Laymans study here, please participate and answer the questions if you will be so kind and generous.?

Question

Mothers who breastfed at least 4 months (or longer), how often were your children ill in their first year of life? Did you notice them develop any advanced cognitive abilities or development? Did the child ever require hospitilization? Are they overweight or suffering from juvenile diabetes?


Mothers who formula fed from day one, how often were your children ill in the first year of life? Did you notice any decreased cognitive abilities or developmental issues? Did the child ever require hospitilazation? Are they now overweight or suffering from juvenile diabetes?

I ask because I was a formula fed child who is a sound and healthy adult, and in superb shape. I fed my children breastmilk for 5 months each. My youngest, who just got on formula, has had a cold whilst on breastmilk when she was only a month old. My oldest, had an intestinal virus whilst on breastmilk at age 3 months that required hospital treatment. I was never ill in my first year of life on formula. Just curious.

Oh, and neither one of my children are "advanced" in any way, to my knowledge. I don't have diabetes. And my baby girl who just stopped breastmilk is 6 months old and has no idea of how to crawl yet. No advanced baby savants here.

Answer 1

had 2 both on formula healthy bright never real sick much lots of cuts and bruises then grand kids came along both were breastfeed one had 2 bouts in hospital second under weight and lots of colds ....hhhhmmmmm......what seems healthier????

Answer 2

My daughter is still breastfed and she is almost two years. She has never been sick or had any ear infections. She did have a vaccine reaction once, but I know that wasn't related to breastfeeding.

She has always been at the low end of her height and weight percentiles, but I think that is just what is normal for her. Her developmental milestones are right on track except for walking. She started cruising at 6 months and was walking by 10 months. She sort of skipped right over crawling.

As a child I was formula fed also and am mostly healthy as an adult. I lead a healthy lifestyle now, so I think that is what's important for a healthy adulthood. Not what happened when I was a baby. Though as a child I know that I got frequent ear infections and had colic.

Answer 3

I breastfed both my boys for 12 months. Neither had ear infections their entire first year. My youngest got a sniffle a lot but he was also in daycare full time, I stayed home for two years with my oldest. Both my children were born a month early. My oldest (age 5) was in a program aimed at supporting development in preemies. He scored so high on their charts, they had to finally disqualify his participation (at one year he was rated to be at a 20 month level). I think he's above average but not a genius or at gifted level. My 5 year old just registered for kindergarten and scored extremely high on the testing. My youngest son is a busy body. I think he's maybe slightly above average on the intelligence side but he's only 2 and doesn't sit still for long. Neither of my children have ever been hospitalized. Neither are overweight or diabetic. This past winter only my 5 year old was sick, one time with the flu.

I was also formula fed. By 6 months I was hospitalized with RSV. I developed asthma shortly after that hospitalization. Before my first birthday I had bronchitis half a dozen times. Until I was in elementary school I had bronchitis 3 sometimes 4 times a year. As an adult, it seems like have no immunity, if you're sick around me, I'm gonna get it.

I'm obviously for breastfeeding, but I don't think breastfeeding alone prevents or contributes to illnesses, obesity, or advanced development. Breastfeeding provides an enormous amount of touch and physical bonding, that in itself contributes to healthy, well adjusted children. Development depends on a wide range of contributing factors.

Answer 4

I was not breasfed. I have symptoms of ADD and depression. I am over weight and have high blood pressure and I am at risk for diabetes. My sister has two kids who were formula fed. One is over weight and experienced gastric reactions to the formula (no child is ever 'allergic' to breastmilk). Her other child is in the process of diagnosing him with Asperger's Syndrome.
My son is 2 years old and is still breastfed. He was exclusively bfed until 6 months. He had only one cold during his first 6 months. He vomited only once during that time and it was because of the side effect of a vaccination. At 2 years old, I can still count on one hand how many times he has vomited and tell you why. As an infant, he barely ever spat up nor did he need to burp very much. He has never suffered from an ear infection. As far as intellectual advantages - it's too soon to tell. He is of average height and weight and his development is exactly on track.
How much of this is from what we are fed vs. genetic predisposition? I don't know but it can't hurt to give our children the best start that we possibly can.

Answer 5

American Pedi Assoc. recommends breastfeeding for at least the first year to achieve maximum benefits. My little girl is still on the breast at 17 months. She has a vocabulary of a 3 year old. She works puzzles pretty easy and can do things like put keys into the door know and then turn the knob. She was not sick at all through the first year. She didn't get sick until we flew home to Texas at Christmas. She is not underweight nor overweight. She is 95% for height and has been her entire life.

You might consider exposure to germs when you think about comparing yourself as a child and your children. Back in the day, so to speak, women didn't take babies out as much, nor did so many people visit. Also there wasn't as much as population or diversity. With travel so easy these days you could get exposed to a germ that just made the flight over from China at your own home grocery store.

Answer 6

I formula fed my son from day one, the year he was born was when all the new DHA ARA formulas came out, he was NEVER sick until he started daycare, then he was only sick with ear infections, which are chronic in my family all the way back to my great grandfather. I had surgery at four for it. He was 1 year when that happened, the doctor finally gave him a shot of steroids and he hasn't been sick since, he is now 3. The new formulas are really good, closest thing they have come out with to breast milk. As far as developmental issues, he is 3 like I said, he can memorize easy books and re-read them to himself, he knows all his ABC's and he can count to 10 with no problem and almost 20 missing 11 and 16 for some reason. He also is amazing with direction. When we are driving somewhere if I tell him where we are going and he has been there a few times then he can tell me how to get there! ha ha, His teachers tell me he is ahead of his age group, but not by a whole lot, no genious like my sister.

