An Honest Look at the Breastfeeding Argument

Breastfeeding is best, to the best of anyone's knowledge today. Breastfeeding is not, however, something every mother is able to do.
One important aspect of breastfeeding is that it provides the baby with antibodies beyond those antibodies he has for a while after his birth. This aspect of breastfeeding is generally accepted by the medical profession and others and is generally not challenged by any reasonable individuals or groups.

Breastfeeding is best, provided it can be assumed that the quality of all mother's milk is equal and adequate. Even considering that there are probably times when a mother's milk may not be of as high a quality as it should be, it is generally safe to accept that breastfeeding is best. There is the possibly remote chance that science could discovers some presently unknown fact about breast milk that could possibly affect the present day belief, but that's not all that likely.

Breastfeeding is best, but some women are not sure they can really believe that offering their infant a body fluid that has not been sterilized, that hasn't passed some quality assurance procedure and that can't be visually measured (unless its pumped into a bottle) is certain to be the best thing.

Breastfeeding is best, but some women reject the idea that there is always more closeness and bonding with a breastfed infant. Mothers are either very, very, close and bonding with their infants or not. The mother who is generally one to hold her baby closely or snuggle as she carries him in from the car, or who holds him in the most secure, close, way as she holds a bottle for him, or who tries to "send energy" from her own arms to her infant, knows that breastfeeding is not necessary for close contact and bonding. In fact, there could be times when the breastfeeding mother who stops for a while to nurse her baby and, of course, hold him could actually be less generally physically bonding and close with her infant than the mother who bottle-feeds but who is generally a more "physically close" kind of mother. There are women for whom "snuggling" the baby may only occur during breastfeeding and not necessarily other times, particularly once the baby is past being a newborn.

Breastfeeding is best, but some women can't and don't want to overcome their aversion to the idea of putting a body part in the mouth of their newborn baby. There's no particular or valid reason to this, but overcoming such an aversion is not likely.

Breastfeeding is best, and if it appears there could be some correlation to a higher IQ in breastfed babies it could be associated with a generally high-quality nurturing experience. If science has proven there's an unquestionable connection between receiving breast milk or some substance in it and a higher IQ it is not for me to question that. The world is, however, full of people with extremely high IQ's who have been bottle-fed. I, myself, know people with very high IQ's, and it happens that they've all been bottle-fed as infant. It isn't for me to question whether breast milk, itself, may have something in it that helps improve an infant's IQ; but I have seen for myself that bottle-fed infants can become people with IQ's in the top percentiles too. The world is also full of slender, fit, babies or children who grow up to be slender, fit, adults and who were bottle-fed.

Breastfeeding is best, but bottle-fed children have been known to be at the very top of their class (and even at the highest and narrowest end of the bell curve). Bottle-fed children have also been known to be three years or more ahead of grade level too.

Breastfeeding is best, but bottle-fed babies can be children who have a superior level of emotional security and maturity. This is not to say that bottle-fed babies will always be superior to breast-fed babies. It is to say that breast-fed babies do not always fare better emotionally than bottle-fed babies do. There are too many other aspects of parenting involved in this area.

Breastfeeding is said to be best when it comes to the baby's overall immune system and health, but an infant's immune system (when he's an infant and on through the rest of his life) can be affected by his mother's ability to nurture the right types of brain connections (www.zerotothree.org) and his general sense of security and wellbeing. Also, when mothers have a good knowledge of balancing cleanliness, watching the infant's exposure to people who are very sick, and yet offering limited opportunities for exposure to some germs generally keep their babies quite healthy, barring any exposure to serious infectious illness. Bottle-fed babies are said to be at higher risk of ear infection. There are, however, bottle-fed babies who get no more, or even fewer, ear infections than the average breast-fed baby or bottle-fed baby gets.

Breastfeeding is best, but some women - right or wrong - can't overcome not wanting to do what mother animals do and instead preferring to do what feels more "refined" or "elevated" to them. Some women know "in their heads" that breast milk is unquestionably best but are not able to overcome their aversion to breastfeeding in spite of that. Some question whether the benefits of breastfeeding are often overblown by proponents of it and by people who have built whole careers around it. Some may not trust that science can always be trusted to be right 100% of the time. Science has been known to reverse its conclusions after more and better studies are conducted. Some women come from a long line of bottle-fed babies who turned out brilliant and super-healthy and secure. Some women don't want to worry that if they eat the wrong thing or drink the wrong thing it will upset their baby's system. Some women may feel that having a baby inside them for so long took so much of a toll that they need their body back. Some women even wonder if at least some breastfeeding mothers choose to do that not just because of the benefits to the baby but because some mothers are a little more taken with the idea what their body can do, while other mothers are most interested in what their baby can do. Some women may worry that they have had a lifetime of exposure to chemicals or other toxins or that they are not able to eat just the right kind of diet that is free of them to be able to be certain their milk would pass state inspections. There may even be women who have known breastfeeding women with babies who cried more than they should have had to because they didn't quite get enough breastmilk to make them feel satisfied.

