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I'm not bashing anyone, or trying to cause fights, so lets respect each other's answers... I would just like a conversation started where people share their thoughts and opinions on this topic...
I'll start out by saying this: My father was bottle fed after he got really ill, almost died, and the shock to my grandmother's system made her dry up. I was bottle fed too and so was my sibling. However I choose to BF my LO because I feel that I can protect her against diseases like diabetes, acute appendicitis, rheumatoid arthritis, inguinal hernia and ploric stenosis, to name a few.
So my question is this: If you choose not to BF and in 10, 20, 30, 40 years your DD or DS got diagnosed with an illness that is life changing, would you like to turn back the years and BF as it would reduce your child's risk to this disease or do you think your child won't get it, or do you think your child will get it no matter what you do today?
Edit:
Firstly I would like to thank everyone that shared their stories. I'm sorry to hear about so many children that is affected by diabetes. I chose diabetes as an example because I was diagnosed with GD that didn't go away and stayed after my daughter was born. There is no family history of diabetes, across family where my grandfather was one of 18 children and my other grandfather one of 11, so I have a huge family. I'm not overweight. I've always eaten healthy food, loved salad and vegetables etc and yet, now I'm diabetic.
So my reason for asking was not to make people feel like their parenting choices were bad or that breastfeeding is better or to make moms feel like failures or that they should blame themselves. I'm trying to figure out WHAT on earth LED to MY illness. As a mom I would most definitely go back and redo something I did wrong if I had the means to do so. We all do our best, but we all want a do over.
The illnesses that I quoted in my original question was what I researched on the web. Not something I sucked out of my thumb. And just to clarify AGAIN, I'm not accusing anybody. I was ff. I read a lot of interesting answers that made me think. I need people to challenge my thoughts so that I can push myself further into trying to understand this condition. BECAUSE I AM DIABETIC, my child has a risk of being diabetic. I'm allowed to ask questions without having to be insulted. Trust me if I wanted to insult mothers, you would know about it.
I do believe that breastfeeding reduces your child's risk to these diseases and others thats not mentioned. I don't however said that it would PREVENT them from getting it. So please don't misquote me.
Replies
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No because I believe they would have gotten the disease regardless of how they were fed at infancy. If you're meant to have a disease when you're older it will still happen. -
So for argument sake lets say your child gets type 1 diabetes, would you not wonder if it is something that could have been prevented? I know there isn't a lot of evidence going around, so I'm just curious. What if in 20 years time there is hard evidence that BFing could have prevented your child from developing Type 1 diabetes? Would you like to have a do over?
Quoting MrsRobinson06:
No because I believe they would have gotten the disease regardless of how they were fed at infancy. If you're meant to have a disease when you're older it will still happen. -
I don't think there's any good in beating yourself up over something you can't go back and change. I've bf all my babies into their toddler yrs, but I'm sure I'm making plenty of mistakes in raising them (all unintentional, but we're only human). I know I have honest intentions and am trying to do my best each day by them, so I wouldn't spend the heartache over the "if I had only..." -
i have a 24 yr old and a 4 yr old. the 24 yr old was ff. and the 4 yr old was bf as long as possible then formula. my 4 yr old I bf in hopes of avoiding issues I had with my oldest. ear infections and tubes. my 4 yr old has more ear problems than his brother. so I don't think it matters either way. if it is hereditary you can't avoid it. my 4 yr olds ear problems are hereditary. my 4 yr old has lost partial hearing due to ear infections. my 4 yr old has more allergies than his bro. but his bros didn't start getting bad till 20ish. mine started getting real bad about 25 ish. I don't think bf is going to beat hereditary.
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You can't dispute the facts!
http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/calls/breastfeeding/calltoactiontosupportbreastfeeding.pdf
Table 1. Excess Health Risks Associated with Not Breastfeeding
Outcome Excess Risk* (%)
Among full-term infants
Acute ear infection (otitis media) 100
Eczema (atopic dermatitis) 47
Diarrhea and vomiting (gastrointestinal infection) 178
Hospitalization for lower respiratory tract diseases
in the first year 257
Asthma, with family history 67
Asthma, no family history 35
Childhood obesity 32
Type 2 diabetes mellitus 64
Acute lymphocytic leukemia 23
Acute myelogenous leukemia 18
Sudden infant death syndrome 56
Among preterm infants
Necrotizing enterocolitis 138
Among mothers
Breast cancer 4
Ovarian cancer 27
* The excess risk is approximated by using the odds ratios reported in the referenced studies
page 79 has the studies he referenced -
I don't think breastfeeding prevents those things fully. Genetics and diet have a lot to do with those.
So trying to blame yourself for that later on will only lead to more mommy guilt. -
And what happens if a breasted child ends up with the same disease.....same thing. -
There is so much in life to regret. I regret not trying for another child sooner, not being able to sit by my Grandma as she took her last breath, not being able to breastfeed my daughter past 7 months (she had donor milk till she was 1) there is so much more I can think of. But dwelling on it, and *wishing* I could do it over, does nothing.
I am sure that the parents of kids who have died wish that their children would have been tested, or something caught earlier, or done something different.
Of course, if something happened to our children, our minds would go to "What could I have done differently". We are moms. We blame ourselves for everything.
Don't dwell on it.Quoting MoeksieNature:
So for argument sake lets say your child gets type 1 diabetes, would you not wonder if it is something that could have been prevented? I know there isn't a lot of evidence going around, so I'm just curious. What if in 20 years time there is hard evidence that BFing could have prevented your child from developing Type 1 diabetes? Would you like to have a do over?
Quoting MrsRobinson06:
No because I believe they would have gotten the disease regardless of how they were fed at infancy. If you're meant to have a disease when you're older it will still happen. -
Leaving now as you don't want an argument -
I don't think there is any point in beating oneself up over what one could have or should have done. I think breastfeeding is awesome but its not a guarantee that your child will never get certain diseases. Diseases usually have multiple contributing factors and breastfeeding is just a small addition to a list of things for prevention.