Breasfeeding: Experts say ‘Forewarned is Forearmed’

Experts from the Medical Research Council say that new and expectant mums should be advised that if they choose to breastfeed, it will be normal for their babies to cry more than if they were bottle-fed.

This might, they hope, mean that mums who are fore-warned will be more likely to keep up their breastfeeding for longer, though it is feasible that it might deter many mums in the first place.

The Council says that although babies fed with formula milk from a bottle may seem more content and may sleep more soundly, breast is definitely still best for baby. The Department of Health still recommends that babies be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of their lives.

Many mums (approximately two-thirds of those who try to breastfeed their babies) stop breastfeeding within weeks. Reasons vary, but commonly include complaints that their babies don’t sleep well and frequently wake for feeds at night, and that their babies don’t seem to be ‘satisfied’ when breastfed.

But the Council says that actually, babies who are ‘cranky’ and cry are doing so to communicate their needs (for example, that they are tired) and doing so is nothing to be concerned about. And formula-fed babies cry less not because they are happier and more content, but actually because they are overfed. Think about when you’ve had an enormous meal – when you’re stuffed, it’s hard to make much of a fuss about anything.

Lead researcher, Dr Ken Ong said, “Bottle-fed babies may appear more content, but research suggests that these infants may be over-nourished and gain weight too quickly. Our findings are essentially similar to other stages of life; people often find that eating is comforting.”

A National Childbirth Trust (NCT) representative, Rosie Dodds, said, “Mothers and babies may experience starting to breastfeed as demanding or stressful in this society where bottle-feeding is seen as the norm and breastfeeding is unfamiliar to many new parents. It would be interesting to compare this with countries where almost all babies are breastfed. We often hear from mothers who say that once both they and their baby got the hang of it, breastfeeding was a breeze.”