Someone posted the following question on yahoo answers:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...9iPvp6Z2yOq_Xr
Lots of great pro-bf answers so far.
This was my answer:
Human milk is the biological norm - it is what our brains, stomachs, intestines, and so forth are expecting and need. Formula is a non-human milk substitute made from non-human foods.
Humans are mammals, and part of the definition of mammal is "milk-producing mammary glands for nourishing the young". Even the word mammal derives from the Latin word, mamma, meaning breast.
Cow's milk is perfect food - for cows. Human milk is the perfect food - for humans.
Some women are unable to breastfeed for multitude of reasons, and for them, thank God formula exists, since milk banks are far too expensive and wet nursing is very very rare. And formula is much better these days than back at the turn of the century when babies fed non-human milk regularly died.
But please remember that WHO classifies non-human milk substitutes (aka formula) as FOURTH best infant feeding method. First is breastfed by mother at the breast, second is bottle fed with expressed breastmilk from mother, third is fed with another woman's breastmilk and fourth is fed with non-human milk substitutes.
The fact that milk banks and wet nurses are rare, or that many women have problems with nursing, or that our society does NOT truly support breastfeeding (making women feel guilty but not reducing barriers to breastfeeding is not support), or that formula companies are actively trying to increase their market share and the US government does nothing about it - the context in which women make the decision to formula feed or breastfeed does not change biological fact that human babies need human milk.
Quote:
| Has it been proven that its better to breast feed rather than bottle feed? |
Lots of great pro-bf answers so far.
This was my answer:
Human milk is the biological norm - it is what our brains, stomachs, intestines, and so forth are expecting and need. Formula is a non-human milk substitute made from non-human foods.
Humans are mammals, and part of the definition of mammal is "milk-producing mammary glands for nourishing the young". Even the word mammal derives from the Latin word, mamma, meaning breast.
Cow's milk is perfect food - for cows. Human milk is the perfect food - for humans.
Some women are unable to breastfeed for multitude of reasons, and for them, thank God formula exists, since milk banks are far too expensive and wet nursing is very very rare. And formula is much better these days than back at the turn of the century when babies fed non-human milk regularly died.
But please remember that WHO classifies non-human milk substitutes (aka formula) as FOURTH best infant feeding method. First is breastfed by mother at the breast, second is bottle fed with expressed breastmilk from mother, third is fed with another woman's breastmilk and fourth is fed with non-human milk substitutes.
The fact that milk banks and wet nurses are rare, or that many women have problems with nursing, or that our society does NOT truly support breastfeeding (making women feel guilty but not reducing barriers to breastfeeding is not support), or that formula companies are actively trying to increase their market share and the US government does nothing about it - the context in which women make the decision to formula feed or breastfeed does not change biological fact that human babies need human milk.
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