RIP, Scott Wesley Buchholz Sanchez, murdered by his mother, who was suffering from postpartum depression, schizophrenia, and the chaos of being partnered with someone also suffering from schizophrenia. In the weeks after giving birth, it seems she succumbed to pressure to breastfeed, which meant going off her meds.
I doubt Sanchez's mother was a "killer mom," though this is the media meme. In fact she sounds like a mother who really wanted to do the right thing for her baby. She was under a lot of pressure, due to circumstances and illness. She may have been overly trusting, or confused, or desperate. And she got some bad advice.
Breastfeeding might be the right choice for some mothers and babies, depending on the mother, the baby, and the circumstances. But it is not the only way to feed a baby. I don't think I'm going too far out on a limb to suggest that it was not the right choice for Otty and Scott Sanchez.
One line from the article really stuck out: "When in doubt, many [doctors] are reluctant to prescribe drugs, especially ones considered optional, like antidepressants, to pregnant or nursing women."
This woman suffered from psychosis! How about formula-feeding while keeping her on her meds?
Substitute "chemotherapy" for "antidepressants" in that quote and there's the crux of the problem. Since when is treatment for mental illness optional?
Showing posts with label breastfeeding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label breastfeeding. Show all posts
4.10.06
For Some Reason, Maternal Intelligence Was Not Considered
For a while I've been skeptical of the magic elixir theory of breastfeeding -- the idea that, if only you pump enough breastmilk into your baby, you will secure superior health, longevity, and especially intelligence for your child.
Now a recent, large study has concluded that ingestion of breastmilk has no effect on a kid's IQ.
What matters is the mother's background, education, and social class. Strangely, earlier studies linking IQ to feeding method failed to take these things into consideration.
From the article:
Breastfed babies are smarter because their mums are clever - not because mother's milk boosts brain power, according to new research.
Scientists say many previous studies claiming breastfed babies are brighter than bottle-fed counterparts have failed to consider one important factor - maternal intelligence.
They found mothers who breastfed tended to be more intelligent, more highly educated and to provide a more stimulating home environment.
And when they compared siblings where one had been breastfed and the other not there was no difference in their respective IQs - showing the key to brainbox children is the mum and not the milk.
In the largest study of its kind researchers looked at 5,475 children in the US - and their mothers - and found omitting mothers' intelligence can "seriously over-estimate the effects of breastfeeding."
The researchers from the Medical Research Council Social and Public Health Sciences Unit in Glasgow and the University of Edinburgh said their findings showed when considered in isolation breastfeeding did appear to have a beneficial effect on a child's intelligence.
But once other factors were considered – including maternal intelligence, home environment and socio-economic status - breastfeeding made less than half a point difference to children's intelligence scores.
Now a recent, large study has concluded that ingestion of breastmilk has no effect on a kid's IQ.
What matters is the mother's background, education, and social class. Strangely, earlier studies linking IQ to feeding method failed to take these things into consideration.
From the article:
Breastfed babies are smarter because their mums are clever - not because mother's milk boosts brain power, according to new research.
Scientists say many previous studies claiming breastfed babies are brighter than bottle-fed counterparts have failed to consider one important factor - maternal intelligence.
They found mothers who breastfed tended to be more intelligent, more highly educated and to provide a more stimulating home environment.
And when they compared siblings where one had been breastfed and the other not there was no difference in their respective IQs - showing the key to brainbox children is the mum and not the milk.
In the largest study of its kind researchers looked at 5,475 children in the US - and their mothers - and found omitting mothers' intelligence can "seriously over-estimate the effects of breastfeeding."
The researchers from the Medical Research Council Social and Public Health Sciences Unit in Glasgow and the University of Edinburgh said their findings showed when considered in isolation breastfeeding did appear to have a beneficial effect on a child's intelligence.
But once other factors were considered – including maternal intelligence, home environment and socio-economic status - breastfeeding made less than half a point difference to children's intelligence scores.
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