Why are people so opinionated over breast feeding?

When I asked the midwife the pros and cons, I was informed fewer infections for the baby, bonding and weight loss for reduced risk of breast/ovarian cancer for mother.


The intelligence aspect is apparently a myth.





In my opinion from these facts, you are doing no harm to the baby; besides perhaps letting it get a cold and strengthening it's immune system that way. The risks to yourself are your own business and really negligible, smoking, sunbathing, fizzy pop, many foods put you at risk of cancer also ... you can't live in a protective bubble.





It's a while off yet, but, I do not want to breast feed, the thought of it seems wrong. I would not do it in public (or indeed in front of anyone), which would be very restrictive. I'd consider a pump, but I am not a cow. The feeding would be shared between my husband and myself. Formula is very advanced. The one and only thing making me reconsider is the judgement, which to me seems ill educated and unfounded.





Explanations welcome.

Why are people so opinionated over breast feeding?
Until you have to make formula at 2 am, you will never appreciate the beauty of breast feeding. You wake up lay them next to you and just rest. No bottles to make, no mixing, no sitting up in a rocking chair.





It is easier and will help you bond with the baby. As for in public, a baby blanket over you and the baby is extremely modest. I would not show off my wife in public and I am very okay with her breast feeding that way.
Reply:I did not get to this question in time to award a best answer and it went to voting.


My question wasn't requesting the pro's and con's of breastfeeding, it was asking why people were so opinionated over something that is the mothers choice alone.


Very few answers actually answered my question. Report It

Reply:you should do whats right for you, i bottle fed both my kids and they are great.other dissadvantages when breastfeeding are you have to watch what you eat and drink, you can also pass on infections etc and you cant pass the bottle to your husband!!!!!
Reply:I am in 100% agreement with you!!!! Breastfeeding was never an option with my older kids, and it's not one with my newest addition. For me it just doesn't feel right. I know the I'm going to get accused of not thinking of my child first and being selfish, but if I'm not comfortable doing something, won't my child be suffering then also? I've also bonded very well with my children and in 8 years of school, they've missed 10 days tops due to either illness or having to move. None in the past 3 years.
Reply:No explanation required.


You have already decided about doing or not doing. The decision is yours and so would be the consequences whether good or god forbid bad.


Please note you also have the choice of producing a human or not producing.


I have been smoking for many years knowing that smoking is injurious to health, but then its my decision.


God bless
Reply:I bottlefed out of choice. I found breastfeeding extremely painful, but with more support and information I probably would have tried harder at breastfeeding.


I think the objection to formula is the way in which the companies that make it use misleading advertising, such as implying that it is a substitute for breastmilk. Also some companies imply that their product is cloer to breastmilk than other formulas.


So, it is not really the formula that people are objecting to, but the aggressive way in which it is marketed.


Also Nestle promote their formula to women in the third world as a safe substitute even thought the water is unclean and children are dying.
Reply:oopse your going to get so much stick for posting this question lol





i personally am all for breast feeding but i do not judge those who choose not to. there are far more risks in a child's life than not being breast fed! there is no point in breastfeeding if your going to allow your child to eat total crap like frozen foods and fizzy drinks when they're older.





each to their own - everyone will have different views on bringing up a child but it does bother me why so many people get so high rate and vicious when they don't agree with something someone says!





again i will just say i am all for breast feeding, i do think it's a much healthier option and i want the best for my children!!!
Reply:You've asked why people are opinionated about breast feeding, yet YOU'RE opinionated about breast feeding!





You asked your midwife for pros and cons, and that's what you got. I doubt if either she or anyone else for that matter is forcing you to do it.





But the point is, there aren't any cons. No you can't live in a protective bubble, but when little one arrives, you'll possibly want to do all you can to give them the best start possible.





Anyway it may all be academic; you or your baby may not be able to do it.





From a personal perspective, I find it strange that some people think it's "wrong", but each to their own, I guess.
Reply:Yes you should do what is right for you.


