Is Breast Milk Actually Better Than Formula? Science Explains

[@SciShow]

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[@DemiImp]

Where does Hank get his shirts?

[@TheRubinator13]

Why is formula considered a GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) item and not a food item then if its comparable to milk?

[@hakunamatata1352]

Scishow - Lactating PERSON, really!!!?! SMH

[@AbokB]

Warning, no honey please for infants 😥

[@davidcorelli556]

You did a great job at making baby formula look just as good as breast milk. Well done!!! I really like how you took all those studies and pointed out the facts in just a way to seem as if all the studies are flawed. Like how moms who fed baby formula smoked and had poorer health choices and that's why the babies grew up with worse health.

[@ProfVRandall]

Actually, the problem with formula marketing in poor countries is that companies would give just enough formula free that the mother's breast milk would dry up by the time they ran out of the formula. Poor mothers would buy formula but would water down the formula. I was a nurse practitioner in the 1970s when the United Nations attempted to pass a resolution forbidding formula companies from giving formula to mothers in poor countries. The united states were one of few countries that refused to sign on to the resolution.

[@keithdurant4570]

Yes I remember being absolutely disgusted when I found out they give baby packages to new mothers...with about 2 weeks of formula.

[@BothHands1]

Omg that's horrible... I mean, if they had advised the mother to use it interchangably between normal breastfeedings, it probably wouldn't have been a problem, but of course they wouldn't make as much profit that way. Money corrupts everything...

[@KnightRaymund]

"The united states were one of few countries that refused to sign on to the resolution." Why am I not surprised? -_- $$$$ > health

[@lagarttemido]

@@KnightRaymund Actually, it can be interpreted the other way around. The US were one of the few that refused to sign on to the resolution because they knew it was bad and would lead to the problems it eventually did.

[@nawor3565]

lagarttemido The USA didn't agree to the resolution that would PREVENT the formula companies from doing this. Had they agreed, maybe it wouldn't have been such a huge problem.

[@Bigfoot_With_Internet_Access]

The truth is that it's not actually made from infants

[@josiahklein70]

Really? What a shame. False advertising!

[@tmanook]

Boo! Made me laugh.

[@Chrisallengallery]

Baby food on the other hand . . .

[@gavinminion8515]

You spoil everything! I'm off to plant some bird seed. I want to grow a parrot.

[@TheReZisTLust]

Well yours isn't anyways.

[@priestessliletheudora432]

Im of that 15%. They pushed that only breastfeeding the first several days. It almost starved my baby....all because they thought id produce enough eventually. I tried everything, every supplement...it destroyed me. Made me feel like a failure and the "natural" mom claiming i mustve done something wrong didnt help. Some of us unfortunately dont produce enough. Its not our fault, so dont treat those women like that. Be understanding and less judgemental

[@WouterCloetens]

Stress is a common cause of low milk production. If anything, not feeling ashamed about having to supplement might just help with that.

[@priestessliletheudora432]

It wasnt stress, i was totally elated and ready for the new baby. That had already been suggested. It was because i have a breast deformity. Most people dont take things like that into consideration and just, like you just did, kept suggesting things. Not everyone can produce enough milk, im sorry thats hard to grasp. It happens.

[@bounceintofitness2456]

As long as your baby is fed, whether it’s breastmilk or formula, then that’s all that matters. Of course you try your best for your baby so never forget that 💕

[@priestessliletheudora432]

@@bounceintofitness2456 thank you ❤

[@havuckofp]

I remember as a postpartum nurse that I was viewed negatively for giving formula to newborns if their mothers were not producing enough (if the mother asked for it of course). I agree with you 100% that new mothers should not be shamed for supplementing with formula or using it instead.

[@Kimmaline]

FED is best. (I say this as a mom who breastfed for over 3yrs). I am a huge proponent of natural term breastfeeding. But shaming people has rarely ended up with long term societal change....and I'm exhausted of the way we look for ways to put one another down. I loved nursing my daughter, it was a wonderful thing for us and I am so blessed I got the experience I wanted out of it. But best for me is not best for everyone - I was in a situation where it worked for me. I am not at all representative of every family situation.

[@pheart2381]

I think its very sad that post-pregnancy care,time,nurturing and just bonding is being pushed out as women are forced to return to work before they have time to enjoy their baby!

[@yoursisterfromanothermiste6696]

Right? Like let’s stop moms from actually feeding their kids. Such a dumb hill to die on.

[@BaldingClamydia]

I couldn't get my kids to latch on properly so I got a pump and pumped for a few months (after each kid). Whatever your preference, you can get creative and you're still a good mom

[@sweetheartokay69]

Kimmaline so lucky to read a comment like yours ! I can’t stand mothers that stand in only one direction. As you said FED IS BEST ! And I basically don’t understand why others hate so much like it is our business how we feed them and it’s not important how others feed their babies as long as their healthy.

[@wolfiesara]

@@kathrynseton1 I totally agree with what this woman says in this article. At the hospital where my daughter was born, they didn't want new moms to carry their infants at ALL, because an exhausted mom had gotten dizzy and dropped her baby on the hard tile hospital floor and the baby died. Also, my daughter got violently ill from my milk and all her problems went away when we switched to formula. Even then, the lactation coach we were assigned (who had a TERRIBLE personality) tried to convince us that she was better off being sick with breastmilk than to be healthy and gaining weight with formula. Some of these people have no common sense at all.

[@anastasiafish]

THANK YOU. I can’t allcaps that enough. I had to stop trying to breastfeed my baby because of reasons, and by the way some people responded (in the healthcare field, no less) you would have thought I had decided to start feeding him diet doctor pepper. Science these days is great. The chemists and nutritionists at the formula companies are smart. There are regulations. And it turns out, he’s fine. To anyone who is putting themselves through hell trying to breastfeed their baby: You are still a good parent if you decide to use formula; your baby will be fine, you’re doing great. The end.

[@wolftamerwolfcorp7465]

anastasiafish my mother only tried breastfeeding her first child who didn’t take to it at all, she didn’t really receive criticism until she had her youngest, over a decade after her second, where they chastised her for not breastfeeding even after it was too late to start trying

[@cgaccount3669]

Ya. It almost seems alarming to some people if you dare using formula. Like they should call child services on you for abusing your baby. But we live in an age where celebrities and con artists have convinced some people vaccines are bad and we never went to the moon

[@ChozoSR388]

Yeah, my mom _couldn't_ breastfeed me when I was a baby because she was undergoing the medically necessary destruction of her thyroid at the time, which entailed the usage of radioactive iodine*. It's not always an option. I turned out okay on formula lol * Edited for accuracy.

[@yasminvillanueva3141]

Exactly

[@beth8775]

Amen. I had to stop breastfeeding after about a month because I was having such a hard time with it to where I was only getting an hour of sleep at a time. Obviously, that's going to affect your mental state. I was so disappointed, and disappointed in myself, that I couldn't do it. There is so much guilt out there around the subject. I love that he said, "but Formula is Fine."

[@lexer_]

Basically, breastfeed if you can but don't be afraid of supplements if they become advisable or even necessary.

[@WhereAml]

tl;dr Yes. Preferably avoid the formulas for the first 6 months. If the mother cannot breastfeed due to physiological reasons or beggining ablactation then yes, consult with a physician to see which of all the formulas are suitible for your (or the) infant, since they all vary in molecular weight and could cause an array of GI discomfort and symptoms for the toddler.

[@spicat16]

yep. im apart of that 15 percentile. i had to supplement.

[@melyssalayrensia]

with my first child, i can breastfeed just fine. but with my second child, i got fungi infection on my breasts, everytime i breastfeed, the pain is unbearable and sometimes the milk mixed with blood, not to mention my 2nd daughter got fungal infection too on her mouth and bum. So with heavy heart i must use formulas, she was just 2 months old. it came out okay, but it was heart breaking, knowing that i can produce milk but can not give it to her

[@Tomasu82]

Our hospital provided formula while my wife was recovering from her CS. They did push breast milk for various reasons but also said it was more important that the infant get enough food, and formula was fine when needed.

[@SpinningSage]

alexander kerbers supplementing got us in a lot of trouble. Big issues with baby not relatching. Lowering supply drastically. Bottles feed babies so quickly that it can make them sick and not want to latch to something with slower let down. So some experience Lots of problems.

[@roy4173]

Was only a little bit disappointed that there wasn't a breastfeeding-related segue into Skillshare.

[@fionafiona1146]

Hiding breasts from Americans 101?

[@EnvAdam]

'Speaking of breast feeding thanks to our sponsor you could milk endless amounts of information skillshare'

[@diegodoumecq5144]

Breastfeeding is a skill that can be shared. A shared skill or skillshare, if you will.

[@anunayasingh3621]

You can see breastfeeding videos on our sponsor page skill share.

