Written by Sindhuja Prabhu
Milk is the first food for a human being. In the initial months after birth, a baby gets all its nutrition solely from milk. While the entire world, including doctors and midwives, recommends only breast milk, is formula milk even an option? While many companies specialize in formula milk for even newborn babies, why is it not recommended? Come, let’s dig deeper into this topic to understand our options better.
It is universally recommended to exclusively breastfeed your baby until they are 6 months old. Once you introduce solid foods, you need to continue breastfeeding preferably until they are a year old. Opt for formula milk if and only if the doctor asks you to or after getting a “go-ahead” from the doctor.
In This Article
Breast milk is the most naturally occurring food for a newborn baby. The mother’s body prepares to feed the baby immediately after birth.
Formula milk on the other hand, though artificially manufactured, has been done so after a lot of research and innovation. The formula milk is made from different sources (cow/goat/soy) to suit the needs of a baby. Read here to know different types of formula milk available for the baby.
There is not much difference between the growth of a formula-fed and a breastfed baby. Since breast milk supply takes some time to stabilize, a baby might get more or less based on the mother’s body. This is not an issue for formula-fed babies. This might make formula-fed babies seem to grow at a different rate than breastfed babies.
After the 6 months mark, when solid and semi-solid foods are introduced to the baby, the growth depends on how well they eat and absorb nutrients from different food items.
Breast milk is known as liquid gold as it contains all required nutrients for the baby – in the exact right proportions as required by the baby’s body. The milk consistency and nutrient contents change as the baby grows.
Formula milk is designed to meet the nutrient needs of a growing baby. This is why you find formulas categorized based on the age of the child. Though it contains all required nutrients, it is not customized to each baby’s needs. It is made based on a general study and may not be the right fit for all babies. Sometimes mothers have to try more than one or two brands of formula before they can finalize the right one for their baby.
Some of the advantages breast milk has over formula milk are:
If a mother is unable to exclusively breastfeed a baby, she can opt to use both breast milk and formula milk for her baby. However, a sudden change from breastfeeding to bottle-feeding can confuse the infant. This is where paced bottle feeding technique can help and ensure that the baby is getting a proper feed. But why would a mother need to switch to formula feeding? Here are the possible reasons:
No matter what the reason, if you decide to switch between breast milk and formula milk for your baby, keep the following tips in mind:
As a mother, do what you feel is best for your baby. You need to consult your doctor and get their approval before you decide to switch to formula feed (either partially or completely). You don’t need anyone else’s permission to do what is best for you and your family.
However, remember, breast milk is extremely important and beneficial to a baby, but if in case, you are unable to breastfeed your baby due to various reasons, it is perfectly fine to formula feed!
Yes, as long as you consult your pediatrician and you follow the instructions to the T.
Formula milk is known to have more fat content. However, the weight gain solely depends on the body structure of the baby. A breastfed baby can be chubbier than a baby who has been on formula since day 1.
Doctors recommend a minimum of 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding, after which you should introduce the baby to other foods. After that, it is completely up to the mother to decide when to end the breastfeeding journey.
Sindhuja, a mother of two, is an obsessive mom with a keen interest in psychology, especially child psychology. Her quest for knowledge and way with words led her to become a passionate content writer. She transformed her love for writing into a full-fledged career which incidentally also turned up being the perfect stress buster for the last 5 years.Read more.
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