I breastfed my son for 5 months but felt pressured into doing it by my midwife. But I couldn't breastfeed in public so I was stuck at home most of the time. If and when I have another child I wouldn't do it again.
Reply:Just do what's right for you. When you have a child, people wil, always try a give you tips or make suggestions, but its your decision on what to do. I tried breastfeeding and it was painful and I'm in the military and I just didn't have the energy to pump, so after 3 months I went to formula. My daughter and I still bonded, she has not been seriously ill and I lost weight just fine by working out. You do what works for you, I know you have heard the saying opinions are like butt holes, everyone has one.
Reply:i bottle fed my first baby, and my next 3 kids i breastfed


because ive done both i can honestly say BREASTFEEDING IS BETTER, they dont get constipated, they r healthier, its faster than heating a bottle, convenient, free, and i take care of my body better cos it made me quit smoking, and it is definately natural as your body makes it just perfect for baby


research has shown that it even helps through life, less risk of diabetes and heart disease and cancers,





when i bottle fed my 1st baby i was so anti breastfeeding, of course


but while breastfeeding im real anti bottle feeding,





just do what u want, as long as u r happy and baby is healthy


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx...
Reply:It is a funny thing isn't it. Choosing to breastfeed or not is a personal decision that no other person on earth should have a say in except the mother.





I don't have a problem with your choice but (I may be wrong) I am going to guess that you are young. Not a kid, but young. Many young women have issues with breastfeeding and the same feeling you have of feeling it is wrong for you. Many never end up breastfeeding but many more do end up breastfeeding.


As far as formula being advanced you are right. Of course no doctor or even the makers of formula claim it is as good as breastmilk. Babies are less likely to have a problem (stomach) taking breastmilk verses formula amongst the other benefits you listed and more.


It is possibly right when you say you are doing no harm to the baby by not breastfeeding. I suppose that depends on the child and their condition at birth. I do find that kind of a sad argument. It seems most mothers want the absolute BEST for their baby and breastmilk IS proven best.


Your cow comment is very rude. Many women do choose to pump and they are not cows either nor consider themselves one. This is another sign that you are young.





It seems that you are just trying to state your dislike for it and it's proponents but poorly masked. I think you need to grow up a bit honestly. That doesn't mean I think you should change your mind about breastfeeding your own child but speak with a bit more maturity on the subject. You should respect the other side also. Of course I may be misreading your words but a couple jabs seem apparent to me.
Reply:Does formula thin out in the summer months to allow more water intake for your infant? Does it thicken in the winter?





Breastmilk is free.


Breastmilk doesn't require a sterilizer or fancy equitment.


Women have been breastfeeding for ages, only recently has bottle feeding become the norm.





If formula had a basic formula and a super plus advanced, which would you buy for your baby? The better one right?


So why not choose the better choice for your baby and yourself?





Ear infections in babies and children are huge. Had on the system, usually require antibiotics and are not a regular cold, did you know breastfeeding reduces ear infection dramatically?





Formula cannot protect your baby from allergies like breastmilk can, and there is no way to get better from allergies.





Breastfeeding may protect against obesity later in life





Breastfeeding may protect your baby from childhood leukemia





Breastfeeding may protect your baby from developing type 1 diabetes





Breastfeeding may protect preemies from infections and high blood pressure later in life





Breastfeeding may lower your baby's risk of SIDS





Breastfeeding helps you lose weight





Breastfeeding can lower your stress levels and reduce postpartum bleeding





Breastfeeding may reduce your risk of some types of cancer





Breastfeeding may protect against osteoporosis later in life





This doesn't include any of the bonding benefits that go with breastfeeding.





Husbands can still be a huge part of the babies life without holding a plastic bottle in their mouth.





You would never have to show your nipples or skin in public, there are slings, shirts, bras, blankets etc to make breastfeeding private and personal. Most people can't even tell when a woman is breastfeeding unless you look really close.





You cannot put yourself in a bubble this is true, but why are you taking those multivitamins then, or wearing sunscreen when it is sunny out? To help protect yourself, we do what we can. And if breastfeeding can save your life from cancer, why the **** not? It would be terrible to die when your child still needs you from breast or ovarian cancer when you know you could have reduced your risk simply by breastfeeding!