[@JoaoPessoa86]

@@fionafiona1146 leaving the breastfeeding mother alone 101

[@timothygreer188]

"Formula companies have definitely acted unethically at certain points in the past" cough, cough ... Nestlé ... cough, cough

[@tesseraph]

I literally could not respect SciShow more than I already do. The in-depth yet comprehensible way you communicate topics like this and others by providing *all* relevant results on a topic, even when they contradict each other, even when the conclusion isn't paradigm-shattering, earns my respect every time. I use and refer to information learned from SciShow with as much confidence as a person can scientifically have. I thank everyone working for SciShow for making and maintaining it as the radiant jewel of the Internet it is.

[@laramaria2908]

I agree

[@EbonyPope]

I'm really disappointed that the benificial microbiota weren't mentioned. He also didn't mention that breastfeeding isn't only about feeding but also about bonding. Concerning the guidelines I agree, it is stupid to risk dehydration just because you don't want to supplement. But other than that I found the video quite lacking.

[@madd5]

@@EbonyPope he mentioned about beneficial bacteria which formula doesn't have but breast milk has.

[@superdau]

@@EbonyPope What beneficial microbiota? It was made pretty clear in the video that studies don't show a difference between breastfed and formula fed babies. So what data do you have that others don't?

[@TangerineBliss]

Definitely! They really look at all sides and show the nuanced information that people often breeze over.

[@inlesinlet]

Thank you for this! According to my family, I would've been dead without formula, as my mom simply... didn't produce milk, no matter how hard she tried. The entire "is formula good or bad?" debate presupposes that everyone actually have the option between breast milk and formula. When we add "formula or starvation", then that drastically alters the debate. I'd rather be alive with allergies than dead, and my family agrees.

[@littlebluedolphin]

So true! I might not be dead but I might get complications if I'm breastfed instead of formula-fed. My mom was on an array of medication even before I was conceived and had to continue her medications after I was born, so she was not advised to breastfeed at all. If not for formula, I might have been breastfed by my mom, and IDK what sort of complications will I get from that.

[@streetninja510]

No, the “is formula good or bad” debate Does Not presuppose that everyone have the option between breast milk and formula & you should definitely stop talking to anyone who argues that feeding a baby nothing is preferable to feeding formula. The debate presupposes that those who Do have the option to choose ought to look into & weigh the pros and cons of each.

[@MichaelRyce_WhyAgain]

Obviously if there is no breath option, the debate is over because it is not the same conversation... ❤️

[@MrCool144]

Your mom did something wrong.

[@sacredweeds]

I understand extenuating circumstance. Malt is a great breast milk booster yes beer and malted milk. Easy on the beer though. Baby does get some too. I was overflowing after 1/2 a beer and quite tipsy after 9 months of not drinking.

[@sebastianelytron8450]

Thanks SciShow for keeping us abreast of the latest research on this topic.

[@peterm.eggers520]

Ha ha.

[@bbyrneish]

Sebastian Elytron 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@bbyrneish]

Sebastian Elytron 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@davidbass6780]

It was a real nipple twitcher alright.

[@joshuagoodsell9330]

This is the breast comment in the thread.

[@teambeining]

As a nurse, I was an absolute breastfeeding snob until I tried it. Breastfeeding is HARD. Women need good support and a lot of patience, especially in the first few weeks. There is definitely a gap there as well.

[@teambeining]

Shamara M I’m glad you had an easy time of it, but it’s not like that for everyone.

[@thomaslittleton8430]

Yes my gf had a very hard time with breast feeding and had to use formula and our 2 kids are fine so......

[@marcello1821]

In my opinion women these days are just weak in this area. That's why God/ mother nature have women breast. To feed babies

[@saturnnixsu]

@@marcello1821 ew

[@lizard3755]

@@marcello1821 God also gave us the ability to create things to help improve our lives. I'm very happy we have formula available so that people who are unable to nurse, whether for medical reasons, the inability to pump frequently enough to produce enough milk, or families that foster or adopt infants who are still breastfeeding can give their children the nourishment they need to grow. Also based on your name and photo I'm assuming you're a man, which I personally feel gives you less credibility since you have never and will never experience the shame and stigma that mothers who have to or choose to use formula do. Please find a topic to weigh in on that you can have something relevant to say, because this is not one.

[@TheWinnipegredhead]

Breastfeeding was key in winning the fight for extended (one year) maternity leave in Canada. Having done it now, I understand why. It's hard work.

[@TheWinnipegredhead]

@Gabby Mouse once established sure at times but getting it established was two months of mastsis and blocked ducts for me (and I think a lot of other women).

[@journeytowellness16]

As a first time mom with an exclusively breastfed 9 month old, the first 2 months were extremely difficult and painful and I may have been spared some pain and my mental health may have been better if I allowed myself to supplement. But breastfeeding was something i was really passionate about so I pushed through but it wasn't easy.

[@bridgetmcgann7502]

Longtime Nerdfighter and huge SciShow/CrashCourse/AART/all the things fan here. I also happen to be a lactation scientist-currently a graduate student in biological anthropology and also a volunteer research assistant in a lactation-focused lab. I have some serious concerns with the accuracy of this video. In general, it doesn’t reflect the scientific consensus on this **very complex** issue. I feel like I should say up front that no one disagrees that formula is sometimes necessary, or that it is safe. The BFHI and the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners have guidelines that address that; starving a baby in the name of maintaining breastfeeding goes against medical ethical guidelines. Period, the end. That having been said, a few points… 1. There is no debate in the scientific community about whether or not breastfeeding is the optimal method of feeding for human infants. It is just not a thing. The impression that this video leaves the viewer with is that there is a debate happening, but that debate mostly exists in the media and between parents. The WHO, UNICEF, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Gynecologists and Obstetricians, and the corresponding pediatric and OB organizations in the UK and Canada all hold breastfeeding as the optimal form of nutrition for human infants. Recently, some of them have released statements reaffirming this, as well as their support for the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative. 2. The “Sibling Study” (Colen and Ramey 2014) contradicts a mountain of established science and overlooks some important outcomes, without which, the conclusions it draws are unwarranted. This study failed to account for the fact that the effects of breastfeeding generally have a dose-response effect, and failed to take some crucial measurements, such as whether the breastfed babies were exclusively breastfed or mixed-fed. It also ignores some pretty important outcomes that are well-established to be associated with breastfeeding, such as viral infection, GI infections, and ear infections (which can cause speech delays). The conclusions this study draws are just not consistent with what we know about breastfeeding across our species. Alison Stuebe, vice president of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine and one of the most prolific researchers I know of in this area, writes much more succinctly on this study and the PROBIT study, which I will discuss next: bfmed.wordpress.com/2014/03/01/reports-on-breastfeeding-sibling-study-are-vastly-overstated/ 3. The PROBIT study (Kramer et al.) is commonly misrepresented in media coverage. It in fact found a significantly higher IQ at school age, which for some reason the media always ignores? But what is most notable about this study is that it was not as “randomized” as it is made out to be. Most of the babies in the study, including many of the babies in the non-intervention group, were in fact breastfed, it’s really more of a study of “some breastfeeding” vs. “more breastfeeding.” A causative relationship is not directly addressed, here. Also, the authors don’t note how many babies weren’t breastfed at all. Really, PROBIT is a study of breastfeeding promotion, not actual breastfeeding. Reproductive anthropologist Bob Martin (who some of you will remember from the Brain Scoop) discusses this study, the papers that have precipitated from that dataset, as well as the evolutionary context for this issue in this article: www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/how-we-do-it/201801/breastfeeding-no-option-women-needremedies-not-bullying It goes without saying, the relationship between infant feeding and IQ is complex and still unclear. A systematic meta-analysis of over 12,000 infants that dropped this year did find a modest difference with breastfeeding for at least 6 months. (Studies of longer breastfeeding durations would be informative as the recommendation is 2 years, but such goals are too rarely met in the West to do a large enough study.) www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/bfm.2020.0364 But of course this says nothing of the problematic nature of using IQ as a measure of intelligence, owing to its very culturally, economically, and racially-biased history. In my opinion, any information about breastfeeding and IQ should be taken with a grain of salt, but also sort of misses the forest for the trees. 4. The real number of people who “just can’t make milk” is actually more like 5%, not 15%. I am really not sure where that 15% number came from, tbh. But more importantly-the biggest barriers to breastfeeding are social, not biological, in origin. This means the parent’s supply issues are caused by treatable variables such as latch issues or muscle/coordination issues, or ill-informed cultural beliefs that impact supply, or lack of access to well-trained professionals or community support. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK52688/ 5. The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative has a well-established, documented positive impact. As with any public health initiative that has been around for 25+ years adjustments have been made as new evidence emerges. Overall it is well-regarded, as are the organizations (WHO and UNICEF) that designed and implemented it. Also, notably, the writer of this SciShow episode has a history of issuing poorly-informed criticisms of BFHI, and continues to do so after receiving feedback from experts: ysph.yale.edu/news-article/ysph-team-responds-to-opinion-piece-critical-of-breastfeeding/ …But more important than any of these points is this: The problem with most breastfeeding research is that biomedical researchers tend to test it like a drug. But it isn’t a drug. It isn’t even a food. It’s a system. One cannot run statistical tests on it as if it were a drug and expect to see the whole picture. The whole of the body of research suggests that breastfeeding constitutes the core component of the infant’s ecological niche. As any good ecologist will tell you, when you take an organism out of its ecological niche, pathology arises. Studies where the hypothesis and methodology both start with this assumption are lacking, and therefore it is arrogant for us to assume that there is absolutely no harm done in abandoning this long-evolved system on a population level, even in West where the outcomes we measure are always better. It’s the outcomes we *haven’t* thought to measure because we don’t yet know they exist, or because we do not yet have the tools. Moreover, breastfeeding is hardly a “choice” for many parents, due to forces that mostly boil down to culture, privilege, and infrastructure. Like most other health issues. If we address those issues, there won’t be a need for any sort of “debate”--let alone guilt and shame. I hope that y'all have more of a sense of how complex this issue is--and also how cool it is. Thanks for letting me share!

