Jesse Bering
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Discussions of breastfeeding versus bottle-feeding usually focus on the baby: What’s best in terms of nutrition? Or an infant’s future mental health?
But we’re going to take a different route. Let’s talk about the mother, and more specifically, the changes in her body as it readies itself to nourish a hungry newborn. With her breasts enlarged and hormones flowing, what happens if no newborn appears to suckle? How will her body—and brain—react?
First, a little background. The obvious physical changes in the pregnant human body (including swelling breasts) occur in response to escalating levels of the hormones prolactin, lactogen, estrogen, progesterone, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and growth hormone. Placental birth serves as a sort of trigger event signaling to the mother’s body that it’s time to begin releasing milk. The baby’s physical suckling behavior—that is to say, lips tugging on teats—stimulates the first ejections, but eventually milk flow can start up by simply thinking about the baby, smelling it, or hearing it cry. “Involution,” the physiological process by which women’s breasts revert back to those dormant objects that give so much pleasure to adult human males, coincides with slowly weaning the growing infant away from breast milk and onto regular foods.
So what happens when, for whatever reason, mothers do not breastfeed their healthy infants? According to a new theory being proposed by University of Albany evolutionary psychologist Gordon Gallup and his colleagues, the decision to bottle-feed is tantamount, in the mother’s psyche, to mourning the loss of the child. At least, that’s how a woman’s body seems to respond to the absence of a suckling infant at its breasts in the wake of a successful childbirth. In a soon-to-be-published article in Medical Hypotheses, the authors argue that bottle-feeding simulates the unsettling ancestral condition of an infant’s death:
Opting not to breastfeed precludes and/or brings all of the processes involved in lactation to a halt. For most of human evolution the absence or early cessation of breastfeeding would have been occasioned by miscarriage, loss, or death of a child. We contend, therefore, that at the level of her basic biology a mother’s decision to bottle feed unknowingly simulates child loss.
There is at least correlational evidence to support this evolutionary claim, too. For example, in a paper presented earlier this year at the annual meeting of the Northeastern Evolutionary Psychology Society, Gallup and his colleagues reported their findings that, among a sample of 50 mothers recruited from local pediatric clinics and who had given birth in the previous 4-6 months, those who bottle fed scored significantly higher on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale than breastfeeders did. This effect panned out even after controlling for the mother’s age, education, income and relationship status with her current partner.
Another telling finding to emerge was that the bottle-feeding mothers reported wanting to hold their babies significantly more than the breastfeeders did, which the authors believe:
...parallels findings among nonhuman primates where in response to the death of an infant, mothers of some species have been known to tenaciously hold, cling to, and carry their infants for prolonged periods after they die.
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69 Comments
Add CommentI look forward to future research. As the father of a preemie (and in the end disabled child) who couldn't suckle, my wife tried for monthsconsulting experts, etc before she gave up on trying to breastfeed. What if it isn't a choice?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhat about women who cannot breastfeed for whatever reason? What about women who use a breast pump? Much of this thinking perpetuates the judgment of women who cannot breastfeed, perhaps for reasons beyond their control.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisNo wonder new mothers that bottle feed behave in such an insane manner. After our second child was born my exwife could not be lived with, she was not able to sucessfully breast feed feed ether of our children and difficulty dealing with it.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMany men believe breastfeeding should be the most naturally intuitive thing in the world, but the fact is that it can be anything but that. I attribute it in part to the decline of midwifery and the medicalization of childbirth. To say new mothers behave in an "insane manner" lacks compassion, and to say that SHE was not able to breastfeed blames. Some babies have physiological limitations that impede breastfeeding as well (e.g., small chins).
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisInsane exwives aside (that was a strange comment), Joellin, it is a STUDY, not a judgment. It may eventually result in treatment for just the mothers you describe. This is science, not opinion...at least we all hope that!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAlthough those who successfully breast feed babies do have a certain amount of pride, I don't see this article as condemning those who can't. It offers an explanation more than condemnation. It also is good for helping those who like to plan make choices about maternity leave etc. I did breast feed but had to return to work early after the birth of one baby because my husband did not have a job with health insurance and I did. I think that a part of me was in mourning even though I did breast feed. It was not as cozy as it can be when you do not have to leave the baby right away. I wonder if deep down inside my body thought something had happened to the baby.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMy career was established and my wife's was just beginning. I stayed at home and she went to work. Every day she pumped and every night she breast fed. Everything turned out fine. My wife's sister was unable to breast feed due to gestational diabetes, and my comment to her boy regarding "drink that milk, it gives you IQ points" elicited an angry and uncalled for response. After this article I now understand the genetic loss that she may have felt due to her inability to breast feed. Thanks Jesse.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis is a very good article, and has much to recommend it – as a starting point. Unsuckled breasts may indeed signal certain things to the mother’s body, but holding a warm living breathing infant signals quite the opposite. There is a great deal more that goes on physically with a mother of a newly birthed child than just the suckling of her infant. There are the other senses: touch, smell, hearing, and sight which make their own complex, multi-sensory contributions to the mother/child relationship from the first minute. Frequent skin to skin contact between mother and child is extremely important for both, with the most important being that of holding the child against ones body, while, but not limited to, feeding by breast of by bottle. In this way both the mother and child are able continue and expand on the relationship that began with conception. The complexities of the whole mothering process, for the mother as well as the child, goes way beyond just the nursing procedure. While undoubtedly nursing has its position in this extraordinary and life-long process, it is far from the greatest one.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this> For example, these women may simply want to make up for lost bonding time that would otherwise occur during breastfeeding.<
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIsn't breastfeeding the way that nature encourages bonding? What could be closer than a newborn baby suckling at the breast 8 to 14 times a day?
