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Lactation Information and Discussion

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Subject:
From:
Teresa Pitman <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Lactation Information and Discussion <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Wed, 12 Jun 2002 21:36:18 -0400
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I know this is a touchy subject to jump in on, but I think that often
mothers decide to mix breastfeeding and formula feeding because they still
think the two things are pretty much equivalent.

My understanding, though, is that once you move away from exclusive
breastfeeding, the risks from adding formula mount up pretty quickly. It
only takes a tiny amount of formula to increase the risk of allergies and
diabetes, for example, and to decrease the iron absorption from breastmilk.
I don't think mothers are aware of this. They see formula as the "norm" and
that giving some breastmilk, even a little, gives the baby a few bonus
benefits. And sure, some breastfeeding is better than none. But the risks of
adding that formula are real.

What would we say to a mother who said "I'm going to use a car seat for my
baby sometimes, but I just can't commit to using it every time we go out in
the car. It's such a pain to put the baby in and get the straps done up. So
I thought I'd use the car seat sometimes, and just let the baby lie on a
blanket the rest of the time." Or if she said "I just don't feel I can feed
my baby formula all the time. It's a lot of trouble to mix it up. So I'm
going to give one bottle of plain cow's milk a day, and feed formula the
rest of the time, just to give myself a break."

We all know there are mothers who do both those things. Hey, I've seen
mothers give two-month-old babies root beer in a bottle. But we try really
hard to discourage them!

Teresa Pitman
Guelph, Ontario

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