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The Formula Decision When
a mother considers giving formula to her baby, • Formula is not
to be used without good reason! It
causes abnormal changes in a young baby's intestines - changes that
last for several weeks after
a single bottle. A single dose of formula
before about 6 months of age can trigger allergies that might have been
avoided, and increases the risk of diabetes, colitis, and other
illnesses. Despite reassuring advertising,
formula is not "almost" human milk, and even one use has consequences. • Smell some formula. Taste it. Under a
microscope, formula looks...white. Human
milk is full of dots, blots, and blobs. It
actually teems with life, like a tiny city with one manufacturing goal: the baby's health. And
the taste? Melted ice cream! • Babies need to eat. If human milk is not available - through the
mother expressing her own milk or through human donors - and a baby is
not thriving on breastfeeding alone, commercial formulas are considered
the fourth best food. Babies need to eat. • Some day, our milk banks will
be large enough, and insurance coverage will be good enough,that every
baby can receive human milk, whether or not his mother breastfeeds him. Until then, formula has a very necessary place
for some babies. • Call a breastfeeding
specialist before giving formula to a young baby. There
may be a surprisingly simple way to avoid exposure. • The healthiest, brightest
children in the world are those who breastfeed successfully for about 6
months with no other foods or drinks, and who continue to nurse well
into toddlerhood or beyond. • Most adults today were
formula-fed, and we're leading bright, healthy, active lives. • We also have more vision
problems, obesity, allergies, intestinal problems, colds and flu,
dental problems, diabetes, heart problems, and cancer than we need to. And we're a few IQ points lower than we would
have been if we had been breastfed. • If formula is used, the older
the baby is when it is introduced, the better he will be able to handle
it and the less it will interfere with longterm health or with happy
breastfeeding. • Even a little breastmilk or
breastfeeding is better than none, for as long as you can provide it. No
two families balance all this the same. When
you've made a decision that feels
right for you, it is right for you, no matter what
decision another family makes. So there! ©2008
Diane Wiessinger, MS, IBCLC www.normalfed.com |
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