The judgement is not by anymeans ill educated or unfounded. Take a look at a few of these sites.





http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/baby/ba...


http://www.drgreene.com/21_552.html


http://www.lalecheleague.org/NB/NBJulAug...


http://www.llli.org/


http://www.askdrsears.com/html/2/T020300...





This is only naming a FEW really helpful, detailed, educated sites, supporting breastfeeding in the modern world.





What if you baby is allergic to formula, then what?


How many will you try before you give up and have to wean your baby too early?





I think perhaps you need to do some research and that you are ill educated, and very close minded.





I would like to be nicer towards you, but I find formula feeding a very selfish choice.
Reply:Why is it you think that it is only naturally for cows to feed their young?


ALL mammals feed their young with breastmilk, humans are the only species that choose to feed their children the milk of a different species, sometimes for no better reason than that they think feeding their child themselves is 'wrong'


Now THAT is weird....
Reply:I can understand you not wanting to breastfeed. I was too uncomfortable and self-conscious, I tried and it simply wasnt for me. You have to do what you feel comfortable with, if you are stressed the baby picks up on that and could be stressed as well. Yes, the facts are that breastfeeding is best, however this is your body and your baby and you have to do what feels right to you. I had 3 kids, staggered through the house all hours of the night to get bottles, and I have lived. Do whats in your heart and good luck.
Reply:This is one of those subjects that will always evoke very strong opinions. It all comes down to personal choice.





From my point of view, I was always determined to breastfeed; not just because of the advantages for baby and me, but also for convenience (no heating up bottles and carting stuff around) and also the cost - there is no way that I could have afforded to formula feed my baby.





However, I can understand why some mothers choose to bottle feed. Some may have low confidence, others prefer to maintain their independence. As you say, it also gives the father the chance to bond with baby, and modern day formula is almost as nutritional as breastmilk anyway.





I am at a loss to understand why you say that the thought of breastfeeding seems wrong? - after all, this is what breasts are designed for and it's one of the most natural things in the world.





My baby was bottlefed while we were in hospital (I was very poorly after the birth) but was exclusively breastfed within a month once we got home. I would say that my baby was sick less, slept better and was generally more content when he was breastfed - all babies are different though.





Discuss it with your partner, your midwife, other mums and mums-to-be. Research everything online. Ultimately, it's your choice.





Good luck with the babe!


Kitten
Reply:I think you should do what is comfortable for you and the baby. I enjoyed nursing both of my children for the first 6 months and I noticed a difference in both babies when I did switch and put my children on formula. Aside from the benefits to baby, you get plenty as well, your uterus shrinks down faster, I did not bleed as long after birth, my sex drive went through the roof, I lost all my baby weight, etc..etc.. But it was what I wanted to do. It also can be messy, a little uncomfortable, and time consuming. I think more people are nursing their children now, and it is becoming "in" that is why you are getting all this flack about not nursing. Who knows, when the time comes you may change your mind but it is totally up to you! Don't worry about what others are saying, you are the one who has to nurse, not them!
Reply:i agree with you. I'm fed up of people giving me weird looks just because i tel them my 4 week old daughter is bottle fed. and i feel pressured into explaining that i cant breast feed as i haven't produced any breast milk this time around and i didn't for my other pregnancy's either. I'm one of the few that don't produce any milk at all. I'm made to feel guilty because I'm using formula for reasons i cant control. and even if i was able to breast feed i don't find the idea of it appealing at all so i would still bottle feed. I'm not one for getting my breasts out in public and i would feel just the same at home in-front of family. I'm not against it I'm just fed up of people trying to take the moral high ground in the hopes they will sound like better mums for using the breast instead of the bottle. i say let the mum decide and don't judge us poor mums that decide to use the bottle!!!!





OK rant over lol
Reply:Well it's your decision. No one is being opinionated but you. Your midwife told you about the benefits because you asked her. She wasn't being opinionated either.





A lot of people think that formula is closed to breastmilk ( as advertised ).





