There will always be studies azz, and no one disputes, breast milk is best , but life never follows studies, and for woman who don't breast feed for one reason or another should never be made to feel any less a parent that others.

A nd sadly , interference from the righteous is all to common.

Oh how I agree with that. But I still wish there had been help available for me [and no doubt other mothers] when my daughter was born.

There was a young woman - girl - about 22 I reckon [my daughter was born the day before my 26th birthday and I just know this person was about 3-4 years younger] who had delivered her first baby a couple of days after my daughter was born.

Every four hours on the dot the babies were brought in for feeding, bottles handed over to the new mothers, and this girl kept saying she thought she would like to try to breastfeed, but her baby, like my daughter at the start, would not latch on. When my daughter did I was so happy, but it was with no help from any of the nurses.

When her baby finally latched on she went totally hysterical as she had not been told how it would feel - and she literally threw her baby across the ward.

To Dizzi, I read this thread last night and decided not to join in but woke up this morning thinking about you and how your feeling.

Im sorry you've had a rough ride. I have also had some (at best) unthoughtful, uncaring treatment during childbirth.
It can take a long time to work through the trauma of complicated childbirth especially if you haven't felt cared for. Being angry you've been cheated of the experience you were expecting and sad with yourself that your body didn't perform the way you wanted to is understandable. You need to allow yourself time and permission to feel and deal with all of this crap.

But and its a BIG but- you've made it- Your alive, your beautiful baby is alive, not only do you have a great future to look forward to, not only can you relish the triumph that inspite of what life has thrown your way your still standing and have the greatest gift life can give you but you also already before even leaving hospital you display the natural maternal instincts, the grit that will make you a great mother.
Expressing to bottle feed- hold your head up, you have the high ground, hardly anyone does what your doing. You needn't feel bad, you are someone to be admired, enjoy your moment.

Oh Azz, you can't just google some articles and post links to them as "proof" of anything - equally a quick search of pubmed brings up a load of paper reviews discussing how flawed the research is at the moment......

Pediatrics. 2002 Jun;109(6):1044-53.
How good is the evidence linking breastfeeding and intelligence? Jain A, Concato J, Leventhal JM.

Abstract:

We conducted a critical review of the many studies that have tried to determine whether breastfeeding has a beneficial effect on intellect.
DESIGN/METHODS:

By searching Medline and the references of selected articles, we identified publications that evaluated the association between breastfeeding and cognitive outcomes. We then appraised and described each study according to 8 principles of clinical epidemiology: 1) study design, 2) target population: whether full-term infants were studied, 3) sample size, 4) collection of feeding data: whether studies met 4 standards of quality- suitable definition and duration of breastfeeding, and appropriate timing and source of feeding data, 5) control of susceptibility bias: whether studies controlled for socioeconomic status and stimulation of the child, 6) blinding: whether observers of the outcome were blind to feeding status, 7) outcome: whether a standardized individual test of general intelligence at an age older than 2 years was used, and format of results: whether studies reported an effect size or some other strategy to interpret the clinical impact of results.
RESULTS:

We identified 40 pertinent publications from 1929 to February 2001. Twenty-seven (68%) concluded that breastfeeding promotes intelligence. Many studies, however, had methodological flaws. Only 2 papers studied full-term infants and met all 4 standards of high-quality feeding data, controlled for 2 critical confounders, reported blinding, used an appropriate test, and allowed the reader to interpret the clinical significance of the findings with an effect size. Of these 2, 1 study concluded that the effect of breastfeeding on intellect was significant, and the other did not.
CONCLUSION:

Although the majority of studies concluded that breastfeeding promotes intelligence, the evidence from higher quality studies is less persuasive.


That's just one paper as an example - there are many. Such is the world of scientific research.

I will reiterate what I said before. As a scientist, I would be stating that, there simply isn't enough evidence to suggest, that after the initial colostrum, breast milk confers any significant benefits over and above formula.

In the meantime, until any decent evidence exists (or not), we shouldn't be "pushing" how mothers feed their kids.

God the video's a bit dramatic isn't it....

