Watching the new series of LB last night, with the sketch of the middle aged man breast feeding? It brought back a long tucked away memory of when I was about 12 on a train to York with my mum and some friends. One of the five year olds shoved up her mum's tee-shirt and started breast feeding. I was aghast with horror. I wonder if somehow that memory hindered by own attempts at breast feeding?
Yep I agree. Babies are born to be breast fed. They aren't baby cows, they're human and no matter how you modify the milk it still isn't breast milk. Also people can make errors with formula milk. These stupid first and second milks. I detest second milks. Formula is based on curds and whey. The type nearest to BM is curds so that's what first milks like SMA gold are based on but second milks are based on Whey. They also contain ingredients that make them stay in the stomach longer, it solidifies and makes it harder for the milk to digest. This is why it's called milk for 'Hungrier' babies. It also contains less calories than first milks. This is because they should only be used during weaning, when baby is getting more calories from solids anyways.
The mistakes people make are to put babies on these second milks too early. This milk isn't designed for newborn babies. It's not good for them..it isn't anywhere near breastmilk. Also at about 8-12 weeks of age is the colic season. Colic can be quite a major problem. It's very painful and distressing. Now you imagine having tummy pain...When you have this milk in your tummy that's designed to stay there and not digest with ease? See the problem? Second milks make colic worse.
I believe these second milks like SMA white and C&G Plus are a sheer marketing ploy. Today's modern mum following our government health guidelines will use first milks until their first birthday. Or Breast feed, which is best of course :)
Baby milks are such a emotive subject with me. So important and so easily got wrong with overfeeding, wrong milks etc and the case of the couple a while back who fed their baby door step cows milk with Nesquick chocolate milkshake flavouring from day one. They were mentally challenged and did their best but no-one ever told them.
Ok lecture over for today. Kisses x
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Funnily enough, advertising baby milk is illegal in the UK, but they are allowed to advertise follow-on milk. Purely coincidentally, all the baby milk manufacturers make and advertise 'follow-on' formula with names and packaging not dis-similar to their infant formulas. Strange, that.
love
Clarrie
(breast-feeder till O weened himself age 2)
Breast feeding is an interesting topic.
I've heard that in some places (3rd world) that formula companies will give away free samples of formula to get mothers started. Just long enough for their breat milk to dry up. Then they can't afford to buy the formula. Very sad to think about.
My eldest boy was breast fed until about 2. He managed to have colic even with breast milk until he was about 5 months. I would spend a lot of time in the middle of the night with him. Sometimes more than an hour at a time. I'd carry him in the sling and sing to him to calm him. He was always so much calmer in the sling.
When he was about 11 months, we went on a trip to Israel. My eldest developed a bit of a cold. We took him to a local doctor. The doctor was amazed that he was still being breastfed. It seems over there - they think that breastmilk just dries up on it's own after six months.
We had friends who breastfed until the child was 4 or 5. That seemed a bit odd to me. Especailly when there was a younger sibling 'competing'.
We adopted 2 more boys. When the first adoption came home at 7 week, my wife was determined to breast feed him. She had pumped for weeks before to try to get her milk to come in. She then used a suplimental feeder - a special bottle with little tubes going down to her nipple - to give him formula, and hoepfully a little breat milk. When the second adoption came home at 3.5 months, my wife tried to see if he would be interested in breat feeding. She said he just laughed at her.
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