I appreciate Dr. Palmer's article on the death rates in breastfed versus
formula fed babies.  However, one paragraph in it brings up a topic I have
been meaning to post about:

"A multitude of studies demonstrate that when breastfeeding is accompanied
by formula supplementation, illness and death rates are much closer to those
of babies who are fully formula-fed. Studies also reveal conclusively that
the longer breastfeeding lasts, the greater the measurable difference in
illness and death rates."

The way this statement is written concerns me, for several reasons.  For
one, most of the moms I work with have adopted their babies and do not have
the opportunity to provide nothing but breast milk.  Some are able to
dispense with supplements fairly soon, but many need to supplement over the
long-term.  Also, these moms usually have to work much harder for whatever
amount of milk they do provide, than mothers who have given birth do to
provide all the milk their babies need.  Also, there are bio moms who are
having trouble with milk supply, have to go back to work and don't feel like
they can pump, etc..  Isn't it much, much better for these mothers to feel
like even partial breastfeeding is worth doing?

Another VERY important question, is something I haven't heard discussed,
specifically.  If formula supplementation interferes so much with the
benefits of breast milk, wouldn't other foods do that too?  I haven't ever
seen anyone suggest that for a breast fed baby to start eating cereal and
bananas at six months old (for example) results in illness and death rates
much closer to those for formula fed infants.  There are many kinds of
formulas.  I don't think it is possible to say that anything that could be
called "formula", given to a nursing baby, increases death rates, but other
foods don't.  I don't think anyone would want to suggest that adding any
other foods to a breast fed baby's diet results in illness and death rates
closer to formula fed babies.  That would be like saying that breastfeeding
isn't really that important for older babies and toddlers which is, of
course, a myth that is still quite pervasive.  We know that even occasional
sips from the breast, for a child who gets 95% if his diet from other foods,
is beneficial.

Don't get me wrong.  If I'd had the choice, not a drop of formula would have
passed over the gums of my babies.  However, I think we need to be careful
not to villify formula more than is justified and, in the process,
contribute to the "polarization" that occurs, in the breastfeeding versus
bottlefeeding debate.  Alot has to do with how things are said.  I would
suggest that, instead of saying that formula is so bad that even giving some
of it brings the death rate up, we should say something more on the order
that breast milk is so good that even a small amount of it results in a
lover death rate. It depends somewhat on who the audience is.  However, with
the breastfeeding rate as low as it is, especially for babies who are beyond
the newborn period, I think there is a huge amount of potential for
increasing the percentage of babies recieving at least some amount of breast
milk, if their mothers didn't feel like it had to be all or none.

I certainly don't mean to criticize this article, however. It is excellent!
With all of the discussion on the news about influenza, lately, I think all
the time about what a crime it is that so little is said about how much less
risk there is for babies and children who are recieving breast milk.  I see
mothers on the new, standing, helplessly, by the hospital beds of their
infants, and wonder if that mother was ever told that breastfeeding would
protect her baby, or if everyone she came in contact with, who did know
something, refrained from saying anything like that, because they "didn't
want to make anyone feel guilty" (so they let their babies be exposed to
serious illness or death instead).

That brings up another topic.  What are those of you who work in hospitals
seen, as far as breastfed babies coming in with influenza?

Aloha,
Darillyn

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