If you WEREN'T breastfed...

[MA mommy]

If you WEREN'T breastfed...
do you feel like you have any health problems due to NOT being breastfed?

[wende]

Nope, I get sick so rarely that it's not an issue.

[dawndup]

I was breastfed until 6 months and then fed milk formula until it turned out I was allergic to dairy, and then I was switched to soy. When I was around 8 months old, I came down with a virus that the doc said should run its course in a few days, and it lasted for weeks. I couldn't keep anything down and lost a ton of weight, and dropped off the growth charts.

I have a few mild food allergies now, but no chronic health problems. I'm sure that illness I got when I was 8 months old would have been much milder if I had still been breastfed, but my mom was told to wean and feed formula then.

P.S. Hey Wendy

[corysmilk]

I was breastfeed for 3 short weeks, I, like my sons, was?is toungue tied!!
My mom was told to put a bottle nipple over her own nipple to help me latch on.
I don't think I have any health problems per say....but I cryed all day long as a baby, I never slept and it is because I was allergic to milk, just like my boys( umm... not sure about my baby, he has had only mamas milk )
I was all ways sick as a child, tonsilitis(sp?)

My mom and I are very sad she didn't have better support to continue with nursing

[velcromom]

I was a dairy allergic baby who wasn't breastfed. I had a terrible time. High fevers, stomach issues, they tried alternatives and finally settled on goat's milk as the only thing I could tolerate. I have always had allergies to a million things, am still lactose intolerant, grew up suffering from asthma and catching every cold that blew by on the breeze. I missed a quarter of every single school year til 9th grade. I feel as though I would have had a healthier and happier childhood if I had been breastfed, not that I think it would have prevented me from ever being sick at all or anything, but that I would have been generally healthier. It was pretty miserable being home sick for weeks every year and I sure could have used any advantage to help me through it more easily.

[loving-my-babies]

I was breastfed for 3 months. I am probably the healthiest person I know. I never got sick when I was little. ever. Maybe a cold here and there (very mild and almost never) but never had an ear infection. on the other hand, my sister and brother who were both also breastfed for 3 months, suffered from ear infections, asthma, colds, bronchitis, everything.. you name it. so I don't know... I guess it depends...

[UrbanPlanter]

I was Never breastfed. No allergies and I am in great health. But I have always been a bit chunky!

[copslass]

What a great question!!!

I was never nursed, adopted in the 1960's.

Started on commercial formula, suffered intolerance as do all the babies in my family (I'm adopted within my birth mother's maternal family, and no one nurses their babies.)

Moved to several homemade "formulas" of the time, evap. cow's milk, finally settled on a prep. of Carnation powdered milk, survived on that.

My first asthma attack occured at age three. My parents were actually told not to expect me to make it through the night. One brand new med was left to try, and I'm here to tell you it worked. My memories of the trip to hospital, "cut down" for iv insertion, and at least a week in the oxygen tent are vivid.

I've suffered severe asthma and allergies all of my life. As commited as I am to natural healing, I realize I cannot live without being on many meds for 9 months of the year.

My five children were nursed as long as possible (still nursing my 16 mo), also NOT vaxed after much research on that issue, and are honestly the healthiest kids I've ever known. NO asthma, and *if they come down with the latest epidemic, such as flu, they recover in about one quarter the time as their peers. My kids are currently 19, 18, 14, 13, and one year (s) old, ftr.

Do I attribute their amazing good health to nursing? Absolutely! To that and sparing their immune systems from vax!

Thank you for asking!

[thirtycats]

I wasn't breastfed, grew up in a home filled with second-hand smoke, and never wore a seatbelt until I was about ten.

I survived.

Would I be healthier if things had been different? Probably.

[bc1995]

I was never bf. I have lots of contact allergies and IBS. I don't know if bf would of made it any different. My mom and I both wish she had known better.

[wende]

Hi Dawn, fancy seeing you 'round these parts!

