I base it on the fact that:

1. Babies don't need formula in the first couple of days.  Where is
the evidence that they do?  I am old enough to remember that many
hospitals had routines that required babies not to be fed for the
first 24 hours.  Now if they don't feed for 6 hours everyone is
hysterical and we've got to give formula.  Rubbish.  Both are wrong.

2. A baby who is breastfeeding exclusively in the first few days is
getting only small amounts of colostrum.  Why do we overfeed them with
a foreign protein?

3. The babies do fine with sugar water, especially if it is used at
the breast with a lactation aid.  If they are fine, why give formula?

4. In theory, one drink of formula sets up the chain of events which
eventually leads to juvenile diabetes, allergy, crohn's disease, other
problems.  Why give this potentially toxic material unless it is
absolutely necessary?

There are no studies to back me up, but there are none that say babies
require formula in the first 48 hours.  They need colostrum, and they
are not getting it, and nobody worries about that, it seems.

The idea of the glucose water is to help with the breastfeeding, not
necessarily give the baby some fluids, which is a side issue, though
not a bad thing.

Jack Newman, MD, FRCPC