Dr. Robert S. Baker

Reviewed by Robert Baker, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Pediatrics and member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Nutrition

"Probably not," says Robert Baker, M.D., a Buffalo-based member of the American Academy of Pediatrics' nutrition committee.

Two reasons, says Robert Baker, M.D., professor of pediatrics at SUNY at Buffalo, N.Y., and a member of the Committee on Nutrition for the American Academy of Pediatrics.

"The reasons women give for not breastfeeding are mostly convenience, convenience and modesty," he says, repeating the first reason, for emphasis."With bottlefeeding, you can pick up a bottle and anyone can do it, anyone can feed the baby."

That's particularly important for working women, he says, who leave their baby in the care of other people for the day.

"Particularly, working mothers find it inconvenient," he says."They have to pump their breast milk, and that gets cumbersome."

Some women cite modesty as another reason."They just don't like to do it," Baker says.
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"Vitamin D in breast milk is extremely low," Baker says.
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"There are other things we worry about, but we don't know if things in the environment affect the baby," says Baker, citing women who eat a high-fish diet and thus ingest mercury as an example.

"There is this potential worry that there might be something out there," he says.

But when analyzing what is known, breastfeeding is better than bottlefeeding.

"It's amazing formula companies do as well as they do," Baker says, pointing out that formula companies have spent years making their product as close to breast milk as possible.

Immune system ingredient

"But there are always things they're missing," he says.
...
Current growth curves are based on babies fed a mixture of breast and bottle, Baker says, noting that breast-fed babies tend to be heavier in the first six months of life, but bottle-fed babies are heavier in the second sixth months.

One concern all mothers have is getting their baby to understand the notion that nighttime is for sleep, preferably uninterrupted sleep.Breast-fed babies tend to quiet more easily, Baker says.

"When my children were small, I would get them and bring them to my wife in bed, and she would breastfeed them and she was barely awake," he says, adding that was much easier than getting up and warming a bottle.But he also realizes that for a woman without a supportive partner, the situation might not have been the same.

When to stop

For women who do choose to breastfeed, they still have to make yet another decision: How long should they breastfeed?

"There is an argument about that," Baker says.Most medical professionals recommend breast milk for the first year, but the question becomes how long should one exclusively feed breast milk.When should you introduce a complementary food, such as cereal?

"I would be flexible about it; it's about 4 to 6 months, preferably closer to 6 months," Baker says."Some kids just aren't going to make it past 4 months.But by 6 months all babies should be on complementary feeding."

Too often, women find themselves back in the workforce in just six or eight weeks after having had the baby, and trying to breastfeed and meet a deadline or make a meeting all on little sleep is a challenge to say the least.

"I'm a strong supporter of breastfeeding," Baker says."It's better for the baby and for the mother.

Dr. Robert S. Baker (Liaison), American Academy of Pediatrics,

There are some differences, notes Robert Baker, MD, co-chief of gastroenterology and nutrition at the Children's Hospital of Buffalo and a member of the AAP's committee on nutrition, but the generic formulas are definitely adequate.That's because all formulas sold in the U.S. must comply with minimum health standards set by the FDA.However, unlike brand-name formulas, store brands aren't continually tinkering with their recipes--adding extra ingredients, for example, or making changes to the protein makeup or the ratio of one nutrient to another.And this tweaking, which aims to make formula more like breast milk, may add benefits in terms of baby's growth and development.

"But none of the evidence definitively states that the newer formulas are better," says Dr. Baker.So if parents are trying to save money, they can consider using the store brands.

3. I'm switching to a low-iron formula because my baby is constipated.Is that a good idea?

No. Iron deficiency is the number one nutritional deficiency in the country and the most frequent cause of anemia, a serious health condition for a child, so it's important that a baby get enough of this mineral.
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"The jury is still out," says Dr. Baker."I'm not convinced yet that full-term babies will benefit from DHA formula."

Two reasons, says Robert Baker, M.D., professor of pediatrics at SUNY at Buffalo, N.Y., and a member of the Committee on Nutrition for the American Academy of Pediatrics.

"The reasons women give for not breastfeeding are mostly convenience, convenience and modesty," he says, repeating the first reason, for emphasis."With bottlefeeding, you can pick up a bottle and anyone can do it, anyone can feed the baby."

That's particularly important for working women, he says, who leave their baby in the care of other people for the day.

"Particularly, working mothers find it inconvenient," he says."They have to pump their breast milk, and that gets cumbersome."

Some women cite modesty as another reason."They just don't like to do it," Baker says.
...
"Vitamin D in breast milk is extremely low," Baker says.
...
"There are other things we worry about, but we don't know if things in the environment affect the baby," says Baker, citing women who eat a high-fish diet and thus ingest mercury as an example.

"There is this potential worry that there might be something out there," he says.

But when analyzing what is known, breastfeeding is better than bottlefeeding.

"It's amazing formula companies do as well as they do," Baker says, pointing out that formula companies have spent years making their product as close to breast milk as possible.

Immune system ingredient

"But there are always things they're missing," he says.
...
Current growth curves are based on babies fed a mixture of breast and bottle, Baker says, noting that breast-fed babies tend to be heavier in the first six months of life, but bottle-fed babies are heavier in the second sixth months.

One concern all mothers have is getting their baby to understand the notion that nighttime is for sleep, preferably uninterrupted sleep.Breast-fed babies tend to quiet more easily, Baker says.

"When my children were small, I would get them and bring them to my wife in bed, and she would breastfeed them and she was barely awake," he says, adding that was much easier than getting up and warming a bottle.But he also realizes that for a woman without a supportive partner, the situation might not have been the same.

When to stop

For women who do choose to breastfeed, they still have to make yet another decision: How long should they breastfeed?

"There is an argument about that," Baker says.Most medical professionals recommend breast milk for the first year, but the question becomes how long should one exclusively feed breast milk.When should you introduce a complementary food, such as cereal?

"I would be flexible about it; it's about 4 to 6 months, preferably closer to 6 months," Baker says."Some kids just aren't going to make it past 4 months.But by 6 months all babies should be on complementary feeding."

Too often, women find themselves back in the workforce in just six or eight weeks after having had the baby, and trying to breastfeed and meet a deadline or make a meeting all on little sleep is a challenge to say the least.

"I'm a strong supporter of breastfeeding," Baker says."It's better for the baby and for the mother.