In answer to the debate:
Will Formula Feeding Harm My
Baby?<http://www.opposingviews.com/questions/will-formula-feeding-harm-my-baby>
http://www.opposingviews.com/questions/will-formula-feeding-harm-my-baby/comments

I posted the following reply.

norma

Many people, even those who choose not to breastfeed, think that
breastfeeding is best.
It isn't.
Breastfeeding is normal.
It is what mammals do, and we humans are mammals. Whether we like it or not,
when a woman has a baby, her body produce the milk needed to feed it.

Each woman's milk is uniquely suited to the needs of her particular baby.
Her milk changes according to her baby's age, the time of day (or night) and
it's composition even varies according to whether it is the beginning or
ending of a feed. Moreover, each mother produced antibodies to every germ
and virus she encounters and transfers them to her baby in her milk.

Breastfeeding is important to mothers too. Mothers who do not use their
breasts to feed their babies are at a much higher risk of breast and uterine
cancer.

No formula can ever match those standards.

It follows that babies who are not breastfed are at a higher risk for many
diseases and conditions, including diabetes and Crohn's, and because they do
not receive the nutrition that nature intended, they are less likely to
reach their full potential, either physically or intellectually.

Formula was invented as a way to feed those babies whose mothers had died,
and in extremely rare medical conditions. Like crutches, it was never meant
to be used in normal circumstances.

Of course mothers can choose not to breastfeed. However, they should not be
deluded into thinking that is a lifestyle choice.
Breastfeeding is a health issue.

References:

   1. American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Breastfeeding and the Use of
Human Milk: Policy Statement. Pediatrics, volume 115, number 2, February
2005, pages 496-506.
   2. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Your
Pregnancy and Birth, 4th Edition. ACOG, Washington, DC, 2005.
   3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Breastfeeding Trends
and Updated National Health Objectives for Exclusive Breastfeeding – United
States, Birth Years 2000-2004. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, volume
56, number 30, August 3, 2007, pages 760-763.
   4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Breastfeeding.
Accessed 3/31/08.
   5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Neurologic
Impairment in Children Associated with Maternal Dietary Deficiency of
Cobalamin – Georgia, 2001. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, volume 52,
number 4, January 31, 2003, pages 61-64.
   6. Vohr, B.R., et al. Persistent Beneficial Effects of Breast milk
Ingested in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit on Outcomes of Extremely Low
Birthweight Infants at 30 Months of Age. Pediatrics, volume 120, number 4,
October 2007, pages e953-e959.
   7. McDowell, M.M., et al. Breastfeeding in the United States: Findings
from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, 1999-2006.
National Center for Health Statistics Data Brief, number 5, April 2008.

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