The judgmental attitude of breastfeeding advocates is so annoying. It’s one thing to be an advocate. Another to be a nag. It’s just not your business what other moms choose to do.
Great courage Dr. Prasad in wading into this maelstrom of controversy. I think we can reduce it down to two points: 1) There is no scientifically credible evidence that either choice has any significant effect upon growth and development or health. 2) Everyone should mind their own business.
On number one I would add that it is logistically impossible to carry out a scientifically valid study on this topic for many of the same reasons that it can't be done on diet or exercise. On number two I would expect those for whom "equity" is the overriding moral concern in all action and decisions should be passionately in favor of bottle feeding so that fathers could be equally involved in the bonding process. To do otherwise would subject them to criticism as "mommyists".
Breast is always best. Formula fed babies will grow and meet milestones, too, but let’s not continue to fool ourselves by promoting “Fed is best” to try to make formula feeding equal to or as beneficial as breastfeeding. What nature creates is always superior.
As regards there being no proof for any of your conclusions, you can’t find what you’re not really looking for and formula manufacturers have no interest in information that works against their products.
As mother of 3 (all of whom were nursed), an ex-NICU nurse, and a nurse for almost 50 years, I will agree "Breast is best". The advantages of breastfeeding are legion, and I have always encouraged it. But with that said - there are millions of happy, healthy bottle fed babies ~ and exponentially more happy, healthy adults who were bottle fed. I'm an elementary school nurse now - for 24 years. I cannot walk into a kindergarten classroom and "tell" which kids were nursed or bottle fed - there is no difference. But I can (and so can the teachers I work with) can tell you which kids have cell phones. Quit shaming people. I always advised my patients to do what works best for you.
I totally agree with every point you make. As a practicing physician and as a mother. I knew myself well enough to know that nursing was not going to work for me. I had two complicated deliveries, one that landed me in the ICU on a ventilator, and both involving a surgical procedure and IV antibiotics. I also have eczema that could crop up and cause trouble. I chose to bottle feed both of my daughters - they are intelligent, successful young women with no significant problems or allergies (I also fed them peanut butter as toddlers).
I have told multiple professional young women not to feel guilty if breastfeeding doesn’t work for them. It is not a failure of mothering your children nor is it a badge of honor. Women bond with their children and care for them regardless of the way they feed them as babies. I have always been disturbed by the medical community pushing women and forcing them to do something because it’s “right.”
I think, like every other aspect of our lives, humans are disconnected to their nature and Nature. The most basic mammalian way to have offspring survive is breastfeeding. And what about the gut-biome? Breastfeeding, particularly colostrum, lines the newborn's intestinal tract with healthy bacteria, I have read, for life. The intensity and beauty of a mother and baby nursing shouldn't be underestimated. It is hard in the beginning, but you are rewarded if you can push through and figure it out. It is a shame our culture is a bottle-feeding culture, imo. Everything has to be fast and easy or it's not worth doing. One of the best things I ever did for my babies and for me.
I think insuring breast pumps is counterproductive. This is a technology that costs $60 (witness the knock-off brands). Being approved by insurance ends up wildly raising the list price for "approved" brands for women, to $200-$500, making it too expensive to try another one if the first one you got through insurance doesn't work for you. It sometimes takes two or three tries to get a pump that suits you.
P.S. Breastfeeding does not make you lose weight. You can't lose weight until you STOP breastfeeding. Did you read an RCT about this?
As a mom of one, there definitely was an assumption from family and friends that I would breast feed especially because I was a "stay at home mom". Well, I march to my own tune. I knew that full time breast feeding was not going to work for me, not to mention that i did not have the desire to do so. I supplemented with formula about 80% of the time for the 1st 6 months, then went to formula full time after that. No mom should be shamed about what she decides to do. Whose business is it anyway? As a side note, my daughter, now 21, is wicked smart and super healthy.
There is far too much pressure on moms to breastfeed. Breastfeeding is awesome when it works. Not all babies can get enough milk from their mom's breasts. In previous centuries these babies either died or there was a wet-nurse in the village with so much overflow of milk that any baby could get enough. We no longer have wet-nurses, but baby formula. Not every mom has enough milk, some only have milk for a few weeks. Not all babies can drink from the breast. All the suggestions of "just increase feeding frequency to every two hours", "every mom produces enough milk when they are willing to", "every baby can drink from the breast", "your baby will have a worse life because you cannot breastfeed" are just utter nonsense and simply put unnecessary guilt and stress and sleep deprivation on moms who too often do not get any better advice from the specialists. I'm talking from experience.
"There is no credible evidence exclusive breast feeding improves ~ all long term health outcomes."
Perhaps I'm missing other obvious benefits, but then what's the point of breastfeeding if the only benefits appear to be for the Mother reducing weight and bonding? 2 things which are easily done in other ways.
I find the implied claim that formula milk as having the same nutritional benefits as breastmilk a stretch to believe on it's face.
Because that’s a lie, sorry, statistical manipulation, paid for by the formula industry.
If you need a study to tell you that spray-dried cow milk, veg fat, corn syrup, and synthetic nutrients IS NOT A GOOD IDEA vs a live, dyad-specific, immunologically-rich, nutritionally-perfect, entirely bioavailable, super-food from a system complete with dynamic feedback loops, temporal adaptations, components that work directly on the microbiome, that millions of years of evolutionary biology fine-tuned, that has no environmental impact or safety issues, you are already beyond lost, intellectually, philosophically, and in terms of your physical health.
Just an anecdote from an apparently breastfeeding worshipper.
Next,..
Pumps are covered by insurance.
