After reading a couple of blog posts on the subject (here and here) I was inspired to write a post on the subject myself. I don't know many other child rearing subjects that causes more debate then breastfeeding vs bottle/formula feeding.
I am a bottle/formula feeding Mom and I am not the least bit ashamed of this. I don't judge breastfeeding Moms because of their choice and it would be really wonderful if it were the same the other way around. Think what you want about bottle/formula feeding but for real,
I will probably open up a can of worms here but I don't 100% agree with "breast is best". I know I'm not a doctor or any kind of medical professional but my thoughts are strictly based on my experience of having 3 kids.
Here are my counter arguments to some of the reasons why breast is best.
Nursing provides a time of close personal and physical bonding between Mom and baby.
Guess what? I have bonded perfectly with my children. Even though it's a bottle in their mouth and not by boob, feeding time is still a time of close personal and physical bonding. Guess what else? For Daddy too.
Medical evidence is clear: breast milk results in healthier babies and stronger immune system.
I disagree with this one. As I said earlier, I know I am not a medical professional but this is based on my experience of having 3 kids. My kids are very healthy. Aside from the common cold, they very rarely, if ever get sick. Jack is almost 6 and has been on an antibiotic once and this was back in May for tonsillitis. Oliver has never been on an antibiotic. Neither of my kids have ever had an ear infection or any other illness.
Of course, all I can do is compare their health to the health of my friends babies/kids who were/are breastfed.
Babies who are breastfed go to sleep faster, and are more easily soothed than bottle babies.
Ha. Again, I disagree. Jack and Oliver were both sleeping through the night by 13 weeks. Ask me about my friends breastfed babies who weren't sleeping through the night until they were almost 6 months old or older!!! Oy.
Breastfeeding is easier and less work.
Easier and less work? This is supposed to be a deterrent? I didn't realize washing bottles (which takes like 3 minutes) was a lot of work. So I need to warm my kids bottle before feeding it to him. This is a big deal? This too is a lot of work?
From what my breastfeeding friends tell me, breastfeeding wasn't all that fun and easy for the first weeks. Dreadful and painful infact. Yes it did become easier with time but I still don't find bottle feeding to me hard or a lot of work.
These are just a few examples I often read and/or hear. I'm not saying that one is better than the other. My point is, they both have their pros and cons. Like parenting isn't hard enough on it's own, and there aren't a million things you can debate and worry about, nobody should ever make anyone else feel bad about a choice they have made. Because some of you Moms out there breastfeed, it doesn't mean that you are a better parent or care more about your children than us bottle/formula feeding Moms. All I ask is that we all be respectful of each others choices.
3 comments:
Cheryl, Great post! I love it!
Obviously I don't have kids, but if I were to have kids, I have my plan of attack ready to be exicuted. I do not plan on breastfeeding.
It is shameful that women judge other women for not breastfeeding, and I am willing to hedge a guess that most of them, the more vocal have no backup argument to support their views.
I love that you talked about daddy bonding time with baby through bottle feeding (without having to wear that creepy, gonna eff you kids up fake boob for dads to wear).
And less work, doubtful. Like you said I've heard it's a lot of hard work to breastfeed the first little while, and the pressure and sometimes shame that women and professionals put on the new mothers when they aren't able to produce milk. "well what are you doing wrong?". Psssh like you don't already have enough pressure on yourself with a a new baby, and your hormones going wild.
Love it! Keep stirring the pot :-)
Great post Cheryl and I couldn't agree more :) !
WRONG! I'm joking, You have awesome points! I breastfeed and after reading that I feel like formula has more winning points, lol. I agree that they go about breastfeeding all wrong. Telling women it's the best and should be the only way, and that's it so natural, when it's not. I think so many moms fail because it's so tough and painful for the first couple weeks(which they are never told). I always hated those moms that would breastfeed and complain about it. Just don't fing do it! Every mom knows or learns what she can and can't do. We don't judge moms about what they feed(food)/clothes/discipline their kids so why should be judge about the biggest most important thing in their first year of life. In the end can you tell if you where breastfed or not? NO!
Good post :0)
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