- It was time to pump.
I try to do it discreetly, but the sound.
(imitated creaking) - Kinda like a DJ.
(imitated creaking) (light, playful music) - I have something I wanna talk about.
I have breasts, that's not it.
I know they make milk.
I breastfed my baby.
- Awesome.
- And I make the milk but I don't know what's in the milk.
You must know, you must know what's in the milk.
- You could probably guess what's in milk.
- Oh, how about fat?
- Done.
- Protein?
- Awesome.
- Riboflavin, the flavin.
- Did you just make that up?
- Yes.
- Actually, I actually think riboflavin is Vitamin B2, I actually think it might be in breast milk.
- Ding, ding, ding.
- You're basically, you're most of the way there, right.
Breast milk has fats in it, has protein in it, the right ratio to really help baby digestion.
Also has carbohydrates in it.
Has some fat- and water-soluble vitamins for your growing baby.
Has antibodies, which are really cool 'cause it helps your baby fight off infections, especially in that early period when baby immune systems aren't fully developed.
And there's also some other really cool features in breast milk to really promote good brain and eye development, to help promote the right type of gut bacteria growth, prevent other bacteria from growing.
You know, and this why we say, you know, breast milk is a catered food.
Because every mom makes a specific composition for her baby.
And it changes over time.
Breast milk is dynamic, meaning its nutrient composition varies between people, and even changes within the same person, between feeds, from day to day, and month to month.
- Alright, here's a test now, and you better get this right.
Our friendship is on the line.
I'm a mom, and I am not able to produce breast milk, or I choose not to breastfeed.
Is formula a good option?
- Yes.
- Yes, of course it is!
- Friendship still on?
- Yes.
- [Alok] The most important thing is that you're feeding your baby, and your baby's getting nutrition.
- [Bethany] So what's in formula?
- Formula manufacturers are essentially trying to replicate breast milk.
- Okay.
- Now, they're not gonna be able to cater it specifically for every baby.
It's not gonna be dynamic, and there may not be antibodies in it, but there are so many different types of formulas.
Some that have specifically broken down proteins, easier for digestion, some that are not cow's milk based.
- That sounds like a catering company.
You can have impossible milk, you can have.
- Beyond milk.
- Beyond milk.
You can have barrel-aged formula.
(laughter) - [Alok] So when I work in a newborn nursery, I talk to 15 to 20 new parents each day.
- I thought you were gonna say newborns.
(baby crying) But you say it in baby.
(imitated baby noises) - They just sit there and go.
But, I talk to moms, and some of them will tell me their specific reasons for not either wanting to or being able to breastfeed, and they almost feel bad for - Oh, they feel bad.
- Looking at formula.
They feel bad.
- They don't almost feel bad.
Moms feel really bad about it.
- Here's the thing: we dive into what we know about the benefits of breastfeeding, right?
Like we've looked at studies, we know that children who breastfeed, they have a lower chance of getting things like ear infections and meningitis, and it promotes healthy brain development.
It helps promote healthy eye development, and all these things for your growing child.
And it's easy to digest.
There's also studies that show that, you know, breastfeeding may confer some benefits to moms as well.
You know, lower chance of certain cancers, type two diabetes.
It helps with uterine contraction.
However, it doesn't mean that formula-fed kids cannot grow up to live a healthy, successful life.
And I think there's a little bit of a stereotype there.
- There's a lot of a stereotype there.
It's stressful, you're looking for answers, and there are all these insane headlines.
I mean, how do you interpret all the information that you find on the internet?
- If you look at some of those studies, and I'm only saying this because people are going to google this topic.
People are going to look this up.
Bottom line is: there is some evidence that breast milk can have health benefits for your baby.
So if you can breastfeed your baby, even some of the time, that's great.
Doctors recommend that you do.
But if you need to supplement breastfeeding with formula, or for whatever reason, you can't breastfeed, that's okay.
Formula-fed babies can also be healthy babies.
You have to look at what you're able to do, what you're comfortable doing, your situation, your child.
You'll see a lot of things out there that say like, experts recommend that every single mother exclusively breastfeeds her child for the first six months, but we are saying if you can't exclusively breastfeed.
- It's fine, your baby's going to be fine.
(soft gurgling) So what's in formula?
The breast isn't there, but who knows, I mean.
Any day now, what's in formula?
- Any day now, like an artificial breast?
- Yeah, they'll be on the shelves like.
Okay, that's a different.
Let's do that for the outtakes.