kerri

This outlines the results of a study which examined the intelligence of those babies that were breastfed.

Breastfed infants may have higher intelligence and greater academic achievement than formula fed infants, according to researchers at the Christchurch School of Medicine in New Zealand. Reporting in Pediatrics 1998;101(1):379*85, the investigators believe that the DHA found in mother's milk and not in formula may be the reason.

The 18-year longitudinal study by John Horwood and David Fergusson compared the
IQ measurements and rates of high school completion of 1,000 children. Taking
social, familial and prenatal factors into account, the study found that breast fed babies were 38 percent more likely to graduate from high school than
formula fed infants.

Although the study could not conclude that DHA in mother's milk was the sole cause of improved scores, the authors say that the outcomes of this study are similar to others that show DHA supplemented formulas improve early neurological development in infants.

danni the hairdresser

I never achieved a great deal intellectually, now i have a great excuse lol.
I did however finish my VCE and was accepted Into RMIT to Study Automotive Engineering. But came to be a hairdresser instead.

I learnt in life its not how smart or financial you are as long as your rich in heart thats all that matters.

__________________

Smoz

I very intersting read Kerry!

I don't think its saying bttl fed babies are dumb (sorry to take your excuse away ) rather saying that BF can increase whatever your childs natural ability is....at least that the way i can take it.

And it could be attributed to a million different things.....the bonding with mother making them feel secure and comfortable therefore more confident within themselves. of the DHA in the milk who knows......but very interetsing read thanks for sharing again

Narelle78

Can admin please remove this post from the front screen as it makes us mum's that were unable to breastfeed feel bad about the fact that our baby's missed out on their mother's milk. We all ready feel bad enough about this...we don't need it rubbed in our faces.

Thanks

Smoz

Narelle its not rubbing it in your faces its suporting other breast feeding mums . the article in no way says that FF is bad it is simply a healthy active discussion about a benifit of BF. It is not put there to upset FF rather to encourage BF, if you were unable to bf then you would know its not an easy thing to do and i have struggled with it for everyone of the 7 months we are up to and its seeing articles like this and others that encourage me to keep going.

Does that mean that married ppl should not post about being married in fear of u[setting the single/divorced ppl.....if you dont like it dont read it front page oir not its not hard to avoid

belb

Smoz, that asn't very nice.

I think what she was implying was that those of us who had to ff still bonded with our babies, just as much as bf mothers did.

I think that the studies miss something important. Without nurture we will never amount to anything anyway. So whether you chose to bf or ff, so long as you love your child they can become anything.

Besides, you need motivation to succeed in life. I doubt that bf kids have more motivation than those that were ff.

Instead lets all support each other. I see alot of support for bf, and that's great. But there is barely any support for those that ff.

Smoz

Why don't FF mums start there own support threads?

I have no problem with anyone FF i didn't manage to feed DS1 past 4months and did struggle with the emotions of feeling like a failure etc. But they are my own issues and if i wanted supoprt for it i spoke about it. Not made mums who are doing the best they can by continueing to BF feel bad for sharing/supporting/celebrating it!

Every time there is a thread about the benifits of BF it is removed or whatever because a FF is offended by it....its like we should feel guilty for BF when thats the normal. I'm sorry but everywhere i go atm its all about making FF mums feel better without any support for those of us attempting to continue to BF.

As for the article yes i think BF or FF if you can raise a secure child they will go far, im more interested in the aspect of natural chemicals in the breastmilk that have not yet been reproduced correctly in formula (like the DHA they mentioned)

belb

Smoz there aren't support threads for ff mums, they feel guilty.

The ABA has made ff mums feel like they are abusing their children by giving them formula.

I was lucky, I found bf quite easy, it was only when my children reached the 4 week mark that things went downhill. Both were hospitalized for reflux when they started to choke. This is quite scary I tell you.

I once posted on another site my stress at having to ff, and was told I was giving up. That breast is best, that I simply wanted the easy option.

I didn't want to ff. I had no choice. My children were in excrutiating pain from the bf, and it was better for them if I ff them. So we went with what was best for our children and I have never visited that other site again.

Smoz

belb that is perfectly fine and im not getting at wether its right or wrong to ff or bf....and i would have the same reaction if a ff posted a thread in your situation and was told it wasn't appropiate to by a bf. My issue is that we shouldn't hide the benifits of BF just so as not to upset the FF. Formula is wonderful and has come so far in its benifits for baby and will make do if BF doesn't work out....but im not going to lie and say its better for babies, yes in some circumstances it is better for mother and bubs and thats why we have it but i know far too many ppl irl that have given up BF because there is no support or education about it.

So when a thread is put on a forum like this and someone asks for it to be hidden away it pisses me off because why should we hide away like we are the ones doing something wrong.

If you are unable to read a thread about the benifits of BF then perhaps you haven't dealt with your own issues properly OR feel guilty because you know you simply 'gave up'. Again that is not directed at anyone in particular i UNDERSTAND the feelings of guilt that you go through when you try BF and do everything you can but FF is the best choice for you and your bubs. But i tell you what if i'd of read half the threads i have this time i would of made it a lot longer the first time round

belb

Smoz you summed up my problem perfectly. I don't feel guilty anymore, but I'm sick to death of bf mums telling me that "I gave up". I didn't give up. My childrens dr told me to stop bfing it was killing them.