Jessica Wilson was curious about the benefits of feeding her baby breastmilk – so she decided to put hers to the test. But after she posted the results to Facebook, it sparked a heated debate.
A biology student by day, she soaked four small assay discs in her expressed breast milk and four in an unnamed brand of formula, and placed them into separate petri dishes containing the same strand of bacteria. After 24 hours, she analysed how each liquid had performed.
“As you can see the clear circles around the disks is where the breast milk has fought off the bacteria and nearly cleared the plate,” she captioned a side-by-side shot of the dishes.
“The formula, on the other hand, has had no effect and the bacteria has completely overrun the plate, even moving the disks.”
According to Wilson, this proves “boobs are magical” and “breast really is best.”
“Be proud of what you are giving your babies,” she added.
Her post has since been shared over 12,000 times, with many parents praising her for sharing her knowledge.
“Perfect example to give health education to pregnant and post-natal women,” one mum wrote.
But others were outraged, quickly calling her out for being insensitive to those who are unable to nurse.
“This will make the ladies who can’t breastfeed feel even worse,” one of the comments read.
“Saw this and now I feel like crap. I can’t breastfeed so now I have scientific proof that I failed to provide my daughter with the best start in life,” added another.
On the other hand, a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition shows that instant formula that is infused with prebiotics is just as effective as breast milk for protecting the immune system.
Whatever side of the fence you sit on – breast or bottle – you can’t deny that every mum has the right to decide what’s best for her baby.
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