The Case Against Breastfeeding

tntrn, ASN, RN · Mar 17, 2009

My "kids" are nearly 37 and 32. I had absolutely no desire to breastfeed either of them. We're bonded, big time. They are both adults, live hundreds of miles away, productive, intelligent, healthy, members of society. We are very close, they are very close to each other. Had nothing to do with the absence of breastfeeding, obviously. And to whomever said they were bonded at first glance, roger that!

Neither of them even knew they could hold a bottle. They were held and cuddled for each and every feeding. DD grabbed the bottle at 10 months and threw it on the floor, so that was that. She went to a cup. Of course, she was completely toilet trained by 12 months too. DS took a bit longer, but I will DARE anybody to pick either of them out of crowd as the ones who weren't breastfed.

It's such an individual decision and I think we need to support the bottle feeding mom just as much as we do the breast feeding mom. There are tricks to that as well: positioning, burping, all of that. But we break our necks (and backs!) to help the breastfeeder, but just hand over a bottle of formula to the bottle feeder. That's not right.

We have a couple of family practice docs who actually write an order for no formula. I don't know if that order is written after consulting the parents or not. But if that's the doc's decision, then there's a problem there too.

Sterren, BSN, RN · Mar 17, 2009

I am a huge supporter of breastfeeding. If my husband ever even began to suggest I should bottlefeed to "protect the merchandise" (which, by the way, is affected more by pregnancy than breastfeeding. The milk ducts multiply and the connective tissue softens during pregnancy whether a woman intends to breastfeed or not!), he'd lose any right to "the merchandise" for the forseeable future. I strongly encourage my patients who want to breastfeed and work with them as long as I possibly can to get their babies latched on.

That said, if they plan to bottlefeed I provide a bottle with a smile, no judgement included. It's not up to me whether anybody else breastfeeds or bottlefeeds, and it's not my place to preach at them about whatever choice they make.

yelnikmcwawa · Mar 17, 2009

my "kids" are nearly 37 and 32. i had absolutely no desire to breastfeed either of them. we're bonded, big time. they are both adults, live hundreds of miles away, productive, intelligent, healthy, members of society. we are very close, they are very close to each other. had nothing to do with the absence of breastfeeding, obviously. and to whomever said they were bonded at first glance, roger that!

this is not the point! the whole "breast is best" notion is not about looking at whether each individual child is bonded or not, healthy or not, smart or not, yada yada, yada. what the research shows is that statistically, children who are breast fed tend to have statistically higher iq's, statistically lower rates of infection, and moms tend to report different kinds of bonding feelings.

no, kids who are formula fed are not all mentally retarded. kids who are formula fed are not all chronically ill in the hospital. and kids who are formula fed are not all suffering from attachments other than secure. the research just shows that breast feeding gives most populations of children a statistically significant chance of having higher iqs, lower rates of infection, better hand/eye coordination, less rates of positional plageocephaly, increased feelings of secure attachments, etc, etc, etc.

i'm sure your kids are fine, as are most kids who are fed and loved! but what you will never know is whether or not your children could have had their iqs raised by a few points if you had breast fed. or whether or not they would have suffered a few less illnesses in their lifetimes.

this is not to make you feel guilty...this is only to reiterate the point that breast feeding advocates do not warn that your children will be messed up if you formula feed...they only state that breast feeding gives more advantages in general.

i firmly believe that breastfeeding is a personal choice and i do not look down on formula feeders. you have to do what works for your family. i just get sick of hearing "well, i formula fed and my kids are fine". that's not the point!

krenee · Mar 17, 2009

Yes, I agree with the above poster (whose username I don't wish to attempt to reproduce!).

As a medical professional, the point is that breastfeeding IS best. Teaching new moms that is not wrong, it's correct. It's not about judging them if they don't breastfeed . . . but it's hard for me to understand the moms who won't even try. There are so many reasons to breastfeed, even if for a short time. The cost of formula alone is a reason, aside from the health benefits to mom & baby.

I realize it's not easy. I wanted to breastfeed and it didn't go well with any of my 3 kids, I weaned them all before the one year (reluctantly) for various reasons. But if you can get through the intitial learning curve, it really is worth it.

Jolie, BSN · Mar 17, 2009

[quote=yelnikmcwawa;3505058

this is not to make you feel guilty...this is only to reiterate the point that breast feeding advocates do not warn that your children will be messed up if you formula feed...they only state that breast feeding gives more advantages in general.

you've obviously never had the (dis)pleasure of meeting with a militant breast feeding "advocate". unfortunately that is exactly the kind of mis-information these people foist upon new parents.

ShiphrahPuah · Mar 17, 2009

As a male nurse with a wife who wants children, I am against breastfeeding because it wrecks the merchandise that I have come to know and love over the years. My case is 100% selfish, yet I still make it to her everytime it comes up.