To alll the people who are telling the pros of breastfeedin, I will only say that the person asking the question knows that and even then choses bottlefeeding, so let her. Its her decision and I don't want to say that she is wrong.





If you feel that you will look like a cow if you breastfeed, can u tell me how will you feel like when you give birth to your baby?





Any other animal because most of them do.





Bottlefeeding is your choice and you are the one who is responsible to decide whats best for you and your baby but you shouldn't be so negatively opinionated about breastfeeding if its wrong for you. Expect people to give the same what you gave them in return.
Reply:breast feeding is only natural, free and only benefit to mother and baby.
Reply:hi


i bottle fed my first son, he is now 9 and has never been sick except some earaches when teething. i am in ireland so that time breast feeding wasn't that common. my older sisters had bottle fed, so i carried on the same way.


when we were planning our second child, now 3, i decided i would breastfeed. it was still uncommon and the nurses didn't really care either way if it came up at a prenatal check up.


anyway, i started as soon as i had him and every couple of hours the nurse would have to help me latch him on, i just wasn't able. i didn't like it as much as i thought i would, but not just because of the latching on bit, just didn't like it. once when i couldn't get him on again, called the nurse as usual and a different nurse came down (abuot 8 hrs after having him, must have changed shift) and gave my nipple a huge pinch to squirt the milk into his mouth and i nearly cried with the pain. he eventually finished and the next time he looked for a feed he got a bottle of sma.


breastfeeding is not for everyone, and dont let people that have done it bully you into doing it or make you feel bad for giving the bottle. once the child is fed, i wouldn't worry. they just want to feel superior to those of us who can actually leave the house for a couple of hours leaving baby and daddy at home with their mug of coffee and bottle of milk watching the racing!!!!!!!!!!
Reply:I'm glad you posted this question so respectfully, and I hope I can help you with your questions!


There is no doubt that a formula fed baby will mostly likely be just fine, and will grow and thrive and be intelligent. But the opinion you stated about formula doing no harm to your baby is a myth. I also have a midwife, and she has been a midwife for 35+ years. She sent me home with some information and websites that I will share with you.


Because formula is an artificial substance, it is not and cannot be even close to the complexities and perfection breastmilk is for your baby. Every mammal feeds their young its own milk, we are the only species that feeds its young milk from an inappropriate species, namely cows.


This can cause some problems. Millions of years of evolution provided the perfect food for our infants, with complexites even scientist don't know about. Our children are not cows, and feeding them a cow-based milk introduces foreign substances that actually hinder the development of your child's immune system (as most of your immune function takes place in your gut).


There are also many, many other benefits breastfeeding offer both you and your child. There was no question in my mind whether or not to breastfeed. Like my mom said as well, when the doctor told her breastfeeding was best, she needed no other reason. She wanted what was best for me.


I feel very sorry for you that our culture has brainwashed you into thinking that breasts are purely sexual, and not for feeding babies with. It really is the most beautiful bonding experience, and makes you stare in wonder at your 5 or 6 month old, thinking "I have grown this baby from my own body.. me, all by myself!". The sweetness of my 11 month old unlatching and smiling up at me, giving me a kiss, her boobie a hug, latching back on and going to a sweet nursing slumber is the most beautiful and touching thing I have ever experienced. I wouldn't change it for the world, or even my ignorant society. And I hope, for your baby's sake and for yours, that you find the joy in nursing!





