More Evidence For Direct Breastfeeding

[@llli*aprilsmagic]

http://www.ijbnpa.org/content/8/1/89/abstract

Children fed human milk in a bottle were 67% less likely to have high satiety responsiveness compared to directly breastfed children, after controlling for child age, child weight status, maternal race/ethnicity, and maternal education.

[@llli*lsksam]

Useful research study, especially in the context of soaring childhood obesity rates. But I fear yet another thing that will push the "guilt" buttons of working mothers.

[@llli*aprilsmagic]

But a working mom can give half the feedings at the breast, which might help. I was more wondering about a situation like what we are in, stuck EPing and using a "bottle" (the cleft feeder) and not by choice.

[@llli*katia11]

I used to get very upset at these studies. Then I realized they are studies and it is my choices that determines whether or not he is obese or not.

Not to mention I think it makes a huge difference whether the solids introduced were spoon fed or BLS style. He is regulating that and that is teaching him how to know when he is full. Theoretically.

All the same, thanks for posting, as it is always good to show people more advantages of direct breastfeeding.

[@llli*aprilsmagic]

I think bottlefeeding sets them up for the propensity to be overweight, but we can help them learn to make better choices in their diet and exercise habits later, and how to learn to be sated themselves. BLS does help with that. But in the end, it's their choices. We will not be controlling their diets forever!

I just like looking at the advantages of it coming from the tap

[@llli*bxlgirl]

Hi Susan and Lynn, I hear you on fretting over whether this hurts babies who bottlefeed One study does not make it a fact. And if it did, as another pointed out, it reminds me of what a geneticist said about lifestyle and health: genes (and bottlefeeding or medical or occupational necessity, or other factors our of our control) are the hand of cards you're dealt, but you have a choice in how you play them to determine your health.

Katia, great point on BLS.

It might also help to bear in mind that satiety could be something that can be developed and refined through a lifetime. People in starvation conditions including anorexia can feel satiated very quickly with a small amount of food due to their stomach size. Whereas my mother used to gape at the sheer volume of whole grain pasta I could eat, because I'd been eating whole grains for years at that time and she ate refined pasta and felt stuffed after a small serving of whole wheat. There's letting whole foods and plenty of water do what they do best: fill you up on good thiings.

Isn't soup supposed to be a great way to fill up? Wasn't there a study on eating a bowl of soup before dinner that cut down the number of total calories eaten? So you buy a 101 soup recipe cookbook and do your own research?

The bottle is another factor here, as it involves gravity drip feeding. So what about switching to cup feeding for one or more feeding? OTOH I could imagine if I were an EP mum always combatting low supply I'd probably become unglued if it spilled.

Then there's always the question of calorie output. How could Gavin become overweight with 3 older brothers to chase off, and growing up in a horsey California environment? You could try, when he's older, to give him more chores to do in a benign effort to prevent overweight. He probably won't fall for it but it could be worth a try. He could be a sporty little fellow who wants to be on the soccer team or a runner, or someoneyou must remind to put down his book to eat, you never know. No use worrying about something that may never happen I have to remind myself of that a lot, and it only works sometimes

[@llli*oakdryad5]

The use of the term satiety reminds me of the posts I see sometimes about dcps giving too much milk because baby still seemed hungry, etc.

[@llli*amysmom]

It makes me wonder though - couldn't they come up with a better bottle? It seems to me that current bottles are ancient technology. Shouldn't they have one that only expresses milk when actively nursed on?

I mean, I've fed the odd bottle. I too would actively coax them to 'finish it'. It was the amount that I understood she should eat, so eat it child, don't waste it. That's the mindset right? Maybe, if the bottle would regulate the output more like a breast, this statistic could improve? Just thinking out loud of course.

[@llli*jenna562]

Breastflow are as close as ive found to the action of nursing to remove milk

[@llli*aprilsmagic]

Breastflow are as close as ive found to the action of nursing to remove milk

The other thing is to change our thought processes about bottlefeeding. There are so many "rules" you'll hear when you have a bottlefed baby, kind of like there are with nursing moms (you know, the ones that make us go ).

I had to learn how to bottlefeed a baby with Gavin. And instead of following the bottlefed baby rules, I decided to treat him like a BF baby who is nursing. So, if he wants to eat, he gets fed. If he doesn't finish it, OK, you can have it again later, and I use the remnants at the next feeding. Sometimes, that means he eats every hour, sometimes it's more like what people think a bottlefed baby should eat like, every 2-4 hours. I don't encourage him to finish, and I don't restrict him either.

I kind of think a lot of the bottlefeeding rules are NOT of the benefit of the baby, but for the benefit of the caregiver, and because most babies are fed formula, which has different handling rules than BM. I spend a LOT of time messing with these stupid bottles and I'm sure it would be easier if I were giving formula.

Sorry. Probably totally off topic. But I think if bottles better imitated nursing, and bottlefeeding imitated breastfeeding on demand principles, breastfeeding long term might be easier for many moms who have to be separated from their babies for work purposes.