Some Factors That May Help You Decide Not To Breastfeed Your 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.

It has been argued that breast fed infants are healthier. This is simply not true with the nutritional advances made by baby formulas sold today. Breast fed infants can even inadvertently digest medications, alcohol and unhealthy sugary sweets that are secreted in a breastfeeding mother's milk. Breast fed infants that require strict intake guidelines may need to be bottle fed due to the difficulty in accurately tracking the intake of a breast fed infant.

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.

Deciding not to breastfeed your infant does not make you a poor mother. Bottle feeding provides adequate nutrition and bonding opportunities for the whole family. Those who prefer to breastfeed simply have decided that natural feeding is best for their lives. Bottle fed infants fare just as well physically as breast ed babies. Choosing to breastfeed your infant is not mandatory. Mothers now have the opportunity to choose between the bottle and breast without sacrificing the well being of their babies.