Controversial New Breastfeeding Study

You have got to be kidding me! That was the first thing I thought when I heard about a new study out on breastfeeding. My next thought was, “Oh boy! Moms are going to have a lot to say about this one!“ And that’s okay. I love it when we get a good conversation going.

So here’s the scoop. A new study from researchers at University College in London found that relying purely on breastfeeding for the first six months might not be best for babies. They believe that babies not introduced to solid food early enough could suffer from iron deficiency, or become prone to allergies. They suggest that breastfed babies should be weaned before they are six months old. What? This is completely opposite of what new moms have been told for a long time now. We always hear “breast is best” and to nurse as long as we can. In fact, I see a lot of studies criticizing us for not nursing long enough; recommending we nurse for several years rather than months.

Those who know me know that I am a strong advocate for breastfeeding, because I believe in the benefits for both mom and baby, and I have had an excellent experience. That being said, I make no judgements of those who choose not to breastfeed. The baby formulas on the market are excellent, too.  As moms, we do what is best for our children, and I leave it at that. Who am I to judge another mom? :) I do wish there was more support for breastfeeding mothers, but that is for another day.

So what shall we do now? Lactation consultants say to keep doing what we are doing and if you have any concern about iron deficiencies, talk to your child’s pediatrician about it. They can test your baby and recommend an iron supplement if s/he needs one.

Bottom-line: No need to freak out, but feel free to SPEAK OUT! Let me know what you think about this in the comments section.

Ellie

i breastfed both of my kids and 2 yrs after i stopped my son, i ended up in the hospital with mastitis that turned into an abcess that then developed MRSA.. i do NOT recommend breastfeeding to anyone!!!!

My wife has breastfed our first daughter 100%. She was full time breast until she was about 4 months old, mixed then with juices, water, etc. Still currently nurses her in the morning when she wakes up and when she goes to sleep and she’s 28 months old. She still eats regular food during the day, banana’s, bread, chips, even shares fast food with us every once in a while. Only problem she has now is with our 5 week old who obviously needs to nurse much more often and has some conflicting time schedules, but other then that there’s no problem. We all know breastfeeding is best for both. I see sick kids all the time, mainly formula fed babies, our daughter has never been sick in her 28+ months of existence because she’s breast fed. I can’t believe that it’s an issue to do so and my wife doesn’t plan on making any changes anytime soon.

“They suggest that breastfed babies should be weaned before they are six months old.“ Wow that is young. I think the biggest issue here would not be physical but emotional. The effects of lack of bonding time would not be known until much latter.

I believe there are more than one ways to nurture kids well as good moms, it’s not necessary to have to be breastfeeding.
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