showing support to one side doesn't equate showing hate to another.

spoiler alert: this is a formula vs breastfeeding rant. you've been warned.

i'm pro-breastfeeding.

photo by ali caudill

and that doesn't make me anti-formula.

i did make a decision of how i wanted to feed my kids. it was the right decision for me and for them. i'm proud of my decision. and i'll support other mamas who make that same choice.

does that mean i'm sitting here, giving a giant finger to all the formula feeders?

heck no.

so i'm sick of this finger pointing that being pro-breastfeeding means i'm automatically anti-formula.

is it possible to choose a side of the fence and support others on that same side without being accused of flinging shit at the other?

make your own decisions. be proud of them. stand behind them and support others who share your beliefs. but stop taking down the other side. and don't accuse me of taking down your side just because i'm peacefully standing on the other. 

i understand and agree that we're all just feeding our babies and any mama is a good mama who does so. but let's be honest - there are two choices here and one was designed as a backup. does choosing one make the other a horribly wrong choice for all who choose it? i really don't think so.

you're allowed to choose your path and know it's right. so allow me the same.

there's a study that just came out.

it looked at a group of breastfed vs formula kids and the breastfed kids ranked higher in the different areas (IQ, overall health, etc etc, same story as many other studies). but then they took a subset of the breastfed kids and measured them against their formula-fed sibling and there were nearly no differences in the two.

so instead of looking at all the other factors here that produce long-term health and intelligence outcomes, they jumped straight to the conclusion that breastfeeding has zero benefit over formula.

this is an awesome article that outlines the holes in the study.

now i don't bring this to my blog to wave my finger and say don't you dare say formula is just as good as breastmilk. but i will wave my finger and say how dare you say breastfeeding has no benefit?

i posted a link to the article on my fb page and was immediately attacked for being anti-formula.

even though i don't find the conclusion of that study to be valid for all the reasons in the article i just linked, i'm under no delusion that a formula baby and breastfed baby can't grow up to be just as healthy and just as intelligent. i don't think women breastfeed for the sole purpose of boosting their child's IQ a few points. you can't nurse a baby for two years then sit them in front of a tv with a big mac for the rest of their childhood and expect them to be any healthier or smarter than a kid who was formula fed and then lived a healthier lifestyle.

there are too many factors that go into child raising. there are too many battles that can be made out of nothing. can't we all stop dancing around the question of who's making the better decision? breastmilk and formula are two very different substances. i believe the short-term benefits of breastmilk are unmatched - i give it full credit as to why neither of my kids have ever suffered more than a cold. but that statement wasn't formula is poison. it was breastmilk is pretty amazing. there's no argument to be had.

i think that feeding and caring for your baby makes you a good mother. i support you if you breastfeed your baby because i'm on that side of the fence. i think it's amazing and comes with a long list of benefits to both mama and baby. i'm not on the formula side but that doesn't mean i think you are doing a bad job if you are. stand behind your choice and don't accuse me of taking you down because i made a different one.

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