[@Neptunia98]

+

[@asliuf]

Thank you so much for sharing your expertise 🙏 +++

[@barlin07]

I appreciate your knowledge and education on this topic. Thank you for taking the time to create this thoughtful response and promoting evidence based science and informed decision making.

[@bridgetmcgann5552]

I'm glad y'all found this helpful!

[@n7_102]

Thanks for beautifully summarizing the scientific research and especially your honest review of how to critically look at the data. I feel that whenever scientific research is discussed this is a point that is often ignored👍

[@8cordas381]

Brazilian medical doctor here, I love your videos, watch them all. The difference between breast milk and formulas is pretty much down to one thing only nowadays: antibodies from the mother that helps protecting the child. One must be careful with studies nowadays, as the opioid crisis is an example, because the industry is willing to do anything to sell their product. In this case, there are implications on society workers as well(maternity leave), so, LOTS of lobbying and statistical manipulation on such studies. I think you should have been more clear or to emphasize that breast milk is the way to go, but if it is necessary, the child will not be harmed if that child needs to use formula milk for whatever reason.

[@aarontooth]

There's a problem with what you're saying here. From a medical standpoint, you can't say both "bf is the way to go" and "nothing bad will happen if you don't breastfeed." Seriously, if we're talking about medicine, those can't both be true. The reason people seem to think they can both be true is they're injecting non-medical or non-scientific considerations. But you have to understand that the public isn't going to you for an opinion because they think you're really smart or something, so you can just spout off whatever nonsense. You have an ethical duty to restrict your advice to the medical situation, and leave the rest to other qualified practicioners. And no, you can't just take a non-medical or unscientific opinion and add "the industry" conspiracy theories to it to bolster your otherwise questionable theory.

[@SexyyetSweet94]

@8cordas381 as I do agree with you. Mother's mostly end up staying home the first few months (at least 3 months) to care for their children with extremely limited contact with other's until at least they've gotten their shots. I do agree that lobbyists do use this to push mother's back to work but it shouldn't just be due to babies relying on us like food. Women being at home should be highly reliant not just as food source but nurturing as well, babies should get to learn and be loved by their mother's in their earliest life of infancy.

[@flokeme1976]

Well said doc! And I would like to add one more thing! Those who say they just didn’t produce milk… we are mammals! If you don’t have important health issues… you DO produce milk! Maybe it is difficult at first and the baby doesn’t latch properly but with a bit of education we can all achieve good breastfeeding, it’s just nature! That being said, it is not cool to shame mothers who choose differently! No mother should ever have to explain this choice to others! Mental health first!

[@sarahlamarche5866]

This is so important for parents like myself who not only have had to grieve when not able to breastfeed, but have been consistently shamed and guilted for it too. Thank you.

[@blugaledoh2669]

You can't breastfeed? Formulas can be good.

[@TangerineBliss]

I'm sorry sorry you have had to deal that. 😢

[@shilpatmshilpa615]

Don't feel shameful u can try out aptamil formula milk it's good and contains prebiotics and close to mothers breastmilk

[@57IAM]

I couldn't breastfeed. I was completely drained at 41. I don't feel guilty at all. Don't fret, you're ok.

[@nerissacrawford8017]

My mum lost the ability to lactate very early. I was then fed baby formula. I turned out just fine. You keep doing you! 😊

[@brianmiller179]

The hospital pretty much shamed my wife because she couldn't produce enough milk. I was getting pretty angry, but then she decided to go with formula and told the lactation consultant she wouldn't be needed anymore. I'm so happy she did, the delivery and recovery was stressful enough as it was.

[@TangerineBliss]

Man that's awful. 😢 It's not worth adding yet another layer of guilt to us moms!

[@SisterSanMiguel]

It takes longer than a few days for milk to come in for some. It took me 6 days but it came in.

[@WVgrl59]

​@@SisterSanMiguel true

[@WVgrl59]

I would call and notify the administrator of the hospital because they need to replace that employee or volunteer.

[@ginnyjollykidd]

So great she told the consultant what to do with themself. Kudos!

[@crackedemerald4930]

I like how the thumbnail lowkey promotes the right of ducks to adopt human children

[@Wylie.Burp420]

I laughed too hard at this

[@alyssam8550]

Okay, okay, please explain. I'm trying to figure it out but I think I'm dumb

[@TheAtheist92]

@@alyssam8550: The Pictogram in the baby's thought bubble looks like a duck holding a baby next to a baby-bottle

[@thegameres816]

@@alyssam8550 also the baby is "under" something white. And there's white ducks.

[@jennifer8535]

Lmao I can’t unsee it now!

[@littlecorrell]

Oh boy. People have such strong opinions on both sides of this one. I am surprised your team even went near it. My firstborn I could only breastfeed about two weeks before I ran out of supply and switched to formula by the recommendation of my doctor. My second child was exclusively breastfed for the recommended six months before I weaned her to formula. Neither baby has any health issues and both are are on the lower end of the BMI scale for their age/height/weight. But not being able to breastfeed my son made me feel like such a failure at the time. You would never guess what baby was fed what by looking at them now though.

[@Abdega]

It sounds like you did what you were supposed to

[@taritangeo4948]

People are very good at this "feeling like a failure" thing aren't they.

[@TessaAvonlea]

@Andrea Proone I don't think anyone was claiming that it is. I think the point of OP was that breast feeding isn't always possible for all mothers and babies for valid reasons...and that doesn't condemn the child to a life of ill-health as popular opinion would have us believe.

[@littlecorrell]

@@Abdega Thank-you for saying that. Now looking back I see it wasn't such a big deal, but at the time I felt like I was condemning my child to a life of sickness and bad test scores. He wasn't even a month old and I felt I was ruining his future. Even though I logically know now that he is fine, it is nice to hear somebody say that what I did was okay.

[@TheDentrassi]

@@littlecorrell ^^^ This ^^^

[@blueridding]

I had my second child in a "baby friendly" hospital and my complaint issue was that they refused to take a healthy baby to the nursery. I loved roominh in with my baby, but the first night after her birth I was all by myself with no friends or family at the hospital and my daughter had a terribly rough night. We couldn't figure out nursing, even though I was an experienced nurser. After being exhausted from pushing a baby put of my body, all I wantes was an hour of sleep. At about 4 am I finally gave up and just asked that the nurse take the baby for one hour so I could get sleep. They could not becuase of this certification. I felt that they put their certification as "baby friendly" above my own health. I am pretty pro breastfeeding (I nursed my first for over 2 years) but I wish the hospital had some leeway to use their judgement for the care of their patients. I can guarantee that our success as a nursing pair would not have been affected by letting me sleep for one hour. By the time my husband and son were able to come visit me the next morning, I had been awake for almost 40 hrs, all for some rule set by a committee on the other side of the country.

[@michaelchambers7770]

What nursery? In many hospitals there is no longer any such thing as a nursery. There is the PICU/NICU, but they certainly aren’t going to send an otherwise healthy baby there so you can sleep.

[@bronwynstirkul3549]

Depends on the hospital and the staffing. Sometimes there is no room, and nurses totally pumped. One nurse pushed my son in his port a cot for a few hours whilst doing her rounds to give me a rest since the nursery was full.

[@SpinningSage]

Shanna Mae Slight in my case i would have switched birth stories with you in a minute. They took my child away for a long time..fed her formula rather than my colostrum or breastmilk like i had requested.. It was awful to know that my baby was without me for hours screaming while i was just was fkr the hospital to allow me to see my own child. Both circumstances suck! But knowing that my babt screamed for me for hours is rattling.

[@crystall9522]

I've heard that there are higher rates of sleep related accidents at baby friendly hospitals for this reason. For example, women falling asleep holding their baby and dropping them off the bed. I was lucky in that my nurse offered to take my son between feeds a few times so I could get some rest.

[@megsimp0212]

Michael Chambers Of course this is written by a man

[@genobreaker1054]

Breastmilk does confer some of the mother's antibodies to the child to help protect against disease and allergy, I kind of thought you guys would mention that a little more.

[@SpinningSage]

Geno Breaker they hardly endorsed the greatness of the breast and milk

[@Lars_Maassen]

Some of the positive effects of breastmilk they mention (like less ear infections and respiratory infections) are most likely due to the antibodies in breastmilk, so in a way they did mention it, i guess

[@mabr6444]

On the other hand, there are proof that babies might benefit from developing their own antibodies early on instead of relying on the mothers.

