It's more prevalent now according to the various articles I had to read on it as part of my undergrad. All a vague distant memory otherwise I'd link a few!

Totally, that's what I'm saying - there aren't any studies that show anything either way, yet (although this was a few years ago, I could be talking utter nonsense now!).

The breast is best thing came out after studies showed the importance of the inital colustrum to an infant.

The definitely needs to be more done to look at formula v breast feeding in general though

Totally agree.

My partners kids are constantly filthy (in a good way, not like in a neglected way! ), always outdoors, eating worms and dirt, drinking from streams, and they are never bloody ill!!!

also vouch for the a dirty kid is a healthy kid approach...we don't do hand sanitisers etc and i am not a clean freak in the house in any way, and my kids have never had a stomach bug and rarely ill. Neither am I nor my hubby actually, and yet I know people who are constantly scrubbing their houses and their kids and those kids are constantly sick ...

Of course you could also argue that my kids were all breastfed so they don't get ill from that !! LOL..

So yes there are many many factors that dictate health and well being, but I think anything you can do to try to help it out is a good thing.

Interestingly my hubby was formula fed, around both parents smoking constantly and he has a really bad metabolism, is overweight yet eats less than I do, and he was really supportive of me breastfeeding our kids as he felt he did not have a good start. Its all subjective really.

Good for them! Best way to be!

Do you know what I hate - those stupid liquid soap "pump" things so that OMG your kids don't have to touch the "germy" tap. Get a flipping grip!!

Indeed. The dogs share this need to be constantly filthy, much to my annoyance!!

Just wanted to add my experience really - not to make judgements or give advice to others.

I had Ben on 17 December 2007, he wasn't due until the 20th February 2008 - so he came at 31 weeks! It was all rather traumatic as initially my waters broke at 28 weeks I think it was and so we pretty much knew if he came then he wouldn't survive. Thankfully he stayed put for another three weeks but then I started to bleed. I was rushed back to Glasgow - as the Borders didn't deal with babies potentially as young and Edinburgh had no beds! I was in for two days (bleeding) before being given an emergency section. Not what I wanted really but how it had to be, to save me and Ben.

He was absolutely tiny (3lbs5oz) and spent two months in the SCBU initially in Glasgow and then he was transferred to the Borders.

The Glasgow nurses were useless tbh. I was obviously pretty distressed and emotional after what we had been through. I spent three days on a ward with other new mums who all had their babies with them, while mine was in the ICU The morning after he was born, I wasn't even told whether he had survived the night or not until mid-morning It was very upsetting.

I was told that Ben needed breast milk (which is how I had intended to feed him anyway) but no-one gave me any advice or support on what I was supposed to do about that Ben is my only child - so it was all totally new to me.

Thankfully when we were transferred to the Borders I was given loads of advice and support. The nurses were amazing. I will never forget having to use the "boobalator" (as my hubby nicknamed it lol) every two hours (day AND night) in order to express milk to be given to Ben through his tubes. I felt a bit like a dairy cow () but actually it gave me a real sense of being able to do something for my son. When he was big enough he was able to breastfeed from me, and thankfully it all came quite naturally to us both.

I do believe in the saying "breast is best" - as Dani says, it is what boobs were designed for However, I do think that new mums have an awful lot to deal with, so shouldn't be given a hard time if they decide they want to feed formula instead. Help, advice and support should be available, but there should also remain the choice.

Oh, I know, me too!

Somone in my work drives me nuts with all the wiping down and using the anti bacterial hand gel several times a day, even after she has just washed her hands in the loo!

Can't believe the nurses didn't let you know whether he had survived!

I didn't know you had such a difficult birth xxx