The risks of bottle feeding.

This is a work in progress of an ongoing story.

As you can see mymalnourished son is so thin you can see his bones.

So I'm off to the doctors tomorrow because Sandy still isn't growing enough. He's 6 and a half months old and has only just hit 5.9kg. Typing also hurts because I fucked up my wrist/hand/arm, I have no idea which hurts, but it hurts. Anyway, after this doctor's appointment I'm probably going to get the typical bollocks of "give him bottles, supplement him!" but I know he grows less when I do that, I end up exhausted from expressing, and then he won't take breast milk, I end up engorged and pumping all day long and it just doesn't work.
So I am writing this to defend myself, meaning I can just go onto my blog, click the translate button and show it to the French without having to battle in some stupid language that I hate. Yup, I'm still insulting their language, nope, their guillotine doesn't scare me yet.

Now I'm scouring the Internet for the risks of bottle feeding, because I feel it's not natural, and the way they say breast is best when breast is normal makes me feel weird. If breast is normal then clearly when they say it's better than bottle feeding artificial milk isn't as good, therefore it is inferior.

Boobies in my family

I just want to clarify my family background. My mum was bottled fed, we're not 100% sure why, all we know is her mother was told she couldn't breast feed, which is very strange because nearly every woman can. She was 38 years old, and widowed at two months of pregnancy, so had a pretty stressful time, but there shouldn't have been any effect on her milk supply, but for whatever reason my mum was bottled fed. I was breast fed at birth, like my brother, because my mum just did it, she made milk, it seemed normal she did it, to clarify why I asked her on Skype, because it's now 2013, even the elderly have Skype.

Andi: WHY DID YOU BREAST FEED ME?! I need to know for mah blog!
Gin: It seamed like the natural thing to do; and it was also encouraged by the midwives.
Andi: I need ALL the reasons, even if it was cost, laziness, natural, blah blah blah, or for your (non-existent) weight loss (you fat cow) 
Gin: I was told it would help get the weight off, and it did save us buying formula. But money was not the main reason though.
Andi: OKAY! Next question, how did you feel when you stopped boobing? Were you pressured? Did you hate washing up bottles? Was it a pain in the ass? Did you want to go back to boobies? Do you love boobies? I love boobies, maybe I do show lesbian tendencies and that last guy was right and that I was obsessed with his GILF of a mum.
Gin: With the boobs there was no need to worry about things being sterile.I gave up gradually half boob half bottle then just the bedtime feed, because you were sleeping through the night. Then it dried up. By the time I gave up boobing I was used to making up formula. But we used to prepare 6 bottles at a time and store them in a fridge
Andi: So tell me how much you liked/hated bottles, any problems with colic/reflux or nipple confusion too. Did I refuse boobies to get a bottle?
Gin: I stopped when the milk dried up. Bottle was easier when we were out as your dad could do a feed then. He always said he could not breast feed as he did not have the equipment. [My dad was really funny around 90% of the time] I don't remember you getting colic at all, I used mothercare's own silicone teats, I tried the latex ones as they came with the bottles but they went hard when sterilised. You liked the bottles you could hold which were sort of oval shaped wit a hole in the middle. And there was only one place to breastfeed in in town, mothercare
Andi: Didn't you feed in public? Why?
Gin: I fed you on a train and once in a pub but embarrassed one of the men there even though he had 2 daughters of his own, probably because breast feeding in public was not really accepted. It is quite hard to remember all the details it was a long time ago
Andi: CAN YOU MAKE SANDY A CARDIGAN?! IT NEEDS TO BE REALLY GOOD AND IN COTTON
Gin: But I stopped partly because the teeth thing that was advised by a friend, breast feeding with teeth is meant to be painful.
Andi: and the other partly?
Gin: advice from health visitor, she said it was probably time to think about changing.

So in summary, I should be nicer to my mum and stop calling her fat, and she breast fed me because it was natural and she thought it was normal. Which is cool, so it seems like we did it for the same reasons. I love my mummy. However on a side note breastfeeding was normal at my house. When I was six and my pet brother was born I even tried to boob him with my t-shirt on, because I didn't understand how these things worked and I heard him crying and I'm a good big sister, or something like that.