[@SpinningSage]

MaBr what study is that?

[@SpinningSage]

MaBr what study is that?

[@Miyori999]

My mom breastfed all three of us 6+ months, but she got: One kid with Autism, one kid with ADHD (and undiagnozed autism, probs), one kid with hypothyroidism, three kids who became overweight post-puberty, three adult kids with severe mental illness, and three adult kids in poverty. The breastfeeding had no effect on us long-term, but our health outcomes are far more related to our ACEs, and within that our overall income level. I think poverty is the ultimate indicator of health and wellness outcomes for adults. Still, there is the fact that correlation=/=causation is at odds with the few who did manage to dig out of poverty but with ACEs are still known to have relatively poor health, and living without ACEs and in good financial standing does not 100% prevent poor health.

[@DynAmisch69]

A girlfriend of mine breastfeed her son for 3 years and he is one of the dumbest and most annoying children I’ve ever met. On top of that he has severe eczema and is constantly sick 😆

[@franug]

Thanks!!!! I’m not yet a mother but eventually I will and this topic is crazy! People are almost irrational when talking about this, so hearing about the research is great. One of my best friends was super stubborn about being “natural” with her delivery and feeding but sadly didn’t have enough milk so she was forced to use formula to supplement, which caused her huge amounts of guilt and distress, to the point of seeing a therapist :( Thankfully she’s over it now and her baby is healthy and happy! I will show her this video to solidify her tranquility

[@Dr_V]

Breastfeeding is essential in the first month (for immunity buildup) and highly beneficial up to 6 months, after that is more or less optional as it no longer provides any added benefits besides the raw nutritional value. That doesn't mean you have to exclusively breastfeed, formula supplements are essential if natural lactation can't completely cover the child's nutritional requirements. That's often the case for first time mothers, especially if they're under 18 or over 30 years old and/or have a poorly balanced diet (or, as it happened to my wife, if you have twins). So tell your friend that she's doing exactly the right thing and she should keep breastfeeding even if she only produces a few teaspoons of milk, the formula keeps her baby well fed and her breast milk provides the irreplaceable antibodies and active peptides required for normal infant development. [Dr. E.V., MD, PhD]

[@furyking380]

Formulas are actually pretty great. I fed my baby it since she was 3 mos. (Let's leave it at her mom was less than great) and she was talking, walking, and causing trouble really early from what i understand.

[@lagarttemido]

Too much on how good formula is when not having enough milk, too little on how to try to increase natural milk production in the first place.

[@Squishytrishy]

I wasn’t able to breastfeed due to almost dying. My daughter is 14 and awesome. I felt a little guilt when I was well, but I got over it because it wasn’t my fault. Just like It wasn’t your friend. Do what you can and what’s best for your baby.

[@EbonyPope]

It's not only about the health benefits but also about bonding. This wasn't mentioned in the video. But if you can't breastfeed or don't produce enough milk of course you should at least supplement with formula. It's I think more of a problem when you could breastfeed but don't because you think it's inconvenient.

[@shugadaddy4841]

Thank you so much for this! The 'breast is best' was pushed so much when I was pregnant that I felt so much shame and guilt that I couldn't produce after birth. I already felt like a bad mom because I already couldn't provide the best for my child. Thank you so much

[@AliceinJapanaland]

One of the problems with many formulas is they use oils - and often those oils themselves are not all that healthy. And when you're feeding your baby nothing but formula with loads of oils in it for several months all day long, it's certainly appropriate to be concerned about it. That said, I couldn't manage to breastfeed my 1st baby no matter what I did. So I am really grateful to hear that formula and breastmilk babies have largely comparable outcomes within the same families. My 2nd baby who is now 3 months old, I had to fight to breastfeed successfully and now she is only breastfed. But breastfeeding is seriously difficult for the first several weeks and if I weren't a stay home mom, I probably would've thrown in the towel already.

[@nrperignon5641]

Seed oils are the worst

[@Gurra1980]

​@@nrperignon5641Nope, it's old debunked myths.

[@NyssaOwens]

Also, not just the seed oils, but the hydrolyzed corn syrup solids. Yeesh. So bad.

[@charopcute8372]

Other important childhood outcomes in which breastfeeding has previously been found to be beneficial were not measured, including allergies, immune status and diabetes. Importantly, breastfeeding also brings benefits to the mother, such as reducing the risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer. From the same study

[@foogriffy]

Sci Show has managed to change my mind about several things. This is one of the best channels on KZbin when it comes to real education and scientific knowledge. Thank you for producing this awesome content.

[@TangerineBliss]

Yeah not only do they present the facts well, but I feel like they do it without being condescending or condemning. That makes a huge difference.

[@ShopTalks]

Our pediatrician put it this way. The differences are in single digit percentages. If breast feeding turns your life into a living nightmare, those single digit percentages simply arent worth it. Its better to have a house full of happy people.

[@inkuissuper]

does no one know about the 2008 Chinese milk scandal? Where 6 babies died and 54,000 were hospitalized.

[@mr_ekshun]

I'm so happy to see this! My wife wasn't able to breastfeed our daughter as often as we were pushed to and we had to supplement formula after our baby was 1-2 m/o. By 3 or 4 months, we had to feed her formula exclusively. My wife felt really bad about this for a while - understandably, considering the societal, familial, and medical pressure to breastfeed. But our daughter is now almost 13 m/o and remarkably healthy. She's 95th percentile in length (didn't get that from her mom, that's for sure, haha) and 60th in weight. She's never had any health issues or concerns, is always remarked upon by, well, everybody as being really intelligent, focused, interactive, and happy. I'm admittedly a little biased ;) but I can't deny all the evidence that, in our daughter's case, she's suffered no adverse effects from drinking formula exclusively since 3-4 m/o. Our pediatrician told us that you can get at least most of the benefits exclusive to breastfeeding (those beneficial bacteria, etc mentioned at the end of the video) without having to breastfeed exclusively. He said even just once a day or less is fine. And so my wife breastfed when she could but we didn't lose sleep over it. (Just please don't take what I'm saying at face value. Like Hank said, ask your doctor *not strangers on the internet* haha. Obviously research online is super important as well, just check your sources! But I hope our experience (and that's all it is) can be encouraging to other overwhelmed, overworked parents who just want the best for their kid.)

[@RobMedellin]

I have a theory that love (attention, time, etc) is what makes the difference. Those that breast feed are doing more quality time than those that just put a bottle to take the baby's hunger away. But you seem like a loving father and I'm sure you two give the baby much love (attention, quality time, etc) to keep the baby motivated and estimulated. No wonder she is above average. I wish my theory sounded more but love is not easy to measure. Close to 100% of parents will say the gave love to their baby but we all know there are many differences.

[@firefoxwaffles5357]

After I was born my mom couldn't breastfeed me. She tried but she had nothing so I was raised on formula. She got bullied for it a lot by other moms :(

[@HerrMisterTheo]

Firefoxwaffles When I was a baby I was a very aggressive eater. I bit into my mother's nipples so hard that she started bleeding, so she couldn't really breastfeed me and had to raise me on formula. My immune system low-key sucks, but I don't know if it's because of that or bad genetics.

[@amberhawksong]

@@HerrMisterTheo My younger brother was like that too but his immune system is fine; probably from playing in the dirt a lot as a kid XD.

[@TangerineBliss]

😢

[@rizahawkeyepierce1380]

Two of my closest friends were never told that not being able to produce enough milk was a possibility (basically their breastfeeding classes implied that if you just kept doing it, your supply would be enough), so they both went through a great deal of misery for the first couple months - one of them was basically trying to breastfeed the entire time the baby was awake (and giving an ounce of formula every few hours to make sure he was getting enough calories), and the other wasn't told by her doctor that she wasn't producing enough until the baby was two months old - turns out, when your baby isn't hungry all the time, she also doesn't cry all the time either.

[@Uhlbelk]

As a doctor, my practice has been to encourage breast feeding, but teaching mothers to supplement feeding with formula if the baby is still showing signs of hunger after breastfeeding, and when to stop feeding so the child is not overfed, and most importantly its ok if they can't or don't want to breastfeed.

[@naomilovenpeace]

Breast is great, formula is fine, and FED is best!

[@caitlinbiello7272]

This exact type of comment made me so upset when I first gave birth. I had no supply (3-6oz per day) and didn’t get a choice about whether or not I would use formula. Saying it’s “fine” is not what you want to hear as a mother in my situation. Formula is wonderful and my baby is thriving. I hope moms in my situation know that their baby is still PERFECTLY healthy, not just “fine.”

[@hannahm.9881]

​@caitlinbiello7272 The world doesn't revolve around your feelings. I formula fed my 2nd child for probably 100 reasons. But Breastmilk is still best. My daughter is now 14, lovely, smart, creative and we've always been close. The formula I gave her was fine and she's wonderful.