My sister was breast fed for the first 4 months of her life then put on formula, she was sick a lot, (mostly her ears though) and now she is a 4th grader, she has "graduated" up to 8th grade reading and math, they won't let her go any further though because of her emotional maturity level. Maturity wise she is very behind, "brain" wise she is so far ahead of her class it isn't funny. She already has a scholarship to college!

Answer 7

My kids were formula fed and are now 8 and 12. They were and are healthier then most breastfed kids I know. They have maybe had 1 cold a year at the most as long as I can remember. I dont think there is a differance in all honesty between todays formula and it's nutrition and breastfeeding. I think illness is more apt to come about from breatsfeeding depending on the health of the mother.

I think the use of antibiotics and the mother are the main reason breastfed babies are more apt to get ill.

Answer 8

I have breastfed my daughter for almost 10 months now. She has never had formula and just started eating solids around 5.5 months of age. In that time she has had 1 cold (stuffy nose only) and no other illnesses. She has never even had a diaper rash. She has been very healthy with no hospitalizations and is showing signs of advanced development. She started saying mama at 4 months, showed signs of object permanence at 4.5-5 months and has had unusually excellent muscle tone. At her 9 month well-baby visit the pediatrician said that my daughter was on par with 1 year-olds developmentally. She is not obese by any means and shows no signs of diabetes or allergies. According to the growth charts (which are actually based on formula fed babies), she falls in the 50th percentile for weight.
I understand a little where you are coming from. My husband was adopted and was formula fed. While he was very sick when he arrived in the U.S. as a baby, he has been a very healthy and intelligent adult. I think that his health and intelligence are attributable to genetics and enironment and have nothing to do with the formula he got as a child. His younger brother, who was also adopted and formula fed has serious developmental delays and is morbidly obese. Information has come about that indicates a link between soy formula and thyroid problems which could explain my brother-in-law's obesity. He had to have soy formula b/c he couldn't tolerate the milk-based formula that my husband got.
I still believe, as evidenced by our daughter and my nieces and nephews who were all breastfed long-term, that breast is really best. Formula just can't compete. They have all been very healthy and are heads above their peers cognitively. Aside from that, there are so many health benefits for moms who breastfeed too. We have a lower risk of developing breast cancer, type 2 diabetes, and we have an easier time losing our "baby weight" as well. Plus the precious bond that breastfeeding enables us to form with our babies is priceless.
I hope that helps.

Answer 9

I bottle-fed each of my three children from day one, on the advice of my doctor. My children have been extremely healthy. None of them were sick at all the first year of life (and they were in full-time daycare!). In fact, when my now 8-year-old was 5, he threw up for the first time ever. My 3-year-old is the only one who has had any health issues to speak of, and he has only had chronic constipation. I don't believe breastfeeding would have prevented that at all. My sister breastfed all of her four children, and they have all been much sicker than any of my kids. My kids are almost never sick. The pediatrician comments on it every time we go for a well-visit. They have not been overweight, nor diabetic. They are all pretty smart (none are gifted as the schools define them). They make the best grades possible, though. My sister's kids are not gifted, either, but they make pretty good grades.

Answer 10

DS #1- Formula fed from day one. He doesn't get sick more than any other child I know. He was advanced with all of his milestones and skills. He was always a big boy but not overweight. Not that he is 3 1/2 he is average sized.

DS #2- Breastfed exclusively for 5 months. Never been sick. Not even a cold. Is behind on his milestones and skills but he was born with a birth defect so that is to be expected. He is slightly smaller than kids his age. He is now 2.

Both of my children are smarter than other kids their age. They understand and recognize more.

Answer 11

I have four children all who were breastfed ,Saying formula is healthier than breastmilk is like saying an artificial heart is better than the one you already have,nature put it there for babies for a reason.Formulas today are much better than they ever were but they are still not as good,if that were the case companies would be trying to make breastmilk more like formula and have you heard anything about that happening? No. All children will get sick it depends on many things,just because one kid was breastfed and had ten colds and another was formula fed and had one cold does not make him healthier it just means he got sick less,health is a life long description,what we are like in our 20's,30's and 70"s not the amount of sniffles we got in our first year.My children are small/average for their ages,while there cousins who are the same ages as them and formula fed are all overweight.My mom had 5 kids and only the last was breastfed,all of us struggle with weight except my breastfed brother,he is 28 and has never been overweight and has the straightest teeth of all of us.Also someone mentioned that they have a breastfed 6 month old who cant crawl well may six month olds dont crawl,my firstborn crawled at 4 months,my second at 7 months ,my third never crawled and just went to pulling up at 9 months and sofar my 8 month old does not crawl,it has nothing to do with what they eat it is when they physically and motivationally want to do these things and most kids will do them at an acceptable age so most kids will crawl between 6-9 month some sooner some later.Also older generations think formula feeding is better or just as good because thats what was told to them when they had babies so they try to send that message to younger parents,just like they were told put baby on there tummy to prevent sudden infant death syndrom and they now know that the back is the safest and deaths have dropped in huge praportions but you still find the older people...and by older i mean people who have kids who can be as young as 15 years old..telling you to put baby on their belly....its what they were told when they had their babies and hold on to that information as its all they know and hey "my baby never died". Im 30 and my mom was told to put as belly down. Breastmilk is by far supperior and yes formula is needed in some situations and babies can thrive on it but if you can give whats best than i think an attempt should be made even if its only for a few weeks,and breastfeeders are definately not trying to say that babies will be Einsteins...its simply not true but wouldnt it be weird to think human milk would be just as good for a calf than his momma cows milk? But yet people attempt to say cows milk is just as good as human milk.