Well Fed Is Best

There is a variety of influencing factors that impact on the decision of whether to breast or bottle feed your baby. The choice of how to feed your baby is a very personal one and one that should be an informed decision. Being well fed is best regardless of the method chosen.

Expectations forced on us by friends, family, media, society and then our biggest critic, ourselves. Parents and particularly mothers have hopes, dreams, fears and anxiety, how do I want to feed my baby, will I be able to breastfeed, do I want to breastfeed, will people judge me if I choose to bottle feed my baby?

Breastfeeding is the natural way to feed your baby and for many mothers it is very important to them to successfully breastfeed their baby. It is reassuring to know that most women will be able to successfully breastfeed given good support and information. There has been much research done in the last 20 years which has greatly improved the ability of health professionals to assist women to successfully breastfeed.

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Is Breast Always Best?

All research studies and information shows that breastfeeding is by far the best and healthiest choice for your baby however for some women and families breastfeeding is not successful or not best for them and they decide not to continue, reasons include:

medical conditions for mother or baby
medications not safe to use while breastfeeding
low milk supply
pain and damage to nipples not improving with support
not feeling comfortable breastfeeding
work commitments
unsuccessful with breastfeeding their last baby
and many other reasons

And for many mothers the decision to bottle feed is made worse by feelings of failure and self-doubt because breastfeeding didn’t work out for them and their baby. Your baby being well fed is best for them and for you.

Others choose to bottle feed with formula from the beginning for many of the same reasons above. Sometimes these mothers feel judged or misunderstood by the midwives and other health professionals and even their own friends and family about this decision.

Exclusively Expressing and Bottle Feeding Breastmilk

Some mothers choose to express their breastmilk and only feed this to their baby usually from a bottle. This can work very well for some families. The baby still receives the benefits of the breastmilk whilst there are no issues with attachment and nipple pain. Some Mums prefer this method, so they know how much milk their baby is getting.

This is a large commitment of time, especially early on as you need to take time to express the milk and also to feed your baby the bottle. For this reason, many can only sustain this for the first few months.

Mothers will usually try to get at least one feed ahead with expressed milk so that it is available when required. Expressing while your baby is crying and hungry is very stressful. Partners often enjoy being able to feed their baby the bottle as well and this can take the pressure off the Mum and allow her some time out.

Breast pump — Manual breast pump, mothers breast milk is the most healthy food for newborn baby. Happy mother with baby at background

Mixed Feeding- Breastmilk and Formula

Many mothers choose to combine both breastfeeding and bottle feeding with formula for a variety of reasons including low milk supply, work commitments, wanting more freedom, or a partner wants to help bottle feed their baby to reduce the mother’s workload and expressing is not the preferred option.

Any breastmilk is great for your baby and combining the two works very well for many families.

Bottle Feeding with Formula

As we have discussed some Mums choose to bottle feed with formula right from the beginning for a variety of reasons and we must all respect this choice.

All infant formula sold in Australia and New Zealand that is suitable from birth to 12 months of age is regulated by the food standards code which means all are safe to feed your baby. This code covers nutrient composition, food safety requirements and food additives. Formula is the only alternative to breastmilk for human babies. Breastmilk is too complex to be fully copied but companies are constantly trying to improve it by adding more nutrients to more closely mimic breastmilk. Many infants thrive on formula milk.

Most importantly this is your decision, no one else’s and although it can be hard, be guided by your own heart and head. Know that I will not judge you for your decision, I want to support you with which ever method you choose. And this should be the aim of all health professionals’ as well.

Being well fed is best for your baby, for their growth and development and to enable them to reach their full potential.

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