What are the benefits of feeding formula instead of breast milk?

Question

I wonder to myself- what happened to mothers and babies before there was formula...

Answer 1

Formula is primarily useful during emergencies, a few rare medical conditions for mom where she is physically incapable of nursing or taking long half life radioactive medications, and for infants with severe allergies that haven't yet been identified.

Also, if you cannot quit your job, and you have a boss who refuses to allow you adequate time and space to pump during your shift, formula can be a lifesaver, but again, it's still not a convenience issue really.

It "can" be more convenient to formula feed if mom is suffering recurrent bouts of mastitis and developing abscesses. Abscesses can be difficult to resolve while still producing milk round the clock.

If an infant has galactosemia, special, expensive formulas can be life saving.

If the infant is severely allergic to something in mom's diet, and an elimination diet and RAST testing doesn't identify it, then substituting formula while mom cuts down to a minimalist diet can also be life saving.

In the VERY RARE instances that a prescription medication would be dangerous to an infant, and it's a tiny, tiny list, and a donor's breast milk was not available, then formula would be an acceptable 3rd best option.

http://kellymom.com/health/index.html
http://www.amazon.com/Medications-Mothers-Milk/dp/0977226832/ref=sr_1_1/105-4462798-7706832?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1186509354&sr=8-1

Most medications, including several for depression and bipolar disorder CAN be taken safely while nursing as long as the infant gets regular blood work to make sure the medication isn't building up in the blood stream.

If mom is out of action for unexpected surgical emergencies, chemotherapy, or needs long term radioactive iodine treatment for thyroid cancer, then formula is an adequate substitute if previously frozen pumped milk or donor milk is unavailable.

While formula is the 3rd best option to feed children after nursing/pumped milk and donor mommy's milk, there are legitimate health reasons to keep it on the market, and as long as employers are not legally obligated in the U.S. to give women the opportunity to pump at breaks and lunches, then there has got to be something women can feed their infants.

Not all of us are fortunate enough to have partners, or to have partners that can support us while we stay home.

Answer 2

You can do it, you have to know what you are in for. I exclusively pumped for 12 months with my daughter because of our situation that was the only way she was going to get breast milk. I was glad that I did it, but it was amazingly time consuming. If I had the choice I would have breastfeed and then used the pump at most once a day. If you have the choice breastfeeding is the best. If you start breastfeeding then you can always go to pumping a few times a day or exclusively or even supplement with formula. However if you don't initially start breastfeeding then you don't have as much flexibility because it is difficult to get the baby back on the breast after weeks or month off of it. Exclusively pumping is more than double the work of breastfeeding or formula feeding. If you don't mind the extra time and you have it then you can try it. Supply can be an issue with exclusively pumping so you have to be very committed to it. I spent at least 2 hours a day pumping and at most 3.5 hours (it varied, depending on supply) So in the end there is no problem exclusively pumping, but I would not recommend it as my first choice.

Answer 3

First, before there was formula, women would get a wet nurse if they were unable (or did not want) to breastfeed. If you were a cavewoman who had a baby and your milk did not come in, you would hopefully have another woman in your tribe who was breastfeeding and she would feed your child. That is why, by nature, when women live together, our cycles tend to get on the same pattern. It increases the chance of getting pregnant at the same time, and if that happens, it increases the number of lactating females.

There are benefits to formula. Formula is slower to digest than breast milk. You may be breastfeeding every 2 hours, and that amount of time would be 4 hours or more using formula. This means that formula fed babies may sleep longer than BF babies, and that both mommy and baby can get on a more normal schedule sooner.

I also agree with one of the other posters about medications. It is very detrimental for a baby to get certain medications through breastmilk, and when those medications are necessary for the mother to stay healthy, formula obviously makes the most sense.

Whatever the case, it is the mother's choice to pick whichever option she is comfortable with.

Answer 4

Breast feeding is often time consuming and not always convenient (privacy issues). I chose to breast feed my son, because my lifestyle allows time for it. But that is not the case for everyone. I think bottle feeding formula is fine for babies. If it were'nt there would be alot of babies with problems, and that's not the case. The only down side to bottle feeding formula (or breast milk for that matter) is that if you have to constantly clean bottles or pump parts and keep track of storage. Also if you are ever in a bind and didn't pack enough formula or ran out and can't get to a store right away, then you're kind of screwed. Ususally, for most women who feed by breast regularly, the breast is always ready to go .

