I agree with Gonneke's thoughtful plea for ensuring we differentiate
between breastfeeding (at the breast) and other forms of feeding.

It's not just that babies fed EBM with no bf miss out (along with
their mothers) on some of the wonderful interactive, relationship
aspects of bf. There is also a physiological difference to the baby
and the mother between feeding EBM and breastfeeding.

The baby at the breast gets the creamy hindmilk after the foremilk.
This triggers his sensitive 'appetite centres' so he knows when he is
full, and he (often) sleeps for a short/medium/long time. Nature will
have this absolutely right - it is *not* the same as getting the
whole lot mixed up in a bottle. Even if - and it's a very big 'if' -
the constituents of that bottle are broadly the same as what he would
have got 'direct' - he doesn't get them in the 'right' order.

I don't know what difference that will make. I do know it is a
departure from the norm, and that there will be a price to pay.

Now, when I speak to mothers who want to feed EBM excusively, because
that's their preference, I don't say any of this. I respect their
choice and it is not really my role to probe....I am dismayed that it
seems to be becoming more usual in other countries, though. In the
UK, after over 20 years supporting mothers, I have only come across a
handful of mothers who chose to do this. However, if it's more common
elsewhere, I wonder if it is just a matter of time before we catch up
: (

Heather Welford Neil
NCT bfc Newcastle upon Tyne UK

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