Expert: ruth kraft - 5/25/2011

Question
Hello
I have a 1 month old who I have not been able to nurse.   She spent her first two days in a NICU and was bottle fed.  My milk didn't come in until day 6, so before then anytime I tried to nurse she got very frustrated.  She will sort of latch and suck a little, but she is so used to the bottle that she soon gives up.  I've seen a lactation consultant several times and tried a nipple shield.  I am pumping what and when I can, but she is only getting about  half breastmilk and half formula.  Here is my basic question.  I feel that people are so fanatical about breastfeeding that it makes me skeptical about the benefits being exaggerated.  I'm looking for an honest and unbiased answer to the benefits of breastfeeding.  What health benefits have actually been studied and proven?  I know that I am doing the best that I can for my child.  I would just like to be completely informed about the subject from an unbiased point of view.  Thank you

Answer
Hello :) I am a breastfeeding advocate in general, but I also feel that many of the breastfeeding fanatical people often do a pretty good job of fearing people into breastfeeding or making them feel guilty about it. ALthough their tactics are not the kind that I prefer, their reasons are typically right on. There have been hundreds of studies on breastfeeding and the benefits of them. The physical act of breastfeeding alone has so many benefits. The longer your breastfeed the more benefits you have to you and your baby.  Breastmilk has been studied and proven to kill 42 types of live cancer cells when mixed with live fresh breasmilk. The healing qualities are amazing and it is mind boggling how potent this stuff is. Liquid gold doesn't even compare although that is often what it is called.

I don't have any studies right at my fingertips but if you google it, I am sure you will come up with hundreds of them. Breastfeeding advocates  don't really make this stuff up although again, their tactics are not always the best. I don't want you to breastfeed because someome made you feel guilty or like a bad mother, I want you to breastfeed because the long term effects to you and your baby will last a lifetime and it makes you both feel very good. I learn something new every year at conferences where we discuss this stuff at length. Breastmilk cures things like pink eye in 24 hours when dropped in the eye. It kills ear infections in adults and can be used as a decongestant. It balances the gut of a newborn like nothing else ever can or ever will. One drop of formula into a babies gut changes that gut chemistry for the rest of its life if given in the first 14 days. Breastmilk activly seeks out and kills cancer cells in a petri dish. It decreases allergies, asthma, diabetes, cancers, illness in general, and creates brain development as well as gives an endorphin release every time a baby breastfeeds. ALthough I don't have the time right now to go into my files and send my lists of benefits,  I recieved this a few weeks ago and thought it was thouroughly written. Someone has been sending it around facebook, I do not know who wrote it originally. You can check out Christian Northups site, you can look at the world health organization or even go to the academy of pediatrics website and you will find studies. LLLI.org has loads of them also.

I hope that was helpful. In the end, you need to do what feels best to you. Some breastmilk is better than none. But if you have the ability to nurse and increase that supply so you can breastfeed only, You will be doing both YOU and your baby a favor.

Sent from my Breast milk is NOT best. Breast milk is the biological norm for our species. A more correct way to look at the data supporting the “benefits of breast milk” would be to talk about the “risks of formula”. Today, more and more people believe that formula is just as good as breast milk and that using formula in developed nations carries no risks. Unfortunately, even for infants in the United States, Canada, UK, etc, using formula can drastically affect normal growth and development for babies, toddlers and children. The effects can last a lifetime. I want to preface this with a statement. I am in no way, shape or form criticizing or judging women who choose to use formula. My brother and I were formula-fed and our mother is a wonderful, loving person. No matter how you choose to feed your child, you can be a good mother. Period.


The sad reality is that the majority of women have been lied to by formula manufacturers, advertising and, yes, even pediatricians. By educating ourselves with all the facts, we can make an informed decision regarding infant feeding.



So here you have it:



100 Reasons Why You Should Avoid Using Infant Formula Like The Plague



1) Infant Formula is ridiculously expensive. On average, it costs anywhere from $1,500-4,000/year to use formula.

2) The taste of formula is disgusting. It has been likened to soured, chalky dirt. Breast milk, on the other hand, has been described as tasting like melted vanilla ice cream and its flavor is influenced by what the mother eats.

3) Formula contains no hormones, which are needed for normal growth and development.

4) Formula contains no antibodies, which are critical for warding off illness and developing a normal immune system.

5) Formula-fed babies have higher rates of Reflux and GERD

6) Formula-feeding has been linked to higher rates of heart disease

7) Formula-fed newborns are less alert and have less body movement

8) Formula-fed infants have an 80% increase in the risk of lower respiratory infections.

