So, I think one of my professors is making up statements. One in particular: 90% of allergies are caused by drinking milk-based formulas to babies.
OK, so I asked her about that statistic and where I could find it. She told me it was on the AAP site. Searched 45 minutes and found nothing. Looked thru medline....nothing. She makes other incredulous statements... and I am beginning to think she's fabricating them (other students found alternate truths to her statements before).
What would you do? I'm thinking about going to my advisor with this.
So I'm seeing a few posts here from offended, bottle-feeding mommies. And yes, this IS what this is about. Teacher's got an ax to grind. And to be honest, I'm not really sure why anybody's offended. The infant is the patient we need to advocate for most. I'm hearing all about how some women chose not to breastfeed and they shouldn't be crucified over it, etc, etc. I'm sure there is a very small percentage of women who "can't" breastfeed (micropreemies, cleft lip and palate, mom is on some horride medication that CAN'T be substituted, etc), though this just isn't something we should focus on. This isn't something that should be taught. Not breastfeeding is not normal. Yes, that's right, it's not normal. It should only occur in an exceptional situation. And mom should have nothing to feel guilty about in that situation. Formula feeding absolutely causes health issues (though 90% of all allergies is a bit on the extreme side). This is risk vs benefit. If mom/child have health conditions, formula-feeding may be more beneficial than the risk of not formula-feeding.
As for allergies, breastfeeding has been linked to a reduction in allergies and as we know, allergies are caused by a faulty immune reaction. Infant's immune systems are not well-developed and mom provides the antibodies they need to cope with their environment through breastmilk. No antibodies in formula. And when the breastfeeding stops, so do the helpful antigens. Cow's milk is made for baby cows.
What your teacher should be talking about in the allergy debate is vaccination. Yes, there is evidence linking vaccines to allergies and chronic health conditions. And guess when we introduce vaccines? A breastfeeding mom would be passing passive antibodies off to her offspring for as long as the child is nursing. Evolutionarily, this makes tons of sense. This is why children are supposed to breastfeed for several years (doesn't mean we all do this because it isn't widely accepted in our culture). Baby gets some protection from anything mom has been exposed to (whether she actually contracted a disease or was vaccinated for it). Email me; I'm be HAPPY to send you some great info!
Teacher sounds frustrating but somebody has to advocate for the next generation and it isn't going to be the pharmaceutical companies making the formula. As we see here, they've already convinced many that formula is just fine.
Oh, and I used to work in pediatric nutrition.
I'm all for advocating for breastfeeding, but let's do it with the right information. If you distort facts you only hurt your own cause (not referring to you BTW , but the instructor). This really isn't an issue about whether to breastfeed or not, its what she should do about her professor that injects false or distorted information. If I'm not wrong, the OP breastfeed herself. I myself breastfeed my youngest until she was 3 - and I got a lot of flack for it. I have seen in the last 24 years of bearing children, where breastfeeding was weird, up to where it is preferred and I'm very glad to see we have come so far. But like I said before, this comes from passing correct information.
BTW my understanding is that most antibodies acquired by the mother by vaccination pass in utero, not through the breastmilk. Diseases the mother has herself do pass through the milk and there are other antibodies that help the infant. Not to mention ALL the other benefits for that infant. :)
kcochrane
1,465 Posts
I'm all for advocating for breastfeeding, but let's do it with the right information. If you distort facts you only hurt your own cause (not referring to you BTW
, but the instructor). This really isn't an issue about whether to breastfeed or not, its what she should do about her professor that injects false or distorted information. If I'm not wrong, the OP breastfeed herself. I myself breastfeed my youngest until she was 3 - and I got a lot of flack for it. I have seen in the last 24 years of bearing children, where breastfeeding was weird, up to where it is preferred and I'm very glad to see we have come so far. But like I said before, this comes from passing correct information.
BTW my understanding is that most antibodies acquired by the mother by vaccination pass in utero, not through the breastmilk. Diseases the mother has herself do pass through the milk and there are other antibodies that help the infant. Not to mention ALL the other benefits for that infant. :)