Formula "undoing" the good that breastmilk has done?

[septemberbaby]

I think it's complete BS, but I was told by a midwife at the hospital that by giving my daughter one bottle of formula the first night (I don't think she even took a full ounce!), I had undone all the good of giving her breastmilk because "formula breaks down all the enzymes and antibodies in your milk".

Now, I'm not worried about it at all. I was in labour for ages, had a difficult delivery, and I was exhausted. Baby was screaming for food, but not latching properly because she had worked herself into such a state. After I had given her some formula she was straight back on the boob and has been a great feeder ever since. That bottle saved my sanity that first night and I do not regret giving her it in the slightest.

I do wonder though...is there any basis to what the midwife said? I've not managed to find any research supporting this, do any of you know more?

 

[Remlap]

I read something similar this morning I think on nct website when I was reading about mixed feeding. It said baby still gets benefits but not the benefit of baby being less susceptible to illness.

I had to give my baby one formula feed also whilst I had a sickness bug and supply massively dwindled but now back to breast. Also - no guilt!

 

[summer rain]

There is very little evidence that one bottle of formula removes all the benefits of BF and permanently changes the gut, those who say this often provide studies from the 1920s and 1930s, which are just not scientifically sound according to today's standards. However there is some evidence that the gut flora of an exclusively BF baby and an exclusively FF baby are quite different, and that it can take anything from 2 weeks to 6 weeks for the gut flora to return completely back to normal after formula is given. This means if formula is given daily the gut flora changes to more like that of a purely FF baby. There was also a study done recently where certain bacteria where mixed in the lab with breastmilk, formula and cows milk. In the cows milk and formula the bacteria just clumped together but in breastmilk they formed a protective coating or film due to a substance in the breastmilk, when they isolated the substance and mixed the bacteria with that the same problem occured as with the formula and cow's milk. Having said that any breastmilk is better than none but if at all possible EBF is better, if not then if you get back to EBF within a few weeks the gut flora should be back in balance again xx

 

[ktod]

I have to laugh it makes it sound like having formula is the same as drinking bleach.
I really don't like it when people try to justify breast milk as being the best because formula is so bad. It does a disservice to breast milk. Breast milk is best because of the nutrients and immunological benefits. There is no need to bash formula in order to sell the benefits of breast milk. A bottle of formula will not have done any harm.

 

[summer rain]

You might not 'like it' but there is evidence that formula can have a negative effect on gut flora and this ties in with the whole immune system. I have given formula myself but that doesn't mean that I don't believe that formula is not the best option when there is a choice, nothing to do with formula being like bleach or poison but it is man made and therefore lacks many of the important ingredients of breastmilk. Formula isn't the same as breastmilk and it isn't likely it will ever be, nothing untrue or extreme in pointing this out. It's because of a perception they are the same that many mothers are bullied into topping up with formula or switching by health professionals, peers and family members, often without any medical basis whatsoever. I was told to give my youngest massive formula top ups by a hospital doctor even though he was gaining 10oz a week, he really seemed to think formula was superior. My youngest also started reacting very badly to dairy after being given cow and gate once in SCBU without my active consent, he already reacted slightly when I had dairy before that but it caused him really severe symptoms that just would not go away until I cut out all dairy products for several months. Even a sandwich saying it was produced in a factory where milk is handled, set him off at one point. Formula is not poison but for some babies it isn't as innocuous as some would like to portray it either xx

 

[ktod]

You might not 'like it' but there is evidence that formula can have a negative effect on gut flora and this ties in with the whole immune system. I have given formula myself but that doesn't mean that I don't believe that formula is not the best option when there is a choice, nothing to do with formula being like bleach or poison but it is man made and therefore lacks many of the important ingredients of breastmilk. Formula isn't the same as breastmilk and it isn't likely it will ever be, nothing untrue or extreme in pointing this out. It's because of a perception they are the same that many mothers are bullied into topping up with formula or switching by health professionals, peers and family members, often without any medical basis whatsoever. I was told to give my youngest massive formula top ups by a hospital doctor even though he was gaining 10oz a week, he really seemed to think formula was superior. My youngest also started reacting very badly to dairy after being given cow and gate once in SCBU without my active consent, he already reacted slightly when I had dairy before that but it caused him really severe symptoms that just would not go away until I cut out all dairy products for several months. Even a sandwich saying it was produced in a factory where milk is handled, set him off at one point. Formula is not poison but for some babies it isn't as innocuous as some would like to portray it either xx

