Breastfed babies are better behaved, says research

[citizenED]

Another study suggesting that breastfeeding has positive outcomes for babies. Here

[Saila]

... I was bf and I'm particularly badly behaved!

[cuppa tea]

Honestly, who funds this type of half baked scientific research?

Laughable and annoying. What are they talking about "better behaved"...clingy is considered bad behaviour now?

I breastfed my son till he was 2.5 years. He is a total live-wire and needy most of the time!!

The are just dredging up research to back up an opinion. You could do it the other way round. I bet

they could find plenty of 'badly behaved' (whatever that means) breastfed babies.

[supergolden88]

While I am all for breastfeeding how do the researchers qualify or even check good behaviour? Did they follow all those baby test subjects daily for 5 years? I know a few children who are real terrors and they were breastfed for over a year. I know several who were bottlefed and they are just as bad (or as good).

I think the home environment and way both parents raise their children may be more influential than breastfeeding with regards to behaviour.

But I am too tired to make any worthwhile comments here.

[Fuschia]

The behaviour was judged by the parents themselves ... It was about whether they reported their child to exhibit certain characteristics at 5

Thing is maybe mOthers who breastfed are more tolerant if clinginess Nd therefore reported it less, you know

Interesting but I always find I want to know a lot more about the actual research in these studies you know? It's the statistician in me I guess

[Belle]

like with a lot of these studies, it's quite hard for them to show how much is down to the actual breast milk, how much down to the act of bfing and how much down to the circumstances/inclination of the parents ie incidental. So I take with a pinch of salt. I did like the NCT response - nice to see.

[oldnewromantic]

To save posting a long reply, I've blogged about this at www.BeckyBoooo.wordpress.com. It's my first blog, but like Fuschia the statistician in me could not be held back. I'd really appreciate your feedback.

[Fuschia]

What did the nct say? If I read it I hVe forgotten

[Fuschia]

Interesting blog onr and I also checked the abstract and noticed the sSme points as you

I don't think you do yourself any fVours by using the phrase breStapo though

I almost didn't bother reAding further

[oldnewromantic]

Point taken Fuschia. Thanks for reading it.

[Saila]

'...Brestapo'

*giggles - logs on to blog*

[Fuschia]

I don't know why you think that's funny sails

Generally speaking I don't call other people nAmes ... Gave it up when I was about 7

[supergolden88]

So the headline on the BBC should say something like "Breastfed babies better behaved or so their parents think"

And I find Breastapo funny. Because I am weird that way. Due to being breastfed no doubt

[oldnewromantic]

Fuschia, meant to ask you. When you looked at the abstract, did you see the figure .67 (with a large 95%CI around it). Did you work out what that .67 was referring to?

[Belle]

Sorry, not NCT - Royal College of Midwives:

The Royal College of Midwives welcomed the findings and said they added to the evidence that breastfeeding was better for babies.

Janet Fyle from the RCM said it was vital women had enough help and support from midwives to help them keep breastfeeding.

But she said it was important not to over-emphasise the study's results.

"We must not send a negative message to mothers that they have failed, or make then feel guilty because they bottle-fed their babies," she said.

- Just thought this was nice and balanced.

[EDmummy]

Was this research funded by anyone? Wary researchers mind!

[Belle]

liked that blog post ONR

[Saila]

Fuschia Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I don't know why you think that's funny sails

>

> Generally speaking I don't call other people nAmes

> ... Gave it up when I was about 7

... i was just playing Fuschia - a joke about my bad behaviour... deary me

is there a link with bf and a sense of humour? hmmmmm...

[oldnewromantic]

Thanks Belle

The abstract is here

NOTE: This research compares term children who breastfed for 4 months or longer, with NEVER breastfed children.

The results state

The associations between exclusive breast feeding and abnormal SDQ scores were similar to those of any breast feeding and abnormal SDQ scores.

No-one is saying that breastfeeding doesn't have many advantages. After all, it's natural and organic and unprocessed and we've all accepted that's better. But this research does not show the vast differences that you might infer from some of the headlines.

I have to say though, I disagree with Belle about the RCM comment. If I came home from school with a bad exam result, and my mum had said "The last thing I want is for you to feel like you've failed" I'd have waved bye bye to my self-esteem.

And (as I said on another thread) it's great that support's available to help mother's continue to breastfeed. But where's the support to say it's okay to stop! Because according to this research, ANY breastfeeding is good.

[Fuschia]

No it compares children still receiving breastmilk at 4m ( not necessarily exclusively ) with those never bf

However those NEVER breastfed might have other features as a cohort ...

[Belle]

I read the RCM comment as 'not breastfeeding does not equal failure' - but see what you mean maybe not helpful to even use the word failure. I just felt it's nice to see at least a nod in that direction instead of the 'this is what's best, let's not refer to any other scenario' position.

[Fuschia]

>

> ... i was just playing Fuschia - a joke about my

> bad behaviour... deary me

>

> is there a link with bf and a sense of humour?

> hmmmmm...

Usually I have quite a sense of humour but I am getting thoroughly fed up with the way it seems to be acceptable to make snide remarks at breast feeders

It's bad enough the formula companies spending millions on advertising but I feel like they are managing to get women to do their dirty work and it's really depressing

[oldnewromantic]

Fuschia, you're right about the breastfeeding at 4m being not necessarily exclusive.

But the research has excluded from the 10,000 the 3492 who breastfed at the start but stopped before 4 months. And it doesn't take away from the fact that it was 6.5% of breastfed children who had abnormal behaviour scores. If 30% more of the NEVER breastfed had abnormal scores, that's still only 8.5%.

I'm surprised they had so many who never breastfed (3292). Either that's more common than I'd assumed, or they ensured that they had a good number in there when they selected the sample.

[gwod]

It makes me want to know what the participants reasons for, and for not breastfeeding were. If they had separated the bottle feeders into those that didnt b/f because they never thought about it or couldnt be bothered, and those who tried but their nipples fell off,( Ok I exagerate) I bet the behavioural traits would be explained by having better or less informed parents, rather than the method of feeding. Also I object to the notion that bottle fed babies miss out on closeness with their parents, I think researches must believe bottlfeeders do it at arms length, when infact we snuggled up with the best of them, and they got to enjoy that special feeding closeness with their Dads too!

Incidentally, Of my four, (all fed differntly) the one purely bottlefed one is the most confident, and the one that got a year of b/feeding is a little monkey. Same parents, social circumstances etc etc though. They should use me for research!!!!

[Saila]

Fuschia Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> >

> > ... i was just playing Fuschia - a joke about

> my

> > bad behaviour... deary me

> >

> > is there a link with bf and a sense of humour?

> > hmmmmm...

>

> Usually I have quite a sense of humour but I am

> getting thoroughly fed up with the way it seems to

> be acceptable to make snide remarks at breast

> feeders

>

> It's bad enough the formula companies spending

> millions on advertising but I feel like they are

> managing to get women to do their dirty work and

> it's really depressing

really? i stopped bf after 5 weeks (of hell) it had absolutely *nothing* to do with formula companies. Really nothing to do with them, tbh i hadn't even heard of 'SMA' or whatever the other ones are called. I assumed i'd bf, just as i was bf. I never took any notice of formula food adverts - i dont remember ever seeing any tbh.

And i've not met anyone who 'failed', like i did, say it was anything to do with anything other than the various nightmares people had with tongue tie, latching on, hungry baby, weight loss etc etc

Also, no one here is making snide comments about bfing mums - why on earth would they? But i think we have a right to have a pop at anyone that is militant with their views. It's just the british way at approaching annoying, self righteous people.