Dear all:

I think the anecdote of formula causing babies to sleep longer is a useful one for illustrating why we really do need to move beyond just throwing up our hands and thinking this is all we can use.  Even if we are not able to conduct research ourselves we can engage in critical thinking and challenge our own thoughts.  

The myth that formula makes babies sleep longer was so pervasive that I never even thought to question it.  If you read many breastfeeding books by some of the best breastfeeding researchers, you will find that they also don't question it.  There are all sorts of explanations for why formula might cause babies to sleep longer such as it is heavier, it takes longer to digest, etc.  This by well known breastfeeding advocates and researchers.

Yet, we now have two sets of research debunking this idea.  One research paper that shows that parents who give a bottle of formula or more a night sleep 40-45 minutes LESS a night than parents whose baby is allowed to breastfeed and another that shows that breastfed babies sleep just as long (which I haven't read yet but need to read the details of why there is a discrepancy).  

So, were all those observations wrong?  

Not really. 

Think about how normal infant feeding was completely disrupted in much of the world for GENERATIONS and the practices around birthing accommodated artificial feeding devices, artificial feeding schedules and artificial substitutes for breastmilk.  

Think about the recommendations.  Delays in contact between mother and baby.  Drugs that cause mothers to be delusional.  Restricted access to the breast.  

A perfect setup for the majority of babies to not be breastfed sufficiently to be satisfied.  Babies that aren't satisfied have two means of coping -- crying all the time or shutting down.  The crying babies probably ended up being fed formula and finally falling asleep.  We all know they would have done better with breast milk.  Hence the creation of a myth.  A pervasive myth.  A myth that we will probably be trying to debunk 30 years from now because we will have legions of mothers with their own personal experiences that verify anecdotally that THEIR baby slept better with some formula.

Now, really really challenge yourself every time you think see an association, to think of alternative explanations for what you think is an association.  I think this is very very important because time and time again, when I think I am totally right -- I will get smacked in the face with something new that really upends what I think I knew.  This is science, and it is a beautiful thing.  Life would be completely boring if we were not constantly challenged to look at things in new ways.

Best regards, 

Susan Burger

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