Breast Feeding Study: Benefits overstated

RachelCA29 · February 2014

I hope I'm not re-posting this, I did a quick search and it doesn't seem to have been shared on May 14 yet.

There was a new study released about the BF vs. FF benefits/affects that concludes the benefits of BFing might be overstated (something I personally have heard in the news before). Here is an article about the study:

https://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2014/02/27/breast_feeding_study_benefits_of_breast_over_bottle_have_been_exaggerated.html

I'm not taking sides here, but things like this are kind of nice to reduce the pressure that many moms feel when they can't or choose not to breast feed. We're all nourishing our babies, back-off society!

Mittens14 · February 2014

Thanks for sharing!

rainydayluck · February 2014

So you mean environment and SES play more of a factor that previously assumed? Craziness!

Obviously that was typed in sarcasm font.

andoll8 · February 2014

Benefits aside, I'm still a proponent of BFing simply for financial reasons.

I promise not to judge anyones choices.

RachelCA29 · February 2014

hhegyesi said:

Benefits aside, I'm still a proponent of BFing simply for financial reasons.

I promise not to judge anyones choices.

Me too! I'm cheap.

andoll8 · February 2014

kitchencolors said:

RachelCA29 said:

hhegyesi said:

Benefits aside, I'm still a proponent of BFing simply for financial reasons.

I promise not to judge anyones choices.

Me too! I'm cheap.

BF can end up pretty expensive pretty fast if you have any trouble. I think we would have been better off financially if we had just gone straight to formula. Lactation consultants, pump supplies, copays for cases of mastitis, etc. They add up.

i admit it freely: this is my main fear of BFing.

However, the MW told me I have "great breasts for nursing" (awkward), so I'm hopeful her prediction will come to pass.

IBackBevo · February 2014

@kitchencolors - Re #4 That poor kid is going to have 2 strikes against him or her anyway with a Mother like that. That reminds me of the poster with the cousin who thought that 1 can of formula will last a month because it said good for 30 days.

Empireceo · February 2014

Just make sure your kid doesn't starve. I wish we could leave it at that.

rainydayluck · February 2014

IBackBevo said:
@kitchencolors - Re #4 That poor kid is going to have 2 strikes against him or her anyway with a Mother like that. That reminds me of the poster with the cousin who thought that 1 can of formula will last a month because it said good for 30 days.

And in those two examples: is the kid dumb because he was formula fed or because he had a dumb mom? These are just great examples of how correlation does not equal causation.

jenb_99 · February 2014

kitchencolors said:

BF can end up pretty expensive pretty fast if you have any trouble. I think we would have been better off financially if we had just gone straight to formula. Lactation consultants, pump supplies, copays for cases of mastitis, etc. They add up.

So true. I dealt with all this too, minus the mastitis. Add in the cost of hospital pump rental, nipple shields for bad latch, 3 months' worth of Zoloft, a couple of bottles of herbal supplements (fenugreek and something else that slips my mind), and an appt with a PPD counselor, and I spent far more in 3 weeks of BF and 3 months of pumping than I did on our entire 13 months of formula. DS did great on basic store-brand stuff, so I think we averaged $23/mo on formula.

BF (and pumping) can be expensive even if you don't have trouble, especially if you purchase nursing bras and tanks, absorbent pads, hands-free pump bra, milk storage containers, laundry pre-treater for those awful breast milk spit-up and poop stains, etc.

Cost should never be the single deciding factor. Some people spend practically nothing on formula, while others end up spending a fortune on breast feeding and pumping.

Mimaloo · February 2014

RachelCA29 said:

hhegyesi said:

Benefits aside, I'm still a proponent of BFing simply for financial reasons.

I promise not to judge anyones choices.

Me too! I'm cheap.

Same!

NorthernGal248 · February 2014

The ingedients in formula - and the price - are going to def keep me bf. I don't judge any mom who decides not bf, it's a personal decision.

pistolpackinmomma · February 2014

I admit I hated dealing with bottles last time which is a big reason I hope to be able to BF this time.

RachelCA29 · March 2014

kitchencolors said:

pistolpackinmomma said:

I admit I hated dealing with bottles last time which is a big reason I hope to be able to BF this time.

Seriously. I would be a happy woman if I never have to wash another bottle. So. Many. Dishes.

