Breast or Bottle - Which is best?

There are lots of decisions to make when there’s a baby on the way. One of the most controversial is the ever raging “breast or bottle” debate. There are many people who have strong feelings on both sides of this issue, and many of them will try like a televangelist to get you on their side. I’m not going to do that. I’m going to give you some of the facts, and share some of my personal reasons why I ended up formula feeding both my children, which hopefully will leave you feeling good, whatever your choice. 

Scientifically, breast milk is best. There are nutrients in breast milk that help your child’s brain develop, and try as they might, formula makers cannot replicate these nutrients. Breastfeeding protects your child from illnesses because, as long as he or she is nursing, they are protected by your immune system, which is much more developed than theirs. Breast milk is very well tolerated by babies, and hardly ever causes gastric problems - however I will come back to this shortly.

But, realistically, the scientific facts are not the only things to be considered. Women who simply don’t want to breastfeed will probably not be very successful. Even some women who want to breastfeed will find it so difficult, that they are miserable trying to make it work. Some women will have difficulty making enough milk to satisfy their baby’s hunger, and some women will suffer more pain with breastfeeding than they can endure. If you fall into one of those categories, don’t beat yourself up. Your baby can flourish on formula too.

When my daughter was born I wanted to try breastfeeding, mostly because of the saving money sides of things but I wasn’t overly set on it being the main ordeal.  My girl was sick, a lot, like ALL THE TIME. We now know that she is autoimmune, meaning she has little - no immune system and doesn’t respond well to antibiotics.  In the first few months of her life I saw the power of breast milk and how quickly my body will catch on to her being sick and needing more specific nutrients.  My milk would change colour (usually more yellow) before I even knew she was sick, constantly adjusting to what my baby needed to fight off whatever illness she had at the time.  However, with work demands and juggling pumping with breastfeeding, my supply dropped off completely by the time she was 6 months old.  I didn’t have a huge emotional attachment to breastfeeding so this felt absolutely like the right thing to do.  She thrived off formula until she didn’t need it anymore.

My son was a different story.  I had booked in proper maternity leave this time round and was absolutely planning on breastfeeding full time.  After four short months of struggling with him being a Colic baby with reflux and me adjusting my diet weekly to try make my milk less painful for his little tummy to digest, I finally gave in and put him on formula.  This was suggested by specialists and doctors but was a very hard decision for me to make.  I loved feeding him, his latch was perfect every time and I really felt the bonding love this time round when I fed him.   Sadly, my milk was pretty much poisonous to him, we have now found that he has a pretty severe protein allergy and he is now on prescription only formula… We are still journeying through this but the new formula has made a huge difference for him already.

Breastfeeding or not, this should always be the mother's choice.  There are many reasons why people choose to formula feed, whether they are mental or physical, for the mum or for the baby, either way the mum is the one who gets to choose.

Breast or bottle is a personal choice. Weigh the facts and the preferences, and make the choice that is right for you and your baby. Some babies literally cannot have breast milk, and that’s OK. Whatever you decide, you don’t owe anyone an explanation.