by Miranda Meinard

Created on: December 14, 2006   Last Updated: April 25, 2007

Every mother must decide early in her child's life, if not before, whether she will breastfeed or feed her baby with formula. It is a highly charged and often controversial subject. When my child was born, local news reports featured stories about laws to ban breastfeeding mothers.

Breast feeding is convenient and has so many benefits. Where there is a period of adjustment for your body and the baby getting accustomed to how he will get nourishment, a few weeks in, you will get the hang of it. Once that happens, breast feeding is terribly wonderful, relatively speaking. No getting up to warm a bottle, make sure you mix it right, etc. While out, you just have to find a little privacy. I do not favor just setting up in front of everyone, but having my privacy.

The time I shared with my baby rather than having to prepare a bottle, was priceless and restful. I found myself thinking that nature had planned it right. While I rushed around caring for my baby all day, there were those breaks every couple hours, where I had no choice but to sit and cuddle with my child nursed. In the beginning it was longer, when I was most tired, and as I regained more strength and energy, she feedings became shorter.

On the other hand, I knew a mother who was breastfeeding when I started breastfeeding. She was nursing her second child, who was two months old. Her nipples split and each feeding was painful. She would feed him formula at night and breastfeed in the daytime until he was six months. This worked for her, but I wince to think of how she endured the pain. It is not a question that every mother wants to give her child the best she can, but in cases like this there is no need to suffer so much.

If formula makes most sense in your situation, there is no reason to feel bad or guilty about it. My mother had to switch me to formula after a couple of months and I turned out fairly healthy. There are millions of children that can testify to this. I find that formula fed babies need the right formula for them, since it is not as personalized as breast milk, but once you go through the testing and observation to find the right one, kids are fine.

Choosing between breast feeding and formula is up to a child's mother. Many around you will give input, but you are ultimately the best judge. Be sensitive to your child's responses and needs and you will both be fine!

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