Either way you do it, getting the baby fed will drive you nuts either way!

sthomas1222 · March 2014

Oh I've got a sinner for you. A friend's employee had to rush his kid to the ER (b/c why go to the ped at the first sign of illness). He comes back to work all shocked that the reason his kid was so sick was that they were mixing the formula with milk b/c it just seemed better to do...

countrymice06 · March 2014

Lurking from March, but I am so glad to see this study. I can't believe the bias I faced FF my daughter, and I was skeptical of the benefits all along. I COMPLETELY get it if you want to but the way people talk at the park, you would think that breast milk was an honest to god miracle substance that cures everything and makes babies into superpeople... and I work with teachers who go to ridiculous lengths to pump, eating lunch alone in closets and pumping while other teachers cover their classes... I am also one that says that "convenience" depends on the individual situation. But, honestly, the guilt laid on new moms over the past few years has been borderline abusive.

fatbarbie0226 · March 2014

NorthernGal248 said:
The ingedients in formula - and the price - are going to def keep me bf. I don't judge any mom who decides not bf, it's a personal decision.

This exactly. Also I do believe there are lots of benefits of BFing but any way you get your baby fed and happy is a good way.

Shell+Bell · March 2014

I've done both, FF #1 and BF #2. I got more judgement from BF then I did for FF. Go figure, moms just can't get it right. I plan to BF again regardless of the judging and the fact that I HATED BF because of that. I'm also cheap (formulas expensive yo) and lazy (yay for no bottle washing). I understand that BF can add up, I was fortunate that it was free for me (not bragging) so hoping for the same luck next time. I've never bought into the whole 'breast is best' propaganda and I've always detested that saying. Ain't nothing wrong with formula in my books. No judging here, if your babies are fed, that's all that matters (with correct concentrations of course)

tjkdlhb · March 2014

I was happy that BF worked out with my daughter. I hope it works out this time as well. But I am also incredibly thankful that if it doesn't work out, I know I have an alternative.

JAM85 · March 2014

I would also say that the ingredients in formula, the cost (prior to extraneous ones due to issues from what I've read above) and I guess my desire to breastfeed are my top reasons for choosing it. But I also acknowledge those are my reasons and have nothing to do with anyone else. Everyone has to make their own decision based on what is best for them but it is nice that the article highlights that simply breastfeeding alone is not some kind of superhero feed- there are a LOT if factors that go into making a tiny human into an adult and effect how they turn out.

awc1986 · March 2014

As long as my baby gets fed then I'm happy. If we can't BF for whatever reason, then I won't be bullied. I was exclusively FF because my mother was unable to BF. I'm rarely sick and I have a masters degree. That's enough evidence for me to think that FFing is just fine.

ehowa499 · March 2014

I'm a FTM and hoping to BF. But if it is a nightmare I will FF. I believe being calm and sane, no matter how you feed your baby, is the best way to care for your baby.

That being said, I am always skeptical of studies like this, especially when I read them discussed in a media article instead of reading the actual study. There are so many factors that could make this study complete bunk (i.e. poor design, lack of control, the way the study is funded….). Not to mention the probability of reporting errors when these studies are summaries for the general media.

britab · March 2014

kitchencolors said:

3) Big freaking shock that you have to normalize for things like socioeconomic status when looking at BF versus FF. Of course you do.

No one on "16 and Pregnant" breast feeds.

tjkdlhb · March 2014

ehowa499 said:

I'm a FTM and hoping to BF. But if it is a nightmare I will FF. I believe being calm and sane, no matter how you feed your baby, is the best way to care for your baby.

That being said, I am always skeptical of studies like this, especially when I read them discussed in a media article instead of reading the actual study. There are so many factors that could make this study complete bunk (i.e. poor design, lack of control, the way the study is funded….). Not to mention the probability of reporting errors when these studies are summaries for the general media.

There are a few studies re: environmental impact of cding vs disposables. Turns out they were funded by Proctor and Gamble.

83edwards · March 2014

I am going to feed my baby....fo sho!

jjones59 · March 2014

I FF but I just saw an article here on the bump that bothers me....that hospitals are thinking of banning formula.....I just think that we are having our choices taken away from us because someone else doesn't believe in it. (and I'm not against anyone making their own choices----its better for my family and myself if I FF).

rainydayluck · March 2014

jjones59 said:

I FF but I just saw an article here on the bump that bothers me....that hospitals are thinking of banning formula.....I just think that we are having our choices taken away from us because someone else doesn't believe in it. (and I'm not against anyone making their own choices----its better for my family and myself if I FF).

