When a mother has her new child, she faces a tough decision: breastfeed or formula feed? Perhaps a combination of both? Many mothers have reservations about breastfeeding because of the time commitment and concerns over producing enough milk, but also fear that formula feeding could impact their baby's health. Are these fears warranted, or is formula feeding a safe and effective alternative to the natural method?
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Infant Feeding is a Lifestyle Choice
not breastfeeding is risky
"If, in the future, science demonstrates that breastfeeding has serious health advantages, then public health officials, women, and their families will have to determine whether the benefits of breastfeeding override its costs. In the meantime, in the overwhelming majority of cases, either breastfeeding or formula-feeding is a healthy option." quote: mrs Wolf
Well, of course breastfeeding is in no way to be put forward as beneficial or better, it is just the biological norm. All substitutes of a norm will have to prove their necessity and safety. Human milk substitutes have for now failed to do so. Not breastfeeding is proven to be risky and morbidity is in the ranges similar to those of unsafe sleep arrangements and severe child abuse. See press release of NIH: http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/may2004/niehs-02.htm , but more evidence is out there.
Formula feeding is not a lifestyle choice, it should rather be seen as a prosthesis, like a prosthesis to replace a missing hand, eye- or ear-function, in case a mother is medically unable to breastfeed. Even then, human milk would be the preferred option. Only in very rare cases of metabolic disorders, like galactosemia, will an infant not be able to tolerate human milk.
Breast or bottle is not a lifestyle choice, it is a child health choice and a women's health choice. Not lactating increases the risks of developing ''female'' diseases like reproductive organ cancers, postpartum depression and osteoporosis.
- Gonneke
May 8, 2009 3:49AM
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I totally agree with Gonneke
It is a choice. My baby was extremely little and had some health problems and his peditrician recommended that i use a formula formulated especially for him. I had planned to breast feed but of coarse I wanted what was best for my baby and that is what the dr recommended.. He did wonderfully.. Grew off like no baby i had ever seen. I was so pleased with his growth and how healty he turned out that I had the dr formulate a formula for my 2nd child even though he was a big healty baby. I have never regretted this and my kids are in their 30's now .... breast feeding is like anything else a choice an i get a little sick of people trying to say it is the best because that is not always so..
- cbooh
October 30, 2009 11:07PM
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