Breastfeeding Answers - Choosing Not To Breastfeed Your Baby

If you have decided not to breastfeed your baby, you are not alone. Many women choose the bottle over the breast. There are many reasons not to breastfeed. Insufficient milk supply, cracked nipples, hectic work schedules, prescription medication and many other factors can deter a woman from choosing to breastfeed her baby.

Choosing to formula feed your infant was at one time considered to be a social faux pas. Today's culture is much more accepting of bottle feeding an infant. Many mothers return to work shortly after the birth of an infant and breastfeeding is simply not conventional in the average workplace. Deciding to formula feed your baby is often a matter of necessity rather than personal choice. Electing to formula feed your infant does not have to be a disadvantageous experience for you or your baby.

Many breastfeeding advocates will argue that breast fed infants receive better nutrition than formula fed babies. With the advances in the ingredients of baby formulas, this is no longer true. Eating a well balanced diet with enough calories to sustain two people is often an arduous task for mothers. Strict dieting, indulging in sweets and any consumption of alcoholic beverages are all prohibited for breastfeeding women. Breast fed infants receive a portion of everything consumed by the mother, making prescription drugs, alcoholic beverages and many over the counter medications off limits. It is also difficult to accurately gauge how much milk a breast fed infant actually consumes. For children with medical conditions that require close monitoring of their intake, bottle feeding is a necessity.

Learning about breastfeeding benefits and drawbacks is often one area that healthcare practitioners focus on heavily during the prenatal period and immediately following the birth of a child. Many breastfeeding advocates support breastfeeding in part because of the bond created between the mother and child during frequent breastfeeding. This same bond can be achieved with bottle feeding by holding the infant during feeding times. Making eye contact, stroking and talking to your infant during feedings can create as strong a bond as breastfeeding. Talk about breastfeeding versus bottle feeding with your OB/GYN or nurse practitioner if you have doubts about your choice to not breastfeed your infant.

Many baby websites offer chat rooms or discussion forums dedicated to the discussion of bottle versus breastfeeding. Baby websites can also be a great source of information about the nutritional, social and emotional aspects of choosing not to breastfeed your baby. Many of the popular baby and parenting magazines now offer a corresponding baby website with additional articles, contests and links to other helpful baby-related websites.

If you choose not to breastfeed your baby, you can rest assured that your infant will not suffer any damaging effects. Mothers who choose to breastfeed their babies nurture and bond with their infants as well as those who choose to bottle feed. Opting to breastfeed your baby may not be the best choice for your lifestyle. Modern mothers have the choice between the bottle and the breast.