[obeyacts2]

As a kid I was allergic to the wheat cereal for babies. I was preemie and my Mom was discouraged aggressively from BF. I also had ear infections, got tubes in my ears for that, and have 25% hearing loss r/t the infections. I am also asthmatic and highly allergic, esp to tree pollens.


Laura

[Court]

I was breastfed for about 3 months until my mom said I started to "look around" too much. She thought this meant I wanted solid food and formula instead. She actually started me on cereal at 6 weeks. I had 11 ear infections by 13 months and tubes in my ears. Near the end of my first year I had chronic diarreah (sp?) so my mom switched me from formula to Koolaid - no joke.

My husband had chronic ear infections as a kid as well as tubes, so we figured ds would probably be somewhat genetically pre-disposed to getting ear infections. He only had 1, so I figure compared to my 11, breastfeeding must've made a difference.

Currently I feel like I'm "fine" except for a milk sensitivity and sinus problems.

[Rach]

Not breastfed at all. Was the healthiest out of us 4 kids. (2 formula fed. 2 breastfed.) Cut to adulthood, suddenly I started getting very sick for no reason. Never really felt like myself for years. Got pregnant, got pregnancy induce hypertension, got preeclampsia, delivered at 35 weeks by C-Section. Still didn't feel quite right. At 5 months post partum was admitted to the hospital for (semi) emergency gallbladder surgery. Feeling much better, but still not quite right.
Could it be because I was formula fed? Who knows!

But that doesn't change the fact that I feel breastfeeding is best. Just because it was "good enough" for me, does not mean it's good enough for my daughter!!!

My sister was breastfed exclusively for a long time. She was she sickliest of us kids. Always had colds, flus, stomach bugs. As a baby she could only have leather shoes, and 100% cotton clothing. As an adult, she's healthy as can be. Did the breastfeeding help her be a healthy baby and child? I think so. Imagine if my mom had to play musical formula with a sickly baby like that. Who knows if she wouldve been here today!

[mthomas]

I wasnt breastfed at all. I'm pretty healthy, I don't get sick often. But I do have stomach issues. I really think nursing and delaying solids could've helped.

[Mom2baldie]

I dont have health issues NOW, but when I was a baby/toddler I was sick ALL THE TIME. I had one ear infection after another and a few other problems as well. Of course I was also smoked around so there could be other factors for my illnesses, but I know that not being nursed had something to do with them as well.

[sohj]

Oh, yeah! I think I definately would have been healthier.

I'm fairly healthy now, but it is a "fragile" health. A lot of it is maintained by shear willpower.

I got pneumonia a lot as a kid, even when my mother didn't smoke. (Yeah, smoke probably had a lot to do with it, but she didn't smoke for the first four or five years of my life as far as I know .. though she may have smoked when pregnant even though my father claims not.) I died and was dragged back into "life" Had kidney problems, digestive problems, a bleeding ulcer at seventeen, LOTS of ear infections, spent nearly two weeks deaf when I was 8 years old, missed chunks of school at a time due to illnesses, lots of bronchitis, etc.

Despite that I was a jock. I always felt better when I was strenuously physically active, especially if it was out in the woods, too. Did a lot of backwoods canoeing.

Actually, I think I would have been healthier with a different mother.

Hmm...maybe it would have been best just to get to remain pure energy and not have to be stuck in a body.

[gethane]

I have allergies and asthma, though neither of my parents do, and neither of them smoked. Sure, could just be a fluke, but I can't help but think being bf would've helped.

[Slackermom]

I wasn't breastfe and my mum started me on solids very early, as was typical of the late '60s. I've had bowel problems my whole life. I really think there's a connection.

[KiwiZ]

I was bfed for two weeks, then my Mom put me on formula. I had probs with it and she put me on a soy formula. I had a very poor appetite growing up and asthma/allergy problems. I often wonder if bfeeding could have helped me or if it was just genetics and nothing could be done about it. Now my asthma/allergies are under good control and I'm at a healthy weight. Both my girls were bfed and have been very healthy so far