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I Formula Feed
| Mon, 07-07-2008 - 7:50pm |
I chose to formula feed my daughter. I love her with all my heart, and am a great mother (contray to what other mothers will say because I didn't BF). I gave my daughter the best 9 months of my life when pregnant...eating healthy, excerising, quit smoking, quit drinking, yada yada yada and I give her everything in this world now but yes I was selfish and formula fed and do not regret one second of it. I'm sorry that my husband, mother, sister can help with feedings and make a bottle themselves... I can go out for a night and not worry about having a glass of wine or I can go to the mall and not have to whip my boob out in the middle of the common area. And my daughter is extemely healthy and happy. I don't think Im going to hell because I formula feed nor do I feel I am a bad parent. My husband and I agreed formula was the way to go for us. I'm sure there are plenty of things BF'ing mothers do that other parents wouldn't agree with but that doesnt mean you should be crucified for it. I think other mothers should get off their high horse about bf'ing and realize its just not for everyone and you're not

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At this point, it would be trying to make the best of a situation that already exists. Rather than starting with the ideal situation.
True, but it seems to me from the article that antibiotics and contraceptives play a rather large role too.
Shari mother to
<<At least one thing breasfeeding got me...a handicapped sticker so I get to park up front at Wal*Mart...>>
Huh? How did BFing get you that? I had to break my leg to get a handicap sticker! ;)
~*~ Catherine
No matter what decision you make in your life, or your child's life - there will always be someone just waiting to tell you what a stupid idiot you are for doing so...
Some of my blogs:Life Begins... (miscarriage)
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~*~ Catherine, mom to three grown men - Jason, Michael & Joshua and Granma to Christopher & Leia.
~*~ Catherine, mom to three grown men - Jason, Michael & Joshua and Granma to Christopher & Leia.
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The average adult IQ is 100, not 145.
Your daughter must be destined for greatness...only 0.1% of the population has an IQ of 160, and some historical figures with IQ's of 160 include Copernicus, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln...all of whom were most likely BF. Double hmmm....
Are you joking?
What on earth did you come to a debate board for if you're just going to.....
Oh, never mind.
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I have been through something similar with my own child... let me throw out some thoughts for you.
First, most chronic ear infections like this are due to a malformation of the ear canals that do not allow them to drain properly. (too narrow, etc.) Breastfeeding will not cause a child to grow new ear canals, so it cannot entirely eliminate the cause of the infections, which is why SOME breastfed kids will still have chronic ear infections. My daughter got her first at 6 weeks and had them throughout her first year due to having narrow ear canals that would not drain.
The difference is that SOMETHING is going to be sitting in these ear canals since they don't drain... either breastmilk or formula. When it is breastmilk, the growth of harmful bacteria is inhibited... breastmilk discourages bacteria from growing. It does not completely PREVENT it, but it certainly does slow it down. When the substance is formula, the bacterial growth is NOT discouraged, it actually gives it something to feed on and can make the infection more severe.
Another difference is that formula is an inert substance. It may not actively harm the immune system, but it does nothing to support it, either. Breastmilk, on the other hand, contains living substances that actively support a child's immune system to make it stronger and better able to fight off infection. (white blood cells, antigens, etc.) This means that a child who is getting a NORMAL diet of breastmilk has a NORMAL level of immunity to be able to fight off an infection, where the formula-fed child is NOT getting a normal level of support that it's body expects, and has to try to fight off the infection without any help. It is very similar to trying to fight off an infection without oral antibiotics. You may be able to, but you will certainly be at a disadvantage.
As for comparing yourself to your siblings... sorry, but that's not an accurate comparison, since genetics can vary HUGELY even between closely related siblings. Out of my six kids, four of them NEVER got ear infections, because they were born with normal ear canals. One had chronic ear infections, and one had only a couple minor infections. Two of my kids were born with congenital hip dysplasia, four were not. One was born with breathing issues, the rest never get so much as a cough. That's just the way genetics work. To borrow a quote from your siggie "We can not change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand". Just because you were dealt a crappy genetic hand compared to your siblings doesn't mean that you would have been *the same* if you had been formula fed. You would have started off with the same issues and formula would have only made them more severe, especially the ear infections. Your siblings got dealt their own unique genetic "cards", so their outcome was different from yours.