Interesting article. Interesting comments too. How funny that in this day and age people still believe that breastfeeding can't be successful because of things like small chins and gestational diabetes!! We had both here and are still feeding well at age one. There are very few reasons why a woman cannot breastfeed provided she gets the right help and actually wants to do it.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisInteresting article. Interesting comments too. How funny that in this day and age people still believe that breastfeeding can't be successful because of things like small chins and gestational diabetes!! We had both here and are still feeding well at age one. There are very few reasons why a woman cannot breastfeed provided she gets the right help and actually wants to do it.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhile many women have been unable to breastfeed successfully due to medical mismanagement and bad advice, there are actually several reasons why a woman cannot breastfeed. These include things like insufficient glandular tissue, hypoplastic breasts, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, Sheehan's Syndrome, complications from breast surgery, thyroid problems, and certain medications that are incompatible with breastfeeding (just to name some of the issues). The estimate from lactation literature is that about 5% of women are unable to breastfeed due to such medical issues, despite lactation support. That's 1 in 20 women - not as rare as some people try to make it out to be.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis is an interesting study but doesn't seem to address some possible confounding factors - like women who are unable to breastfeed may have hormone imbalances (like PCOS) that predispose them to post partum depression.
Those who are successful at breastfeeding are often the ones who are the harshest critics of those who are unable to breastfeed. Like the person above me states, there are MANY reasons a woman might be unable to breastfeed her child. My first doctor in my first pregnancy (who I later changed, but saw while driving another friend to an appointment) asked me if I was still nursing at 5 months PP and I told her that i was not because I was unable to make even small amounts of breastmilk. She looked me in the eye and told me "well you just didn't try hard enough then." It was the most hurtful thing someone ever said to me about breastfeeding. I have now had 3 children and have tried EVERYTHING and I mean EVERYTHING to nurse them all till age 2 (that was my goal.) I took supplements, had nurse-ins, went to LLL meetings, bought an expensive hospital grade breast pump, took MEDICATION (which was only slightly effective,) used a SNS and more. I co-slept, nursed on demand, pumped, drank tons of water and tried EVERY SINGLE OTHER trick I could think of to nurse my boys. Yes, I also saw a lactation consultant. Nothing worked. Then one day I watched a friend pump and then another (I taught them how to use the breast pump) and realized that both of these women could fill TWO bottles in the time it took me to get an ounce.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSo yes, it can happen that a woman simply cannot breastfeed, simply cannot make enough milk.
Its unfair to assume that because breastfeeding comes naturally to "most" women that ALL women can do it. If this were true there would never have been a need for wet nurses before baby formula was an option.
Now about the article. It was very interesting but I am not sure about how accurate it is. I am interested to see the results of further research. Another poster stated that there is so much more going on such as a live warm baby, crying, cuddling, etc etc that TELLS a woman's brain that her baby is very much alive. I just need to see more research.
Also I did breastfeed one son till 4 months (and supplement) and another to 7 months (and supplement) and it was with the PP time that I was actually able to breastfeed that I had the WORST PPD, not when I was bottle feeding. To this day I feel failure for being unable to breastfeed for a least a year. I did not choose to feel this way. We also do not know why i cannot make enough milk but suspect it could be related somehow to other medical problems I have such as fibromyalgia, but I am not convinced.
Jesse Bering neglected to mention that babies who are not breast fed believe that they are dead. The baby's body tells the baby's mind that if it were alive, then it would be getting breast milk. Instead, it is being clung to and carried like a nonhuman primate baby corpse -- which is a lot like a human baby corpse (the baby's body reasons).
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI believe, and this is a bit speculative so bear with me, that bottle feeding may explain the popularity of Goth culture during the 70s & 80s. Further research may reveal that the Goths are actually bottle fed babies who never realized they were alive.
I think I just wrote an abstract for the next issue of Medical Hypothesis!
