Breastfeeding mafia v bottlefeeding mafia - again

A

anotherone

Registered User
Not sure if anyone's mentioned this already, but folks back in the UK seem to be getting their knickers in a twist again (yawn?) over how long one should breastfeed for, as the latest medical study seems to suggest that the recommended 6-months exclusive breastfeeding period might do baby more harm than good:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/jan/14/six-months-breastfeeding-babies-scientists

As a full-time working mother who struggled with (and finally gave up on) breastfeeding, I couldn't care less about these ever-shifting guidelines - I think I've tried my best and baby has turned out alright so far. I do however find the everlasting (and most of the time personal and hurtful - follow comments such as these: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jan/16/breastfeeding-sting-cleaners#start-of-comments and you'll see what I mean) battle between the bottlefeeding mafia and the breastfeeding mafia both amusing and sad.
 
The difference in recommendation, which the WHO is reviewing, is just to start solids including allergenic foods, iron rich meat, and gluten containing foods a bit earlier, after 4 months of age, but likely before 6 months, as well as add vitamin D if the baby does not get as much sunlight as required. Breastfeeding is still suggested to 12 months and beyond, even by the researchers (Furthermore, 3 of the 4 researchers and a financial interest as they were paid consultants to the baby food or formula industry in the prior 3 years or currently.)

Moral of the story is that a baby is not ready for solids based on a date, but based on when they are ready. like everything else, every child is different.
 
It's crazy really. The research changes frequently, depending on what criteria they are looking at. The recommendations are different now to what they were 10 years ago, and I'm sure that in 10 years they may be different again. Each mother is genuinely trying to do the best by their child with the information and resources that they have, but yet many people seem to want to impose THEIR ideas onto everyone else?

I do think that "breast is best" but there are many many reasons why a mother cannot breastfeed. With my 2nd daughters, she had medical issues that meant she couldn't directly breastfeed - so I've been exclusively pumping and it is a HUGE commitment, plus I don't feel the same "camaraderie" that I would get from other breastfeeding mums. But ultimately, I'm making that choice for my daughter and who cares about what anyone else thinks, and about "fitting in" with the breastfeeding or bottlefeeding mafia. This time around, I don't fit in with either ;)
 
I thought the article was downright funny, actually. I also lived through my own personal hell of a breastfeeding experience that I prolonged up to 6 months because I desperately wanted it to work out. It didn't work out. It wasn't fun. But, live and learn. I wasn't really offended by the article at all because there are plenty of writings out there that take the exact opposite stance--sometimes in a very serious manner and sometimes in a witty or sarcastic tone. Aw, this "war" will wage on until the end of time but I did get a chuckle out of the article. Thanks for sharing.
 
Yea Thanka, looking back (not that it's been THAT long!) I am amazed at how desperately I wanted to "succeed" at breastfeeding at the beginning, I never stopped and questioned myself once whether persevering despite having a complete breakdown (yes I did) was in bub's (or the husband's) best interest. The midwives all witnessed my meltdown, but no one, not a single one of them, ever reminded me that there was another way (or other ways, as there is pumping AND / OR formula). They just kept telling me to try harder, in the most condescending way possible. I was constantly in tears during my 5 days' stay there.

A week after being discharged, however, something just clicked in my mind. I sent the husband off to get me a pump - and I never looked back. Bub still got the same good stuff, I "compensated" for the loss of bonding time that one is supposed to get from direct latching with actually being a happy, in control mum who is capable of spending quality time with her baby, I was able to ensure that bub was getting enough, and the husband also got to bond with bub by doing a feed or two.

I wish more mothers out there would know that whilst it is fantastic that you're trying your best to give your baby the "best stuff", you really shouldn't (in my view anyway) do that at the expense of everything else.
 
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PS my last post was completely off-topic of course - the BMJ article in fact examines weaning and does not debate the merit of breastfeeding (despite what the media is quick to suggest).
 
I'm stumped. The article is indeed about weaning onto solids earlier, not which is better-breast milk or formula? What's the problem? Furthermore, the supposed research, which doesn't sound much like research is stated not be experimental, so theoretical in other words. Sounds like the baby food companies who were consulted for their 'expertise' just want their products consumed earlier, that's all.
Plus, I remember reading something like breastfed babies should be weaned by 6 months at the latest since their requirement for iron has increased and breast milk could not fulfill that, unlike formula with added iron.
Incidentally, I weaned my solely breastfed son onto solids(you can barely call drowned rice cereal as such, but I'm sticking to the terms) a week before the fifth month, bc I felt he wasn't getting enough from me. I breastfed until he completely self weaned, from 8-12 months after which I supplemented with formula, and then cows milk.
 
I guess I wanted to add that the article I was referring to was the second link, not the first one. Who cares what the formula/baby food companies have to say anyway? And to tell the truth, I think for most educated women in the "western world" there is plenty of information out there about breastfeeding and its benefits but every mom has to make those choices for her baby herself. I guess I'm not the one who will just look at the most recent recommendation and do what it says just because it was written in a paper somewhere--whether that's breastfeeding or weaning or whatever. Like SZJ, I think I have pretty good intuition about what works for my child and his health. Plus, I know women who were starting their babies on solids way before 4 months--mostly because they had 10 children and it was just more functional--none of the children were or are the worse for it.
 
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