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A random study at UC San Francisco, forthcoming in the journal Pediatrics, has found that giving babies small amounts of formula in the first few days following birth can actually increase the duration of breastfeeding.
"Based on our findings, clinicians may wish to consider recommending the temporary use of small amounts of formula to new moms whose babies are experiencing significant early weight loss," said lead author Valerie Flaherman, MD, MPH, an assistant professor of pediatrics and epidemiology and biostatistics at UCSF and a pediatrician at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital in an article in Science Daily.
Although using formula has the potential to be "slippery slope" as far as breastfeeding is concerned, the research suggests that modest amounts won't necessarily discourage a baby from taking the breast. And ELF, claims Flaherman, "alleviates some of the stress new mothers feel about producing enough milk."
In other words: a quick fix that rather than curtailing breastfeeding, can actually lead to sustained breastfeeding for at least the first six months recommended by The American Academy of Pediatrics.
The idea is that mom can relax, and even if her baby is losing weight during the first couple days while her milk comes in, she can still provide colostrum, rich in concentrations of nutrients and antibodies, rather than give up nursing altogether.
Though small, the study of 40 full-term newborns had lost more than 5 percent of their birth weight. Those ELF babies were fed one-third of an ounce of infant formula by syringe (to avoid nipple confusion) following each breastfeeding session. The ELF babies stopped taking formula as soon as their mothers began producing "mature milk, approximately two to five days after birth."
One week in, all babies studied were still being breastfed, and three months later, 79 per cent of the ELF babies were still nursing, compared with 42 per cent of those who did not receive early limited formula.
Obviously a larger study is needed, and the intake of formula has to be strictly controlled in the days following birth, but ELF may provide a welcome solution for moms struggling to nurse.
Did you successfully combine breastfeeding and formula feeding? Do tell.