[@illiengalene2285]

And then there are 2 more things. In rare cases baby's are allergic to breast milk. In some places have banned public breast feeding or frowning upon it. And that is not ok.

[@emersonhawks]

Some babies are allergic to breast milk yeah, my little sister was severely lactose intolerant and had extremely bad colic and everything and they tried to breastfeed her for like 2 months or something before they had to give up on it But public breastfeeding was ruled by the federal court in the US to be legal in all 50 states

[@MyrtleNyx]

My daughter was allergic to my milk. She isn't lactose intolerant or anything like that and we were really confused. All the nurses and doctors harassed me big time to keep breast feeding and were outright cruel to me over it (some of them even claiming I must be dirty and not washing enough and that was making my baby sick?!). Turns out she is allergic to carrots. How the hell I was supposed to know that when she was 1 week old I have no idea. We found out 8 months later that that was our issue. She was also allergic to most formula and really colic. She was trying to drink twice as much as she should just to get enough and would always make herself sick, it was insane! We got through it, and besides that she was an angel, but man it was a rough start in life. She is thriving fine from formula and is still the most well behaved kid I know, and I have tough standards. People shouldn't be bullied by medical staff into thinking breast is best. They also shouldn't be bullying people.

[@skgalindo7466]

@@MyrtleNyx I dont know why but it never really occurred to me that the food you eat as the mother could also be passed through breastmilk enough to trigger an allergic reaction for the baby. If I were in your shoes I wouldnt have considered it in the moment as a possibility. Huh. Thankyou for educating me.

[@daynabailen4331]

According to my mother, I had such bad allergies that she had to get special formula that they called “liquid gold” because it was so expensive.

[@melissabrock4114]

Nutritionist here. That's a misconception. Babies are not allergic to breastmilk. They may be allergic to something the mother is consuming that leaves traces in her breastmilk, such as dairy

[@kaitlynoddie9649]

from what ive seen, "breast is best" is used almost exclusively to shame mothers who for whatever reason cant breastfeed. my mom got it a lot, even though she didnt breastfeed me because she just couldnt produce enough milk. she switched me to formula because she would nurse me for hours and i was still starving, yet other mothers (and of course a quite frankly ridiculous amount of men) who assumed they knew what was best for both of us shamed her for not breastfeeding me.

[@tutacat]

No, it's used by formula companies to prevent backlash against their formula adverts.

[@theewildrose]

Wrong

[@marenjones6665]

I thought the biggest benefit of breastfeeding was the sharing of antibodies? Anyone know about that?

[@SpinningSage]

Maren Jones baby saliva gives indicator to moms super breasts and antibodies are made to fight disease in babe

[@mabr6444]

There are proof that babies might benefit from developing their own antibodies early on instead of relying on the mothers so there's two sides of that coin.

[@brookeorosz8243]

Human babies get most of their maternal antibodies before birth. That's why the CDC now recommends prenatal vaccination for whooping cough. Some animals like horses and cows can't give their babies antibodies before birth, so they get their antibodies in colostrum.

[@SpinningSage]

MaBr immunity is definitely boosted greatly through breastmilk and exposure to the mother's skin.

[@mabr6444]

@@SpinningSage Any parents skill will do, that's why they recommend that you have the baby close to the body with skin to skin. Might as well be the dad for that and not at all connected to breast feeding. As to the antibodies in the milk, you are correct, but the benefit with not breastfeeding is that the baby starts developing its own antibodies much earlier.

[@jasepoag8930]

Baby Muscle Hank was started on high quality whey protein isolate and C4 Pre Workout.

[@Justin_GFM]

Once he reached teen years he got on dat cell tech

[@nolanwestrich2602]

You're supposed to let Muscle Hank say that.

[@jasepoag8930]

@Jake S Who says?

[@one-eyedsam2186]

Breast really IS best. Thanks SciShow for confirming what everybody already knew.

[@chrisdwyer1477]

My wife and I had our twins three months early. They weighed just over one and a half pounds at birth. Because of this and some other factors, my wife is unable to produce enough milk to feed them both. As their demand for milk goes up due to them growing, they are getting less and less breast milk. So she pumps as much as she can and we supplement it with formula. They are now 12lbs and fed mostly formula, however they are thriving and have no health issues at all!

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

Breast milk isn’t for chicken breasts. Don’t use it for buttermilk recipes

[@gravijta936]

I was going to make a joke about chicken breasts, but you beat me to it. I'm gunna cry like a big baby now!

[@johnhughes2745]

Can I use formula?

[@joshuafriesen4869]

@@johnhughes2745 you could try

[@BothHands1]

Trevor Goodchild Uhhhhh ok

[@SpinningSage]

Jake S it isnt. It is a calf's milk. Sadly the typical farm in the milk industry seperates the mother and calf. The calf does not get fed any of it's mother's milk. Females are taken to be raped and inseminated to bear offspring and start lactating. Males are drug off, not fed mother's milk and butchered for veal. It is a sick and sad industry. And for what? So we can have fruit loops in the a.m. and dunk oreos and eat ice cream in the pm. Sick world!

[@Cthulhus_Mum]

I needed this today. Thank you. My 6 month old is biting me. She has 2 teeth; she's drawn blood once, and causes the most intense pain every time. Over the last week or so I've been gradually weaning her off the boob and onto formula - but I've been feeling like the Worst Mum Ever because of it. It feels like I'm switching for selfish reasons, and the idea that I'm prioritising my own Not Wanting My Nipple Bitten Off over my baby's wellbeing has been making me depressed. Seeing this has helped. (And yes, I know I'm lucky to live in a country with enough maternity leave that I've been able to make it to 6 months before having to make difficult decisions. Every time I see Olivia on one of these videos I remember that she was looking extremely pregnant when my baby girl was born, and I didn't even notice her absence - she clearly didn't get 4 months paid leave with the option to take it as 8 months at half pay like I did...)

[@Sandreline]

Your mental and physical health is important too. Your kiddo will be fine. Do what you gotta do.

[@FiMilton]

You need to take care of yourself! And with bottle feeding others can feed your baby girl which can help them bond with her :)

[@biblegirl]

Fed is best.

[@samanthaquant7411]

You’ve done amazingly well. Your child is lucky to have you ❤️ Not selfish at all

[@Cthulhus_Mum]

Mostly time. Also supply - you can’t pump as much as the baby feeds - but a 150mL bottle takes me 40 minutes to pump. I can only do this during her midday nap (if I choose to do no housework during that time) and after she goes to sleep (if I feel I can cope on less sleep myself). I’m currently pumping one bottle a day, and she’s getting her morning feed (when she’s sleepy enough not to bite) direct, and three formula bottles. It’s working, for now... she’s 7 months old and climbing everything 😊

[@RangerRuby]

A three word phrase never paints the whole picture? What about this: Scishow is awesome.

[@urmorph]

Q.E.D.

[@LittleRadicalThinker]

Ranger Ruby disproved Hank Green.

[@crackedemerald4930]

Your comment sucks

[@josiahklein70]

The phrase still applies.

[@rgerber]

Ranger Ruby more like ouhwsaam

[@glenngriffon8032]

take a shot whenever Hank says "Necrotizing Enterocolitis"

[@willythemailboy2]

Take a shot whenever he says "mother" or "women", you'll end the video stone sober.

[@Parents_of_Twins]

Since we had twins and my wife had to have a C-section she wasn't able to produce enough for them both. That coupled with one of our children not attaching properly lead to several sleepless nights in the hospital and a significant amount of shaming by some of the nurses. It's been nearly three years and our twins are growing and progressing quite well however my wife still feels like she failed this part of motherhood all because of some damn nurses. My advice is do what you can and enjoy the time you have with them. I believe and I think the data shows that nurture is more important than nature in regards to where they get their liquid based diets.

[@gingernutpreacher]

I'm in the UK but my wife had a very simlar experience

[@bamboolaceway]

When my child was born in the late 1990's, I was unable to breastfeed and felt very badly about it. Firstly, it would have been free. As it happened our child required a special formula that was terribly expensive. Second, I knew that my breastmilk would have conferred immunity to diseases to our child for, well, basically everything I was immune to. However, I was glad for one thing about giving our child formula, and that was that my husband could also be a participant in feeding and bonding with our child. This video now makes me feel better overall about having to use formula, and yes, our child grew up smart, creative and kind.

[@arpitamondal8856]

Wow

[@melissaamos2227]

My mother was hospitalized suddenly when I was a couple months old. I’d been breastfed up to then and rejected formula and non-human milk. I lost weight and nearly died, but my dad was military and we were stationed overseas and some of the locals heard and started donating their breast milk to save me. Not saying anything against formula, but I can definitely verify that outside factors can have a major impact on the breast milk vs formula debate.

[@oiseau_libre]

Not true! The more you breastfeed the more milk you have!!! It's a simple Demand-Supply relationship. If you feed your baby formula additionally, they'll drink less of your milk, so your body will produce less milk. So if you want to breastfeed, don't give formula (or only minimum very rarely) But if you choose formula for whatever reason, no judgement here, do what's best in your opinion:)) I'm just giving a tip to those who want to breastfeed (like I did, and I was given this valuable tip when I was a young mommy).

