Bottle Feeding Moms Can Now Feel A Formula Mother’s Shame
Oh the shame of formula feeding. The guilt! Although some ladies clearly cannot breastfeed for a variety of reasons and therefore make their own best choice — instead of the “breast choice” — science continues to make formula feeding mothers feel like a colossal failure. But this new study even ropes in bottle feeding moms for a ride on the mommy guilt go-round.
Reuters reports that babies who are fed solely breastmilk in the first year of their life gain less weight than those who consume formula, and even those who get a bit of both. The link reportedly is that breastfed babies are able to regulate their hunger and satiation better:
“If the babies are fed by the breast, the baby plays a very active role, because they are the ones who decide when to suckle and when to stop,” said Dr. Ruowei Li, of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
Li told Reuters Health some researchers believe that “if the babies are fed with the bottle, they will gradually lose their self-regulation of their energy intake and the internal cues of satiety and hunger.”
Faster weight gain among formula-fed infants has obviously been noted before, with other researchers noting that a simple tampering of formula ingredients could rectify this exact problem. But while that evidence analyzed the actual makeup of formula, Dr. Li and her colleagues directed their attention to the impacts of the bottle, and how even those who strictly bottle-fed their babies weren’t exactly in the clear:
Babies who were only fed from a bottle — either with only breast milk or only formula — gained about three ounces more per month compared to those who were solely breastfed.
Yet, throw a little formula in the mix and things begin to look different — and scientists have no idea why:
And when moms exclusively bottle-fed, but alternated between using human milk and formula, their babies grew similarly to solely-breastfed babies.
Feel the sting exclusive bottle-feeders and don’t hesitate to reach out to a fellow formula mom for support. Goodness knows they’re more than familiar with the scrutiny.
(photo: Flashon Studio/ Shutterstock)