Do you feed your baby anything besides breast milk? Does it contain soy or soy protein isolate (SPI)? The isoflavones in these soy milk substitutes are a serious cause for concern. Approximately 25% of bottle-fed infants in the United States receive soy-based formula.
Soy milk replacer feeding began in the 1970s. In 1998, researchers reported that infants’ daily exposure to isoflavones in soy infant formula is six to eleven times higher on a body weight basis than the dose that has hormonal effects in adults who consume soy foods. Circulating concentrations of isoflavones in infants fed soy-based formula were 13,000 to 22,000 times higher than plasma concentrations of estradiol in infants fed cow’s milk formula.
Would you give your baby birth control pills? One researcher estimated that a baby fed exclusively on soy formula receives the estrogenic equivalent (based on body weight) of at least five birth control pills per day. Almost no phytoestrogens have been detected in dairy-based infant formulas or human milk, even when the mother consumes soy products. So what does this do to our children? Read the list below and be concerned if your child shows any of these signs and symptoms.
In children, soy anecdotes have included:
asthma
o Changes in sexual orientation patterns (influenced by early hormonal environment)
o Extreme emotional behavior
o Immune system problems
o Impaired spatial perception
or childhood leukemia
Irritable Colon
o Learning difficulties, especially in boys
or pituitary insufficiency
o Prematurity: Baby boys experience a “testosterone surge” during the first few months of life, where testosterone levels can be as high as those of an adult male.
o Thyroid disorders
o Visual discrimination tasks required for reading
Can’t have dairy? There are options. Other combinations of formulas that may take a little longer for your baby include carrot juice, oat milk, almond milk, goat’s milk, and rice mixes.
If the mother has large breasts, it also helps to use a breast pump, complete the milking process, and combine all three milk fractions. If the baby only receives the first fraction, which is more watery and has less protein, it causes gas. Also, if the mother eats a lot of raw fruits and vegetables, she will have a lot of milk and the milk will be healthier for the baby. I have personally seen a midwife adopt a newborn baby, take milk-producing herbs, and nurse the baby herself for a year using her own breasts. Herbs can be very powerful when you know which ones to use.
Other purists recommend raw, unpasteurized milk, saying that the baby will not be allergic to it since the milk proteins have not been modified by the pasteurization process or by the use of microwave ovens. You will have to make your own decisions and choices with this (know your source!) as this type of milk is difficult to obtain and can be contaminated with Salmonella bacteria if not handled and processed properly. There is nothing wrong with visiting the farm and taking a look at their cleaning habits and the rooms where they process the milk.
The new Ultra Pasteurized Milks and products that have been heated in microwaves are another totally different topic. Ultra-pasteurized milk has been implicated in Crohn’s disease and the body cannot process some or most of the proteins that have been microwaved. Heat any milk substitute over a burner to be safe. Nor do I advocate either of these options. But, that is for another day.