The first link tells you *only* 101 reasons to breastfeed. There are many, many more, some we don't even know about yet. For your midwife to tell you only a few reasons was quite a disservice to you, and any other future mothers out there. I would print this off and give it to her, so she can use it for a reference, or maybe post it up in her office for everyone to see!
Reply:If breastfeeding doesn't feel right to you then it is not the right choice for your baby either. People are opinionated about lots of things. I think breastfeeding is a personal issue and one where opinions should only be given when they are asked for. I never thought I wanted to breastfeed. To me the only positive of it was that it is free. But then I decided that it in fact did come with a cost. It made feeding times a chore, an inconvenience, an embarassmet (though I know it shouldn't be), and a dread because my preemie did not latch on most of the time and I was pumping for 30 minutes every 2 hours. So when I could have been relaxing and enjoying time with my baby I had to put him down and pump which I hated. I was not bonding anymore with my child while breastfeeding than when I used the bottle. It is wonderful that many moms do, but it is awful that they make those who don't feel guilty for it. When asked by nurses, friends, and even people I didn't even know if I was breastfeeding (which I did in combination with pumping for 3 months) they all seemed so glad. I feel like I did it as long as I did just so I wouldn't be ridiculed for not. If I ever have another chid I will not put either of us through the ordeal again. It was not right for us and I will gladly share my opinion with anyone who asks and I will not feel guilty about it. I made formula once a day usually in the morning and put it in bottles for the rest of the day and night so all I had to do was warm it and feed. So I wasn't up making formula in the wee hours of the morning. It was so much less of a hassle than the pumping and breastfeeding was to me. My opinion is if you want to do it Super! and if you don't that's Super too. Good for you for making a decision for yourself and don't let anyone make you feel bad for it. There are so many more important things parents can do for their children than obsess about how they are fed. Where are all of those breastfeed or bust people then. Seems to me lots of choices affect our children long term more than breastfeeding.
Reply:My guess is that your midwife was just throwing out a few answers. She just chose a few off of the top of her head that she thought might appeal to you. I thought I knew a lot about breastfeeding, but now that I've been doing it, I really get it. Lots of formula moms say that they are bonded with their babies, and I believe them. Breastfeeding is a different relationship. Breastfeeding requires that you sit and pay attention to your baby, rather than hand the bottle off or prop it while baby lays in the carseat. I could go on and on. My point is that the breastfeeding relationship cannot be duplicated with a plastic bottle, cold nipple and powdered milk. After all, what would you rather drink? Freshly squeezed juice or Tang?





Another thought: bottlefeeding moms of the 1950s thought that the formula they used was very advanced. I might consider it advanced when they can make formula that doesn't cause tiny tears in baby's intestines.





You're right that the risk to mothers is the mother's business alone, however, the risks of formula feeding are real to mother and baby, and they should be considered. Formula is a phamacuetical product, and every pharmacuetical product has risks and benefits. I have a friend who has done some consulting for a formula plant, and he is now pro-breastfeeding, even though he has no children. Your discomfort is not unusual, but it's easy to change. Just observe mothers nursing their children. Go to support groups during pregnancy and see how cool breastfeeding is.





Formula has immune consequences, not breastfeeding. By breastfeeding, a mother passes her immunities to her child. Formula is dead, and the immunoglobulins that survive processing are specific to cows anyway.





As for judgement, you'll find that no matter what you choose, and it doesn't end with feeding! You have to educate yourself (preferably not with phony educational material that quotes biased research and is distributed by formula companies) and make your own decision. The only uneducated opinion is one derived from that skewed research. Carnation even admits that its marketing practices are unethical, but they must advertise aggressively in order to compete.





Last thought: (are you still with me?) If you're at all concerned with the environment, and we all should be, then consider the manufacturing, packaging, transportation, bottles, washing, refrigeration and sterilization involved with formula. Not very kind to Mother Earth.
Reply:I think I'm so opinionated about breastfeeding because the child isn't making the choice, the mother is.





The mother makes the decision, sometimes without educating themselves on the risks/benefits of nursing. Some women don't have the support they need to continue nursing--and that makes me really sad. Someone else mentioned the formula companies marketing--that really gets my goat. I know what goes into my milk, I don't have to trust a package from a factory.





It's almost a no brainer to me. Whether you believe that we are mammals that for millions of years have nursed our babies, allowing evolution to develope the perfect food for them; or if you believe that God made you a woman with breasts to breastfeed. God didn't make a mistake when he made you lactate--did he?





When you consider the health benefits to the baby, it's jaw-dropping that people CHOOSE to formula feed. I'm not talking about those who have tried and can't nurse, I'm talking about the women who don't try or who just won't.





