if it only takes one.....

[fyrflymommy]

...bottle to throw a baby's digestive system off-track, then that does mean that if you start supplemting w/ formula that breastfeeding benefits are being negated?

[DaryLLL]

They will be lessened but certainly not negated. Even a couple of oz of breastmilk/day will benefit your child quite a bit.

[velcromom]

I've read that it takes a couple of weeks to restore the gut to its previous healthy condition after feeding formula just once, and that during that time the gut is 'open' to things that ought not to be passing into the baby's system, like proteins that can cause allergic reactions,viruses etc. Some drs maintain that every baby is sensitive to formula at the cellular level where it causes an inflammatory reaction that disrupts the cells' ability to properly control what crosses the cell membrane.

And it would make sense that if a 100% ff fed baby has X% greater risk of any given disease or condition, that each increment of bm the baby gets lessens the risk accordingly. In studies I've seen even just synopsis of, that seems to be the case - bf gives a dose related degree of protection against many diseases. The more breastmilk the baby receives, the greater the protection.