Breast Fed babies test higher on IQ test

Please point out the posts that are judgemental.

The only person who can make you feel guilty, like a failure, or whatever - is you.

I didn't see anything remotely judgemental either.

I won't argue the point that we are the only ones who can make ourselves feel guilty but I will say that comments from others don't help. If someone keeps telling you that you're doing something wrong then most people will feel like they failed.

I also found that the tone of some responses are judgmental. I doubt that Erin meant to come off that way but if I was sensitive and had been unable to nurse those comments would feel judged. Again, I don't think Erin meant to come off that way. No bashing intended towards you, Erin.

Example:
and

I don't know if you nursed or not but I did as long as possible. Both of my children have a ton of health problems. While being nursed my son was hospitalized for a week with RSV and had several ear infections. DD had the same ear infections. Both children have had multiple bouts of pneumonia and both needed ear tubes. DD nearly died of the flu while being nursed. She nearly died from RSV at age four.

I have to agree with you. This study doesn't show cause and effect and to suggest that it does is a jump. I have never heard of a wet nurse in this day and age. I had tons of extra breast milk with my daughter. I looked for a way to donate it but couldn't find an organization that could take it. I think there might have been one in Chicago but I would have had to ship it at my expense. I don't know that they'd even have taken it then.

I nursed my son until he was six months old. I had to stop when he became very ill and was hospitalized with salmonella (that he'd gotten from a hospitalization for RSV the week before). I tried to pump but the store bought pumps were not strong enough to keep my milk going. The stupid doctor told me I had to stop and feed him Nutramagen for about a month because it was more broken down and easier on his stomach. I was too unsure of myself and believed the doctor's bunk.

There are plenty of women like me who have received bad advice from professionals and who believed it.

I am a very strong breastfeeding proponent. I nursed my 22 week preemie until the second time she bit me so hard she drew blood when she was 22 months. During her NICU stay I was enrolled in a breast feeding study. I was the only preemie mom who was successful. I filled their freezers with so much milk that I had to take it home. It was more than she could ever eat.

Some people, especially the mostly first time mothers I met in the NICU, don't realize the commitment it can take to nurse. I was told I had to pump (with a hospital grade pump) every three hours day and night for at least the first six weeks. I had to drink tons and tons of water.

I found the lactation consultant I used of little to no use. The NICU feeding therapist, on the other hand, was invaluable. I'd never have been able to nurse without her. Feeding therapists often know way more about latching on because of their education. (Feeding therapists tend to be speech pathologists so they know the mouth.)

Nowadays many moms work full time. I think it'd be very, very difficult to nurse if one worked full time. It can take a good six weeks to establish a reliable milk flow that doesn't depend upon near constant nursing. A friend of mine had her first baby two years ago. She said that the only way she was able to nurse was that she had her own office and could put a double pump on while she was working. Fifteen minute breaks every four hours aren't enough for most new moms. Most moms don't have a private place to nurse. I would not want to pump in a yucky bathroom. I can imagine that some daycare facilities wouldn't be real keen on keeping breast milk in their fridges.

The NICU wanted me to give DD a bottle of formula after each feeding. They also wanted me to weigh her after I nursed. This wasn't possible because I didn't have access to a hospital grade infant scale. By the time I had DD I had enough confidence to stand up for what I knew was right but I can understand how most women wouldn't be able to do so.

A lot of women are not told about nipple confusion so don't realize that bottle feeing in the first six weeks can cause problems with latching on. Suckling on a breast and a bottle are different creatures. Women also are not usually told that fat pads are laid down on the abdomen and thighs and that these tend not to go down unless Mom nurses.

I believe that breastfeeding is the best for our children. It really bothers me when I see TV shows that show bottle fed babies. I think I've seen one breast fed baby on TV and it was only recently. In today's day and age the media does play a role in what people do.

One of the things that really bothers me about a lot of bottle feeding is that people prop bottles up to feed their babies in car seats. The distance between the mother's breast and a baby's face is ideal for eye contact and bonding.

I believe without question that breast feeding is best for our children. I don't think it's the be all and end all of feeding and I don't believe that any study has shown it. Studies like this show relationships, not cause and effect. There is a relationship between driving a red car and getting a ticket but that doesn't mean that red cars cause speeding tickets.

I'm glad I was able to nurse and wish more women would do the same but I'm not going to fault them for not making the same choice.

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Moms don't look at things like normal people.
-----DD

When I talked to pediatricians before my daughter was born, I found one who was very pro-nursing and who would support me if I had trouble. At one point I was so worried that she had me bring the baby in every single day to weigh her just so I wouldn't worry. I'm sure women didn't worry as much when they had many women around who had nursed but after the bottle feeding epidemic in the last generations, we were sorely lacking in nursing support.

Interesting study especially since I have nine children.
Some were exclusively breastfed... one even extended breastfed.
Some were exclusively formula fed.
Some were both.
None have had an ear infection nor RSV.
None have eczema or stomach issues.
None have weight issues.
All are smart as whips.
You could line them all up and I doubt you could pick out who was breastfed and was bottle-fed as infants.

I do believe breast is best. Everybody is different though and each circumstance is different. We all make the best decisions we can at the time... to berate and guilt people for that is wrong.

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~TBB
The early bird may catch the worm but the second mouse gets the cheese.

Oggie, are you feeling guilty because you couldn't breastfeed?

