Breastfeeding versus formula feeding has been a hot topic in the mommy world for just about everyone and many mommies have very strong opinions toward one or the other.
Let me preface this post by saying that whichever option you choose to feed your baby is 100% personal and 100% your choice. I’m not saying that one is better than the other, so whatever your preference, you are welcome here. I am no lactation consultant or obstetrician, just a mom who has experienced both methods of feeding with my sons, and lived to tell about it. The most important thing is being the best mommy you can be, no matter what that means.
With that being said, let’s start the comparison…
First, let’s discuss the “Breast is Best” campaign that seems to be the industry focus these days. While my personal belief is that breastfeeding is the best thing for my children, I want to clarify what that means for me and alter the motto just a little bit. This is how I look at it: “Breast is Best, Nutritionally.”
If you look at the science behind breast milk, it is actually a very complex, vitally nutritious substance our bodies somehow naturally know how to produce. It is filled with antibodies that protect against illness and disease and boost our babies’ immune systems. It contains both prebiotics and probiotics, one of the few compounds that does. In fact, it contains over 90 different prebiotics, in 900 different forms, called oligosaccharides, that protect the baby from bacteria and infections the mom has never even been exposed to.
There are a ton of other substances found in breast milk that are designed to protect a baby’s new immune system. To read more about them, check out this article from Le Leche Leage International. I can’t help but think when I read about all of these amazing benefits, how fearfully and wonderfully made we truly are.
You can even see evidence that breast milk is better nutritionally than formula on the formula itself. The quality formulas that really target moms that want to “do what’s best for their babies” and give them the best nutrition possible are marketing their formula as “containing A, B, and C compounds, found in breast milk,” or “Our closest formula to breast milk.” With that being said, even those companies that are essentially selling a product that competes with breastfeeding, recognize the fact that they cannot match the nutritional benefits of breastmilk.
Breastfeeding is also considered the best option for moms. Many women know that breastfeeding can help you lose your baby weight because you burn more calories both producing milk and actually breastfeeding, as much as 500 extra calories a day! When you breastfeed, your body produces a hormone called oxytocin (the same hormone that makes your body start labor contractions) that helps your uterus shrink back down to size, and helps control your bleeding after birth. Breastfeeding can also reduce your risk of developing breast or ovarian cancer and may help reduce your risk of osteoporosis, too!
Now Let’s Consider What’s Best, Mentally
While I think that everyone should at least try breastfeeding, some moms go into parenthood determined to formula feed. And guess what, that’s ok. Think about it, before breast pumps, our parents and their parents didn’t have nearly the options we have today and if they didn’t produce enough breastmilk or couldn’t get their baby to latch, they didn’t have the option to exclusively pump. Consequently, tons of baby’s were raised on formula, and not always the all-natural, organic, non-GMO formula options we have today. And guess what? We survived. Yes, you should want to do what’s best for your baby, but if for you, being the best mom you can be means giving your child formula, then that’s what it means for you and others should respect that. It’s a deeply personal choice and you should have the right to make it.
There are also some moms who try breastfeeding and decide that for the sake of their mental health and their relationship with their baby, formula is going to work better for them. If you’re going through the process of trying to nurse and your baby is not getting enough milk or like some very unfortunate moms, breastfeeding makes you physically sick, you can make the switch to formula. You’re not giving up, you’re making a decision as a parent that is going to be best for you and your family, and don’t let anyone make you feel bad about it.
My Journey
The First Time Around
Now if you’ve read any of my articles, you know that I try to be as healthy and natural as possible and I was determined when I was pregnant with my first son to exclusively breastfeed. I didn’t exactly know what to expect, but I definitely wanted to give it a shot. However, with my first son, he had issues with high bilirubin, something I’m sure tons of moms out there can relate to. Long story short, it was my first time breastfeeding and ended up being extremely stressful for both of us because he had so much trouble latching and we weren’t able to get his bilirubin down well enough with just breastmilk. Anyone who has experienced this knows that when a baby’s bilirubin level gets too high, they become jaundice (yellow looking), very lethargic, sleep all the time and basically look like a limp noodle. It becomes a vicious cycle trying to get them to eat enough to clear it out of their system and build up enough energy to eat again.