Now, I didn't grow great as a baby, neither did my brother, however, we both grew worse on the formula, and my brother ended up constipated. I was part and part from three months and then exclusively bottle from six months, my brother was bottle fed from three days because the idiot doctors said it was better. I sound very bitter towards bottles, I'll admit that, but I'll also admit that I don't care because I fucking hate them.

I think this pretty much covers my family background on breastfeeding vs bottle feeding, so I'm going to pull up the medical research I've stumbled across that I didn't even look at until after I gave birth. What angers me is that in the UK everyone compares the two milks as similar or the same when clearly they're not and shouldn't be.

Ingredients

I found this list here, it's dated 2008 so it's not the most up to date, it's just a very good website, and has a lot of information on everything.

Formula contains

Water Carbohydrates, Lactose, Corn maltodextrin, Protein, Partially hydrolysed reduced minerals whey protein concentrate (from cow’s milk), Fats, Palm olein, Soybean oil, Coconut oil, High oleic safflower oil (or sunflower oil), M. alpina oil (Fungal DHA), C.cohnii oil (Algal ARA), Minerals, Potassium citrate, Potassium phosphate, Calcium chloride, Tricalcium phosphate, Sodium citrate, Magnesium chloride, Ferrous sulphate, Zinc sulphate, Sodium chloride, Copper sulphate, Potassium iodide, Manganese sulphate, Sodium selenate,
Vitamins; Sodium ascorbate, Inositol, Choline bitartrate, Alpha-Tocopheryl acetate, Niacinamide, Calcium pantothenate, Riboflavin,Vitamin A acetate, Pyridoxine hydrochloride, Thiamine mononitrate, Folic acid, Phylloquinone, Biotin, Vitamin D3, Vitamin B12, Enzyme Trypsin, Amino acid, Taurine, L-Carnitine (a combination of two different amino acids), Nucleotides, Cytidine 5-monophosphate, Disodium uridine, 5-monophosphate, Adenosine 5-monophosphate, Disodium guanosine 5-monophosphate, Soy Lecithin.