I just thought of another idea for an abstract to submit to Medical Hypotheses. It is called "Bros in Mourning: How Bottle-Feeding Mimics Wife Loss in Fathers' Brains." Here's a bit from the abstract I'm working on.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIn evolutionary times, a mother naturally breast fed her children. Only if the mother died did the father have to take over feeding responsibilities. Ergo, when a man has to feed and care for his child, his body tells his brain that the mother of his child must have died.
I think the point about the over-medicalization of childbirth is really important, especially in how it relates to the too high (33-75%) c-section rates, the routine practice of separating infants from mothers in the hospital, and the lack of breastfeeding support. The definition of "can't" needs to changed and then supported and further research into the why is always important.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe point about the over-medicalization of childbirth is important as it defines how we think of "cant" in terms of childbirth, especially around the huge rate of c-sections, lack of skin-to-sin contact after birth, infant being taken away after birth, lack of breastfeeding support, etc. Any research that can further the need to redefine maternity care is very needed
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisbjodnid stated:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"There are very few reasons why a woman cannot breastfeed provided she gets the right help and actually wants to do it."
Actually, bjodnid, this is incorrect and sounds judgemental. Yes, it is true that many obstacles CAN be overcome with the proper support and information. But sometimes even with all the right help and all the right information and with the strong, unfaltering desire to breastfeed...some obstacles still cannot be overcome. Or, as in my case, can only be overcome partially. This can be devistating for a woman and I can certainly see the "mourining" process it can invoke. Given the overwhelming, deep sense of loss that mothers can feel when breastfeeding doesn't work out, comments like bjodnid's only pile on the guilt and shame on an already hurting mother.
I am a certified lactation counselor and a La Leche League leader. I breastfed 2 children successfully and easily for close to 2 years. My 3rd child did not breastfeed successfully until 8 weeks old. It was a lot of work, but he did fine once he caught on. My 4th child is 7 months old and has never been able to be fully nourished at the breast. Despite all my knowledge, training and experience and the extensive support network I have through my profession and my fellow LLL leaders, our issues have never been fully resolved. Luckily she does latch on and nurse and we have been able to continue the breastfeeding relationship...but I must supplement her with alternative methods every feed in order to get the calories and nourishment she needs to grow and thrive.
Anyway, I just wanted to correct a common misconception, (one that I, too, held for many years) that women who were unsuccessful at overcoming breastfeeding challenges were somehow at fault due to lack of information, support, desire, etc.
Studies show that skin-to-skin contact immediately after birth leads to breastfeeding success -- and lack of maternal depression -- at 3 months. Mothers' bodies want and need this contact. When birthing hospitals interfere with it, the mourning process begins.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI don't think it does. Women who have no choice need to know what they are in for even if it isn't favorable. And women who have a choice need to know what they are choosing between. Let's not suggest that we mute the evidence that we may not want to hear. The Earth by the way is round.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI don't think it does. Women who have no choice need to know what they are in for even if it isn't favorable. And women who have a choice need to know what they are choosing between. Let's not suggest that we mute the evidence that we may not want to hear. The Earth by the way is round.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThat is silly
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI do feel for women who can't breastfeed. I don't see how they should feel judged if they tried then what els can you do? However I know some women who stopped breastfeeding and pumping when they returned to work and IF this science proves to be sound then maybe it will tip the scale for those women who are thinking "This is just to much of a pain in the @$$"
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis has become a very interesting conversation.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisShould you care to find out, other-than-mother’s-breast feeding has been going on for thousands of years: read the following:
http://www.acif.org/past.html
http://www.babybottle-museum.co.uk/articles.htm
As for breast feeding, this site has some interesting information on the reasons and methods:
http://www.breastfeeding-mom.com/history-of-breastfeeding.html
http://www.breastfeeding-mom.com/wet-nurse.html
http://www.childbirthsolutions.com/articles/postpartum/historybreast/index.php
For a really comprehensive look at breastfeeding, read: Breastfeeding Download Course as Adobe PDF
Going back in time and history, one finds that breast-feeding of infants was not just because the mother herself desired to do this, but because it was “regulated” by law:
In approximately 1800 BC Hammurabi's Code regulated the behavior and the health of wet nurses (a wet nurse is someone who nurses another's baby regularly). In Sparta, Greece, Spartan women were required to nurse their eldest son. This was the child who was expected to inherit the family name.
Having experienced both natural child-birth and breastfeeding with my first child, and pain assisted natural child-birth and bottle feeding with my second child, I can tell you that there were very good reasons for both. Many years have passed since those days, but I still remember breastfeeding as the most incredible of all wonderful physical sensations. The beauty of it is truly beyond words. My grandchildren have also been breastfed: not for any reason other than their mother’s wanted to do it.
