Is there actually anything wrong with formula feeding?!

[taffy101]

Don't get me wrong, I am an avid breast feeder (fed dd till 1 and currently feeding ds), but the more I hear about people who bottle feed that their babies sleep through straight away and gain loads of weight, it makes me wonder. I believe WHO have even brought out new weight charts for bf babies, which basically puts their average weight lower than a bottle fed baby's.

I do realise all the benefits of breast feeding but once baby has all vital antibodies and mum+baby are nicely bonded, if formula milk makes for a more contented baby why has it become so demonised?

[Twiglett]

bottle fed babies do not sleep through straight away

they do gain more weight than bf babies ... but I wouldn't have thought that would be a good thing .. it should be about healthy weight gain surely?

formula does not make more contented either

[hercules1]

I think the point about the weight thing is that as breastmilk is correct physiologically then that's the right weight to be rather than above oyswim.

I havent got the time or explanation to go into the benefits of breastfeeding (many would say there are none as it is physiologially the thing you're meant to feeed babies with so has no benefits as such. Not sure I explained that right.

Actually formula is an amazing invention and has saved countless lives where mums have been unable to breastfeed.

[taffy101]

Ahh! I'm only hearing about the smug contented ones then!! I see...

[hercules1]

Being contented? It's great to be able to whip out a breast in a milisecond to calm a distressed and upset baby

[hercules1]

I also think formula must be a life saver for women who just dont want to breastfeed.

[Flossam]

IIRC, bottle fed babies do gain weight quicker because of the levels of fat in formula milk. Hence also they are more likely to be obese in later life. Weight isn't the be all and end all. Don't know anything about the sleeping through the night thing - only thing I can think of being that formula tends to be thicker than breast milk so they are stupified.

[taylormama]

err i BF my baby and then switched to FF - loooooong story. No he didn't sleep through straight away and his weight gain has been pretty steady ... i think a contented baby comes from a lot more than being bottle fed TBH - my baby is contented because he is loved, and feels secure not because he is bottle fed.

[lulumama]

i don't think any of those generalisations are true across the board, as both my formula fed babies have been content, slept through at weeks old and not been overweight at all, in fact dd tres petite.....

BUT they would most likely have been like that had i breastfed, i think that is their nature......

breast milk is the best milk for babies,without a doubt..but formula is clearly an alternative for many......

i think that there are many myths around breast feeding that put mums off...same as there are myths around formula feeding that lead mums to consider breast feeding the lesser choice....IFYSWIM

[hercules1]

I dont think formula is demonised at all. Yes. the risks are often pointed out but what should happen? SHould we hide the facts so as not to be seen to "demonise" it?

[Caligula]

Nothing wrong with formula feeding at all. It's just not as good as breastfeeding, that's all. See here for what looks like quite a comprehensive list of benefits.

Also I don't believe it makes for a more contented baby, that's a myth. I don't think your baby's contentment has anything to do with what method of feeding you use. I think probably a variety of factors come into that, including luck.

[hercules1]

If I had a personal aversion to breastfeeding then I would give formula without feeling a drop of guilt and with nowing all the information about the two.

[Pinkchampagne]

There is nothing wrong with formula feeding IMO, my boys both thrived on it.
They didn't sleep through straight away though, that's for sure! Both didn't really do that until they were eating solid food, & neither gained weight quickly either, infact DS1 was quite a dainty boy!!

[Blandmum]

My babes were breast fed for a while and then bottle fed. Neither slept through the night until around a year!

Both are now very happy healthy children. Neither has an ounce of spare fat on them. I, on the other hand, have masses of spare fat!!!

[expatinscotland]

Of courst there isn't.

[taffy101]

hercules what are the risks of formula feeding? I think demonised is a strong way of putting it but women all over MN are guilt ridden for not bfing for as long as they presupposed they would be IYSWIM!!
I am not thinking of formula feeding my DS, it's just that I would never ever consider doing it but am just starting to question myself as to why that is? I would feel very guilty but I don't really know why. Have I been brainwashed by health professionals?!

[Gingeme]

Thankyou Taylormama I breastfed my 4 boys for roughly 5-7 weeks then switched to formula. They are doing very well none are obese and they are all healthy and happy boys. My sister bf all her kids two have asthma and one has excema!!

[Caligula]

No taffy you've been brainwashed by MN.

[mumdyson]

i tried to bf both my children but had to put then on a bottle as my ds was on me every half hour for an hour all the time and my dd was so colic-ey that i tried her on a bottle ( with a special vent dr browns) and she was a different baby when i had to express my milk started to dry up

[taffy101]

ooh er. this was just curiosity. Hope I've not upset anyone. I dont have strong feelings one way or the other about how other people feed their babies!

[madmarchhare]

lol caligula

[lissielou]

i desperately wanted to breast feed ds, i didnt even buy any bottles or sterilisers, coz of his delivery and my postnatal infection i was unable to. i was made to feel v guilty by the mw's but he's happy, he's healthy, what more can i ask for?

[KoshkaAndJake]

My baby is bottle fed and hes only on the 25th centile for his age.

He sleeps from about 10pm till 8, everyone says he is a happy contented baby he is always ready with a smile.

[hercules1]

In this country with clean water there are no risks as such. THe risks come from how you prepare it and it not being breastmilk i.e it is not physiologically made for them - it's not alive or adaptable for one thing. Plus breastmilk can give long term benefits to mum and baby such as lowering risks of certain cancers etc.
I think it's wrong to see in terms of risks alone though.

For me if I'd given formula I'd have increased their chances of getting allergies etc as we have lots in our family.

[mumdyson]

i did feel really guilty too my sister has just had a baby and she choose to bottle fed and she was made to feel bad when she was in hosp out of a full ward she was one of only two who were bottle feeding