Boob juice contains

Water, Carbohydrates (energy source), Lactose, Oligosaccharides, Carboxylic acid, Alpha hydroxy acid, Lactic acid, Proteins (building muscles and bones), Whey protein, Alpha-lactalbumin, HAMLET (Human Alpha-lactalbumin Made Lethal to Tumour cells), Lactoferrin, Many antimicrobial factors, Casein, Serum albumin, Non-protein nitrogens, Creatine, Creatinine, Urea, Uric acid, Peptides, Amino Acids, Alanine, Arginine, Aspartate, Clycine, Cystine, Glutamate, Histidine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Lycine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Proline, Serine, Taurine, Theronine, Tryptophan, Tyrosine, Valine, Carnitine, Nucleotides, 5’-Adenosine monophosphate (5”-AMP), 3’:5’-Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (3’:5’-cyclic AMP), 5’-Cytidine monophosphate (5’-CMP), Cytidine diphosphate choline (CDP choline), Guanosine diphosphate (UDP), Guanosine diphosphate - mannose
3’- Uridine monophosphate (3’-UMP), 5’-Uridine monophosphate (5’-UMP), Uridine diphosphate (UDP), Uridine diphosphate hexose (UDPH), Uridine diphosphate-N-acetyl-hexosamine (UDPAH), Uridine diphosphoglucuronic acid (UDPGA), Several more novel nucleotides of the UDP type, Fats Triglycerides, Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids,
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), Arachidonic acid (AHA), Linoleic acid, Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), Conjugated linoleic acid (Rumenic acid), Free Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated fatty acids, Oleic acid, Palmitoleic acid, Heptadecenoic acid,
Saturated fatty acids, Stearic, Palmitic acid, Lauric acid, Myristic acid, Phospholipids,
Phosphatidylcholine, Phosphatidylethanolamine, Phosphatidylinositol, Lysophosphatidylcholine, Lysophosphatidylethanolamine, Plasmalogens, Sphingolipids, Sphingomyelin, Gangliosides, GM1, GM2, GM3, Glucosylceramide, Glycosphingolipids, Galactosylceramide, Lactosylceramide, Globotriaosylceramide (GB3), Globoside (GB4), Sterols Squalene, Lanosterol, Dimethylsterol, Methosterol, Lathosterol, Desmosterol, Triacylglycerol, Cholesterol, 7-dehydrocholesterol, Stigma-and campesterol, 7-ketocholesterol, Sitosterol, β-lathosterol, Vitamin D metabolites, Steroid hormones, Vitamins, Vitamin A, Beta carotene, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B8 (Inositol), Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, a-Tocopherol, Vitamin K, Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Folic acid, Pantothenic acid, Biotin,
Minerals, Calcium, Sodium, Potassium, Iron, Zinc, Chloride, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Copper, Manganese, Iodine, Selenium, Choline, Sulpher, Chromium, Cobalt, Fluorine, Nickel,
Metal, Molybdenum, Growth Factors, Cytokines, interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), Macrophage-colony stimulating factor (M-CSF), Platelet derived growth factors (PDGF), Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), Hepatocyte growth factor -α (HGF-α), HGF-β, Tumor necrosis factor-α, Interferon-γ, Epithelial growth factor (EGF), Transforming growth factor-α (TGF-α), TGF β1
TGF-β2, Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), Insulin-like growth factor- II, Nerve growth factor (NGF), Erythropoietin, Peptides, HMGF I (Human growth factor), HMGF II, HMGF III, Cholecystokinin (CCK), β-endorphins, Parathyroid hormone (PTH), Parathyroid hormone-related peptide (PTHrP), β-defensin-1, Calcitonin, Gastrin, Motilin, Bombesin (gastric releasing peptide, also known as neuromedin B), Neurotensin, Somatostatin, Hormones, Cortisol, Triiodothyronine (T3), Thyroxine (T4), Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), Thyroid releasing hormone (TRH), Prolactin, Oxytocin, Insulin, Corticosterone, Thrombopoietin, Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), GRH, Leptin (aids in regulation of food intake), Ghrelin (aids in regulation of food intake), Adiponectin, Feedback inhibitor of lactation (FIL), Eicosanoids, Prostaglandins (enzymatically derived from fatty acids) PG-E1, PG-E2, PG-F2, Leukotrienes, Thromboxanes, Prostacyclins, Enzymes, Amylase, Arysulfatase, Catalase, Histaminase, Lipase, Lysozyme PAF-acetylhydrolase, Phosphatase, Xanthine oxidase, Antiproteases (thought to bind themselves to macromolecules such as enzymes and as a result prevent allergic and anaphylactic reactions), a-1-antitrypsin, a-1-antichymotrypsin,
Antimicrobial factors (are used by the immune system to identify and neutralize foreign objects, such as bacteria and viruses), Leukocytes (white blood cells), Phagocytes, Basophils, Neutrophils, Eoisinophils, Macrophages, Lymphocytes, B lymphocytes (also known as B cells), T lymphocytes (also known as C cells), sIgA (Secretory immunoglobulin A) (the most important antiinfective factor), IgA2, IgG, IgD, IgM, IgE, Complement C1, Complement C2, Complement C3, Complement C4, Complement C5, Complement C6, Complement C7, Complement C8, Complement C9, Glycoproteins, Mucins (attaches to bacteria and viruses to prevent them from clinging to mucousal tissues), Lactadherin, Alpha-lactoglobulin, Alpha-2, macroglobulin, Lewis antigens, Ribonuclease, Haemagglutinin inhibitors, Bifidus Factor (increases growth of Lactobacillus bifidus), Lactoferrin (binds to iron which prevents harmful bacteria from using the iron to grow), Lactoperoxidase, B12 binding protein (deprives microorganisms of vitamin B12), Fibronectin (makes phagocytes more aggressive, minimizes inflammation, and repairs damage caused by inflammation), Oligosaccharides (more than 200 different kinds)

Yes, there's more ingredients in breast milk, but breast milk is actually meant for human babies, it wasn't made for a cow and then tweaked. Due to human evolution this milk is safe, and as nature intended for humans. There are things there that help brain development that formula lacks, does that mean bottle fed children are less intelligent? Some people seem to think so, and most agree that it leads to obesity later in life. Remember what I said about my mum being bottle fed? And how I called her fat? I see a link here.