Answer 5

Feeding formula can be reassuring to a mom because she knows exactly how much her baby is eating, I breastfeed and while my daughter is 6 1/2 months sometimes I still second guess it all.

I'm not sure what moms used to do before formula was an option, either children just had better latches back then or they gave them juices or food or something like that. When I was little my mom was feeding me solids at 3 months, I just started my little girl on solids recently and she's 6 1/2 months and I'm going slowly with it still.

I just read what MissM said about other women stepping in to breastfeed and that's what happened with my husband when he was an infant. He was born in Honduras, his mom died shortly thereafter and a friend who had recently had a baby breastfed him and her own baby. So it's completely true.

Answer 6

F-R-E-E-D-O-M!!

I have both breastfed and formula fed and am pg with #2....I am formula feeding this one!!!

I hated BF because YOU are the only person who can feed the baby (unless you pump) With FF anyone can feed the baby. That equals more sleep/alone time for mum, which equals a happier mum. Happier mum equals happy baby.

Formula feeding IS more conveinent....no leaky breasts or engorgement, no sore cracked nipples, no fussy baby using you as a human pacifer. Pop the bottles in sterilizer, or use drop in liners, mix up a days bottles all at once and you are good to go.

There are no restrictions on what you can eat drink or wear. You can leave baby for expended periods of time, and can take any meds that you require.

As for the benefits of breastfeeding and the "risks" of formula, it is all a lot of hyperbole and bunk. Nothing 100% concrete has ever been discovered either way. For all the studies making breast is best claims, there are others that refute them. Lactivists deal in quanitfying risk, in maybe's and possibly's....I deal in real life.
Breastfeeding is the new social conformity, and I am a non-conformist, lol!

Answer 7

I don't know all the pros and cons of the formula and breast milk debate, but I do know one big pro for formula. It doesn't apply to everyone, but it sure was important in my family's case:

Formula allows you to be able to take medication. Many medications can be passed to your infant through your breast milk, and many of these medications are very harmful to a child.

There are some breast milk Nazis out there that say it is wrong to use formula. They obviously have never needed medications for bi-polar or cancer or depression or hundreds of other ailments that require prescription drugs. A crazy or sick mother that has clean breast milk is not a better mother than a stable and healthy one using formula.

Of course, this only applies if you need medication. Otherwise, there are other experts out there who know the rest of the story! :-)

p.s. I was raised on formula, and had no birth defects, significant illnesses, deformities, or problems with nutrition whatsoever, and that was 33 years ago. I find it hard to believe that formula is all that bad if you prefer it.

Answer 8

It's easier to leave him/her with another caregiver, more breaks for mom.

-There are ways to know how much breastfed baby is getting.
-Not more convenient - too much extra stuff to do.
-No need for vitamin D... just need some sunlight, if your baby is by a window, or in partial sun/shade outside for just 10 minutes per day she/he is getting enough vitamin D... "Exclusively breastfed healthy, full-term infants from birth to six months who have adequate exposure to sunlight are not at risk for developing vitamin D deficiency or rickets. Rickets occurs because of a deficiency in sunlight exposure, not because of a deficiency in human milk."
-most medications are safe... the book "medications and mother's milk" by Dr. Hale rates medications and their effects on milk supply and transfer to baby. There are some medications that are dangerous, but most - especially those for routine illnesses/conditions (antibiotics, pain relievers...) are safe or there are safe alternatives.

Answer 9

there really are no benefits to the baby. The biggest benefit to the mother is that she doesn't have to be the only one who can feed the baby.

Answer 10

"Convenience" but that is still debatable because I find breastfeeding much more convenient than fixing a bottle.

Probably the convenience of being able to be away for longer periods of time.

The benefits of breastfeeding far outshine any possible "benefits" of formula.

**Its sad that some mothers desire for "F-R-E-E-D-O-M" is more important to them than the PROVEN health benefits of breastfeeding, for baby and mother.