COMMENTS
P's temperament has been INTENSE from about 3 weeks on. She has never received formula so I really don't know what to think regarding temperament and breast milk. This article states that breastmilk "sends a reliable signal to infants about their environment"....maybe this means that the breastmilk peeved her? Ha...I doubt that. Her world certainly wasn't chaotic by any means.....hmmmm....who knows. I know plenty of other breastfed babies that are extremely chill and she's just the opposite!!!
It would make sense though that "Rhesus monkeys that weigh more and have had previous pregnancies produce higher quantities and richer breastmilk." Very cool findings.
What they were seeing was a cautiousness among the babies that got less quantity and richness of breastmilk-- just the opposite of P! She's a super star.
My daughter is very calm, laid back and easy going. She is the easiest baby at her pre-school and can easily come to work with me and entertain herself. She is inquisitive, cautious and adapts easily to any situation. At a year now she is still breastfeeding in addition to all her food. I don't know if breast milk has affected her temperament, but I do feel it has kept her healthier than those I know who have formula fed their babies.
I can absolutely see a difference in my children, though a big part of it is probably that one is a boy, the other is a girl. I only breastfed my son for about 2 months, because I had such a low supply and was so devastated, I just gave up and then wound up with severe postpartum depression. My milk production didn't improve at all with my daughter, either, but I continued to breastfeed with supplementation until she was almost 9 months (I got my period back at about 5 months postpartum, and it made my supply even worse and I struggled the entire month just to get it back, only to lose it again. She started losing weight, and I'm sure the stress of
that didn't help my supply either.) I avoided PPD the second time around, and I think that was largely due to that fact that I breastfed longer. Anyway, my daughter has been the easiest baby on the planet, even after we weaned. She's still very easy, at 14 months. The only times she's cranky at ALL is if she's sick or teething. She didn't have a sick baby visit to her pediatrician at all her first year of life and she's incredibly smart. Not to say my son isn't smart, because he's also very smart. But my daughter has hit milestone months earlier than he did, in most cases. Of course, my son and I have a bond, but he's 5 now, so he's not as cuddly. My daughter is a lot more cuddly than he was as a baby, though. WOW! What a long comment.
My son got both breast milk and formula right from the start. He was the most incredibly laid back baby you could have possibly met. Now that he's a toddler he is bright, cheery, very intelligent and still extremely laid back. He certainly isn't cautious either!!
If this study is right, had he not gotten the formula he probably would have been one big chilled out lump. (I kid :o) )
As a side note, I find it very interesting that a previous poster mentioned that breastfeeding longer helped to prevent PPD with her second child. My story is the opposite in that I breastfed Milo for 9 months and all but single handedly attribute my severe PPD to not knowing when I had reached my limit with our breastfeeding struggles.
It's so amazing how many different stories and experiences we all have!
My first child was exclusively breastfed and was extremely attached yet very laid back. I could take a toy from her or redirect her with no issues.
My second daughter was exclusively breastfed as well, and good lord, don't take anything from her or make her mad at all....she's LOUD and SCREAMS like I'm abusing her if I take one little thing from her...and forget about redirecting her, she'll fight to the end.
So no, I don't link breastfeeding to their temperament. I link genes.
Lol!
I'd like to add a response to the second question of did my milk supply increase with the second child. ABSOLUTELY, it did! I had a ton more milk with my second. But that is extremely the norm.
I have a 22 month old daughter Bella that I am still nursing. I nursed her exclusively for 9 months before introducing any food. She is definitely the most healthy child of all her friends and has only been sick 3 times in her life. As far as temperament, she is definitely not laid back. Actually the opposite. She has been intense since she was born. She had colic for 7 months and was screaming every waking moment. She still is a terrible sleeper but one thing I can say about her is she is very confident and outgoing. She loves people and is not afraid to be in crowds. She frequently checks in with me, which is normal, and will go off and play when others are around. At home she is more clingy and can't play independently for more then 3 minutes, but in public she is more outgoing and confident then most other kids I have seen. I think breastfeeding has given us a tremendous bond that we may not have had otherwise!