The harm from bottle feeding

• Increased risk of asthma (I have this, possibly because I was bottle fed from three months)
• Increased risk of allergies (again, another problem I have)
• Formula feeding increases the rate of ear and respiratory infections
• Reduced cognitive development (I got pregnant twice with contraceptives, possibly got this too)
• Dental malformation (I had how much dental work last year?! Yup, got this)
• There is a risk of infection from contaminated formula
•  Increased risk of nutrient deficiencies
• Increased risk of childhood cancers
• Increased risk of chronic disease
• Decreased maternal bond
• Increased risk of diabetes
• Increased risk of obesity
• Increased risk of gastrointestinal infections
• More diarrhoea and/or constipation. (I've seen both, neither is very pleasant.)
• Increased risk of mortality. SIDS/cot death. (But I don't want to die!)
• More nappy rash
• Increased risk of eczema (all babies in my family have had this, Alexandros seems to be the worst, so no formula for him!) 
• The World Health Organisation estimates that more than a million babies still die every year as a result of diarrhoea picked up from unhygienic bottle-feeding, usually from contaminated water or unsterilised equipment (this one really scares me)

 Nutrient deficiencies really stands out to me because my son isn't growing very quickly, why would I want to add this extra problem to him as well?  

Nutrient deficiencies: e.g., fatty acids, essential for brain development, and amino acids, essential for central nervous system development, as well as calcium and iron, are not in the correct proportions and/or as easily absorbed from formula as breast milk.

  
What's also worrying are the risks for the mother.

• Increased risk of breast cancer
• Increased risk of being over weight
• Increased risk of ovarian cancer
• Increased risk of endometrial cancer
• Increased risk of osteoporosis (my grandma has this, it's horrible, I do not want it)
• Reduced natural child spacing (not really an issue for me)
• Increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis
• Increased stress and anxiety
• Increased risk of maternal diabetes

 People actually choose to bottle feed?

This one is all new to me, I found out about it a month ago because I never really considered it as a choice, I just breast fed because it was normal, and now I've found out there's loads of people who don't bother trying, it's so weird. So I've been doing some googling trying to find out why and the reasons are pathetic.

•  "It just wasn't right for our family. I didn't like the idea of whipping out my breasts in public, or attaching a milking machine to my nipples, or being the only living source of food on the planet for my child." This just seems stupid to me, because combination feeding would have been better I thought. However she then goes on to write "I liked that I might be able to sleep for more than four hours at a stretch." implying she didn't really care about having a baby, but that's irrelevant.
•  "I just think its more convenient, and in my experience bottle fed babies are just as healthy" This was from a forum, but I can't see any covenice in washing bottles, faffing about with water and powder and trying to find a milk that doesn't get the baby constipated when I make one on demand with no extra effort.
• "Baby had a really strong suck and I didn't have enough milk to fulfil her." Sounds like a latching problem and someone who doesn't know how breasts work.
• "I breastfed for the first 2-3 months. He's now bottle fed because I'll be going back to work on Monday. As for convenience, I honestly feel that breastfeeding is far more convenient than bottle feeding. With bottle feeding, you've got bottles to wash, sterilise, pack when you're going anywhere, buying and measuring out formula. I've never found it the more convenient option to be honest. I enjoyed breastfeeding. It was "our time"  I know you can get that with bottle feeding, but no one else could breastfeed my baby - only me. I also wanted to experience breastfeeding, as well as giving Harry what was best for him. The only restrictions I found with breastfeeding were diet and drinking alcohol - but then, if you've been eating healthily and not drinking alcohol for 9 months, you're already used to it! Plus, I found the healthy eating was what kept me alive during the first few weeks with all the sleepless nights!! Of course, you, not have to get up during the night to feed baby. So whether we were bottle feeding or breastfeeding I'd have still got up in the night instead of him anyway I found it very easy, and convenient, and never found myself restricted. You can express breast milk and allow someone else to feed sometimes too." Okay, I'll admit, work would be a valid reason.
• Some of the posts say people bottle fed their first because of lack of education, which is interesting because given the facts I can't understand choosing bottles.
• Medications! But then, if you take a medication that means you shouldn't breastfeed I don't see that as much of a choice.  