If you are going to start out with a "bad hand" genetically speaking, wouldn't it make sense not to ADD to the risks by giving a sub-standard source of nutrition? If you start out at a disadvantage, it would seem logical to try to eliminate as many unnecessary risks as possible. Breastfeeding doesn't give "advantages" or "benefits", it just starts kids off with a NORMAL level of health. Formula is deficient, so it starts kids off at a disadvantage. If they are dealt a "good hand" then they may be able to overcome the deficits of formula without noticeable problems, but you aren't going to know what cards you get dealt until the damage has already been done. I had no way of predicting that my 5th child would have chronic ear infections, since her 4 older siblings never got them. She also got the hip dysplasia... lucky kid. :-( I breastfed ALL of them, because I wanted them to ALL start out with at least a NORMAL chance of being as healthy as possible. If I had chosen to use formula with my daughter, based on the health of her older siblings, she would definitely have suffered for it. I'm glad I did not take that chance with her.
<<< Do you think my lungs were actually healthy as a child and now as an adult, do you think it was enjoyable and healthy to have to sit on the sidelines while other children ran and played because physically I could not without a trip to the emergency room afterward? And what about my self esteem, self image? Was it healthy that I was unable to partake in phys ed at school and was constantly teased about it? Was it healthy for me to be left out of going to birthday parties and slumber parties because none of the girls wanted me there and none of their parents wanted to be "saddled" with a chance of me getting sick? You have no clue whether I would have grown up healthier back then had I been formula fed. You have no clue whether I would be facing having to lug around a tank of oxygen with me shortly for the rest of whatever my life will be. You have no clue whether my parent or myself would spend thousands of dollars on pulmonary specialists and hearing specialists if I would have been formula fed. You don't know anymore than I do. You just ASSume that just because somewhere it says that breastfeeding is healthier that I would have to be healthier than if I were formula fed. Well I don't buy it. And that's all I'm gonna say on the subject. You can argue your "points" until the cows come home...I'm not going to buy it.>>>
I can't know what you are going through, but it sounds like you are bitter that breastfeeding did not FIX all these issues for you? It's not SUPPOSED to. All it does is provide a NORMAL diet to give a NORMAL level of health based on your own unique genetics. It is not a miracle diet to cure all ills. If you are genetically prone to asthma, you will still get it. If you are prone to ear infections, you will still get them. But if you add formula to the equation, you will have MORE problems because it is sub-standard nutrition that lowers your overall level of health, so the asthma or ear infections will be worse than they would have been with a normal diet. My daughter had medical issues for the first year of her life, and it was nothing that breastfeeding could have fixed (congenital hip dysplasia). It certainly was frustrating to see her struggle through everything she went through, but at least I did not ADD to her problems by giving her formula on top of everything else she had thrown at her. (imagine a constipated baby in a full body cast!)
Tell me, do you believe that a child fed on a diet of processed convenience foods will end up as healthy as a child given a diet of fresh foods? Maybe, if they have a strong genetic make-up, they may be able to overcome most of the problems associated with it. Heck, I know kids who do eat these diets and you would never be able to tell just by looking at them... but if you have a child who is already struggling with digestive issues, allergies, etc. and you put them on a poor diet, it most definitely WILL make their problems WORSE than they would be on a good diet. A good diet is not going to make all their problems disappear, but it certainly isn't going to make them WORSE.
No one is claiming that breastmilk is some kind of "cure-all", it's nothing more than standard, base-line nutrition that gives a normal level of health based on your own genetics.
Stephanie
mom to six sensational kids
with another blessing on the way!
But don't forget Mozart!
~*~ Catherine, mom to three grown men - Jason, Michael & Joshua and Granma to Christopher & Leia.
well, here's a pat on the back for making the best decisions for YOU! I think most of us chose to breast feed to make the best decisions for our baby.
Albert Einstein Physicist 160 IQ
~*~ Catherine, mom to three grown men - Jason, Michael & Joshua and Granma to Christopher & Leia.
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