Congratulations on your new pregnancy and your interest in making informed decisions about feeding your baby. Breastfeeding is what nature intended for infants and is your baby's perfect first food and immunization against many diseases. There are many risks associated with feeding artificial infant formulas that have been very well documented over many years of research. When compared to breastfed babies, formula fed babies have higher rates of many illnesses. Infants who are fed formula also have a diminished protective response to the many vaccinations they receive and produce less antibodies against disease.
Babies tend to suck differently from the breast than from bottles.
This is thought to impact the way the jaw develops and may be the reason more bottle fed babies need orthodontic care and are slower to develop clear speech patterns. Formula feeding presents risks for mother as well. Women who formula feed have a higher risk of premenopausal breast cancer and ovarian cancer as compared to breastfeeding women. You should not rely on this information as a substitute for personal medical attention, diagnosis or hands-on treatment. If you are concerned about your health or that of a child's, please consult your family's health care provider immediately and do not wait for a response from our professionals.