I have shared this anecdote here before:  relatives of mine conducted 
an experiment with their adopted baby, who was being fed some formula 
and some expressed milk.  They found that the baby's sleeping pattern 
was the same regardless of the contents of her bedtime bottle.  At 
one point they even got to try feeding EBM for a whole day vs. 
formula (a shipment of donated milk arrived partially thawed so they 
tried to use it up asap).  Again, no difference at all in the baby's 
sleep.

"Anecdote" does not equal "data", but still, it's interesting.

Human milk may be digested faster, but does that mean it's inherently 
less satisfying/satiating for the baby?  I think not.  I think human 
milk is better for the baby's overall metabolism, leading to more 
balanced levels of, oh, blood glucose, insulin, leptin, cortisol . . 
. (totally going out on a limb here)?  What do the dietitians think?

Margaret
Longmont, CO



>At 7:39 AM -0400 7/24/05, Susan Burger wrote:
>>...
>>The one rampant myth propagated around Manhattan is that formula 
>>will make your baby sleep better.
>
>...but I believe it is true, is it not, that babies on formula will 
>sleep longer?  Not as safely, perhaps, as you point out, but 
>nevertheless longer.  Here in WLA, which is +/- similar (culturally) 
>to Manhattan, I hear this plaintive call nearly-daily.  Rather than 
>deny it, I discuss the biological "utility" of easily-digested bm 
>(not clogging up the plumbing, rapid nutrient absorption, etc).  As 
>these moms often seem *so* focused on getting *the absolute best for 
>their baby*, this argument seems to go a long way.  When it's more 
>of an exhaustion issue, we discuss sources of support -- mental and 
>physical.
>

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