Fed Is Best Unveils: The Unintended Harms of the "Breast Is Best" Message in Their Eye-Opening, New Book!! + Join Us LIVE!!!
- Jessica
- Jun 28, 2024
- 5 min read
The Fed Is Best Foundation wrote one of the most comprehensive infant feeding books that I have ever read and it was publicly launched this week!! They provide accurate and detailed information for breastfeeding, combination feeding, and formula feeding- all in one book!! They have included resources, charts, sample schedules, and beyond for every feeding journey! It truly is one of the most complete infant feeding references I've ever seen!
+ They look at the shocking truth of infant feeding history and how we got to where we are today..
And when I say it is shocking and eye-opening... well, I truly mean that!
I want to touch on a few REALLY shocking things that all parents should truly know! The book was released on June 25 & is available online and in select stores!! Click the link below to learn more about the book, the authors, and order from their website!
.
&& SAVE THE DATE!!
I'll be chatting LIVE with The Fed Is Best Foundation
and talking all about their book and this mind-boggling information!!
Tuesday, July 2
1:00pm EST.
Most Shocking Truth #1: The World Health Organization's '10 Steps To Successful Breastfeeding' ... don't actually lead to successful breastfeeding. & in some cases, simply cause more harm than good...
This is by far the most shocking, painful, and crazy fact to me, The 10 Steps To Successful Breastfeeding that have been endorsed by the WHO for over 30 years, have little evidence to support these recommendations. In fact, out of 10 steps, it was found that only 2.5 ACTUALLY help towards successful breastfeeding. TWO POINT FIVE. I think we can all agree that if a teacher gave a 10 question quiz, and you only got 2.5 correct... well, you'd fail. 25%. .....
Not only that, but evidence has shown that some of these '10 steps' are actually more harmful than beneficial in breastfeeding. & some of these recommendations could be potentially harmful to baby!
So what are the 2.5 helpful steps & what are the non-helpful steps?
Shown to be beneficial in successful breastfeeding:
Skin-to-skin! The caveat with this - we are often told that this is beneficial within the first hour, which is true! But it is also essentially as beneficial within the first 23 hours in general! Don't stress if you miss that 1 hour mark... cause, yeah, there is still time!
Teaching parents about and how to breastfeed. I mean, duh, lol
&& the point five? - don't give baby plain water. Because newborns do not need water, whether they are breastfed or formula fed.... so...
Early breastfeeding inititiation within the first hour (provided that mom & baby are medically stable), also showed improved EBF rates by almost 25% at the 1 month when compared to bf initiation after 24 hours. But whether breastfeeding was initiated at hour 1, hour 10, or hour 26, it will likely, hardly make a difference at the 3 month mark (initiated before 23 hours = 5% ; after 24 hours = 6%)
Shown to be least beneficial & possibly even harmful?
Avoidance of pacifiers - this has 0 evidence that shows benefit and in fact, could be considered more of a risk as pacifiers are associated with a decreased risk of SIDS. This recommendation was actually dropped in 2017 due to lack of evidence supporting it.
Rooming in 24/7 - this 'step' shows high bf rates early on, such as 4 days in, however does not show evidence at the 3 or 6 month marks of 'successful breastfeeding'. Not giving new parents a chance to recover, especially after a long or traumatic birth, is again, not setting up for success. Of course it is of benefit for baby to be with parents as much as possible in those early hours and days, but the pros and cons need to be assessed. For many parents, these few days in the hospital may be some of the only opportunities to have help and support available. Discouraging the use of nursery care can le ad to over exhaustion for new parents which can result in more accidents, falls, and even accidental suffocation. There is no evidence to say that 'if baby leaves mom's side for a few hours, everything is ruined!'. Take advantage of the nursery if you feel comfortable!