9) Formula-fed infants are 3-4 times more likely to suffer from diarrhea

10) Formula-fed infants are 4 times more likely to suffer from meningitis

11) Formula-fed infants are 5 times more likely to develop a moderate to severe case of rotavirus

12) Formula-fed infants are 14 times more likely to be hospitalized (yes, even in developed nations)

13) Formula-fed infants have a higher risk of botulism

14) Formula-fed infants have higher rates of Urinary Tract Infections

15) Formula-fed infants have a greater incidence of croup

16) Formula-feeding has been connected with a higher risk of Multiple Sclerosis

17) Formula-feeding has been linked to a greater risk of autism

18) Formula-fed babies have an impaired antibody response to vaccines

19) Formula-fed babies are more prone to sleep apnea

20) Formula-fed infants are more prone to bradycardia (a disorder of the heart)

21) Infant formula increases the rate of development of Celiac Disease

22) Formula-feeding increases an infant’s risk of developing Crohn’s Disease

23) Formula-fed infants have a higher risk of jaundice

24) Formula-fed infants have higher rates of pneumonia

25) Formula-fed children have poorer psychological development

26) 65% of formula-fed infants are considered obese, as compared to only 19% of breastfed babies

27) Formula-fed children are 50% more likely to develop type 1 diabetes

28) Formula-fed children are more likely to have learning and behavioral problems

29) Formula-fed toddlers are more likely to be dependant, clingy and become picky eaters

30) Formula increases a baby’s risk of dying of SIDS. In fact, studies show that out of every 87 babies that die from SIDS, only 3 were breastfed.

31) Premature infants fed formula have a higher risk of developing Respiratory Distress Syndrome

32) Formula contains NO anti-infectious factors

33) Formula can contain high levels of toxins like aluminum (60x greater), lead and iodine (10x greater)

34) Formula-fed infants are at risk for developing “Blue Baby” syndrome from a high nitrate content in the water used for mixing

35) Formula carries the risk of over and under diluting which can cause severe health problems including death

36) An estimated 4,000 babies die/day because they aren’t breastfed (According to WHO and UNICEF ~1.5 million babies die every year from formula-feeding).

37) A recent Harvard study estimates that 900 babies die every year in the US because they weren’t breastfed

38) Soy-based formula has been linked with early puberty in girls

39) Soy-based formula has been linked to sterility in boys

40) A child being exclusively fed soy formula consumes the equivalent of 5 birth control pills of estrogen/day.

41) Formula-fed infants are more likely to develop eczema

42) Formula-fed infants are at a greater risk for rheumatoid arthritis

43) Women who formula-feed have a higher risk of breast cancer

44) Women who formula-feed have a higher risk of ovarian cancer

45) Women who formula-feed have a higher risk of endometrial cancer

46) Women who formula-feed are at a greater risk for post-partum depression

47) Women who formula-feed have higher rates of anemia

48) Women who formula-feed have a higher risk of hip fractures

49) Women who formula-feed have a higher risk of osteoporosis

50) Women who formula-feed get their periods faster which leads to more waste products in landfills.

51) Parents who formula-feed are at a disadvantage at work. Since their children are more likely to be sick, they have to take more sick days and miss more work.

52) There is a potential correlation between formula and the development of Parkinson’s disease

53) Formula is NOT a sterile product. In order to safely prepare formula, you must mix it with boiling water - not preboiled, cooled water. Which brings me to my next point…

54) Using formula is NOT convenient. Not only do you have to buy the formula, but you have to spend the time measuring, mixing and safely preparing it. After a feeding, you only have 1 hour before you have to throw out the leftover milk. And, if you want to go out, you have to find a place to boil the water and formula in order to feed your child. When you breastfeed, you carry all the milk your baby needs and it is served at the perfect temperature and is sterile.

55) Premature Infants fed formula are at risk for necrotizing enterocolitis

56) Formula doesn’t contain PSTI (Pancreatic Secretory Trypsin Inhibitor) which “protects and repairs the delicate intestines of newborns”

57) Infants who are formula-fed have a higher gut pH

58) Infants who are formula-fed are prone to developing Inflammatory Bowel Disease

59) Infants who are formula-fed have a higher incidence of allergies

60) Formula-fed adults, on average, live shorter lives.

61) Formula-fed infants have smaller brains.

62) From 2000-2010, there were 17 recalls of infant formula. Some of them were extremely serious and caused death. Breast milk doesn’t have recalls.