Did I feel different about my breastfed child as compared to my bottle fed child? No. Your babe, wrapped in your arms, against your chest, tucked under your chin, its little head cradled in your hand, with all the little movements, smells, sounds, and feel is just as powerful and possessing regardless of the breast or the bottle. Love does not come from the form with which nourishment is given, it comes from every cell of ones body. My babies grew up and became healthy, wonderful caring people who now have almost grown children of their own. And mother love does not cease because ones babies have grown up, it continues on.
My oldest and dearest friend of over sixty years belonged to LLL and breastfed all three of her children until they were two years old. Two are the dearest, sweetest people and best mothers around; the third, and eldest, is not.
Breastfeeding releases oxytocin and prolactin, hormones that relax the mother and make her feel more nurturing toward her baby. Breastfeeding soon after giving birth increases the mother's oxytocin levels, making her uterus contract more quickly and reducing bleeding.
• Dettwyler K; Stuart-Macadam P (1995). Breastfeeding: Biocultural Perspectives. Aldine Transaction. pp. p. 131. ISBN 978-0-202-01192-9.
In the half hour after birth, the baby's suckling reflex is strongest, and the baby is more alert, so it is the ideal time to start breastfeeding.
• Widstrom AM, Wahlberg V, Matthiesen AS, Eneroth P, Uvnas-Moberg K, Werner S, et al. Short-term effects of early suckling and touch of the nipple on maternal behavior. Early Hum Dev 1990; 21:153-63.
Breast milk contains several anti-infective factors such as bile salt stimulated lipase (protecting against amoebic infections), lactoferrin (which binds to iron and inhibits the growth of intestinal bacteria, and immunoglobulin A protecting against microorganisms.
• Kunz C, Rodriguez-Palmero M, Koletzko B, Jensen R (1999). "Nutritional and biochemical properties of human milk, Part I: General aspects, proteins, and carbohydrates". Clin Perinatol 26 (2): 307–33.
• Rodriguez-Palmero M, Koletzko B, Kunz C, Jensen R (1999). "Nutritional and biochemical properties of human milk: II. Lipids, micronutrients, and bioactive factors". Clin Perinatol 26 (2): 335–59.
• Glass RI, Svennerholm AM, Stoll BJ, et al. (1983). "Protection against cholera in breast-fed children by antibodies in breast milk". N. Engl. J. Med. 308 (23): 1389–92.
Despite all the truly wonderful and good things about breastfeeding, breastfeeding is not mothering. And remember, sometimes, the mother needs to be mothered. Think kindly, and act kindly to all mothers: theirs is a long road, and there are many ‘right’ answers.
People commonly bring up "What about those women who could not breastfeed?" Well, biologically speaking, that is a small percentage 2-5%. And since only 12% are exclusively breastfeeding at 6 months, that leaves around 77% of women who could use the information in this study, and in past and future studies to help them. Giving a community and giving women information about what changes might happen to them if moms don't breastfeed cannot be stopped. Women must know. If they don't know, they don't have a real choice.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAnd mothers who are not breastfeeding should not be labeled as not choosing to breastfeed. Most stopped breastfeeding because of pressure from their husbands to stop, pressure from their "friends" to stop, incorrect commands from their doctors to stop and in general, well meaning advice to "help" but that really ends up hurting the breastfeeding relationship. Mothers should surround themselves with other mothers who have breastfed their children. Other advice from people who have not breastfed should be met with a polite, "Ah, that is interesting." and then ignored.
I used to nurse my daughter once she was born, but didnt work out well. She was losing weight! Its like Im giving her water instead! I dont know why. My peditricain got upset with me. Im deaf mother make me feel bad not knowing what have I done wrong. So I quit, and decide to bottle feed her a few days before I went back to work after 6 wks.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis was a correlational study, not an experimental one. The interpretation of data is therefore entirely a matter of theoretical standpoint (Yes, entirely). Sure, an evolutionary psychologist might explain the correlations in this manner, but any theoretically coherent explanation is just as valid. That there was a statistically significant correlation on a group level does not necessarily mean that this effect is clinically significant, or that the efffects are due to the same reasons within the group of subjects. In my opinion, this isn�t very good research.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI would like to see further study on this topic... in my role i see a greater number of Post Natal Depression in bottle feeding mums.... I belieive there is a hormonal link missing in these mums... what would the studies show?? hmm
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisEvolutionary psychology is, has always been and always will be coloured by political speculation and innuendo. In most countries it is not even considered a legitimate branch of psychology because of its heavy reliance on sub-standard research.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAmama, just a small point - the posters (myself include) who mentioned the percent of women physically unable to breastfeed did so because another poster stated that there are "very few reasons" a woman cannot breastfeed for medical reasons - which is untrue. If we took your estimate that between 2 and 5% are physically unable to breastfeed, that's between 1 in 20 and 1 in 50 women. That is hardly rare. To put it in perspective, the rate of autism is 1 in 150.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis study has a number of limitations and is poorly designed, which raises serious questions about its conclusions. Parents should be entitled to accurate information about such health issues.
