> One of the theories
> about why breastfeeding reduces later obesity rates is that with formula the
> baby has to consume larger volumes to get the needed nutrients, and so gets
> used to consuming more. This makes some sense when you look at the data on
> breastmilk volume.
>
I have another theory that would be impossible and unethical to research
-- aren't most theories on why breastfeeding matters in this category?
I think that babies come into the world programmed to seek comfort and
satisfaction as well as nutrients from their food. Because they get
these all at the breast, they develop optimally when breastfed. When
they are fed with artificial foods, and (I have often observed this, and
this is where my speculation started) when they start eating other
foods, they seem to feed and feed because they "can't get no
satisfaction". Mothers interpret this as meaning that they are
ravenously hungry, when it is probably more a sign of desperation.
When a breastfed baby does this with food (and it is frequently when
infant cereal is introduced early) I suggest that the mother nurse
*after* as well as before offering solids. The baby might settle and
then fall asleep at the breast after having a limited amount of a
complementary food, lending credence to my theory. (You can do the same
thing by offering "top-ups" of EBM in the middle of a feed, sandwiched
between two breasts.)
It is hard to know how we would mother an artificially fed baby to have
the same result; I imagine that slinging, cuddling and stroking the baby
during the feed might actually decrease the intake of an overfeeding
baby in the same way as it increases the intake of an underfeeding one.
Certainly test weighs confirm the fact that babies do not increase the
volume of breastmilk they take in; I expect that as the baby becomes
more efficient and the production adjusts to meet his/her needs they are
emptier when s/he feeds, and therefore higher calorie... does that make
sense to anyone?
Jo-Anne Elder-Gomes, IBCLC
Fredericton, Canada

             ***********************************************

To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail
To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest)
To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
All commands go to [log in to unmask]

The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html