies. Babies who are at least part time breast fed are still getting the probiotics, the stem cells and everything else good these studies teach us about.
I've since developed a greater appreciation for part time breast feeding. Why is it not more widely promoted? Why are women with low supply advised to switch to full time formula feeding? I know my MCHN did that to me- she told me the amount of formula needed for full time formula feeding even though she knew I was planning on minimum comp feeding. Anyway- a prattle on from me but something that I've been thinking about a lot and something I think more women struggling to breast feed maybe need to have discussed with them as an option.
BellyBelly Member
Thats very big of you to admit Hollye! I didn't mean to make you feel bad. And Im not saying all mummies who FF regret it etc. Im just saying many 'knock' bf alot of the time because they arn't doing it
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It is difficult to pick up a newspaper or magazine today without reading about the increasing numbers of both children and adults who are suffering health problems as a result of obesity. Speculation is that the climbing rates of obesity, especially in the United States, is largely due to a lack of physical exercise and the availability of junk food.
A possible additional factor in the incidence of obesity that is seldom mentioned is the use of infant formula instead of breastmilk. Could feeding our babies infant formula be an even more significant factor in obesity than what we now believe?
Research does, in fact, point to the increase in obesity among babies who are fed formula. There is a tendency for parents to control the amount of food the baby is getting. In contrast, breastfed babies end their own feedings when they are satisfied. Parents who see even the smallest amount left in the bottle will nearly always encourage the baby to finish the formula that is left.
Given that formula is so expensive, this is a very real possibility today. A good estimate is that formula will cost parents on average about $3-4 per day. At those prices, parents do not want to waste a drop. So they will try to encourage the baby to finish what is left and possibly force the baby to eat beyond what is satisfying to him/her. This can lead to over-feeding the baby, which in turn increases the baby's development of fat cells and eventually making obesity more likely.
I agree, this does happen. I let Mia finish when she finishes. Sometimes she drink 40 mls others 180mls. I waste alot of formula but i dont care.
Another reason that infant formula may contribute to obesity is due to the added sugar in some of the newer brands of formula such as Similac Organic. Pediatricians believe that feeding sweetened formula can cause a baby to overeat, possibly leading to obesity.
Experts suggest that unlike infant formula, breastmilk may contain growth factors that inhibit body fat. This may be one reason why breastfed babies have about a 30% reduction in the incidence of childhood obesity. Additional evidence indicates that breastfeeding reduces the incidence of obesity later into the teen years by 20%.
Life Subscriber
Kelly posted that article in March last year. So it isn't totally new. Hollye, I am not sure what has been done as a result but I imagine the formula companies will certainly be onto it. The benefits of pro-biotics have been known for years - they are available in many forms, and basically keep "good bacteria" in our digestive systems. Many people are in special need of this - including women on the pill and those taking antibiotics. Natural yoghurts are one of the more common sources.
Most people here know that I have bf my boys, but may not realise that my first DS was unable to attach at first. We had a very rocky start to bfing, and the reality is that the only difference between me (who continued to bf) and someone who was unable to continue and started ffing, is purely and simply luck. Through a couple of complete co-incidences, I found the right people to assist me with feeding with a nipple shield, and to fix the underlying problem (snipping the tongue-tie). So I do have an understanding of why so many people who wish to continue bfing don't. It can happen so easily. And I know how much disappointment, and perhaps guilt, goes along with that. The thing is though, I don't think that's a good enough reason to not continue to learn as much as we can about what is best for babies. That way others can be helped. Having the information helps us, but it doesn't mean that we need to be perfect. I know that my boys have a pretty good diet but that it could be better. I know that it is bad to get angry at the boys and yet I do. What I know and what I do isn't always the same. I am not perfect. No-one is. Knowing that breast milk is better but that your circumstances prevented you from bfing for any longer doesn't make you a bad mum. It means you are doing the best you can, just like we all do with everything. I often read articles saying that this or that is best for babies, and I didn't know that at the time so I didn't do it. But instead of feeling guilty I recognise that it is still good that the information is now available, so that the next person knows.
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i remember that add now with the pro biotics. Im on antibiotics atm, and i will be for atleast 6 months.. mayb i should get some for mee too.
Will pro biotics help settle mia's stomach??
sorry for getting off subject girls.
Registered User
Hollye, I've been giving Jovie probiotics since she was 11 weeks old due to issues we had. She was on a tiny amount but they both have 1/4 of a capsule daily now. The one we use is dairy free for our issues, and used to be called Nourishing Flora... its changed names, but if you go to a health food store and ask they will have heaps, some are geared towards children, that say over 3yrs old. We used it under advice and I used to drop my finger tip into the powder and Jovie would suck it off before having a breastfeed, or I would put a tiny bit of powder into her cup of rice milk.
Jovie was mainly breastfed until she was 18 months old. She still had issues with colic and food intolerances so the probiotics helped tremendously.
Kelly, interesting article.
I have to agree with Niliac, this thread should be a piece of information that you can either take or leave, there are excellent articles on here
For the record, I was FF right through and was not obese which is good. DD has never been ill and she is 13months now, was FF from 3 weeks old and always been very healthy. I never once felt guilt
BellyBelly Member
Great post ren. I too had a low supply and comp fed from 6 weeks, I feel a bit ashamed to say that I might do the same next time around. I realise the benefits of BF but also like the convenience of FF.
BellyBelly Life Member - Love all your MCN friends
to all the mums who say they get slammed for formula feeding, cos bf-ign is seen as normal.
i am a living breathing example of a breastfeeding mum who has been slammed, ever since my bub was five months old, FOR BREASTFEEDING!
i still cop it now, my child is two years old and i cop it all the time, especially at her childcare centre.
So life is not perfect, society doesn't embrace you just cos you bf - i have found the opposite - and just like you, i do what i do, in the best interests of my child. So if from tomorrow, if for some reason i stopped producing milk, or bilby coudln't suck anymore, i would put just as much energy into hunting down the best sort of FF for her, that i could find. (or whatever you are meant to give a two year old, it could be cow's milk for all i know, i have no clue what age FF babie stop havcing Formula.
every time i read these romanticised notions of "if only i breastfed i would be seen as normal", it really grates on my nerves, i think "if only they knew how that is the opposite of my reality! i WISH it were true.
i have had medical professionals pressuring me to wean too. it's never ending.
i went thru four months (in the beginning) of a very bumpy start to bf-ing. it was not easy, it did not feel natural, i needed alot of education and help to get it happening.
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