26 years ago at the age of 33 I had my first (and only) child. She was born at in a hospital at 4:00 PM by natural childbirth and the three of us were home that evening in our own bed. Did I breast feed? You bet! Dear daughter never even had a cold until she was 7 years old. Never needed antibiotics until she was 12. Her IQ is off the charts. I had the advantage of being able to take her to work with me so I was able to breast feed her until she was 2 years old. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. It's much easier and less expensive than going the 'formula' route, and baby is less likely to develop lactose intolerance. I know a lot of this was just the roll of the dice, but my advice; breast is best.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe reason observational (correlation is what occurs in the results, not the type of study) rather than experimental studies are typically used in cases like this is that is would be largely considered unethical to randomly divide mother/infant pairs into two groups, assign one to nurse and one to bottle feed and record the outcomes, especially if there is a chance that bottle feeding could harm both the mother and the child.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisCausation cannot be proven without a true experiment, but unfortunately, ethics preclude many such experiments both in medicine and psychology. (Yes, entirely.)
In this case a statistically significant correlation would be clinically significant. If you saw a statistically significant (positive) correlation between the protein content of a child's diet and his or her growth rate it would be highly unethical to keep one group of children on a low-protein diet. Even if causation was unproven, any sane person would recommend to all parents that children be provided with a high-protein diet.
Finally, once the data is entered into the computer, the other 'reasons' or factors can be adjusted for by comparing multiple groups with similar factors. This is commonly done to adjust for income levels, sex, etc. in observational studies. Without having read the original research, or even a summary of the data, you can't possibly know what 'reasons' might have been ruled out.
Just in case, you should probably submit a resume so that they can get your help designing the next 'correlational' study.
i think many posters are missing the point - this is a study that *supports* women and their experience if they are struggling to breastfeed or were not able to.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisthat said - there are so many more options than have been outlined here, to boost the hormonal messages a woman's body receives, now that we know from this study the effects on a woman's neurochemistry from not breastfeeding.
this study, as far as i know did not delve into the difference between pumping (thereby continuing milk production and the hormones of lactation) and feeding directly at the breast.
i would guess that they are not exactly equal but that pumping to remove milk would help drastically, especially if combined with lots of skin to skin contact with the baby. this would address the concern about a baby with an oral abnormality that prevents suckling, like cleft palate.
also, several posters brought up PCOS, gestational diabetes, and other maternal issues (there are VERY few medications contraindicated for breastfeeding) - but nobody mentioned the option of feeding a baby with supplemental milk or formula, AT the breast, with a nursing supplementer like and SNS or a Lactaid - this could address the issue of *low* milk supply that sometimes goes along with PCOS or other hormonal issues, AND keep the baby suckling at the breast for maximal hormonal boost to mom and her milk supply, as well as maximal benefit to baby.
In addition, if addressed by skilled help *during* pregnancy, the milk supply issues that sometimes arise from PCOS, etc., can often be resolved or dramatically improved.
If breastfeeding is defined as getting all all a baby's nutritional needs met at the breast, with no supplement, then there are more mothers who may indeed struggle to "breastfeed" - if breastfeeding is defined as suckling a baby at the breast, and providing some or all of a baby's food there, with or without a supplementation tube, then very very few mothers would be "unable" to breastfeed.
when i was 15 i was told i could never have children due to severe infections that scarred my uterus, fallopian tubes, and even my cervix that i aquired when i was sexually assaulted. with infertility in mind i had a breast reduction at the age of 17. reducing my bra size from a 38-ii down to a 38-small c.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisimagine my surprise when not only did i get pregnant at the age of 21, but delivered a healthy baby girl at 22. all of the "Lactation consultants" i saw in the hospital i delivered at told me that since i had a breast reduction the ONLY thing i could do was to offer the breast for every feed, then fill her up with formula in the bottle. at the age of 2 months she was fully refusing my breasts as even a source of comfort. my body immediately started grieving and i went into a severe PPD. when my eldest was 9 months old i found the website www.BFAR.org (BFAR meaning breastfeeding after reduction)
i was even more saddened to see that other mothers had successfully nursed their babies with the help of at the breast supplimenters like the Medela SNS and the Lact-Aid system filled with either formula, or donated breastmilk. and i learned that had i recieved the information from LC's at the beginning i too could have had a successfull nursing relationship with my child. i started doing lots and lots of research on human lactation, BFARing, and how to successfully have a BFAR relationship. i found an IBCLC who became a good friend, and who was my number one cheerleader in my quest to BFAR any subsequent babies.