The statistical research pro-breastfeeding is astounding. We go on and on about options, and opinions, and lifestyle choices, but the scientific evidence doesn't lie. It's true, you can make any decision you want, but there are risks to selecting to formula feed. Show me the peer-reviewed, accepted scientific evidence that proves that formula is better, go ahead.





It seems SO FUNNY to me that we're feeding our human babies milk that was made for cow babies. I've never heard of a cow being fed human milk. Cracks me up.





Yes, yes, it's a choice a woman makes, but it effects the long term health of the baby and her mother. People are so opinionated because the baby can be hurt. The baby doesn't choose formula, the mom does.





Even if the mom, despite all the incontrovertible evidence to the contrary, chooses to formula feed, it's not just the baby's health that is harmed. YOUR risk of breast and ovarian cancers are reduced by at least 20-30% by breastfeeding, sometimes more. The longer you nurse and the more children you nurse the lower your risk of cancer? Come on! That's easy!





Then again, I'm also a cheapskate--a couple grand in formula or free nursing? I'd rather buy myself some new clothes (and with the weight I've lost nursing, I'm going to have to!)





Maybe I'm also so opinionated because I love the bond that I have with my breastfed sons. I loved seeing them grow and thrive off of my milk. I wish that other women could know the same feeling. My 10 week old's chubby arms and legs--I did that!
Reply:hi i breastfed both my babies and felt so close and bonded with the baby and it was easier at night for feeding without having to go downstairs and wash and sterilise bottles i understand why women don't want to but i think they should all give it a go first or how do they no? its what women's bodies are made for and its a beautiful thing growing a baby inside you and then feeding the baby with your own breast milk exclusively for the first 6 months of there life don't knock it until you have tried it
Reply:There's a funny thing about opinions and judgements: NPR's All Things Considered featured a segment about opinions and politics, including MRI scans. It showed that the stronger someone "felt" toward and argued for a specific candidate, the less correct their information was and the less they were to be swayed by proven facts.





That may explain why so many tempers and opinions fly. I saw you had a massive response, but I did not read most of them. Instead, I will share my experiences and opinions.





I have acted as an unofficial consultant: I am a woman for whom breastfeeding is easy, and I offer support and encouragement to women for whom it is not. I have friends and associates on both sides of the spectrum: didn't nurse at all, nursed some, nursed through 8 months, and nursed past 2 years.





I think many women who chose to breastfeed look at the pros and cons from their perspective, and have a hard time understanding how that list changes from other women's perspectives. I will freely admit to being very Pro Breast Feeding, but I know it's not easy for every woman. Others underestimate how nursing in public is Not Acceptable to some people and plays in heavily; there's also the husband's feelings that play a huge role - it's not his body, but it is his child and spousal feelings influence some women more than others. A difficult pregnancy or labor can also push a woman to exhaustion such that nursing become a chore that cannot be handled. (I understood the latter much better after my second son was born - labor was hard and painful, and I was so tired that I couldn't hold my son even if I wanted to.)





Having read your comments, it appears you have made up your mind. I would suggest: Wait until after the baby is born to decide to nurse or not. Many women find the process of milk drying up to be very painful if they don't nurse at all. My aunt had a nurse who suggestted she nurse to relieve engorgement with her second son, even though my aunt had not nursed her first. She nursed her son for about three months; the relief she felt that first time was enough to keep her nursing for awhile and gradually wean.





Also, you as mom heal MUCH Faster if you nurse the first week or two - you can literally feel it. Plus, nursing stimulates all sorts of wonderful chemical releases in your body that make you euphoric - it's how sleep deprived moms make it through the first six weeks.





I think that Dad giving baby a bottle is a wonderful thing - it's great for bonding. So even if you don't brestfeed exclusively, consider nursing and pumping for awhile. Give yourself a week or two to decide if you want to do it or not, but I would really ask that you try for the first six weeks - that is when it is most beneficial on both sides.
Reply:I guess the real question is, do you want to give your child something that can just "keep them alive" or do you want to give them the absolute best?