I apologise if I've misunderstood the OP but to me it sounded like the midwife was saying by giving some formula you are destroying all the enzymes and antibodies in breast milk and undoing all its positive effects. I don't agree with that at all.

I completely understand the theory you have explained about gut flora but to me that bears no resemblance to the advice the OP was given.

Like I posted I 100% believe breast milk is best but I don't agree with people who make comments like the midwife. If she promoted breast milk by educating people on its benefits that's fine. But scaremongering by making out one bottle of formula will make all the health benefits obsolete is my objection.

 

[summer rain]

Yes and I clearly replied to OP saying the midwife was incorrect *sigh* xx

 

[BlueHadeda]

Maybe the midwife was talking about the virgin gut? You can google it. I never knew it had a "term", but aparently that's it. The virgin gut. Here's some more info:
https://www.breastfeed.com/pumping-bottle-feeding/bottle/risks-of-formula-feeding

The above link is referenced here on Kellymom, so I don't think it's wrong in all of what it says:
https://kellymom.com/nutrition/starting-solids/delay-solids/

My first baby was also given formula on his 3rd day of life because I had to undergo medical procedures and wasn't able to express in time, or breastfeed him. He also had formula at 3 months for a whole week, due to another reason after that. So it's not that I'm so completely against formula, I just found the info on the virgin gut very interesting. All my children is very healthy, so I'm sure the formula didn't harm my son forever.

 

[Casey3]

Like summer rain said, I was told by my lactation consultant that 1 bottle of formula was enough to mess up a BF baby's gut flora and it can take up to 6 weeks to recover/go back to what it should be. So in a sense it is "undoing" the good in my opinion but some don't mind giving the occasional bottle...

 

[urchin]

I was told by my lactation consultant: Rule #1: FEED THE BABY!

if what your baby needed was a drop of formula to get her to calm down enough to take the breast, then you could say that formula opened the way for her to receive the benefits of BM

 

[MommaAlexis]

Technically true.. Sort of but the way it's phrased makes it sound so bad! I much prefer SRs explination. It's less .. Demeaning? Then how the midwife phrased it

 

[summer rain]

Yep some midwives have a way with words shall we say. Not helpful.

Urchin you're 100% correct but sadly in the UK at least a lot of babies are being given formula needlessly in hospital. My nearest SCBU has a policy that a baby has to have been seen to be able to drink formula from a bottle in order to be discharged, and a survey around 10 years ago found 30% of breastfed babies in the UK are given formula in hospital not because it is medically indicated or needed but 'just because'. With my youngest what kills me is he was given it just because the nurse in charge wanted to feed him with a bottle, she could have allowed me to stay overnight as there was a room free but she wanted to make sure he was given formula. He'd only lost 8% of his birthweight and had already started to regain and was alert and fine, he just had a hereditary form of jaundice. Formula did him no good like my other child given formula in the early days it prolonged his jaundice and caused a rebound effect which is potentially dangerous. Thankfully no long term harm was done xx

 

[Bunnikins]

Load of rubbish! I hate the way scare tactics r used to try and get us to breastfeed! We will if we want to, and if we give a bit of formula, so what? In the great scheme of things, in 5 years time when they r running round the play ground no one will know or care how the child was fed as a baby!

 

[urchin]

I had a nurse in ICU that wanted to do the same thing SR: as fast as the doctor was trying to get her normalised for discharge, this nurse was wanting to add more wires and actually planned to tube feed her formula (as well as giving another dose of antibiotics after the doctor had expressly said to discontinue them!)

