“Breastmilk is best” as the prevalent thought among medical professionals puts the pressure on today's new moms to give the gift of 'liquid gold' to their babies, at all costs. This leads to mothers who are unable to do so, feeling guilty when schedule or supply issues arise and they cannot or no longer breastfeed.
While some come up short, others are blessed with abundant supply. There are even some enterprising women who sell their breastmilk online for up to $1,500! Surprisingly, there is a market for moms who are willing to pay outrageous prices just to give their babies the best.
Is it really the best?
This is the question Professor Sven Carlsen of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology sought to answer. Surprisingly, findings in his team's study tell us that breast milk is only marginally better than formula:
“These health differences are really not so significant in any event. When you look at the epidemiological studies and try to strip away the other factors, it is really hard to find any substantial benefits among children who were breastfed as babies.”
His study, which analyzed 50 other studies on breastfeeding, including the Belarus study on breastfeeding and health, which surveyed more than 17 000 women and children, found no evidence that breastfeeding reduced the risk of asthma and allergies in children, a benefit that has been attributed to breastfeeding.
The only benefit from breastfeeding supported by genuine evidence is a “small IQ advantage”. “But this needs to be confirmed in new, carefully planned and conducted studies,” Dr. Carlsen adds.
See what Prof. Carlsen says is "far worse" for a baby than not being breastfed, on the next page.
Do what makes you happy
Professor Carlsen stresses the importance of mothers taking care of themselves during and after pregnancy.
“Basically a mother who finds she has difficulty [breastfeeding] shouldn’t feel guilty – it probably is just the way it is, and her baby will not suffer for being fed formula milk."
Their study finds that it’s the hormone levels of the mother during pregnancy that will determine if she can breastfeed.
“Pregnant women who have higher levels of androgens (male hormones) breastfeed less,” says Professor Sven M. Carlsen, pointing out that there's a clear link between testosterone and breastfeeding ability - something that is out of the mother's control.
Carlsen adds that it is far worse for babies to have a tired, stressed-out mother with a guilty conscience, than to forgo breast milk. The health aspects of breastfeeding should be left out of political arguments, he says. “A mother should do what makes her happy.”
If true, the findings of this study gives a mother more freedom to decide on how to feed her baby without pressure from others or feelings of guilt.
That said, the study has been deemed as misleading by a number of policy makers and non-profit organizations looking to support breastfeeding moms.
According to a US government review, babies who are not breastfed are twice as likely to develop ear infections, almost four times as likely to develop pneumonia, and twice as likely to suffer from diarrhea. Mothers who do not breastfeed face increased risks of diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and breast and ovarian cancers.
WHO recommends to breastfeed exclusively for the first six months of life.
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