Breastfeeding is best, but when women choose not to breastfeed it is not - as so many people seem to believe - that they are too ignorant to know how important and how beneficial it is. A mother may look at her infant and think, "I'd do anything in the world for you, but I just can't do this," or she may think, "I have done all the thinking and reasoning and becoming informed, and I've decided that carefully designed and inspected formula in sterile bottles with measuring marks will provide you with excellent nutrition. "

Breastfeeding is best according to the The National Women's Health Information Center (www.womenshealth.gov), U.S. Department of Health and Human services. In addition to the commonly discussed issues of antibodies, physical closeness, IQ's, and possible reduced risk of serious medical problems ("more research in these areas is needed"), the National Women's Health Information Center includes the following benefits to babies:

"Most babies find it easier to digest breast milk than they do formula." The other side to that statement is that there are many babies who have no digestion problems with formula.

"As a result, breastfed infants grow exactly the way they should. They tend to gain less unnecessary weight and to be leaner. This may result in being less overweight later in life." Another point is, however, that there is such a thing as bottle-fed babies who are slim, who remain slim throughout childhood, and continue to remain slim as adults. Some of these babies even have parents with weight problems. Bottle-fed babies who are not overfed are slim babies.

" Premature babies do better when breastfed compared to premature babies who are fed formula." No reasonable person would argue with this statement although, again, there are premature babies who do quite well on formula.

The National Women's Health Information Center also lists benefits to mothers. Those benefits include lowering the risk of breast and ovarian cancers, as well as the risk of osteoporosis after menopause. Other benefits to mothers they include in their list are using up calories and losing pregnancy weight sooner, having the uterus return to its normal size sooner, lessening bleeding, and delaying the return of ovulation. No reasonable person would challenge these benefits. Also listed among benefits to the mother are making the mother's life easier ("no bottles to warm in the middle of the night"), saving time and money. Not included in their information is whether or not more breastfeeding would save considerable tax dollars that are being spent providing formula to WIC mothers. They also list the following benefits to mothers:

"A mother can give her baby immediate satisfaction by providing her breast milk when her baby is hungry." The other side to that is that conscientious bottle-feeding mothers can do the same. Bottle-feeding mothers usually know when their baby will be wanting to be fed and get the bottle ready before the baby asks for it.

"Breastfeeding requires a mother to take some quiet relaxed time for herself and her baby." Bottle-feeding moms usually do the same. Those who may doubt the motives behind the government's push for breastfeeding may wonder if the real concern may be an increasing lack of mothering skills or maternal instinct today, rather than the method of feeding, itself.

"Breastfeeding can help a mother to bond with her baby. Physical contact is important to newborns and can help them feel more secure, warm and comforted." Again, physical contact is not exclusive to breastfeeding mothers
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"Breastfeeding mothers may have increased self-confidence and feelings of closeness and bonding with their infants." Some would say this is stretching things a bit. Many bottle-feeding mothers are quite confident and more than adequately bonded with their babies.

The National Women's Health Information Center also lists benefits to society when mothers breastfeed. Those benefits include fewer health care costs because breastfed babies are said to have fewer sick care visits, prescriptions and hospitalizations. Of course, there are bottle-fed babies who don't get sick more than other babies. Another benefit to society is said to be a more productive workforce because mothers don't stay home because of sick babies as often. Finally, listed as a benefit to society is that breastfeeding is better for the Earth because there is less trash and plastic waste compared to the cans and plastic generated by formula feeding. This may be a benefit to the Earth, and it may be a valid point, but this benefit and any benefits to society or mothers are not, in fact, benefits to the baby.

The Center for Disease Control's site links to the National Women's Health Information Center and is committed to increasing breastfeeding rates throughout the U.S. The CDC Guide to Breastfeeding Interventions provides "state and local community members information to choose the breastfeeding intervention strategy that best meets their needs. Support for breastfeeding is needed in many different arenas, including worksites, medical systems, and family settings. The Guide builds upon the research evidence demonstrating effective interventions as well as the expertise of the nation's leading scientists and experts in breastfeeding management and interventions." Many people would say the only reasonable thing is to believe what the CDC says because, after all, they rely on the best available science. Skeptics and cynics may not have as much confidence in what the CDC says. After all, some say that the CDC is not immune to the flaws and even corruption that can occur for one reason or another. Skeptics, cynics, and people with good memories often remember all the times "the best science" has told us one thing, only to reverse itself a two or three decades later. Skeptics and cynics may wonder if the U.S. government and others are actually responding to pressure from advocacy groups or whether there are jobs to be created or egos to be preserved. Skeptics and cynics know that statistics can usually be found to support any reasonable agenda.

There is no question that breastfeeding is best, but mothers need to remember that the main factor in what makes breastfeeding best is related to what the baby gets from the breast milk and whether he gets what he should get from his particular mother's breast milk. A better matched and higher quality milk for a baby is reason enough to state that breastfeeding is best. Whether or not the baby who receives a high-quality breast milk gains emotional and bonding experience that bottle-fed babies cannot remains a debated point.