The cost of formula is 400-800 and can be covered under WIC, however. Financial implications should be considered
The judgmental attitude of breastfeeding advocates is so annoying. It’s one thing to be an advocate. Another to be a nag. It’s just not your business what other moms choose to do.
Why is there so much talk about this? It’s no one’s decision but the mom.
I’m a pediatrician. I totally agree. Nice summary
Great courage Dr. Prasad in wading into this maelstrom of controversy. I think we can reduce it down to two points: 1) There is no scientifically credible evidence that either choice has any significant effect upon growth and development or health. 2) Everyone should mind their own business.
On number one I would add that it is logistically impossible to carry out a scientifically valid study on this topic for many of the same reasons that it can't be done on diet or exercise. On number two I would expect those for whom "equity" is the overriding moral concern in all action and decisions should be passionately in favor of bottle feeding so that fathers could be equally involved in the bonding process. To do otherwise would subject them to criticism as "mommyists".
Breast is always best. Formula fed babies will grow and meet milestones, too, but let’s not continue to fool ourselves by promoting “Fed is best” to try to make formula feeding equal to or as beneficial as breastfeeding. What nature creates is always superior.
As regards there being no proof for any of your conclusions, you can’t find what you’re not really looking for and formula manufacturers have no interest in information that works against their products.
As mother of 3 (all of whom were nursed), an ex-NICU nurse, and a nurse for almost 50 years, I will agree "Breast is best". The advantages of breastfeeding are legion, and I have always encouraged it. But with that said - there are millions of happy, healthy bottle fed babies ~ and exponentially more happy, healthy adults who were bottle fed. I'm an elementary school nurse now - for 24 years. I cannot walk into a kindergarten classroom and "tell" which kids were nursed or bottle fed - there is no difference. But I can (and so can the teachers I work with) can tell you which kids have cell phones. Quit shaming people. I always advised my patients to do what works best for you.
I totally agree with every point you make. As a practicing physician and as a mother. I knew myself well enough to know that nursing was not going to work for me. I had two complicated deliveries, one that landed me in the ICU on a ventilator, and both involving a surgical procedure and IV antibiotics. I also have eczema that could crop up and cause trouble. I chose to bottle feed both of my daughters - they are intelligent, successful young women with no significant problems or allergies (I also fed them peanut butter as toddlers).
I have told multiple professional young women not to feel guilty if breastfeeding doesn’t work for them. It is not a failure of mothering your children nor is it a badge of honor. Women bond with their children and care for them regardless of the way they feed them as babies. I have always been disturbed by the medical community pushing women and forcing them to do something because it’s “right.”
I think, like every other aspect of our lives, humans are disconnected to their nature and Nature. The most basic mammalian way to have offspring survive is breastfeeding. And what about the gut-biome? Breastfeeding, particularly colostrum, lines the newborn's intestinal tract with healthy bacteria, I have read, for life. The intensity and beauty of a mother and baby nursing shouldn't be underestimated. It is hard in the beginning, but you are rewarded if you can push through and figure it out. It is a shame our culture is a bottle-feeding culture, imo. Everything has to be fast and easy or it's not worth doing. One of the best things I ever did for my babies and for me.
I think insuring breast pumps is counterproductive. This is a technology that costs $60 (witness the knock-off brands). Being approved by insurance ends up wildly raising the list price for "approved" brands for women, to $200-$500, making it too expensive to try another one if the first one you got through insurance doesn't work for you. It sometimes takes two or three tries to get a pump that suits you.
P.S. Breastfeeding does not make you lose weight. You can't lose weight until you STOP breastfeeding. Did you read an RCT about this?
AMEN!!!!
I agree with ever my word of this article.
As a mom of one, there definitely was an assumption from family and friends that I would breast feed especially because I was a "stay at home mom". Well, I march to my own tune. I knew that full time breast feeding was not going to work for me, not to mention that i did not have the desire to do so. I supplemented with formula about 80% of the time for the 1st 6 months, then went to formula full time after that. No mom should be shamed about what she decides to do. Whose business is it anyway? As a side note, my daughter, now 21, is wicked smart and super healthy.
There is far too much pressure on moms to breastfeed. Breastfeeding is awesome when it works. Not all babies can get enough milk from their mom's breasts. In previous centuries these babies either died or there was a wet-nurse in the village with so much overflow of milk that any baby could get enough. We no longer have wet-nurses, but baby formula. Not every mom has enough milk, some only have milk for a few weeks. Not all babies can drink from the breast. All the suggestions of "just increase feeding frequency to every two hours", "every mom produces enough milk when they are willing to", "every baby can drink from the breast", "your baby will have a worse life because you cannot breastfeed" are just utter nonsense and simply put unnecessary guilt and stress and sleep deprivation on moms who too often do not get any better advice from the specialists. I'm talking from experience.
"There is no credible evidence exclusive breast feeding improves ~ all long term health outcomes."
Perhaps I'm missing other obvious benefits, but then what's the point of breastfeeding if the only benefits appear to be for the Mother reducing weight and bonding? 2 things which are easily done in other ways.
I find the implied claim that formula milk as having the same nutritional benefits as breastmilk a stretch to believe on it's face.
Because that’s a lie, sorry, statistical manipulation, paid for by the formula industry.
If you need a study to tell you that spray-dried cow milk, veg fat, corn syrup, and synthetic nutrients IS NOT A GOOD IDEA vs a live, dyad-specific, immunologically-rich, nutritionally-perfect, entirely bioavailable, super-food from a system complete with dynamic feedback loops, temporal adaptations, components that work directly on the microbiome, that millions of years of evolutionary biology fine-tuned, that has no environmental impact or safety issues, you are already beyond lost, intellectually, philosophically, and in terms of your physical health.