when i had my second child in the safety and comfort of my own home 3 year after my traumatic hospital experience with my first, i was ready and prepared to BFAR my second daughter. she was a voracious nurser, and loved to receive both the small amount of milk i was able to make with the help of herbs like fennugreek and the medicine domperidone, as well as the donated milk from a close and trusted friend, whose son was 9 days older than my daughter, that she received at the breast in the Lact-Aid at the breast supplimenter system. there are VERY few circumstances where a mother truely cannot nurse her baby, but sadly in our society mothers are not supported to breastfeed. their pediatricians tell them they arent making enough, or that their milk isnt good enough, and to put their babies on formula. their husbands pressure them to become the sexual beings they were before children, and act possessive of the mothers breasts, encouraging bottles and formula so the fathers might be able to see their mates as sex objects, etc et.
If loss of breastfeeding causes this grieving can you imagine the harm that women go through when denied touching and controlling birthing baby?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI don't think this research is about judging anyone for their decision or their inability to breastfeed, whatever the circumstances. It is, however, important for us to try to understand all aspects of this very important part of our existence. Any time we interfere with nature, whether by choice or by necessity, it has an effect on everyone. If we decided not to know - to put our heads in the sand - for fear of offending someone, where would we be? I am grateful for all research because it helps us make educated choices when there is a choice to be made. When there is no choice to be made, there is no guilt or fear of judgment because it was not in our control to begin with. There is even no guilt or fear of judgment, in my opinion, when I've made a choice in the past that I may not make now or in the future because I made that choice based on the information and the experience I had at that time. I can't beat myself up for the place I was in at that time. We all grow and learn and change. Please be gentle with yourself and others.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisEveryone keeps asking "what if it isn't a choice?" like this study (or theory, however you want to look at it) is somehow insulting or demeaning. Whether you can or NOT doesn't change the hormones in your body. A woman who chooses not to breastfeed has the same biological reaction as a woman who can't. This study is not out to "get" women who don't breastfeed for any reason, just like studies showing formula is not as healthy as breastmilk are not there to put these women down. It's just fact, plain and simple. Sure, there's a lot more that goes in a woman's brain and body after birth than just hormones, but if there's a statistical significance between bottle-feeding and PPD, it's worth our time to look into it. Information is how we make sound choices. It's not out there to put people down.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI nursed my first but my second is tubefed and was never able to suckle from...anything. She can't even swallow her saliva. And no, it wasn't a choice I made, but it WAS difficult and yes, I felt the loss. Not just the loss of what I thought was a healthy child, but the loss of a nursing relationship. There were times I felt like the child I carried in my womb had died, and was replaced by this other child...someone I was not expecting, who was not able to just be a normal baby and who I had a more difficult time bonding with. A LOT of that had to do with the fact that I couldn't nurse her. So this really explains a lot. I never experienced depression in a general sense. Just feelings of loss and sadness you would expect anyone in my situation to. But I definitely felt it. I was able to pump for 9 1/2 months, although I never did make a normal amount of milk. Does it help to pump SOME? That would be an interesting follow-up study...if pumping for at least a few weeks could help curb PPD in some women who can't or choose not to nurse.
I�m ever so sorry for not knowing what these kinds of studies are called in english, it�s not my native tongue. If a study by design can only result in correlational calculations it is called a correlational study where I live.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSemantics aside, you seem to have missed my point entirely, or maybe you simply know that I�m right. Once again, with feeling: One can not make assumptions about causality based on correlational findings, I�m not saying they should have done an experimental study, because of the reasons that you in such a pleasant tone present. I�m saying that you can not draw these kinds of conclusions from correlation.
Gestational diabetes is not a reason to not breastfeed. In fact nursing helps to control blood sugar. It is a real shame that your sister-in-law was given misinformaiton to use in making such a life enhancing decision.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAnn Twiggs, RD, LD, IBCLC
I agree, sometimes a mother doesn't have a choise, people need to realize that. My baby refused to breastfeed from the beginning. She couldn't stand to be held close & swaddled. Later on she was diasgnosed with Autism, so it makes sence. I'll always wonder "what-if" but I know I did the best I could & that's all there is to it. I wish I could have expressed more milk for her by pumping but I didn't have the money for an expensive pump & I couldn't keep up with her appetite anyway. At least with the formula she was able to get all the nutrients she needed, grow & gain weight & I was able to eat whatever I wanted & take medication when I got sick without worrying about her ingesting it.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"...that give so much pleasure to adult human males"
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhat? I guess the author of the article is still breast feeding....
I'm a breastfeeding, working mom (my son is over two and we are still nursing). I also happen to be a scientist. And this is seriously junk-science. I'm surprised this speculative crap was even publishable. But then again, the journal was Medical Hypotheses--that isn't exactly a big name, high-profile publication.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI have had 4 children - all healthy. Due to work situations, I did not wish to brestfeed. However, since brestfeeding is so in vogue, I had to literally make mooing sounds in the hospital to get the nurses to leave me alone when I said that I did not wish to brestfeed.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI've certainly was never depressed after the birth of my children.
