To choose feeding baby with your breast milk is a personal choice. You have to balance the advantages for both yourself and the baby, and find the most fitting schedule and plans on how to carry out breastfeeding for a targeted period.
The best thing about breast milk is it is so many times healthier than any infant formula. The mother’s milk already comes complete with vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that are sufficient for the baby’s physical growth. Apart from the health benefits, no one can argue about the bonding moments that an infant gets with the act of suckling from the mother’s breast. Indeed, feeding baby with breast milk is all about giving them the healthiest food and the emotional stability their infancy needs.
The antibodies contained in breast milk are just one of the many things infant formulas can never duplicate. From the colostrums to the fat contents in breast milk, the baby gets all the antibodies that would later shield them from various forms of sickness. It is said that the mother’s antibodies are passed on when feeding baby with breast milk, until such time that their little bodies are capable of producing their own. No milk formula could copy this wonder of breast milk and breastfeeding.
Also, mother’s milk changes as the baby’s growth takes place. Unlike manufactured formulas with definite contents, the nutrients composition in the breast milk adjusts to the age of the baby, ensuring that optimal meals are given to her growing body at each time she suckles milk from your breast.
No one will argue that breastfeeding is the most rewarding experience for both mother and child. Still, bonding with your baby is not all about breastfeeding and holding the baby close for her meals. So you shouldn’t feel guilty if you cannot be feeding baby right off your breasts. There are several instances where feeding baby with breast milk would not work, and it is naturally acceptable that you cannot carry on such responsibility.
Among the reasons would be if you or the baby has a health condition where doctors advised against breastfeeding. Also, there are many working mothers who wish to breastfeed but their time constraints pose a difficulty in pursuing breastfeeding. For this, many mothers pump their milk and store them in bottles for later feeding. This way, the baby will still get all the health benefits of breast milk.
Some mothers just are not feeling comfortable about the idea of breastfeeding, or pumping their breasts and storing milk. Some find it a hassle to their daily routines and career. This shouldn’t make you feel guilty if you choose feeding baby with formula instead of breast milk. As it is, breastfeeding should be a choice and a commitment, both of which should be up to you!
Keep on reading and read Why breastfeeding is the best choice for more information about this subject.