Something else

These are just things that come to mind. I don't want to bottle feed my son, I never have done, and I didn't even consider it until he was two days old and I found out the hospital had already started it without asking me.

• Formula and breast milk are not the same thing; meaning health outcomes from their use are different. It's really important to remember that breast milk is species specific, designed to promote brain growth and protect against both acute and chronic diseases, formula has no such effect. Breast milk promotes development of the infant's genetic potential, there is a difference between being OK and developing optimal health and cognitive potential
• all formula are not the same. Standard ones are based on cow's milk (many people are unaware of this). Some babies are allergic to cow's milk and some of these babies also are allergic to soy formula. Use of cow's milk is not recommended until after the baby is one year old, so to me it seems weird to use it for formula.
• formula is expensive to use; I make it for free.
• Formula feeding is time consuming.
• I have no need or desire to do so either! 

I will not bottle feed my son either. We've done that, it doesn't work for us because I can't pump enough milk and feed him at the same time, I end up too tired to do anything with him, always hooked up to a breast pump and then struggling to do the next feed because I've pumped all the milk off, or he won't take the breast because he gets confused and wants the bottle, however the last time I had to give him something in a bottle it didn't work because he wouldn't take any of the teats. When I moved he stopped wanting his dummy too, this was all at the same time, but he wouldn't take anything other than the breast, even for comfort, and I tried different teats and bottles, I tried five, he wouldn't have any of them.
I also don't want to make his eczema worse because mine got worse at around 3-4 months when my mum started intoducing modified cow milk into my diet. I've had to deal with his skin bleeding when he won't stop scratching and he won't stop crying because he's uncomfortable. It's heart breaking to see him like that, formula could make that worse and I don't want to risk that.
And then there's the colic/reflux thing he had. He would eat and start squirming, he still does it sometimes, but it's a lot rarer now, all he does is scream, he's still hungry, when he calms down and bit and stops arching his back he will eat a small amount, then it will start over again. I think it's reflux but I'm not sure as I'm not a doctor, but I know it's some kind of digestion problem and they are always made worse by formula. Another thing I didn't like was how he was getting constipated. He wouldn't shit, he would strain, he would cry, he would be unhappy, I am not going though that again. My first had the same problems, the solution was a suppository, and I don't want that for him.

I've seen pictures of breast milk and formula under a microscope. Breast milk is alive, formula is dead, now if my son is meant to be eating a living liquid I will not feed him something dead and inferior.


[22:56:51] Gin: hmmm, what can I say?
[22:59:14] Andi: that you're a negligent mother and my boobs are better than yours
[23:07:57] Gin: I did what I thought was right at the time

And I've just had a massive revelation, it's not the mother who has to deal with the aftermath, it's the child, because of the cunts who pressured my mum to stop breast feeding I have lifelong health problems.


http://infactsecure.com/wbwresources/bfi-risks-english.pdf
http://www.infactcanada.ca/RisksofFormulaFeeding.pdf
http://suite101.com/article/the-risks-and-disadvantages-of-formula-feeding-a85064
http://jezebel.com/5934750/sorry--you-cant-guilt-trip-me-about-bottle-feeding-my-kids
http://www.infantfeeding.info/RisksofAF.htm 
http://www.ivillage.co.uk/the-controversy-surrounding-infant-formula/81871?field_pages=1