[@lizbethb.5103]

Yes! I almost made the mistake of giving too much formula in the first week. And I saw a huge lack of milk, my lactation consultant made me feel like my anatomy was set to fail but I tried my best and went from making .5 oz combined to now 6 oz. (7wks pp)🙂 in my case it worked.

[@ank10858]

In India most of the commercially available baby formula contains add sugar including the one from nestle. It unfortunate most of the families don’t have enough awareness about it 😞

[@Danielle-zq7kb]

It is best and in addition to the nutrients and immunity and bonding with mom, it helps correctly shape the mouth and jaw of the baby. For mom it helps return the uterus and vagina back into shape after childbirth with a return to pre-pregnancy weight. But for adopted children or when the mom can’t breastfeed, formula is next.

[@andrecurtis2335]

Just remember, the food industry funds the "research". There is no company out here PAYING to go out of business.

[@VarioFelce]

GIANT'S MILK FOR ME

[@thomasanderson4814]

For three months lol

[@VarioFelce]

@@thomasanderson4814 😂💀

[@willevans6032]

I think I'll take that drink now

[@VarioFelce]

@@willevans6032 that was a savage line 😂

[@veabruhilda]

😂

[@Karsonbarnes11]

What about potential benefits for the mother?

[@thaishcsato]

Breastfeeding plays a big part in recovering from delivery, the uterus goes back to its normal size quicker, it lowers the risk of post-partum hemorrhaging, helps with weight loss and even acts as a contraceptive. Also, no sterilizing bottles and you can do it lying down.

[@TheBlacksheepbabe]

Thaís Sato I lost weight faster formula feeding. I don’t think that goes for everyone

[@beth8775]

@@thaishcsato That contraceptive bit is not always true.

[@blugaledoh2669]

@@beth8775 I think she meant your period stop for a while. Depend but usually 7 month.

[@blugaledoh2669]

@@TheBlacksheepbabe They many other factor such as your diet.

[@lucisangelum]

Both my sister and I were allergic to our mom's milk, so were fed only formula throughout our babyhood. We're both extremely healthy and were always on top in every subject at school as well, so we never had any difficulty with learning and such. Personally, I think it's up to the mother how they wish to feed their baby as long as they're not harming it. If a mother for whatever reason decides to feed their child formula, they shouldn't be judged for it. Plus, the formula available now is far superior to the one they used to sell back in the day. If you decide that for you the best decision is to feed your child formula, I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Likewise for breast milk. My sister now has a baby of her own and has decided it's best for her to feed it formula. As long as the child is healthy and you're not harming it in any way, you're doing great.

[@jessicaharris1608]

My mother was one of the 15% who wasn't able to lactate enough. As I'm the first born (born in the mid 1980s), my parents had no idea that insufficient milk supply was even possible. After a pediatrician checkup showed I had lost weight, the doctor asked my mother how committed she was to nursing. She was under tremendous stress with me as a newborn being hungry so much and being unaware that I was not getting enough nutrition. The doctor finally convinced my mother to supplement me with formula. With my younger brother it was vastly easier since she knew ahead of time that she would need to supplement him too.

[@AlpheusGibbs]

Formula is expensive in the U.S.A and there is no good reason for this.

[@Michael-lc8yl]

Gotta make Satan happy because if he’s defeated then the President will turn into a pile of sand.

[@beth8775]

It's true there is no good reason for it. Generic brand formula is just as good though. The law mandates the nutritional requirements for all formula. My son did great on it.

[@Mac_an_Mheiriceanaigh]

The reason is market forces. That's it.

[@beth8775]

@@Mac_an_Mheiriceanaigh There is no good reason not to regulate it.

[@Mac_an_Mheiriceanaigh]

@@beth8775 What do you mean? Do you mean to regulate the cost?

[@amandawilliams6764]

If you CAN breastfeed it’s obviously best but if not obviously fed is best instead of starvation. Who cares about what others think. Someone somewhere will always have something to say about anything you might due. Screw them. Just like shaming women for csections instead of vaginal birth when your life or the babies is in danger. Screw what others think.

[@YasuTaniina]

I agree that fed is best, and I don't shame women for getting C-sections, I do however shame our medical practices that make C-section rates so much higher then most other developed countries.

[@carissstewart3211]

So "breast is best, but formula is fine." I breastfed my son until he was two and am about 6 months away from reaching that goal with my daughter. After that, assuming I don't get pregnant again, I'm going away by myself for a weekend. Glorious silence.

[@VincentGonzalezVeg]

stinging nettles is delicious, full of nutrents and tastes earthy, umami and like artichoke, but needs careful handling, its great

[@SpinningSage]

Cariss Stewart dear lady i am with you on that. My newest little is 7 months. Soon as i am free i am going on a solo hike maybe even from dawn until dusk

[@mabr6444]

Until he was two!? That's absolutely disgusting...

[@2956derbyful]

@@mabr6444 uh, why?

[@mabr6444]

@@2956derbyful What do you mean why? It's a big child if he's two. He should be eating proper food and not breast milk. It's like Game of Thrones for God sake!

[@ThisOldSkater]

You also get babies that can't latch properly, further reducing milk production if you don't pump. Latching is, apparently, not automatic.

[@FaultAndDakranon]

Number Six This happened to me. I pumped and bottle fed until we both figured it out. Took months.

[@SpinningSage]

Number Six tongue ties are a common problem that deter from breastfeeding, but they can be fixed and breast feeding can continue

[@beth8775]

@@SpinningSage That's great when it works. My son's tongue tie was fixed before we even left the hospital, but that didn't solve our latch problem. Nipple assymetry doesn't help either.

[@ThisOldSkater]

@@FaultAndDakranon We were never able to get it right. So my wife pumped as much as she could, but the rest was foumula. I'd say 1 out of 3 bottles was breast milk. Everything seems to have turned out fine.

[@SpinningSage]

Bethany Lade for sure. There are lots of troubles and obstacles that can be in the way of a helathy beastfeeding journey. Luckily there are donor milk banks and access to other options.

[@AmAoMiMaMi2000]

Breastfeeding is hard after I gave birth I wasn’t able to breastfeed my baby. I had hard time to eat anything or drink I was just stressing out trying to pump but there isn’t enough milk plus my baby didn’t latch so stressing over pumping was extreme I wasn’t able to get enough sleep either. My parents live abroad and were not able to come and help because of Covid lock downs.. my husband was trying to help but it wasn’t working.. I ended up just giving my baby formula he’s 3 months now and he’s the joy of our life. I still feel horrible and very sad that I wasn’t able to breastfeed my baby but I can’t keep him hungry or hear him cry of hunger so I’m just grateful to have access to clean water and at least a better formulated formula for babies !

[@imanamatullah2378]

I can relate. All we can do is our best. I’ve had to supplement with a high quality formula in addition to breast milk because I just can’t seem to produce enough despite my best efforts.

[@alarcon99]

9:42 Absolutely true. I thought I was doing everything perfectly but when the nurse came for the first week visit she diagnosed my baby girl with jaundice. I started supplementing feedings with formula and went on to breastfeed (and supplement with formula as needed) for 2 1/2 years. This was also the case for my youngest daughter. Adding formula as supplementation doesn’t mean you have to give up on breast milk.

[@salemwitchchild]

I breastfed my son for 2 yrs. My daughter was breastfed for only a month and went to formula because I worked in a job where I had to handle chemicals that was known to pass into breastmilk. Though it was a small percentage I didn't want to take a chance. My own mother wasn't able to breastfeed, and I didn't tolerate formula. So I was given goats milk.

[@CheliCheli89]

Breastfeeding is free if the parent’s time is worth nothing? What does that mean? The mom has to nourish herself in order to nourish her baby with breastmilk. Last time I checked, food wasn’t exactly “free”.

[@febberz]

But she'd be eating anyway?? Calorie intake needs are a little higher, sure, but not the price of formula higher.

[@Dozerson2]

What about the psychological benefits of breastfeeding: bonding, facial recognition, etc? Do studies show that it's the same as bottle-feeding?

[@vtbhoward]

At minute mark 8.51 onward, it was expressed that people shouldn't be told that "they have to breadfeed". I have three breastfed children, and no one ever told me or reported that they were told, you "have to breastfeed" for any reason. I am a "breast is best" mama, as long as the mechanisms of breastfeeding for mama and baby are well functional. In addition, if for some reason my sanity and life is in observable jeopardy, then I do not have a justification to not provide nature's best food for the youngest members of mankind. If needed though, I would turn to substitute milks that are from nature, but not from a manufacturer, if avoidable!

[@darrenswails]

"Not from strangers on the internet " said the stranger on the internet

[@rollinwithunclepete824]

"...parents can't make enough milk." Well, ~50% all parents don't make any breast milk at all!

[@midnightsangel1445]

Biological men that consider themselves men can lactate from their breast with enough suckling from an infant. It's not anywhere near the quantities that biological females can make, but it's milk none the less. Almost every body can make some milk with their breast tissue.