The doctor was very sensible and at the meeting pinned them all with a doctorly stare and said 'if this baby hadn't come to ICU and we wanted to get her feeding, what would we do?' until they metaphorically shuffled their feet and mumbled 'give her to mum for skin-to-skin'

In her 7 weeks of life my little girlie has had 9oz of formula, over 3 occasions when my supply crashed and there was nothing there for her. And although I understand what is being said about a 'virgin gut' - I do not for one minute believe that those 9oz have completely undermined all of the good BM she has been guzzling down

 

[flowers04]

Interesting info about the virgin gut, my Lo is now weaned onto solids but still breasted,does this mean she won't get the illness protection from bm? Might explain why she has a chest infection

 

[Bunnikins]

I doubt its iin any way connected. My baby has been ill whilst EBF, even in the early days when she'd had no formula. Im sure plenty other babies have too...

 

[BlueHadeda]

Yep some midwives have a way with words shall we say. Not helpful.

Urchin you're 100% correct but sadly in the UK at least a lot of babies are being given formula needlessly in hospital. My nearest SCBU has a policy that a baby has to have been seen to be able to drink formula from a bottle in order to be discharged, and a survey around 10 years ago found 30% of breastfed babies in the UK are given formula in hospital not because it is medically indicated or needed but 'just because'. With my youngest what kills me is he was given it just because the nurse in charge wanted to feed him with a bottle, she could have allowed me to stay overnight as there was a room free but she wanted to make sure he was given formula. He'd only lost 8% of his birthweight and had already started to regain and was alert and fine, he just had a hereditary form of jaundice. Formula did him no good like my other child given formula in the early days it prolonged his jaundice and caused a rebound effect which is potentially dangerous. Thankfully no long term harm was done xx

Off topic, but that caught my eye. What hereditary form of jaundice did your son have? Me and my husband both has Gilbert's disease, and so far 2 of our children has been diagnosed with it, and the 3rd is suspected as well due to his very prolonged yellowing after birth (all 3 was yellow for about 9-12 weeks). Only our 4th baby wasn't yellow and didn't need any liver or bili tests.

 

[BlueHadeda]

Interesting info about the virgin gut, my Lo is now weaned onto solids but still breasted,does this mean she won't get the illness protection from bm? Might explain why she has a chest infection

I think there is illness protection (anti-bodies in the milk) from breastfeeding for as long as you breastfeed. More in the earlier months, but as your baby grows, her own immune system starts to function better and better as well.

It's not a perfect protect-all thing that people sometimes think. It's still possible for your child to get ill, of course. It depends on if you have been exposed to the germs making your child ill. If you have, your antibodies that killed the germs off in your body, will go through the milk and help fight off her germs. If not, there's still a chance that you'd get exposure with or from your baby, and still offer some protection. But else, your baby might still get ill. Fortunately, breastmilk should provide her with all the nutrients she needs to fight the illness, so she'd probably be less ill or for a shorter period than she would've been without breastmilk. Also, I read that the mom's breasts "read" what germs baby was exposed to, and she can then also make anti-bodies to pass through the milk to help baby fight the illness even after baby got ill.

 

[New2Bumps]

I guess there's always a majority but it's not one rule fits all.
I certainly agree with all the benefits of breastfeeding and am an advocate (and will hopefully exclusively breastfeed this baby as I tried to with my son) but will share my experience.
My son was on expressed milk for 6 weeks then as my milk stopped we gradually topped up with formula until he was on just formula. He's been ill twice. Ever. One sickness bug that lasted 24 hrs and one cold that meant he had a really runny nose and was blocked up for 2 days. On the other hand my friends son was exclusively breastfed until he was over one and he was ill very often and very sickly. Neither went to nurseries or daycare.
I think this illustrates that an immune system is made up of many things, genetics, immunities from mom during pregnancy as well as things like breastmilk and environment.

 

[MommaAlexis]

Well everyone has different immune system, no one in my family ever gets sick. I haven't been to the hospital other then when I had Lara in seven years. I was formula fed, Lara was breastfed for 6 weeks so not only did I pass off what I've gained in immunities over my life but I also passed genetically my base immune system.