formula is basically cows milk that has been dehydrated and then treated so that human stomachs can take in the nutrients it contains (because very few get through our gut flora)
thats why that awful 'cow and gate' advert was banned, the one with a woman saying 'did you know that you would need this much milk to get enough iron' because it didnt point out that all the iron in breastmilk can be readily absorbed by the body (without consitpation and so on) which cannot be said for formula or cows milk!
Formula is heavily modified to make it safe for babies, and it does a great thing, it grows babies, but its NOT breastmilk , breastmilk changes as your baby gets older, as its hotter in the day... your nipples receive information through your baby to make the antibodies in your body produce the right things to help your baby
for example we just all had a cold, Jasper fed more because his nose was blocked and breastmilk unblocks it (another thing it does wonderfully, as well as successfully getting rid of conjunctivitus in small babies and also milk rash
)
his saliva told my body what antibodies he needed to get better, and i produced them
effect, a happy, sleeping one year old (albeit a bit snivvel
)
and a very snotty mummy!
I took the brunt of the infection for both of us, like i have done for every infection we have had and will continue to do until Jasper is around 3
I dont understand why (if you have got that far) people would stop breastfeeding at 3/6/9 months, simply because that beautiful connection you share with you child is SO nice, knowing that you are helping them through anything going on with them just by feeding them
its beautiful
xx
