Quote:
Originally Posted by allborntogrow  When someone asked me what kind of bottles I was going to use for the new baby, and I casually explained that I breatfeed, another co-worker (who I do love dearly) looked surprised and said "why do some people do that?" I responded "do what?" and he said "Breastfeed?"
I was a little shocked, and kind of at a loss for words, but I managed to very politely say that humans make human milk only when they have babies and so to me, it seems very natural and intuitive - why would we make milk not to give it to our babies? I also told him that there are a lot of studies that prove breastmilk cannot be replicated and is the absolute best food for babies for brain development and immunity. He seemed satisfied, but then someone else in the room was like "oh, my wife bottle fed all three of our kids and they are fine."
....
How does one answer questions or respond to comments like this?
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To the first comment "Why do some people do that?" I respond simply that all the health benefits for
both baby and mamma are high on my list.
With more women getting breast cancer, why would I not want to
decrease both our risk of getting it? By FF, I give up that health benefit.
I would give up the benefit of reducing our risk of developing diabetes by 7% for each year my child breastfeeds. That's cumulative btw. So if I bf for 2 years, as the WHO recommends, I'm giving up a health benefit of 14% less likely to develop diabetes during our lives, not just while we breastfeed! With type 2 diabetes reaching new highs every year, why would I want to give up that benefit for both of us?
Breastfeeding provides tremendous immunities for the baby so if a bad cold/flu goes around I help my child by breastfeeding -- even though flu vaccines exist, an infant cannot get one! So breastfeeding is the only way to provide antibodies that may prevent them getting the flu. That was how my dd did not get the flu when I got it badly. My breastmilk, what precious little I made
, protected her
: so it was definitely worth it.
Ear infections are usually more frequent in FF babies. Again, a case of why do something that is known to have a more adverse affect on my child than do what is natural and more effective in preventing childhood illnesses. For me, it was an easy choice to go with what was natural.
If health reasons were not that significant, cost is: Liquid Formula (which is convenient) is anywhere from $7 to $10.50 for a 32 oz bottle and lasts almost 3 days for an infant. At 3 bottles per week I save between $84-126 for the first month. After the 1st month, a bottle lasts a day and a half. So at 5 bottles a week I save $140 - 210 a month. And that is just for the "regular" formula like a Similac
. You can see how breastfeeding saves you more than $1000 in the first year.
I find that when you break things down into simple concepts people find it easier to grasp and more acceptable. A matter of fact tone is also helpful so as to avoid seeming confrontational.
OffTopic: I know that my brother was not a bfing advocate as his 1st child was ff and "she is fine" -- NOT. She has various allergies -- but he was very young when he 1st became a dad. Now, 13 years later he understands much more and is on board with bf. (NIP is a totally different subject though. One that leaves me wanting to put a bag on his head
: when what I really need to do is send calming
: to him daily.) He is such a
, but I love him anyway.