Yes, they call those "baby friendly initiative" hospitals.

It bothers me too.

Empireceo · March 2014

rainydayluck said:

jjones59 said:

I FF but I just saw an article here on the bump that bothers me....that hospitals are thinking of banning formula.....I just think that we are having our choices taken away from us because someone else doesn't believe in it. (and I'm not against anyone making their own choices----its better for my family and myself if I FF).

Yes, they call those "baby friendly initiative" hospitals.
It bothers me too.

Agree. It's one thing to not offer samples unsolicited to moms which I'm fine with. But outright banning formula is pretty assy.

tjkdlhb · March 2014

Empireceo said:

rainydayluck said:

jjones59 said:

I FF but I just saw an article here on the bump that bothers me....that hospitals are thinking of banning formula.....I just think that we are having our choices taken away from us because someone else doesn't believe in it. (and I'm not against anyone making their own choices----its better for my family and myself if I FF).

Yes, they call those "baby friendly initiative" hospitals.
It bothers me too.

Agree. It's one thing to not offer samples unsolicited to moms which I'm fine with. But outright banning formula is pretty assy.

This. Not everyone wants to BF. Not everyone can BF. I was FF and I'm healthy, happy, have completed Grad school... etc...etc... I'm a little tired of the BF/FF wars. Formula is NOT poison. I've known too many moms who have been torn up over the pressure to BF and have been heartbroken when they couldn't.

JAM85 · March 2014

Banning seems extreme- but I definitely would love not to be solicited by people pushing formula! Maybe a polite inquiry as to whether I am BF or FF and then sending the appropriate consult would be best instead of forcing one or the other.

cnbean · March 2014

Re: the formula banning. I know our hospital here doesn't push formula and I was not given any samples or anything. However, when my SIL had her twins there last year, they were able to provide her formula to supplement when she couldn't produce enough for both. To me this seems like the best of both worlds. Its not pushed on a mom who wants to BF (lactation consultants were provided), but its there if you actually need it.

rainydayluck · March 2014

Can I just say, this has been a pleasant thread?

amroke · March 2014

I don't see how hospitals can "ban" formula. My son would have starved without it.

RachelCA29 · March 2014

rainydayluck said:

Can I just say, this has been a pleasant thread?

Yes. I'm happy this just stimulated a well informed discussion and didn't bring any crazy judgement out.

jaclynnn · March 2014

britab said:

kitchencolors said:

3) Big freaking shock that you have to normalize for things like socioeconomic status when looking at BF versus FF. Of course you do.

No one on "16 and Pregnant" breast feeds.

Actually, a few of them did. The both in particular were on teen mom 3.

whimsy515 · March 2014

All the women in my family have had some crazy hard times BFing, so I'm just gonna go the FFing route. I just ignore the people who think it's their business to tell me how I should feed my kid. BUT even if I did BF, I'd use a pump so DH can have bonding time with DS, so that means I wouldn't escape the bottle washing with either choice!
#-o

amroke · March 2014

kitchencolors said:

jaclynnn said:

britab said:

kitchencolors said:

3) Big freaking shock that you have to normalize for things like socioeconomic status when looking at BF versus FF. Of course you do.

No one on "16 and Pregnant" breast feeds.

Actually, a few of them did. The both in particular were on teen mom 3.

And it was horrible when one of the dads wouldn't let the mom go over and nurse the kid all weekend, even though the poor mom's boobs must have felt like they were going to fall off from being engorged (the kid was a toddler by the time this happened).

Couldn't she pump?

britab · March 2014

kitchencolors said:

amroke said:

jaclynnn said:

kitchencolors said:

3) Big freaking shock that you have to normalize for things like socioeconomic status when looking at BF versus FF. Of course you do.

No one on "16 and Pregnant" breast feeds.
Actually, a few of them did. The both in particular were on teen mom 3.

And it was horrible when one of the dads wouldn't let the mom go over and nurse the kid all weekend, even though the poor mom's boobs must have felt like they were going to fall off from being engorged (the kid was a toddler by the time this happened).
Couldn't she pump?

I got the impression from the episode that the baby had never really been willing to take a bottle, and that she didn't pump. Not sure if she even had one (they didn't go into details).

Man, I haven't kept up with my guilty pleasure shows in a few years. I'm glad to see someone on the show was trying. I just just remember one girl taking about how gross it was to breast feed.

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