"A variation is the baby who is bottlefed ebm, then given abm unless the
baby can't sip another slurp.  Some of these kids are unbelievably obese and
they are proof that you CAN overfeed a "breastfed" baby if you also use
bottles,
esp. ones with abm in them!"

Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong, but is it not the case that the
evidence indicates that "obesity" prior to 2 yrs. of age is not any
predictor of adult obesity, or in fact of other health-related problems in
later life? I think we need to be careful in the assumptions we make about
the relationships between "obese" babies, obese older kids, and obese
adults, and general good health. And how come the BF kids are "little
butterballs" (implied = cute) and the ABM-fed kids are "unbelievably obese"
(implied = gross & disgusting)?

"These kids are as likely to belong to "at home" moms who spend their days
in the mall, where they  bottle feed for modesty, as they are to be kids
whose mothers are at work and whose caregivers stick a bottle in their mouth
every time it opens...The "at home" mother is more likely to protest that
the baby "doesn't get enough from me." Besides, she, not the nanny, is the
one who has adopted overfeeding as her caretaking pattern so she doesn't see
another way."

Sounds pretty harsh to me, Judy! I understand your sentiment, and I realize
that lactnet is a "safe" place to vent, but I worry about this kind of
generalization; not merely that it's a generalization, which may or may not
be correct, but that it's carrying a pretty heavy weight of judgement in it.
Judgement is a *good* thing, without it we'd all be indiscriminating,
paralyzed wimps, but it worries me when the tone creeps over from judging an
action or practice to scorning the woman.

Cathy Bargar RN IBCLC Ithaca NY

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