63) Formula-fed infants are more likely to be diagnosed with nutrient deficiencies.

64) Women who formula-feed have a greater risk of postpartum Hemorrhage following birth.

65) Formula contains, depending on brand, more than 40 times the recommended daily dose of iron. This has been linked to constipation and higher rates of SIDS.

66) Formula-fed children have poorer social development.

67) Formula-feeding carries the risk of contamination of bacteria from the water, formula, unsafe handling or bottles used.

68)  Formula-fed infants and children have an 80% greater chance of getting an ear infection before age 3.

69) Women who formula-feed do not benefit from the natural contraception that breastfeeding provides, and often have their children spaced closer together.

70) Formula-fed infants are more likely to be constipated and to suffer from chronic constipation.

71) Formula-fed infants are more likely to suffer from colic

72) Formula-fed infants have a greater incidence of bronchitis

73) Formula-fed infants have a higher risk of cavities and tooth decay

74) Formula-fed infants are more likely to need braces or other orthodontic work.

75) Over/Underbites are more common in formula-fed infants.

76) Formula-fed infants spit up more

77) Formula-fed children have poorer vision and are more likely to need glasses.

78) Formula-fed children talk later, on average, and are more likely to have speech impediments

79) Formula-fed children have weaker bone density

80) Using formula is bad for the environment. Consider the pollution needed to manufacture cans, bottles, formula, etc and all the wasted tin cans.

81) Parents who use formula get, on average, 45 minutes less sleep per night.

82) Feeding formula requires the use of both hands (breastfeeding moms only need to use one arm)

83) Formula can’t kill cancer (but breast milk can!!!)

84) Formula-fed infants are at a greater risk of developing Hodgkin’s Disease

85) Adults who were formula-fed are more likely to have weight problems

86) Most formulas are made with a base of cows milk, which is difficult for humans to digest. No wonder, considering calves have 4 stomachs to use in digestion. In addition, the two most important things that cows milk provides for a calf are rapid weight gain and the development of its skeletal structure. In humans, the most important thing that breast milk helps to develop is the brain.

87) Infants, children and adults who were formula-fed are more likely to develop lactose intolerance.

88) Mothers who formula-feed have a harder time bonding with their infants do to the lack of hormones naturally released during breastfeeding. Not that they CAN’T bond, simply that they have a harder job doing it.

89) The poop of formula-fed infants smells horrible

90) Formula-fed infants and children are more likely to get frequent colds

91) Formula is not perfectly tailored to the baby’s needs. It is always the same. Breast milk is constantly changing based on time of day, duration of a feed, age of the baby and even season of the year.

92) Using formula carries the risk of overdosing your infant with flouride.

93) Infant formula has only been around for about 100 years, and has only been widely used for about 60. Every time a deficiency is fixed in the product, it is heralded as being “closer than every to breast milk”. I could take a step out of my front door and be “closer than ever” to California. Doesn’t change the fact that I’m still thousands of miles away from actually getting there. Researchers from Abbott Industries (formula manufacturer) noted that replicating the complexity of human milk would be impossible.

94) With the exception of basic hygiene in factories and minimum requirements for ingredients, formula is not regulated by the FDA. While I’m not the biggest fan of the FDA in general, one would think that the food we are feeding the next generation would be held to the highest standards and watched with the closest scrutiny. Fun fact: the addition of DHA/ARA to infant formulas was not pre-approved by the FDA.

95) In independent studies not funded by formula companies, no difference was found between infants fed formula with DHA/ARA and infants fed formula without. In fact, infants fed formula with the added ingredients were more likely to suffer from gastrointestinal problems including vomiting.

96) Formula-fed infants are at risk for exposure to BPA

97) Formula contains NO cholesterol. At first, that seems like a good thing, until you realize that cholesterol is absolutely critical for normal brain development in infants.

98) Breast milk contains over 100,000 illness and infection-fighting white blood cells per drop. Formula has none.

99) "Formula feeding is the longest lasting uncontrolled experiment lacking informed consent in the history of medicine." - Frank Oski, M.D., retired editor, Journal of Pediatrics

100) "When we trust the makers of baby formula more than we do our own ability to nourish our babies, we lose a chance to claim an aspect of our power as women. Thinking that baby formula is as good as breast milk is believing that thirty years of technology is superior to three million years of nature's evolution. Countless women have regained trust in their bodies through nursing their children, even if they weren't sure at first that they could do it. It is an act of female power, and I think of it as feminism in its purest form."

- Christine Northrup M.D.