I think humans are a little more complicated than this study would suggest. Remember that in the 1950s and 60s, bottle feeding that was the " medically correct way" to feed a child!
I have had 4 children - all healthy. Due to work situations, I did not wish to brestfeed. However, since brestfeeding is so in vogue, I had to literally make mooing sounds in the hospital to get the nurses to leave me alone when I said that I did not wish to brestfeed.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI've certainly was never depressed after the birth of my children.
I think humans are a little more complicated than this study would suggest. Remember that in the 1950s and 60s, bottle feeding that was the " medically correct way" to feed a child!
For reasons beyond my control I had to pump and bottle-fed both of my children breastmilk. This man's theory is so black and white that at least a third option was not even looked at. From personal experience I can confirm that I share none of this man's theories or conclusions. This theory might have some merit if thought all the way through and studied by professionals.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this@Biochemist: pardon me, but just because you "happen to be a scientist" doesn't make you an expert of this topic. If you're a biochemist, you're hardly qualified to label a psychology study as "junk science" and I fail to see what the particular peer-reviewed journal has to do with the study's basic veracity.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisDespite the fact that natural selection no longer has any effect on humans, I still have hope for our species.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this@c.harvey: I, on the other hand, am a psychologist. If this article presents the study correctly, it is junk-science. I agree that one can not really judge an article by what journal it is published in, but there are a lot of questionable journals out there that don�t havve very high standards. And, as I�ve written in a previous comment, evolutionary psychology is more often than not political viewpoints and speculation.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMothers that feed the cooked, canned cow milk to their babies do miss out as this article illustrates.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHopefully research will continue on this subject.
The study is interesting, but I think that not evaluating that women cannot breast feed (real clinical conditions or just too difficult that it's more depressing or costly keep trying) it's biasing the conclusions: the only reason for not breast feeding is a child dead. Well, thinking in evolutionary terms, there is a scale from 0 to 1 where a woman can breast feed (1) or no at all (0), and a lot of ranges in between. So, if you are alone trying to breast feed, and you can't (or do not want to, or do not try enough) the child will die, not carrying your genes. But I think that there is a lot of literature that supports that women maybe cannot breast feed and sure they decide not to, and other women replace that, and today is the bottle in some societies. So, maybe this is another reason that made humans develop language and other traits like solidarity or group cohesion.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"The newborn baby has only three demands.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThey are warmth in the arms of its mother, food from her breasts,and security in the knowledge of her presence.
Breastfeeding satisfies all three."
Dr. Grantly Dick-Read
I was thinking this was Scientific American, well respected for at least half a century...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI have to say, as a mother, who has buried 5 of her children, I cannot say I fully agree with this article. I am a strong breast feeing mother, believe in child led weaning, but I had to bottle feed one of my children, due to a medical issue. The death of a child took a much different toll on me than bottle feeding, and I believe that articles like this, down play the true grief a mother feels, when she has lost a child.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIf a woman wants to be successful, she needs to find support, before she has the baby. Less than 1 percent of women actually "cannot" breastfeed. This article isn't a judgement, it merely states fact. If someone feels "judged" by it perhaps it is because they feel that said loss, or because they just feel bad because they know they didn't try hard enough. Those who don't feel bad either didn't care in the first place or may actually be in that less than 1 percent.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHere's a shocking statement for those who think that "some" women can not breastfeed....How about allowing the child to suckle for comfort and *not* milk??
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI did not produce enough milk for my child and successfully "breastfed" until he was two. I supplemented with formula, and solid foods, but if ever he needed to be comforted, out came the breasts...
If a woman has at least one breast and a great support group (husband, sister, friends, etc), then she can breastfeed her baby. I have know women who have had a breast removed due to cancer and breastfed their babies. I also know women (sadly, too many) who have both breasts and no support or knowledge on breastfeeding that give up or don't start at all. I personally breastfed my first for 4 years and my second is one year old with no signs of stopping :)
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisG Just were do I start ........ As the mother of a baby who died a couple of days after birth, having to deal with the massive amount of milk I had and then to go on and have another baby who lived and ended up having to be bottle fed I think I am in a reasonable position to comment.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisNot being able to feed my baby because he died was NOTHING like not being able to feed my daughter.
DOES NOT EVEN COME CLOSE! NOTHING ALIKE. Those bf women who think 'its the only way' might like to say not bf would be like that for a mother, but its not.
I would suggest that unless you have had a baby die then you probably don't know what what your talking about.
