jaylar
The Breast is Best campaign flowed into mainstream America as did hydrogenated vegetable oil. There was no investigation, not even logical questioning.
As the Cold War neared its ending, the need for bright, questioning people, for ‘non-sheep’ was truncated. Those in power needed docile followers who would not question. The easiest way was to insure malnourished children.
The proper balance of nutrients in infancy is critical for normal brain development. Shortages of nutrients such as iron and iodine can impair cognitive and motor development, and these effects are often irreversible.
DHA, an essential fatty acid, is a key component of the intensive production of synapses that makes the first years of life a critical period of learning and development. Other nutrients like folic acid, and zinc, have been linked specifically to early brain functioning.
Early shortages can reduce cell production. Nutrient deficits affect the complex chemical processes of the brain and can lead to less efficient communication between brain cells.
Simply put, this woman is anaemic. She has a deficiency in iron and other important nutrients. If she were rich and was properly tested, if she understood the importance of these nutrients she would NOT breast feed.
Subjected to the propaganda, she is encouraged to slap the child on her chest and the effects of the deficiencies will ensure he s/he will not be healthy, strong, or intelligent.
The Breast is NOT best, unless the mother has all the necessary nutrients and can breast feed.
Many women have serious iron deficiencies due to menstruation; that is many have extreme bleeds. This, of course makes them anaemic as well as nutrient deficient,
Where a woman has $$ and lives in at 1st World nation and can get 1st Class medical care, the blood tests begin with the diagnosis of pregnancy and continue to the 9th month to insure that the child will gain proper nutrition.
Where a woman does not have $$ and/or does not live in a 1st world nation, this testing may not be done or a lower level ‘acceptable’.
A healthy woman should have a hemocrit of 12. In many 3rd World nations, a hemocrit of 8 is considered acceptable.
(I was involved in a study some years ago).
Further, there are women who have inverted nipples which make breast feeding extremely difficult.
When it comes to water supply, coconut water is better than actual water and can be used, and there are formulas which come already in liquid form.
As you may be aware there are small containers which do not need refrigeration until opened and can stay on a shelf for nearly a year without deterioration.
There are many scientific reports which describe, in great detail, much of what I have written here.
Being iron deficient should be reason enough not to breast feed.
They don’t even test most women in my country. 2019 and kids are born with weak bones and bow legs. Teenagers, with rotten teeth which drop out.
This sounds to me like an extreme example of conspiracy theory. I really cannot see how any government would seek to dominate the population by telling mothers to breast feed! What an extraordinary idea, for which the evidence will be extremely hard to find!
Nope. The ‘Breast is Best” campaign raged through the U.S. in the early 70s. It came out of nowhere and many people were caught up in it.
In Britain;’
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20170503-are-there-downsides-to-breast-is-best‘
This pressure is also applied.
https://www.healthline.com/health/breast-is-best-mantra-harmful#The-push-to-only-breastfeed-can-have-severe-consequences-for-the-baby
Of course there were campaigns, because breast most certainly IS best! Breast milk contains all the nutrients that a young baby needs, and breast feeding also strengthens the bond between mother and child.
One major problem with formula feeding is that it needs to be constituted with water, and if the water supply is contaminated, the baby will be poisoned. That is what happened in some African countries, where formula was aggressively promoted by the companies that make it. Many babies died as a result some years ago.
The Breast is NOT best, unless the mother has all the necessary nutrients and can breast feed.
Many women have serious iron deficiencies due to menstruation; that is many have extreme bleeds. This, of course makes them anaemic as well as nutrient deficient,
Where a woman has $$ and lives in at 1st World nation and can get 1st Class medical care, the blood tests begin with the diagnosis of pregnancy and continue to the 9th month to insure that the child will gain proper nutrition.
Where a woman does not have $$ and/or does not live in a 1st world nation, this testing may not be done or a lower level ‘acceptable’.
A healthy woman should have a hemocrit of 12. In many 3rd World nations, a hemocrit of 8 is considered acceptable.
(I was involved in a study some years ago).
Further, there are women who have inverted nipples which make breast feeding extremely difficult.
When it comes to water supply, coconut water is better than actual water and can be used, and there are formulas which come already in liquid form.
As you may be aware there are small containers which do not need refrigeration until opened and can stay on a shelf for nearly a year without deterioration.
There are many scientific reports which describe, in great detail, much of what I have written here.
Surely you would accept that – ALL ELSE BEING EQUAL – breast is best, not least because of the natural immunity to disease that a mother will pass on to her child and the psychological benefits to both mother and baby.
However, it is not the case that all else is equal in every circumstance, and you have outlined some of the exceptions.
The problem with many debates is that people assume that the other side is advocating for the precise opposite of what they are they themselves are advocating, with the result that nobody ever comes to an agreement. In real terms, one has to admit that there are exception to every argument, and that the best solution is likely to be a compromise that allows for such exceptions.
I stick to the view that a mother should always seek to breast feed whenever this is possible, and not head for the bottle as the preferred first option, although this may well be necessary at some stage. The human species, along with all other mammals, has relied on breastfeeding for millions of years of evolution. Why stop now?
Incidentally, you can’t get coconut water in the Sahel region of Africa, and many other places!
I was involved in a WHO study some years back, the results which I mentioned.