"My baby was formula fed and she has NEVER had a cold."
"My sister breastfed her baby and she got sick."
:::facepalm:::
Am I the ONLY person who gets SUPER annoyed when people say this? Like, just because it didn't happen to YOUR kid doesn't mean it's automatically debunked. I know SO many people who automatically assume that because their kid never had any negative affects from something, then it simply must not be true. I can't even tell you how much this annoys me. Great, i'm glad that your kid was on formula and never had a cold but research from MULTIPLE CREDIBLE SOURCES shows that breastfed babies are overall healthier and have stronger immune systems. I'm not making this stuff up. That doesn't mean breastfed babies never get sick (I can attest to this, both my kids have colds right now) but it means that they tend to get less colds, ear infection, etc then formula fed babies. I'm glad that there are formula fed babies out there who are just as healthy as breastfed babies or babies who start on solids super early who are just as healthy as babies whose parents delayed. However, what we need to remember is that our baby is not the only baby in the world and that not all babies are like our babies. I know...that statement sounded stupid but sometimes I swear, it's like people don't realize this. I once had someone say to me, "God! I'm SO SICK and TIRED of hearing how all your breastfed babies are healthier then my formula fed baby. It's such bullsh*t. [Insert childs name] is healthy enough and breastfed babies are NOT healthier. Um, really? So because your baby is healthy, then all these credible organizations, WHO, APA, multiple doctors and scientists around the world, UNICEF and many many other sources are just WRONG?
And may I remind people that when someone says something like, "Breastfed baby's are healthier and have less risks to certain diseases and illnesses" that it is NOT an attack against people who formula feed. I promise, we're not attacking you. I get so tired when some people who formula feed (not ALL obviously) act as though the very act of breastfeeding is a direct attack on them. I'm not attacking you. Honestly I'm not, but I tend to trust the World Health Organization (WHO) more then I trust the judgement of a single person. So when I say something like that, I'm simply quoting absolute facts that cannot truly, logically be argued with...not telling you that your baby is going to die of diabetes, cancer and ear infections by the time they are 5 just because you formula fed.
Just sayin'.
http://www.womenshealth.gov/breastfeeding/
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/fh/wic/bf/bfbest.html
http://www.doh.state.fl.us/Family/wic/Documents/breastfeeding_basics/WhyBFBest_10-07_Eng.pdf
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/2/T020600.asp
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/statements/2011/breastfeeding_20110115/en/index.html
^^^In case you thought I was making it up! ::wink::
