Study: bottle-feeding information lacking
A new study found that the current emphasis on breast-feeding can cause bottle-feeding parents to be under informed about properly nourishing their child.
The study’s authors from the University of Cambridge noted that, because most infants will receive some formula during their first year of life, even if their mothers breast-feed, it is important that health care professionals give them adequate information.
One finding of the study was that some mothers who bottle-fed felt that hospital midwives spent far more time with breast-feeding mothers. It also found that it was common for mothers to make mistakes in bottle preparation, which can increase the risk of infection, promote excessive weight gain or leave babies undernourished.
In an April article in The Atlantic Monthly, mother of three Hanna Rosin argued that the pressure on moms to breast-feed was so great that when she mentioned to other mothers that she was thinking about switching to formula, she was shunned.
While I found plenty to dispute in Rosin’s article I think that the Cambridge study underlines that that the emphasis on breast-feeding should not come at the expense of children whose parents who by preference or necessity bottle feed.
Loading ...Tags: breastfeeding, Health
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July 23rd, 2009 at 6:36 pm
Ruby says:I have, perhaps, a unique perspective on this subject. I was %100 planning on breast feeding when I discovered I was pregnant. Unfortunately it just wasn’t in the cards for me. My son was born 15 weeks early. I’m not sure how much experience some moms might have with a breast pump, but ‘it ain’t pretty’! Through all of the stress, (not to mention, actual physical limitations) breastfeeding became impossible. My son received maybe one month’s worth of my breast milk. The other 3 months in the hospital, he was given donor milk until he was able to tolerate formula. I suppose really to breast-feed or not should be considered secondary to what is truly more beneficial to the baby and to mom.
I personally feel breast milk is healthiest, (so must the hospital since he was given donor milk) however I would really like to give a nod to the moms who wanted to breastfeed, but for one reason or another could not. Sometimes you just have to make lemonade
July 24th, 2009 at 7:03 pm
Rachel Turiel says:To Ruby – my son was also born 15 weeks early. Miraculously I was able to breastfeed him. I am grateful for the 2 years of breastmilk he received and yet it didn’t protect him from needing a lot of medical help and medications.
I am wondering how your son is doing now. 15 weeks is awfully early and even at 4 1/2 years old we get a lot of reminders of my son’s preemie-status. You can e-mail me directly if you want at sanjuandrive@frontier.net
Thanks,
Rachel
July 25th, 2009 at 5:15 pm
s. says:I am disappointed with the way your question is worded. I gave my son SOME formula as he grew older simply because I did not feel he was getting enough breastmilk. However, mom’s should be made aware that formula is lacking nutritionally in many ways [for instance there are NO omega 3's in formula - critical to brain development]. This is the most important info that should be given to new mothers! This issue is not even mentioned in your article? Your article seems to only consider convenience? If new mothers understood the nutritional value of breastmilk & the long term consequences of NOT breastfeeding, it may help mother’s choose to breastfeed for the recommended 1st year whenever possible. This should 1st be adequately reviewed anytime bottle feeding guidelines are to be discussed. What could be more important than the health of the infant?
Your question could imply I choose to bottle feed therefore implying I feel it is ok to bottle feed based on convenience when in reality I did everything possible to breastfeed as long as I could + hope others do as well for the sake of their children !
Perhaps the mother that felt pressured actually felt a little pang of self quilt as well?
July 26th, 2009 at 12:17 pm
Kid Row says:S., many thanks for your comments. I think you’re right that the poll should have provided more responses, rather than all or nothing. But I kind of assumed that with “yes” and “no” options people would respond with the answer that generally described their situation.
As far as providing mothers complete information on the many benefits of breastfeeding, I couldn’t agree more (I recently tabulated that to date I have spent 316 hours of my life pumping so that my kids could have breatmilk while I’m at work — I don’t know if that makes me proud or just tired. I am lucky to have an employer that provides me the latitude to do that. But that’s another post …).
But my point, and I think the point of the study, was that *in addition* to providing complete info on breatfeeding, parents should also get adequate information on proper formula feeding, because as the study notes, most children will receive at least a little formula at some point in their infancy.
Additionally, I know there are many mothers who had every intention of breatfeeding only to find that they were physically unable. I think one negative side effect of the push to breastfeed is that often these mothers feel guilty and inadequate. Basically I think our zeal to embrace breastfeeding shouldn’t come at the expense of mothers and babies who for whatever reason can’t.
November 23rd, 2009 at 7:57 am
jeremie says:The government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.