I thought the point was to FEED the child?
Jan 03 '01
I figured since I just did a review on circumcision I mine as well get all the controversial topics out of the way and do one on breastfeeding as well. I have been on both sides of this issue and frankly I think the entire thing is completely crazy. The whole object is to feed the baby so it grows...however after reading some epinions I guess I'm wrong.
My First Son
With my first son the entire idea of having something attached to my breast for about half of the day really didn't appeal to me. As a student I didn't feel I had enough time to sit down for 45 minutes every 2 hours to nurse. I personally did my own research on the benefits of breastfeeding (which I will get to in a minute) and decided that for my own sanity I was going to bottle feed.
Oh my family was just up in arms about that decision and I must have had the fact I was going to bottle feed tattooed on my forehead because every breastfeeding "nazi" came out of the woodwork and starting spouting off factoid after factoid after factoid. They told me what a horrible person I was for not breastfeeding or at least ATTEMPTING to breastfeed. Frankly, this type of breastfeeding "evangelism" did nothing more than turn me away from these people.
About two days before my son was born my breasts starting to fill up with milk, which I thought didn't happen until AFTER the baby was born. My doctor explained this happened to me because for weeks I had been experiencing pre-term labor and my body wanted to "prepare" for the arrival of the baby. I didn't care if he was correct or not, all I knew was that my breasts hurt so badly and were so hard because they were full that I was actually going to give this breastfeeding thing a shot if it would just make the pain go away.
So my son was born a few days later and I tried over and over and over to get him to latch. I even requested advice from his pediatrician who assisted me in getting him to latch. Finally, after 4 days of heartache he latched! He nursed, what I now know is a good nursing "session", and went to sleep. A few hours later he woke up (my son, since birth has always slept longer than most babies) and that was it. I had no milk. I tried nursing him a few more times but it never came back. Fear of him dehydrating, due to the 118 degree heat outside (47C) I gave him a bottle of formula.
Was I upset? No, not really. Frankly in a way I was relieved that it was all over with because now I wouldn't have to call the La Leche League and have them tell me I simply wasn't trying hard enough. It was all over, my son was being FED and that is all that mattered.
My Second Son
My second son was born 18 months later and I decided that I was going to give the breastfeeding thing a shot again. However, again, the concept of being stuck in the same place for 45 minutes at a shot every two hours didn't appeal to me...especially considering I had an 18 month old toddler running around the house.
While pregnant with my second child someone told me about a wonderful thing: breast pumps. I had really no idea what on earth a breast pump was. I knew what it was, but I thought it was one of those things that you used every once in a while. I had no idea that you could actually use a breast pump every day, all day.
So with baby #2 I pumped a lot of milk. This made life so easy because when the toddler was up and running around being a typical toddler I just took a bottle of breast milk out of the fridge, warmed it up and tossed a bottle in the baby's mouth. When it was the middle of the night and everyone was sleeping (except the hungry baby) I was able to nurse and it was alright if it took 45 minutes because no one was trying to color on my walls and flush the cat down the toilet.
I am happy to report, to those who care, that I fed my 2nd son breast milk until he was 8 months old.
Had I known about breast pumps I would have gotten one and done the same thing with my first child. I think that people who are there to assist mothers who have problems with nursing should really bring up the breast pump idea.
The Factoids
Every person who has a baby has heard the factoids that are given by the breastfeeding "nazi's". "Your baby will be smarter". "Your baby will be at a 30% less risk of being obese at age 5." "Your baby will be healthier."
Now I am not saying that I do not believe that breastfeeding is best. How can it NOT be the best? Breast milk specially designed for your baby by your body, not manufactured and marketed to the masses. This is not to say that I buy into these factoid however. Let's take the time to these.
Your baby will be smarter.
More studies are showing that IQ is genetic. So in order to discuss this statement we have to answer the question of "Who are breastfeeding women?" Well in the United States of America, the "average" breastfeeding woman is a woman who is middle classed with a college degree. That is the average breastfeeding woman. Well it only stands to reason those children will have higher IQ's they are genetically predisposed to having a higher IQ.