[@amberhawksong]

I wonder what dictates how much breast milk a woman can produce. My guess is genes, health and diet.

[@midnightsangel1445]

@@amberhawksong yes, it is a variety of factors. Everything from the number of milk ducts to nutrition to how often the baby (or pump) nurses can affect how much milk someone makes.

[@midnightsangel1445]

@Queen S many many reasons. Lack of support and information, severe blood loss during child birth, genetic disorders including insufficient glandular tissue (IGT), modesty, cultural attitudes... just to name a few.

[@sambromley7394]

My son cant have breast milk his mom was a drug addict. He does perfectly fine on formula.

[@oreokitty333]

My favorite phrase is "Fed is best" I couldn't have breast milk either. My mom went through full on postpartum psychosis and couldn't be trusted with me. She recovered after eight months, but if formula didn't exist I would've died. Fed is best, bottle or breast.

[@sambromley7394]

@@oreokitty333 Exactly we didn't qualify for a breast milk donor program so I have no choice but to give him formula, he cant tell the difference and he's perfectly healthy.

[@oreokitty333]

@@sambromley7394 You sound like you're doing the right thing and he's lucky to have a parent with his best interests at heart.

[@blugaledoh2669]

Your adopted son seem well.

[@willythemailboy2]

My sister was allergic to breast milk.

[@Diannako1]

people don't breastfeed babies, women breastfeed babies.

[@Just.a.person59]

Think about it, woman who breast feed “more likely to” are more likely to take the time to read to, talk to, play with, and play games with their kids which has shown to put their kids leagues above kids who are left with tv as a babysitter. My mom made it a habit of reading the encyclopedia, dictionary, children’s books, the bible, or any thing else she thought would make a difference in my life present or future. It made a hell of a difference…

[@GaviaArctica382]

If only you would have made this two years ago it would have helped me so much. Thank you! I failed to breastfeed my baby because of reason (really, really big, health-related reasons) and I felt like I had failed as a mother and had ruined my baby's life. It was a really hard period of my life and I had felt so much better if someone would just have told me formula is fine. Today my child is a healthy, happy toddler and I love him more than anything. Thank you again! You have no idea how much this video means to me.

[@annesmith9642]

I highly recommend getting involved with La Leche League very early in or even before a pregnancy for help and advice about breastfeeding. Breastfeeding mothers are actually very knowledgeable about breastfeeding issues.

[@Croz89]

Aren't they a bunch of anti-formula extremists?

[@annesmith9642]

@@Croz89 I think we are just a bunch of concerned moms who want what is best for our children.

[@FaithieFroggy]

@@Croz89 most of them are, yes

[@FaithieFroggy]

@@annesmith9642 what's best for you isn't best for other families. If mom can't/doesn't want to breastfeed, then formula is best.

[@treymedley]

THANK YOU. I went through all this research when my partner was unable to produce enough breast milk for our twins. This was in the UK (BFHI was very influential) and people were AWFUL to us. Doctors and nurses were terrible, friends would lecture us, strangers would walk up to us and threaten to report us for child abuse, it was terrible. One midwife even said (proudly) that "I'd rather see a baby in the hospital once a month dehydration than to ever touch a drop a formula." Thankfully, we were both educated enough to do our own research and just ignore all the terrible advice going around.

[@stillhere1425]

!😮!

[@waffles3629]

That midwife has no business working in the medical field or anywhere near children

[@luciesimpson6437]

Yeah, the fact that infant formula has been (and still is) advertised by dodgy companies (Fonterra, Nestlee) in LEDCs as 'healthier', despite the fact that the formula sold there is low quality, frequently contaminated or prepared by people with inadiquate access to clean water resulting in infant hospitalizations and deaths for which those companies have never been held accountable doesn't help the reputation of formula.

[@lanaaa6213]

Amazing video, love that you included the sources in the description, too!!

[@MaggOhEmGee]

I would loved to have been able to nurse my son longer than a few weeks, but my body betrayed me. That being said, I now have a marvelous, happy, healthy toddler. ❤️

[@anthonynieves4208]

That’s great ! My son is almost 3 . I’ve stayed up all night feeling like the worst dad . We stopped giving him Breast at 5 months . Gave him formula up until 12 months .

[@autumnmoon6536]

Thank you for this video! My baby has an aggressive appetite. He only lost 4% of his body weight in the first week of life instead of the usual 10% and he gained it back plus an extra pound by his third week of life which his pediatrician was very impressed by. My right breast has stopped producing milk and the lactation consultants I’ve seen (plus my OBGYB) don’t know why. Lastly, my son was diagnosed with dysphasia with laryngeal penetration. He quite literally inhales his food and therefore needs to be on thickened liquids to feed safely. This means I can no longer nurse my baby and I have to thicken his food. The thickener needs to be added to a liquid at 100 degrees to mix properly, sit for at least five minutes to fully incorporate and is only stable in a breast milk bottle for 3 hours after mixing. Prepping a breast milk bottle can take up to 25 minutes and I can’t leave it out for up to six hours like a normal breast milk bottle if he doesn’t finish what I am able to produce. I can’t prep bottles ahead of time because it’s not recommended to reheat breast milk. Plus all that time spent pumping, prepping and then finally feeding my baby is extremely time consuming so we’ve resorted to formula for half of my son’s feeds. My husband and I formula feed at night, breast feed during the day and supplement with formula when he’s still hungry after a breast milk bottle. I’m constantly chastised by family and friends for not exclusively breastfeeding my baby and random people seem very entitled to give me their two cents on the topic, too. It’s extremely frustrating because I feel like I shouldn’t have to explain our circumstances to people and even when I take the time to do so, people still have this disapproving attitude to them.

[@ecamville2928]

Yo, the use of "parents who breastfeed" rather than "mother" here is just...it heals my soul. Thank you so much for that.

[@DanteTheAbyssalBeing]

I'm glad I watched this. I've cared for my son mostly alone since his birth because my relationship with his mum broke down, so he had formula only for the first year of his life before gradually switching to solids/cow's milk. I've always worried a little about him not experiencing breast milk but it's nice to know my fears were unfounded.

[@anthonynieves4208]

Hello I’m a father of a 3 year old boy , is your son healthy ? Or does he have any syndromes? We transitioned to formula at 5 months . We were young parents . I didn’t have any knowledge on this topic .

[@DanteTheAbyssalBeing]

@Anthony Nieves Yeah he's good, a strong, healthy little chap. Far healthier than I am.

[@hannahbaxter8825]

Hes wrong, if you suppliment with formula because you dont have enough milk you will have less and less milk until its likely you end up on just formula . If you dont have enough milk early on, drink lots of water and feed often. Babies often cluster feed to build up your supply at various points early on. It will seem a lot but i think its worth the effort. Breastfeeding is a 2 way thing and your body will tailor make the milk to match what your baby needs.

[@katiemelvin4961]

He's not wrong, my body never caught up. I worked with my local infant feeding team, pumped 5 times a day on top of giving 8x 40 minutes feeds. All while my baby dropped down to the 2nd percentile. If I didn't have formula to give her top ups, I hate to think what would happen. My baby is currently 5 months old and still gets her main feeds from me as well as 2x bottle tops up. Tried dropping the top up twice and each time, she lost weight because my body couldn't catch up.

[@WaraiTube]

Not if you pump to give your body the signal to make more.

[@Queenxmarquise]

Clearly y’all don’t do any research. If your body can provide enough milk it just can’t. Not all women can and it’s okay.

[@justanotherchannelwithauno7580]

Well, at least thats a milk vegans can´t criticize

[@NotVeryRandomDude]

Just Another channel with a unoriginal name Don't be so certain.

[@desaad1725]

no. a baby died because his/her mother refused to feed it breastmilk . or even formula

[@joer8854]

I've known vegans who insisted on feeding their cat's all plant based diets and when those cats die as a result of that diet they insist it's not the diet, the cat was ill when they got it. Vegans aren't interested in facts they are just interested in being cool and feeling superior.

[@Marco_Onyxheart]

Actually, some vegans have criticised breast milk, and refused to feed it, instead feeding a vegan (as in entirely plant-based) formula of their own creation. Yeah, babies have died. But at least they died vegans.

[@rickytorres9089]

@@joer8854 That's ironically animal cruelty right there! Cats and dogs as well as other animals that eat meats naturally (snakes, some lizards, etc) NEEDS to consume those proteins as that the only natural source of those nutrients. That is why I am still feeding my cats as meaty of products that they can enjoy (one won't go full on frozen so I have to get her expensive "high end" canned foods to get her at least CLOSER to eating the recommended at least 90% whole meat products).

[@magicknight8412]

What about antibodies in the breast milk?

[@violet-trash]

Hopefully people don't go away thinking it's just as healthy to NEVER give breast milk. Babies should at least be breast fed a little, just to get the initial pro-bacteria from the breast milk.

[@yoursisterfromanothermiste6696]

What about em? A full tummy and nourished baby is better than a starving kid.