Honestly, it makes no difference to me personally whether you breastfeed or not. If you don't care whether you kid gets sick or not, that's your own issue to deal with. And if you don't think it's worth trying to prevent breast and other reproductive cancers in your daughter (if you have one), then I suppose you are the one who has to live with the decision. Sure, some formula-fed kids grow up healthy. Lots of them do. But then, look at the rates of diabetes, obesity, allergies, and reproductive cancers out there. You don't have to look far to find out that breastfeeding reduces those risks and that the rise of those diseases correlates with the rise of formula-feeding in America. Just Google it. That is, if you're open to learning more rather than just passing your OWN judgement on breastfeeders.





"Breastfeeding may not be the right choice for every parent, but it is the best choice for every child." -- Amy Spangler
Reply:Welcome to parenthood -- you may as well learn now that everyone has an opinion about how you should raise your child. I strongly believe that all mothers have to make the right decisions for themselves and that let them be the best mother they can be to their children.





I am 100 percent pro-breastfeeding. I nursed my son until he was 14 months old. I did it for all the reasons many other people have said here regarding the health benefits for him. What I learned by doing it is that it creates an incredible bond between the two of you (I just don't think there is a more amazing feeling in the world than your child suckling at your breast and gazing into their eyes -- I think I missed nursing more than he did when I stopped) and that it is so much easier than formula feeding. No bottles to make, heat up, clean or stuff to lug around everywhere. The food was always right there and ready -- I believe that we got a lot more sleep as a result and this also made me a better mom. I too thought that I would be embarrassed nursing in public but in the end I found that it is not as revealing as you might imagine and I felt comfort nourishing my child wherever necessary.





It is also the most natural thing in the world. We have breasts to feed our children and its what women have been doing for centuries before someone figured out they could market convenient products for feeding babies (they used to water-down sweetened condensed milk for formula -- I doubt mothers would do that today).





And a supportive partner will have plenty of opportunities to bond with your baby. Our son, now 27 months, can't get enough of his Daddy despite the fact that Daddy never gave him a bottle (he did everything else except give birth!)





You need to do what is right for you, however, the way you ask the question makes me feel like you think breastfeeding is the right thing but that you want someone to tell you it is okay to go with formula.





Formula is not an equal substitute for breastmilk. They are constantly finding new benefits to breastmilk and it is impossible to replicate that -- although the formula companies do spend a lot of advertising for their products. Does it mean that formula is bad? No, it does not. Does it mean that mothers who use formula are bad? No, it does not.





My recommendation to you, however, is to give breastfeeding a try -- you may find that your ideas about it will change once you have.
Reply:some people find womens breasts offensive. I say get them OUT
Reply:I don't like breastfeeding at all.


I do it for as long as I can but I will not do it for long.


I hate having to breastfeed in public, I find it embarrassing.


I also cannot stand the pushy breast feeder, you know the ones, they flop out a massive udder wherever they are and stare defiantly at you..I don't mind, but come on, a bit of cover would be appriciated.
Reply:gd point. when i was pregnant i had so many ppl jab dwn my throat how breast is best etc etc n that its SO easy..when lilly was born i soon found out not only is it not bloody easy, but also bloody painful...to which i was told just to tolerate it n it'll go...nurse was bloody lucky i was still under the epidural!! bin up like a blot n slapped her! OW. anywayz, lilly eventually refused to breast feed, sat there head butting my very painful n large breasts, again, OW! anyway, i gave up in the end as she was starting to draw blood from me, i went to formula, and afta havn so many ppl say breast is best i actually felt guilty n selfish 4 not wantn to go thru the pain of breastfeeding, but now she's 5 weeks, and afta being on formula for 2 days i noticed a change in her, less grissly, healthier bowl movements, and others. this was purely cuz she was ingesting blood ASWELL as milk...and not taking anything like enuf milk.





so...breast is NOT always best. i think they suld just leave it 4 women 2 decied what THEY feel happy wiv. i like u dnt like the thought of whipping out a breast randomly in public or friends n family to feed, n ur apparently not meant 2 express for the 1st 6 weeks...mind, if public places had more feeding rooms instead of making ppl use public toilets to feed i think more mothers wuld.