There is no question that breast is best, but I haven't seen anyone berating or guilting anyone for not breastfeeding. I will admit though that when you know of people who get assistance and won't breastfeed because of some odd prudery buying expensive formula and bottles, it's a little irritating. But I never say anything.

I'm told that I was. I really don't remember.

The point is, it's a bit of a leap (at least as far as good scientific practice) to go from a study that shows an association with breast-fed babies and higher IQ to saying that breast milk causes babies to have higher IQs.

That might or might not be the case, but that's not what this study says.

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Less barking! More wagging!

Wait a second...what?

Talking about science is now judgmental?

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~*~Erin~*~
SAHM, ranch wife, sub and quilt shop proprietress
the Back Gate Country Quilt Shop

But both of Erin's statements were true fact. Nothing about what she said was degrading or even her personal opinion. The fact is formula and breast milk are vastly different. We don't even know everything that is in breastmilk, therefore it would be impossible to recreate it. Feeding a species it's own milk is also the norm, and when you deviate from the norm you are increasing the risk of illness along with it. How much of an increase? I don't know, obviously many people use formula (for their children, their calves, their kids, their kittens, their puppies etc) without a problem, but there are also many people who have seen the repercussions of feeding an artificial feed, in any of the species. As homesteaders I would think we could all appreciate the idea that in general it's best for an offspring to have the milk of it's mother. Obviously having artificial milk won't likely kill it, but it's also not the ideal.

True. It could just be that smarter or at least better educated parents tend to breastfeed. Which I believe is what they have found anyway.

Or that smarter babies demand to be breast-fed.

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Less barking! More wagging!

This topic has certainly gone on longer than I thought it would. Also taken a turn.

I really did not mean to start a discussion /battle over -bottle verses breast. My intention was to support breast feeding as I do think it is best- less expensive, good for building mother baby bonds, better nutrition for the majority of babies,

I have seen a lot of woman get hassled trying to breast feed. I think that is wrong.

Anyway you feed and take care of your baby that works for you is OK .

I am just saying consider the new breast pumps and refrigeration of pumped milk that make it easier to breast feed now days. Mention it when talking with pregnant women and encourage them to think about breast feeding.

Please do what you can to stop the harassment of woman regardless of how they feed their babies.

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Health Care is vital to all of us some of the time but Public Health is vital to all of us all of the time. C. Everett Koop US Surgean General 1981-1989.

Again, I didn't say I thought her words or her intention were degrading. I just said I could understand how some people could feel judged because of the tone of a couple posts. It is so very easy to misunderstand a person's intention online because most of our communication is nonverbal. Of course, it would be impossible to recreate breast milk. I agree with Erin's statements.

It is funny that AOL has some blog postings this week because it's breastfeeding week. Basically, the blog posts (mostly by breastfeeding mothers) say they support however a mother chooses to feed her child.

I have often wondered how economics factors into the decision whether or not one nurses. I'm not trying to sound judgmental myself when I wonder if mothers with lower incomes are more likely to bottle feed.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/0...ef=mostpopular

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Moms don't look at things like normal people.
-----DD

I think there's more of a link to education than income. That is, the lower the mother's educational level, the more likely she is to artificially feed.
It's been a while since I researched this, though.

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~*~Erin~*~
SAHM, ranch wife, sub and quilt shop proprietress
the Back Gate Country Quilt Shop

I looked at this a lot when I was studying for my lactation counseling cert. From what I've read it really depends on the culture. Poor white women are more likely to use formula, these women are more likely to need to return to work quickly, they likely do not have a support system and they qualify for free services so the formula doesn't cost them any thing.
First generation Mexican immigrants are likely to use formula because of the perceived idea that only "poor Mexicans" breastfeed. The cultural belief is that breastfeeding is for poor women and the "rich Americans" use formula.
Uneducated American Black women are more likely to formula feed because they again lack the support system, qualify for free services and culturally they tend to believe that breasts are sexual and not intended to feed an infant.
First generation African immigrants are more likely to breastfeed because it was the cultural norm in their country. Many have seen babies get very ill from formula feeding (actually from lack of good water sources) and breasts are often exposed and it's not seen as immodest. These women have likely seen the majority of the women in their family breastfeed and most don't even think about formula feeding being an option unless there is something wrong with your baby.
First generation European immigrants are also more likely to breastfeed because of the casualness of which it is done in their own country.
Educated American Women (both white and black) are more likely to breastfeed siting the statistical benefits of breastfeeding. These women also are more likely to have the support system and the freedom of a flexible work schedule which aids in a successful nursing relationship.

In my opinion the most common denominator in a woman's choice is her support network. Does she have people around her that support her choice and will help her make it work? I've worked with young Mexican mothers who wanted to breastfeed because they thought it was healthy, but their mother shot it down as "dirty".
Without some kind of support it's very hard to have a good breastfeeding relationship. I personally am forever grateful for the WIC lady that nursed her 4 children and encouraged me to do the same. She was very positive and supportive and never suggested formula to me. My own family thought that breastfeeding was "gross". My aunt told me "those are for my husband" I guess it's one of the times that being a rebel has been beneficial to me LOL

I think this thread has pretty much run its course. I don't want to see it turn into an argument over the best way to feed a baby. As long as a baby is being fed, clothed, & most importantly loved, that's all that matters.

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I can't believe I deleted it!