Eeks! Is she your wife or your slave? "Merchandise" certainly implies ownership. I hope for your wife's sake that she does not choose to have children with you until you come to terms with the fact that her body WILL change with aging whether she breastfeeds or not. And, more than likely, she will get some stretch marks on her belly during a pregnancy. Please tell me you are not the kind of husband that is going to go shopping around for a younger model once you deem your wife's body too old for you. If you are, spare her and any future children the pain by leaving her BEFORE you have kids. Her children deserve a father and she deserves a partner in life, not an owner. Sorry if I sound harsh, but I am in my mid-forties and know way too many beautiful and fit women in my age range who are now raising their kids alone because their pot-bellied forty-ish husbands decided they needed to feel young and vibrant by chasing women half their age because to them the universe revolves around Mr. Winky. I will give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you did not mean anything so derogatory by your wording. I do give you kudos for admitting your thoughts on a very female-dominated message board and admitting that your case is somewhat (well, 100%) selfish. You are way ahead of any guy who is clueless about being selfish.

BTW, I breastfed 3 children for 1 year to 1 1/2 years each, and my breasts are larger now than they ever were before I had kids (no enhancement surgery).

As an L&D/postpartum nurse, I feel strongly that I need to support my new moms in whatever decision they make.

yelnikmcwawa · Mar 17, 2009

Yes, I agree with the above poster (whose username I don't wish to attempt to reproduce!).

Haha! It's Yelnik McWawa. It's from an old "Cheers" episode. Cliff Claven had come up with some formula and by his research, that is who the next presiden would be. Silly, I know, but I blanked when I had to come up with a screen name. :chuckle

tntrn, ASN, RN · Mar 17, 2009

this is not the point! the whole "breast is best" notion is not about looking at whether each individual child is bonded or not, healthy or not, smart or not, yada yada, yada. what the research shows is that statistically, children who are breast fed tend to have statistically higher iq's, statistically lower rates of infection, and moms tend to report different kinds of bonding feelings.
no, kids who are formula fed are not all mentally retarded. kids who are formula fed are not all chronically ill in the hospital. and kids who are formula fed are not all suffering from attachments other than secure. the research just shows that breast feeding gives most populations of children a statistically significant chance of having higher iqs, lower rates of infection, better hand/eye coordination, less rates of positional plageocephaly, increased feelings of secure attachments, etc, etc, etc.
i'm sure your kids are fine, as are most kids who are fed and loved! but what you will never know is whether or not your children could have had their iqs raised by a few points if you had breast fed. or whether or not they would have suffered a few less illnesses in their lifetimes.
this is not to make you feel guilty...this is only to reiterate the point that breast feeding advocates do not warn that your children will be messed up if you formula feed...they only state that breast feeding gives more advantages in general.
i firmly believe that breastfeeding is a personal choice and i do not look down on formula feeders. you have to do what works for your family. i just get sick of hearing "well, i formula fed and my kids are fine". that's not the point!

i think your post indicates that you do look down on formula feeders. i know several breast fed kids who are completely screwed up: druggies, poor students, etc., etc. i state again: until we treat moms the same, give them the same amount of time and effort for feeding issues, we have taken a stand...one that is unfair, and unprofessional.

yelnikmcwawa · Mar 17, 2009

You've obviously never had the (dis)pleasure of meeting with a militant breast feeding "advocate". Unfortunately that is exactly the kind of mis-information these people foist upon new parents.

I've had the (dis)pleasure of meeting with militant formula feeders, and they treated me like a "freak" who likes to have a baby sucking my nipples. I have even had people make comments about how they think that breast milk is disgusting...like it was **** or pus or something. Sooooo, some people liken breast feeding to sex, while some others liken it to snacking on a dirty diaper or bandaid.

This is my thought...stupid people are stupid people. And people who make stupid comments with complete disregard for the fact that other people may have differing viewpoints, are definately stupid! It's no one's buisness how I feed my child, nor is it my buisness how other peole feed their children. I have always kept my mouth shut, and try to to support new moms regardless of what their life looks like.

You will come accross militant people for everything that you do...so might as well learn to live with it!

yelnikmcwawa · Mar 17, 2009

I think your post indicates that you do look down on formula feeders. I know several breast fed kids who are completely screwed up: druggies, poor students, etc., etc. I state again: until we treat moms the same, give them the same amount of time and effort for feeding issues, we have taken a stand...one that is unfair, and unprofessional.

No, I don't look down on formula feeders. I just get irked when I hear people say things like "well, we did yada, yada, yada and we're all fine". Only because that is not the point of the research!!!!!

Again, the research says that breastfeeding gives some statistically significant advantages....Not "all formua fed babies are sick and stupid". People who make the "and we're fine" comment view the research as saying the latter. I just wish people would read, and try to remember what they learned in their statistics and research methods classes.

Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP · Mar 17, 2009

I wonder if this is such a huge debate in other countries. It seems that most of my friends from other countries just assume breastfeeding works and assume moms will breastfeed their kids. Of course, we in the US are so far behind in actually giving moms postpartum help and a decent maternity leave, I wonder if this plays at least partially into the big debate.

2curlygirls · Mar 17, 2009

I think breastfeeding is important. Yes, it is a choice. I personally think it's a choice many people make without enough information or support.

Breastfeeding can be difficult (it was literally the easiest thing I've ever done though) but so is parenting. If we are making choices based on convenience and ease, having kids would be last on my list!

This thread is making me realize why breastfeeding rates in this country are so low.

There are ways to encourage breastfeeding without being militant. THAT's where we need to be as maternal, child health nurses.

Formula is not just as good as breastmilk. It isn't.

I am fortunate that the hospital where I work has a 96% BF initiation rate :yeah: . And where I live, breastfeeding is *the normal* thing to do.