Why we shouldn ’t demonize formula feeding

Follow me on Twitter @drClaire Breast is best — we pediatricians say this all the time, because it’s true. Breast milk was uniquely designed for human babies, and many studies have shown its health benefits. In our quest to increase breastfeeding rates here in the US, which are not as high as we want them to be, we encourage new mothers not to use any formula. Hospitals are encouraged not to feed new babies with formula during those first few days before the mother’s milk comes in, and not to send mothers home with samples of formula. This is all good, as often, if we can get mothers and babies through those first few days and weeks without formula, they can both get used to breastfeeding and make it work. But as we encourage breastfeeding, we need to be careful to keep the big picture in mind and not demonize formula feeding. In a study recently published in the Journal of Pediatrics, researchers studied babies who had lost a significant amount of weight after birth, which, while common, can be dangerous. They randomized the babies into two groups: one got a small amount of formula after each breastfeeding until the mother’s milk was fully in, and the other group did not. They found that the babies that got the formula were less likely to be readmitted to the hospital, and were no less likely to be breastfeeding a month out. Exclusive breastfeeding is natural, but not always easy — and when there is a glitch like a delay in the milk supply coming in, inverted nippl...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Children's Health Family Planning and Pregnancy Source Type: blogs