Question 1
Despite the recommendations suggested by several authorities regarding early infant feeding practices, why might the prevalence of early weaning and early introduction of unmodified cow’s milk remain high?
posted by Anna @ 8:10 AM
14 comments
14 Comments:
A couple of reasons that the prevalence of early weaning and early introduction of cow's milk remains high could be due to lack of education, convenience of weaning, and influence of family parenting traditions. For example, it's much easier for a parent to feed his/her child cow's milk than to prepare a separate formula for the child, just as it is much more convenient for a parent to feed his/her child table food that the rest of the family is eating rather than to prepare separate baby foods. If the parents are uneducated on the consequences of early weaning/early introduction of cow's milk, then convenient feeding methods will continue to prevail. Additionally, despite what new scientific research suggests, parents are often given advice from their own parents regarding feeding their new babies. New parents, especially if uneducated, are likely to listen to/believe in child-rearing methods passed down for generations because there is living proof that the old-school family methods yielded perfectly fine adults.
There are a couple of reasons early introduction might take place. To me, the main one being that cow's milk is much cheaper than formula. Formula is extremely expensive, especially for mothers with a low SES. If mothers do not breastfeed, or only breastfeed for a short amount of time, consistently buying formula can be a large burden. It is much easier to buy a gallon of milk than it is to buy a $20 jar of formula. Another reason, like Jenn mentioned, is being uneducated and listening to friends or family advice instead of professional advice. Families are our number one influence. For a young mother who is just a child herself, she will look to her own mother for advice. If her mother used cow milk, most likely the young mom will also. Early introduction of weaning and cow's milk go hand in hand with lack of breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is the most nutritious way to feed a child, yet it is not the way the majority of women in America feed their babies. If we could get mothers to breastfeed there would be no need for cow's milk. It comes back to further education for the new moms.
I think one reason that the prevalence of this remains high is due to economic factors, especially low income. I have found through working at my WIC rotation that when the formula provided by WIC runs out for the month, many parents give their baby milk because they can't afford to buy another can of formula. That being said, some that are stating they can't afford the formula cans will describe the outragous amounts of money they are spending on Christmas. So I think that priorities are, many times, very off with lower income/lower educational level groups. I also think that the prevalence of weaning and early introduction of unmodified cow's milk remains high because of family and cultural influences. When "grandma" is around saying how all 6 of her children drank cow's milk from 6 months old and they turned out fine, that may be enough to convince "mom" that her baby will be fine too. Infant feeding takes time, and some parents may wean early in hopes of reducing their time spent feeding the infant too.
I will always be of the belief that economics and old habits will get in the way of good health practices. With a failing economy families are having to do the best they can to provide their children with food. If they are unable to breastfeed and run out of formula, they may be of the impression that cows milk is the next best thing. In addition to the economy, some individuals may have had parents or grandparents tell them that is what they used to do. Sometimes it is easier for families to listen to what generations before them have done instead of what research believes is best.
As gathered from this month's research article, there are many reasons why the prevalence of early weaning and early introduction of cow's milk remains high. As several of you have mentioned, education and money certainly influence the choices that mothers make regarding infant feeding practices. Family and cultural influences may also play a large role, especially among teenage mothers. For those of you have not yet responded, what are some other reasons as to why early weaning continues to exist.
I think that many times, early weaning and introduction of inappropriate foods is because of lack of education. Many mothers do not know the appropriate times to indtroduce new foods or the health problems that can occur because of an early introduction to certain foods. Often times, a new mother learns from her mother, who learned from her mother, so if education was lacking through the generations, it is likely to be passed on. In addition, many mothers are ready to stop breast feeding and introduce less expensive and more easily accessible foods to their children. So, this could also cause early weaning.
Shelby-
I agree that old habits can definitely get in the way of good health. Without behavior changes, not only for ourselves, but also for our children, poor nutrition choices will most likely result for generations to come.
I think the biggest reason is probably economics and that more women formula feed instead of breastfeed. They start out using formula, but eventually they don't think the cost outweighs the benefits of using formula vs milk and switch. If formula was able to be more affordable, the prevalence might not be as high.
Steph N --
That's an interesting point about the Christmas gifts. I agree that priorities are often skewed, probably because they also don't realize that milk can be harmful so its seems like a no-brainer to save money and switch to regular milk.
Rachel- Like you said, economics are definitely the biggest factor here. For women who for some reason cannot breastfeed, affordable formula would be the solution. However, I don't think lowering formula prices will delay early weening but instead lead more women away from breastfeeding. Even though breastfeeding is the healthiest option, women still choose formula. Lowering prices will just encourage this further.
I think that one of the reasons that women start weaning early is that they feel it is a burden to take breaks at work. They may also feel uncomfortable feeding their babies in the community setting because it is often not accepted or supported by society. In addition, the information available to new mothers is often inconsistent, and women may become frustrated and confused because they aren’t sure which information they should trust.
I totally agree with Nicole - I think she's hit the nail on the head, actually - women who wean early have other things to do, like go back to work! This can be looked at as fortunate (in that they have a job!) or unfortunate (in that they are unable to stay at home to care for their newborn), but it is the reality. And it is definitely true that pumping while at work is a pain - there is never a designated, private spot provided, one's need to take regular breaks is always questioned (would you want to be required to explain that you have to be late to lunch or the meeting because you are pumping your breasts?...others always want to know what it is you are doing and why?) No wonder so many women choose to hang up breastfeeding early!
Anna,
This is a really interesting discussion for me - probably because I've already been through it. One of the things I find fascinating here is the assumption that when a baby is weaned early, they would be switched over directly to cow's milk. When I weaned NIcholas (at about 6 months) it was over to formula, not cow's milk. At that time, the thought was that this was still a bit too early for cow's milk so formula for a brief time was OK. I still think this makes sense. The jump from breast milk straight to cow's milk seems so harsh.
Allison, I appreciate your feedback. I knew very little about this subject matter and so was rather fascinated by the article.
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