<<Bottle feeding makes it easy for you to know how much milk your baby is
getting. You will be able to easily see how much milk your baby is drinking
by looking at the bottle markings.>>

Artificial feeding makes it easier to overfeed your baby for the same
reason.
 Breastfeeding mothers know their baby is getting adequate input by diaper
counts and observing the baby.

<<Other people can feed your baby, such as the father, friends,
grandparents,
or daycare provider. Some people feel that bottle feeding gives you more
freedom and does not tie you down.>>

Feeding is just one part of baby care.  There are plenty of opportunities
for
father, friends and grandparents to help out with baby care in other ways.
If a child is delegated to a daycare provider, human milk can also be fed by
bottle.

<Older brothers and sisters can get to know the "new baby" by feeding him.>

Again, getting to know the baby is an opportunity that can happen in many
experiences, not just by feeding.  Older brothers and sisters of a
breastfeeding baby also learn what the true nature of breasts involves.
Holding the baby's hand when they are nursing, playing and singing with the
baby when diapers are changed, etc., are just two of the ways that brothers
and sisters can interact with a new breastfed baby.

<<Bottle feeding helps you get more rest because others can help with
nighttime feedings.>>

Others will not always be able to help.  Mothers are generally the nighttime
caretakers whether or not they are breastfeeding.  It is not possible to
artifically feed a baby in bed while asleep as it is with breastfeeding.
Many mothers will say that they get much more rest while breastfeeding.
When
the baby is awake and unhappy as a result of more ear infections, upper
respiratory infections, etc., as a result of artificial feeding, mother will
get no rest at all.

<<Unlike a breastfeeding mother, you can use whatever kind of birth control
you choose.>>

Unlike an artifically-feeding mother, studies have shown that exclusively
breastfeeding mothers have little need of birth control for the first few
months.  After that period, there are many options for birth control if the
mother decides she want additional protection.

<<You do not have to carefully watch your diet. Six weeks after delivery you
can start to diet and exercise to lose weight.>>

Studies have shown that breastfeeding mothers lose weight at a faster rate
than artificially-feeding mothers.  Many breastfeeding mothers do diet in
moderation and exercise six weeks after delivery.

<<You can bottle feed your baby anywhere. You do not have to worry about
wearing the right piece of clothing to make it easier to feed your baby.
You may wear whatever clothes you choose because you do not have to worry
about getting your baby to the breast.>>

You can breastfeed your baby anywhere, and there are laws on the books to
prove it!  Most clothing can be adapted for breastfeeding.  A very few
fashion choice trade-offs is a small price to pay for a healthier mother and
baby.

<<It may be more enjoyable having sex if you bottle feed. This is because
you
will not have sore nipples or leaky breasts. Hormone changes in the
breastfeeding mother may cause the vagina to be dry and cause painful sex.>>

Masters & Johnson stated many years ago that breastfeeding women resumed sex
at an earlier time postpartum than artificially-feeding mothers.  The same
hormonal changes can be present in an postpartum mother.  Many breastfeeding
mothers experience very little or no vaginal dryness and, if they do, find
it
short-lived and readily treatable with extra lubrication.

>>. . . Cow's milk formula also has the right amounts of vitamins and
minerals that babies need.">>

The only reason the ABM manufacturers know what is the "right amounts" of
vitamins and minerals is that they have studied what is in human milk, the
gold standard.  However, they are also continually seeing in what ways they
are falling short.  Research is constantly showing new discoveries in the
composition of human milk.  Each time a new component is found, it is
evident
that artficial milk has been woefully lacking in the "right" amount of
vitamins and minerals.  It is very hard to consider artifical milk as
adequate when it is so lacking in long-chain fatty acids for brain
development and antiinfective properties such as immunoglobulins and
leukocytes, among many other properties present in human milk and either
totally lacking or in much lesser amounts in artificial milk.

Joyce this listing seems vaguely familiar to me.  I'm wondering if it was
copied from an ABM manufacturer.

Ruth Scuderi, IBCLC
Westfield, MA

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