B
I desperately want to breastfeed but have just been told my child might be born with a cleft lip/palate where this will now prove to be difficult if at all possible. Perhaps some research on how mothers can still bond would be nice.. I hate the thought of having to bottle feed and there was no question in my mind about breastfeeding and now I HAVE to bottle feed.. its awful and SUCKS.. if you have the choice and can, why wouldn't you?? But any advice for my condition woyuld be great. I am incredibly upset by this and feel like I am going to miss out on an important part of this whole process. No one ever talks abotu those of us that truly fall into the category of can't breatsfeed.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisdo you ahve an explanation for cleft lips and cleft palates? i am a doula and never thought twice about breastfeeding.. it was the only option and now my baby might not be able to because he/she has an huge mouth issue that can prevent a good latch and good suction? what kindof help is there out there for us because i have found none other than a crazy looking 'special' bottle... i used to think, there's just no question adn now i am faced with this..
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"the physiological process by which womens breasts revert back to those dormant objects that give so much pleasure to adult human males"
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI just had to say that I thought this comment was unnecessary. Why are they objects, instead of just a normal piece of anatomy? What about the pleasure they give to women themselves? What about non-heterosexual women? I dislike the implied dichotomy that breasts are either lactating or (hetero)sexualized. What about just calling them non-lactating breasts?
I just want to comment on the amount of people who condemn men by stating that we don't support our wives and girlfriends. My wife breastfed our daughter for the first 14-15 months of her life and I wholeheartedly supported it. I didn't view my wife as a "sexual object" because I wanted to get at her breasts. I went to all the lactation classes with my wife, talked to all my pregnant friends about the benefits of breastfeeding and we let our daughter wean herself (she was weaned in one day, she simply stopped asking for it and has never pawed at her mommy's breast or even noticed them after weaning). My older sister is one of those rare cases and hasn't been able to breastfeed either of her two children. At first I took the stance that she wasn't trying but after she showed me all the things she had done to start even I was forced to admit that she couldn't and not from lack of trying. I may be a rare example of a man who cares about his daughter, nieces, nephews, and adult women in his life but I believe there are more of me out there and we should get credit not condemnation from people. I'm also a stay-at-home dad (I got to school online). I love my wife and although our sex life has suffered from the pregnancy (she doesn't often feel in the mood) I still love her and know that marriage doesn't not mean constant sex (remember the cliche joke?) Marriage is about love and not sex (they work together, they are not the same). Our culture claims to be progressive but still holds the same medieval ideology that we claim to be above: men must work, women must stay home, etc. And Liberal women seem to make it worse (they can work outside the home or stay home but men are never given the option: we must work and bring in an income.) Does it really matter who works in the family as long as there's income? I realize I've followed a tangent so will end this thus: there are men who support their others with care and dignity and aren't sex-crazed maniac with no concern for their ability to breastfeed or care for their children.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI find it interesting that the accompanying advertisment with this article is one for a major formula manufacturer. Hmmm.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhat message are we being sent?
For those freaking out about how it's going to be a judgment on bottlefeeding, read the article to completion. It very clearly states that not all women are able to nurse. Stop using your own guilt as a way of denying scientific studies. Not being able to nurse and choosing not to ever nurse are two different things. Not being able to nurse is far more rare than people realize and most of the time, growth spurts and lack of education on the topic are the real reason women THINK they don't have enough milk.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAll that aside, just because you can't nurse, why would you deny the truth from mothers that can? Do their babies deserve to suffer with second best just because you feel attacked?
How do they take into consideration social factors such as the pressure to breastfeed? Depression is a very complex condition that often has aspects related to social expectations. Until evolutionary psychologists account for social discourse--which, btw, they add to--my concern will be how much harm they do.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisall babies have small chins - they were designed to stay out of the way to make latching on easier.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHere is a nice compromise to the whole bottle-feed vs. breast feed debate: www.bottlefeedbreastmilk.com
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThere's nothing judgmental about it. The physiology and neurology of the human body is what it is. Should we keep this type of information secret because some moms might feel bad? Wouldn't it be better if a mom, who for whatever reason, bottle feeds instead of breast feeds had a heads up that this might trigger some sort of grief response so that she can deal with it accordingly?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI have PCOS and both my children had anatomical issues, but we were able to successfully breastfeed for more than a year (more than three for the first, so far 2 1/2 years for the second), so it's not always the case that PCOS or tongue-tie prevent breastfeeding, with the right supports in place.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSome of these comments are hilarious. Not being able to breastfeed is rare? Are you kidding me? The best part of it is, these same women shouting about how rare things like IGT/hypoplasia are, and wanting to just sweep them under the rug, are the same kind of women who refuse to vaccinate because it causes autism, which is far less common than women who cannot exclusively breastfeed. I guess it comes down to whether or not the numbers fit your point of view, eh?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSigned,
A mother who has breast hypoplasia and five children who needed supplemented otherwise they would've starved to death.