We ended up back in the hospital and he had to be stripped down under lights in one of those enclosed NICU beds. Thankfully, we only had to stay overnight and his bilirubin dropped down enough to go home, but the only time we could take him out of the NICU bed was when it was time for him to eat and we had to alternate giving him a bottle to make sure he was getting enough, and breastfeeding, weighing him before and after and then weighing his dirty diapers to make sure he was eating. It was a nightmare trying to pump, on top of all of this and being a worried, sleep-deprived, first-time mom, struggling with my own issues of clogged milk ducts and mastitis from such an interrupted feeding schedule.
Once he got used to the bottle, he was too impatient to go back to breastfeeding. We tried every trick in the book and I finally resolved to pump exclusively to save my own sanity and still provide the best food I could for my baby. And that went seemingly well for about 7 1/2 months. Then it really started to wear on me. I hated not being able to pick up my baby when he wanted me because I was hooked up to a machine, trying to ultimately do what was best for him, even if he didn’t know it. Then, my milk started to decrease and though I had a good freezer supply that lasted him for about another month, I basically let the whole process go. We switched my son to Earth’s Best organic, non-GMO formula and he did great with it for the rest of his first year.
The Second Time Around
With this very emotional first go-around, my husband and I were determined to get our second son to breastfeed exclusively AND avoid the issues we faced with our first son, especially during his first week. I took all of the tools I had acquired in my breastfeeding efforts to the hospital, including a supplemental feeder, nipple shields, and my breast pump (just in case). Mostly, I had determined mentally that I wasn’t going to give up. I was going to make it work, even if I had to see a lactation consultant right away, we would figure it out.
Moments after our second son was born, the nurses explained to us that they now delay the baby’s first bath, as long as you are ok with it, because it helps them to better establish breastfeeding. And guess what? They were right! My second son latched right away and has never had an issue latching since, despite a slight tongue tie. And I did notice that the next morning, when they took him to give us a little sleep and eventually cleaned him up and I got a chance to shower, breastfeeding took a second to good at again. It has something to do with yours and the baby’s scents that helps them out initially.
We thought we were in the clear with the eating dilemma, until the afternoon of the second day we were in the hospital. Our son started becoming very fussy and wanted to eat constantly to where we thought maybe I was running out of colostrum? After getting some help from the nurses and making sure he was latching well, we asked the doctor who told us that the colostrum wasn’t running out but obviously isn’t produced in the same amount as breastmilk. So, while it was providing everything he needed nutritionally, it may not be filling his belly, making him hungry again right away.
So we decided to use the supplemental feeder and give him a little formula because we wanted to clear out his system and make sure we didn’t relive the experience we had with our first son. And it worked! After just two feedings, he slept well through the night, except for feeding, and after a few days of supplementing, we went back to exclusively breastfeeding with no problems. He did lose a little more weight once we went home, but after my milk came in, he quickly gained 6 ounces before the week was over and he’s been doing well ever since!
How to Decide?
Like I said earlier, deciding whether to breastfeed or formula feed your baby is a very personal decision and should be researched and considered very carefully, but it should also ultimately be your decision. I would recommend trying to breastfeed and giving it every effort, but if it doesn’t work for you, or just isn’t for you, and formula feeding would make you a better mom and give you a better relationship overall, then that’s a choice you have to make.
I will say that I really enjoy breastfeeding our son now and it’s so much easier than having to remember to pack bottles or pump on top of feeding him, and we appreciate saving the money we don’t have to spend on formula, but if breastfeeding had not come so easily to my second son, I can’t say that I would’ve been so determined to maintain it. Especially when you have other children, exclusively pumping might not even be a realistic option for you. At the end of the day, you have to decide what is going to be best for you, your baby and your family, and that is going to make you the best mom you can be!
If you want more information on how to be successful with breastfeeding, check out my article How To Be Successful With Breastfeeding.