The case for formula feeding

The issue of feeding a baby is a fraught in a way that most people who have not had responsibility for a newborn struggle to understand. One of the underpinning issues of the first year of a child’s life is how to feed them. The current stance is that breastfeeding is best, and governments and public health organisations place a lot of pressure (intentionally or otherwise) into getting new mothers to breast feed. However not all mothers end up breastfeeding their babies and many of them feel guilty above this. So, here I am laying out the case for formula feeding not just as a back up option, a second best option but as a reasonable and healthy way to feed your child.

1. Formula allows you to share the work of parenting a new born
   One of the natural consequences of breastfeeding is that mothers take on all of the work of feeding the child. Once a mother is getting up for night feeds it often seems to ‘make sense’ that she does all of the night wakeups. Effectively this means that the mother is the only one who suffers the broken sleep of a newborn days. The effect of a lack of sleep on women’s cognitive function is likely to impact how well she can do at work, as well as how she can tackle creative tasks.
   Additionally mood is a critical factor in mother and child bonding. Many parents find that their children sleep more soundly when they use formula and night wakeups can be shared, minimising the impact on the mother. With more sleep many parents find that their mood is substantially improved and this allows them to regain the ability to have positive interactions with their child. If breastfeeding is a not a positive experience, then stopping should be considered a reasonable choice.
2. Formula allows you to regain control of your body
   Breastfeeding a baby means allowing someone else access to your body, on demand, day in day out, for up to a year. While for some women this is a wonderful chance to get skin on skin contact with their baby, for others the lack of bodily autonomy is daunting. In fact this is one of the few times where a public health authority will try and influence that degree of sacrifice of bodily autonomy.
   In addition to being touched a lot, the mother also has restrictions on what they can consume, extending the period of heavy abstention from alcohol and other drugs from pregnancy through to the first year of a child’s life. This is a huge sacrifice and directly and only influences the mother. In some cases mothers with addiction can even face criminal charges when they pass on substances through breastfeeding.
3. Formula feeding has gotten a lot better
   Many of the most strident proponents of breastfeeding point to the benefits of breastfeeding when compared to formula. However most of these studies, by their longitudinal nature, have had to deal with older styles of formula which where often basically milk poiwder. Modern formulas usually include supplemental DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and ARA (arachidonic acid), synthesised versions of the essential fatty acids that are naturally found in breast milk which contribute to brain development and sight. Additionally they often have probiotics added. While not as uniquely formulated as breastmilk, it’s likely that a portion of the earlier risks of breastmilk have been partially mitigated by the improved formulas of the current day.
   Additionally, much of the concern around formula by the WHO and other international organisations involves the lack of clean water to mix bottles and lack of funds to properly feed the child, which is vital as chronic diarrhea is the second leading cause of infant mortality in the developing world. This is not as much of a risk for a Western style parent, where accidental death and injury (including car crashes), cancer and chronic diseases are more common causes of death in babies. .
4. Alternative feeding is not a new fad
   Many mothers hear that breastfeeding is natural, and all children and mothers can achieve it or the human race would have died. However, that’s simply not true. In most traditional societies some form of wet nursing or shared nursing is common, where other lactating mother assist with feeding the baby in the case of alternate milk supply. Many children would also not survive into adulthood, in some cases due to a failure to thrive.
   In modern societies mothers are understandably reluctant to let other’s breastfeed their children as this is a vector for communicable diseases, and are eager for their children to reach healthy weights and be adequately fed. Formula is a reasonable way to keep a child fed when breastfeeding doesn’t work or doesn’t provide adequate milk supply.

At this point in the article it’s probably appropriate to reflect on my own experiences. Over the infanthood of my children I expressed breastmilk for bottle feeding, exclusively breast fed for 6 months, weaned before the recommended cut off and used formula for different children at different times. The only thing I regret about any of this, is that I felt guilt over using a bottle.

Adorable baby getting fed! source,flickr

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