[@magicknight8412]

@@yoursisterfromanothermiste6696 It's a key part of why breast milk is beneficial and gives something formula never can. Thought they would mention it.

[@magicknight8412]

@@violet-trash exactly,

[@Mac_an_Mheiriceanaigh]

@@magicknight8412 They didn't mention it because... no study has ever shown that it is a thing.

[@thatonewhiteguy991]

Gotta love that bit at the beginning with the aggressive marketing leading to infant deaths. Thanks, capitalism.

[@jocelynn19871]

thatonewhiteguy991 yes thanks capitalism for seeing that there was a real need for creative thinkers to come up with an idea that would help babies thrive better because of more options. And I accept that no you are not perfect and can make mistakes but at least you gave us the opportunity to come up with better and more innovative ways.

[@gabriel300010]

@@jocelynn19871 in a capitalist society ideas are there to make money. If it helps someone, that's a byproduct.

[@nuadathesilverhand3563]

Big Lumpy Beetle, and in a socialist society, there are no ideas, because almost nobody cares enough to come up with them, and those who do care are policed by the government, which definitely doesn't. You are advocating for socialism arrent you? Because you didn't actually propose a solution, you just kinda attacked the thing that at least kinda works. This paragraph applies to op too.

[@gabriel300010]

@@nuadathesilverhand3563 where exactly in the socialist manifesto does it say the government need to police the people for all sorts of ideas? where does it imply the government would/should discourage invention and inovation? also, are you implying that people can only come up with ideas if the objective is to get money? are you sure that no one would come up with an idea/invention because they are convenient, or helpfull to others? by the way, just to be clear, I am not the traditional dictatorship of the proletariat kind of socialist. I think that we should go for extra democracy, and expand the powers of the population to deeper and more intricate spheres of politics. let those interested in good politics be in charge of said politics and they will happen.

[@nuadathesilverhand3563]

Big Lumpy Beetle, in socialism, all funding comes from the government. Therefore, the government tells you if your idea is funded or not, and if an idea is not funded, it doesn't happen. Therefore the idea has effectively been policed. The government is motivated only to maintain the current regime. If it helps someone, that's a byproduct. Part of maintaining the current regime involves actively shutting down anything that could threaten the way that things are done, including most aspects of innovation. No, I'm implying that people *will* only come up with ideas *at an efficient pace* when motivated by *something else in addition to raw ethics* . Money being the most flexible option. I assume that we both agree more motivation to do good is better, regardless of whether it's strictly necessary, yes? I never assumed you were in favor of a dictatorship, I just don't see how democracy fixes any issues with socialism. Look at how our democratic government behaves now, because a democracy is a democracy. Look at the people who get elected for offices. Look at how much waste and useless complexity there is in anything and everything involving the government. Look at the debt we're in. Do you really want to give THAT undisputed power over the economy? Because changing the economic system isn't going to suddenly give every politician a heart of gold and the guts to follow that heart in the face of adversity.

[@morecraftsplease7089]

We should always strive for what is best. I am pro breastfeeding let me put that out there. However, there are exceptions to the rule of breastfeeding. There are situations that will prevent a child from being breastfed and that is understandable. But it shouldn't be a case where as a mother you don't like it or for some silly reasons you decide to deprive your child. Formula have it's place and it should not take precedence when safe breastfeeding is possible. For persons who have low milk production there are many things you do naturally to increase breast milk production. Drink plenty fluid, especially water (and drink just before breastfeeding), eat oats, massage your breast with a warm compress. Remember sucking stimulates the release of hormones that are key in breast milk production. Just how new mom is learning the baby is also learning so yes breastfeeding requires patience. I have 3 children and they were all breastfed.

[@Solace6428]

So basically, it's only really important to try to breastfeed if you have a premature baby, because it can stop their intestines rotting. Hmm...

[@johannacxiii]

Thank you Hank for this video! As a future mom who will be forced to formula feed for medical reasons this was very informative and reassuring!

[@stellarsearcher8997]

Fed is best. I was able to breast feed my first child till she was nearly a year old. With my son, I wasn't able to make it till 6 months due my lack of production. My body just wasn't making enough. My daughter has ADHD. My son does not. Thank you for helping shoot down these myths that make mother's feel bad when they have to supplement with formula.

[@jessicaharris1608]

I'm the firstborn. I have ADHD. My mother was very committed to nursing but was among the 15% that didn't produce enough so she eventually had to formula supplement me. My mother nursed as much as she could with my younger brother but he also needed formula supplementation. My brother does NOT have ADHD. He was very successful in school and college and has had great workplace success. ADHD is usually genetic. My brother got lucky and didn't get it. We're full siblings, so we had the same chances of getting the genes for ADHD.

[@sandragarcia4175]

Hi, this is rrally great, one thing I would have liked to be included is not only about the breast milk or formula itself, but about the administration method, as the suction method also affects the child's mouth, espetially the palate, which in term can create trouble with the bite and space for the teeth. Thank you so much for the informative videos.

[@Velmakinz]

Hearing all the contributing factors and how evidence has been collected, this makes SO MUCH MORE SENSE! Thank you!

[@minnied84]

Totally agree that more research is needed. Fed is best!! Families get a lot of not so great medical advice about both topics and it is confusing. Conflate that issue with Mothers that give formula feeling attacked with the breast is best statements or like failures and this is a messy subject to tackle. Formula feeding does not make you a bad mom and we need to support all Mothers. The truth is however that Formula is expensive and not all versions work for every baby and it takes time and the infant's discomfort to find the right one. Side note: some people do not mix it properly which is dangerous. Yes, problems with breastfeeding happen but that is by far less common. The mothers with that issue tend to have emotional or hormonal or the baby has an oral deformity or a health problem. I usually lean towards but don't push breast over formula because formula feeding comes with more immediate health and economic issues that this video did not cover. These issues affect low income families most often because they have pay for diapers, and childcare. My formula fed infants spend a lot more time in the office seeking help for GI and skin issues. Mom has to take more time off of work seeking help. In support of Mothers that flat out choose formula, We live in a world that does not support the practice of breastfeeding and often doesn't support women period. Do what is best for the baby AND the family. However preemies need breastmilk only or donor breastmilk as newborns if medically possible. Having to tube feed a baby because of Necrotising Enterocolitis. NEc basically an intestinal gangrene is life threatening.

[@minnied84]

Sorry for ranting.

[@TheDentrassi]

Thanks for this - as you've said in the video - there's so much more detail you could go into but I think the video helps dampen any stigma attached to folk who use formula. I know I was bottle fed (as were my siblings) due to my mother being on medication to help with post-natal depression/PTSD.

[@yukalue]

Thank you for this video. As a mom who didn't produce enough milk I appreciate that it has expressed that I was not a failure for being unable to feed my baby.

[@PeggyCorrell]

Thank you for mentioning the 15%. So many people out there say we don’t exist and we just must not be doing something right. I was lucky that I have an amazing professional team between my son’s NP and our LC, but he still lost quite a bit of weight the first week or two and we’ve struggled with finding a good mix of breastmilk vs formula for him. But he gets the best of both and I’m thankful for that! :)

[@EBrenry]

I’m a child of the 70s whose mom started off feeding her formula but because I drank so dang much of it, I scared my mom and she switched me to 2% cow’s milk.... at *two weeks* old! Lol!!! I turned out fine. Healthy, successful, educated. No damage done. So when it was my turn to become a mom (to twins), whether I chose breastfeeding or bottle/formula, there wasn’t really a wrong choice! Thanks mom! (Btw..... formula was the right decision for me, my twins, and all the family caregivers. I’m absolutely certain it played a part in keeping my sanity. 👍) Thanks SciShow for confirming what I’d suspected: “Formula is fine.”

[@TrajanBold]

Great work on a difficult topic, Hank I was surprised to see you IRL yesterday! Hope you can keep this solid content coming.

[@Mike504]

When leaving the hospital there was so much free formula samples. The nurses told us it was crap and we should throw it out if we planned to breastfeed. My wife did breastfeed and pump and store and I would help.

[@bluefrostryy]

i mean it IS better🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️, but if u cant do it, u should get options

[@princesswillow312]

Thank you. Seriously. It’s pretty frustrating being a mom(or a parent in general) in the internet age, because people seem to think what works for one should work for all - and that simply is not true nor backed by evidence. People get really heated on this topic, but I attribute it to our constant needs of validation and community. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter. Just, love your kids y’all. Love them, keep them safe, and worry about your own. They won’t care how they were fed, just that you loved them.

[@BrittPearceWatches]

I recently gave birth. I really wanted to give breastfeeding a go! But my milk didn’t come in for about 10 days, by that point I had horrible baby blues, I only just got used to formula and I truly, mentally couldn’t have tried breastfeeding. I was just so mentally unwell at the time. Formula has been the right decision for us, as a family! And we’ve got a lovely, happy, healthy 3 month old! Honestly - how you feed your baby isn’t anyone’s business. It’s for you to decide as a family and what’s right for you! Fed is best! Ps. I find the people who keep a lot of this stigma alive DO NOT HAVE KIDS 🤣