This is not to say that a lower class high school educated woman isn't smart. She may very well be brilliant but never given the correct opportunities, this is simply to discuss averages which is exactly what the statement "Your baby will be smarter" is. A broad, average statement.
Ok statement #2: "Your baby will be at a 30% less risk of being obese at age 5."
Wow! 30 percent?? That really seems like a *huge* difference to me! Until we look at the real numbers. What percentage of 5 year olds are clinically obese? According to the AAP, about 5%. So 30% of 5% is 1.5 That number doesn't look so spectacular in reality.
The reality of the matter is, proper nutrition and exercise will keep a child, who has no medical conditions that causes them to gain weight, from being clinically obese.
Statement #3: "Your baby will be healthier"
To be totally honest with you I have looked and looked for actual studies regarding this statement. I have found none. To keep a child healthy you don't expose them to germs. Babies who don't go to daycare, who don't go out to crowded places and babies who aren't premature are at a lower risk of getting sick regardless of being breastfed or bottlefed.
Breastfeeding Pro's & Con's
The biggest pro to breastfeeding is that, under normal circumstances, it's free. You aren't dishing out $25 a week for formula...breastfeeding can save you a lot of money. Breast milk is also always the right temperature, and you don't have to worry about it spoiling. Another pro of brestfeeding is that you don't have to take anything paraphernalia
with you. Like to go hiking? Fishing? Shopping? No need to lug around bottles, liners, and formula...simply bring the baby because it's all ready to go when needed.
A con that I had while breastfeeding my second son was that I leaked EVERYWHERE. I would soak breastpads, which are designed to trap breastmilk, and it would go through my shirt. I must have changed my shirt at least 4 times a day when breastfeeding. Depending on your lifestyle another con to breastfeeding is that it is time consuming. The general rule of thumb (or is that breast?) is 15 minutes on each "side". At the beginning you are nursing about every 2 hours. This means every 90 minutes you are sitting down for about 30 minutes to feed the baby. This can make getting things done around the house very difficult. Not to mention at night you are also getting up at the same frequency because no one else can feed the baby. Many women enjoy this, so depending on who you are this could actually be a Pro of breastfeeding. However I didn't enjoy it very much, I was tired and my house was dirty which made me crazy.
Bottle Feeding Pro's & Con's
A major Pro to bottle feeding is that anyone can feed your child. You can leave your child with Grandma and Grandpa, go out to dinner and have a glass of wine without worrying how it will effect the baby's food. Bottle feeding generally takes less time. There were times, in the middle of the night, that it would take me about 5 minutes to feed my son. This meant more sleep for me! Also, bottle fed babies tend to sleep through the night sooner.
A Con of bottle feeding is that it is expensive. Purchasing bottles, nipples (and replacing them every 3 months), bottle liners, water, and formula really adds up. Not to mention have you ever wondered just where that red bottle went and then found it in the couch a few weeks later? Yikes! Babies also tend to waste a lot of formula. You are not supposed to allow a child to drink from a bottle and then put the rest in the fridge. We all know this scenario: you make a 6 ounce bottle and baby only wanted 3 ounces, well in the course of 12 months you are dumping a lot of money down the drain.
Overall
Overall I think that feeding the baby should be the number 1 goal. I really believe we have a lot more important things to worry about than if your neighbor is breastfeeding her baby. Both breastfeeding and bottle feeding have their pro's and con's. Although breast milk itself may be "best" because it is produced by your body all the hype surrounding breastfeeding factoids is a little crazy. Feed your babies, love your babies, help your babies as they grow and in 18 years the college admission board will have no idea if (s)he was breastfed or not.
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Epinions.com ID:
Talisman
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Member: Talisman
Location: South Bend, IN
Reviews written: 83
Trusted by: 42 members
About Me:
Mom of 3 boys, working on PhD in Chemistry at University of Notre Dame.
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