Avoiding supplementation - this is one recommendation that is potentially very harmful to baby AND the breastfeeding journey. In fact, early supplementation such as when waiting for milk to come in fully has shown either no significant impact on breastfeeding rates or it has shown to IMPROVE breastfeeding rates at the 1 and 3 month marks. This was the LEAST EFFECTIVE recommendation according to the true evidence when it comes to "successful breastfeeding". AND - if supplementation is truly needed yet not provided, this can lead to serious and even deadly medical complications for baby (ya'll, please read this book - it's important!!)
Like, HOW can this be the standard of care for so many... yet the research and evidence don't entirely support the recommendations provided?!
This book is JAW DROPPING in many ways, especially if you grew up, and lived in the 'exclusive-breastfeeding' era like I have.
5 More Crazy Facts & Topics:
How 'common' delayed milk can be! (delayed lactogenesis II) - we are made to believe that "all women can breastfeed, its the biological norm!" -- This has always been a strange 'argument' because I don't know of any human organ that UNANIMOUSLY works without flaw across the entire globe... but, Fed Is Best shows us how common this actually is & what it can mean!!!
The history of infant feeding in general is convoluted... and neither "side" is without "blame". (my words, not Fed Is Best)
Many signs and symptoms of inadequate feeding have been normalized and the thresholds are debatable - these weren't always so common (looking at you, jaundice)
"What did moms do before formula?" - well, let me tell ya! If mom had low supply or trouble breastfeeding, they would often 1) use another mom either actively nursing or to supplement breastmilk, 2) gave sugar water or something similar to bridge the gap until milk came in, 3) experienced poor outcomes with baby... the concerns that many face today are not entirely new. The status and safety of formula have evolved though over time!
Diaper counts in the first 24, 48, 72 hours.... (wet & dirty)...
Order your copy of Fed Is Best through my Amazon Shop!!
+ check out some of my favorite feeding tools and products!!
*Note: I do receive commissions on any and all products ordered through Baby Food & Fun Amazon Shop.
All commissions earnings are paid from Amazon directly and do not negatively impact the seller!
The real question I have though...
When is enough, enough?
Since the formula shortage has unfortunately continued on + we can clearly see how important total infant feeding education is, check out a resource I made-
I've updated my infant formula comparables guide which categorizes each formula based on nutrient breakdown and other special features! It also has common terms to know when it comes to formula feeding!
Get your FREE guide here!!
❤❤
Thank you for your support and love in this space! It means more to me than you will ever know.
I truly enjoy sharing this information and I hope you find the information provided valuable. If you do find this information helpful, I kindly ask that you consider sharing - via social media, word of mouth, email, etc. I would love to help support as many out there as I can! <3
Want to make sure you don't miss out on important and valuable information like this?! Hit that link/button below and fill out the quick form! You'll get an email notice when new and important Blog topics are posted + you'll get a copy of my FREE monthly newsletter!!
Fill Out This Quick Form to Get All The Info, Updates, and Fun!! Don't Miss Out!!
Thank you again for giving Baby Food & Fun, LLC a place to grow and flourish, just like our kids :)
Jessica Enderle, R.D., L.D.
Product Title
16 px collapsible text is perfect for longer content like paragraphs and descriptions. It’s a great way to give people more information while keeping your layout clean. Link your text to anything, including an external website or a different page. You can set your text box to expand and collapse when people click, so they can read more or less info.
$320
Product Title
16 px collapsible text is perfect for longer content like paragraphs and descriptions. It’s a great way to give people more information while keeping your layout clean. Link your text to anything, including an external website or a different page. You can set your text box to expand and collapse when people click, so they can read more or less info.
$900
Product Title
16 px collapsible text is perfect for longer content like paragraphs and descriptions. It’s a great way to give people more information while keeping your layout clean. Link your text to anything, including an external website or a different page. You can set your text box to expand and collapse when people click, so they can read more or less info.
$560
Product Title
16 px collapsible text is perfect for longer content like paragraphs and descriptions. It’s a great way to give people more information while keeping your layout clean. Link your text to anything, including an external website or a different page. You can set your text box to expand and collapse when people click, so they can read more or less info.
$280
Comments