I think we can just do the best for our babies, feed them healthily, make sure they get fresh air and exercise and keep them safe.... anymore and you would end up an OCD maniac!


On the subject of breastfeeding, again, close to my heart...

During my natural birth I suffered horrendous 4th degree tears, thanks to foreceps, and an episiotomy that just ripped and ripped all my bits and insides apart I also had a major blood vessel burst by the things and needed a 4 litre blood transfusion. I only vaguely remember my baby being born (i only had gas and air too ) as i passed out then needed rushing to surgery leaving my hubby crying in the corner and my newborn baby blue and silent on the table with the baby doctor tending to him, i had no idea if he was dead or alive when I came round 5 hours later after having over a hundred stitches in theatre

Despite this, i had a wonderful midwife (i had 1-1 care in a private room 24/7 after the birth for a few days) who physically expressed all my colostrum into a syringe and fed my baby for me! - she wasn't 'allowed to do this' she was old skool thank god, i was so grateful, 3 days later I was breasfeeding him myself

However....i got readmitted to hospital 2 weeks later as my wounds had all come apart and i needed emergency surgery. The maternity ward was full so I was placed on a different ward without my baby the entire time - 4 days. THE NURSES REFUSED TO STERILISE MY BREAST PUMP!! hence i couldn't feed my baby, so my hubby put him on formula, i tried and tried to express (chucking it away) to keep my supply up, but i just couldn't manage it, then when i was home, i was struggling to keep up to demand, hence my baby was put on a 50/50 diet. Now he is exclusively formula fed, and never been ill yet..!

Breastfeeding is such a personal thing, and it really saddens me to read people's stories, as i know how quick people are to judge - no one here, just in general.. I feel so guilty formula feeding sometimes but then i look back at his birth and can only feel proud....and grateful we are both here! Yes we live in a world of chemicals, but also good medical advancements, thank god, else we both wouldn't be here!

I agree with you. There have been numerous studies done on diet, and one I heard about recently was by a UK scientist comparing the Humza people's diet to that of those in the west. They fed rats a traditional Humza diet (whole foods, veg, fruit, fish, meat) and these rats were perfectly healthy and lived together harmoniously for over a year. Then in another group they fed the rats a traditional 'western diet' (refined grains, high fat/sugar, processed meats etc) and after a few months these rats developed behavioural problems, developed disease and actually ended up killing and eating each other (the diseases were discovered after dissection).

This rings true from personal experience too. Before I went on my detox all those years ago, I remember how I felt and how I often snapped at those I cared about most - after changes in my diet I was completely different, and I've seen transformations in other people too, after they've changed their diet and lifestyle - to generally more amicable, calm, independent and with the ability to think things through more clearly.

I haven't read all the post so don't know about any personal issues anyone might have had.

I think we should always be honest with ourselves, and stop trying to justify our choices when it's better to just say (as you did) that "yes I acknowledge that such and such is probably better, but I didn't/couldn't because...". Which is why I liked Lucky Stars reply - it shows strength of character

I never said it was conclusive proof. I just posted an opinion and backed it up with a link to 3 studies. It's up to people to make of that what they will.

Indeed

The trouble with studies Azz, is that they have not been carried out on you /me, and being an individual those studies have not had any impact on my life, the study has not been present when my baby is not thriving on breast milk, is constantly crying with hunger, is making the mother feel tetchy , stressed and a failure, these studies are not there when ones baby is in an incubator,and the mother is not well enough to feed, or the mother gets mastitis, and is to sore to feed baby.

Studies are all well and good, but life has told me not to get to hung up on them, as life has a habit of throwing curve balls your way... something studies don`t take into account.

There are not many people on Earth who would deliberately set out to do less than their very best for their new born baby. The choice of natural or formula feeding is very much an individual one and one which should not be criticised regardless of the choice that is made simply because another cannot understand that choice.

Ah - some common sense!

As someone who sadly is very unlikely to be able to have children, I find it incredible that so many mums feel the need to be so defnesive about their choices and offensive about the choices of other mums.

As a childless woman, I get all the usual remarks about being selfish (I have yet to see any scientific research that links selfishness to my condition) and it's never from men