Oct 31 2008
Breast-Feeding Vs. Bottle Feeding: The Battle is On.
Breast-Feeding Vs.
Bottle Feeding: 
Which one is for you?
As a new mother (or even if this is your second or third time around), you may feel pressure from doctors, friends and coworkers to breast-feed your new baby. The push for breast-feeding has been going on for a number of years and any mother who considers bottle feeding instead may start to feel like she has decided to feed her child a diet of pizza and cupcakes for all the eye rolling and snide comments she has received.
Before you are pushed into any decision, take into consideration the pros and cons of both sides of this ever debated issue of breast-feeding vs. bottle feeding.
Breast-fed babies receive colostrum, which is the early milk produced by the breast that is nutrient dense. Many women attempt to breast-feed their newborn in the hospital and the colostrum will be the first food the baby receives. Even without continuing to breast-feed, receiving colostrum is a great way to give your newborn baby’s immune system a boost.
Breast-feeding is painful as any new mother who wasn’t expecting the pain of breast-feeding will tell you. With chronically chapped, sore nipples, mother’s who began breast-feeding sometimes change over to bottle feeding.
Breast-feeding allows the mother to feed on demand. There is no need for warming up a bottle, sterilizing nipples or measuring formula. Just sit down, undo bra and feed. Breast-feeding is convenient for the new mother who is already carrying around a large supply of baby equipment.
Breast-feeding can’t be done by the other parent, leaving the responsibility of feeding the infant up to mother. Yes, a mother can pre-pump her breast milk, but it is ultimately the responsibility of the mother to make sure that there is enough milk pumped or she will be the only one who has to get up to feed the baby in the middle of the night. Mother’s who breast-feed are always on-call to their crying infant and may want to share this responsibility with their partner.
Breast-feeding helps a new mother lose baby weight because during each feeding the mother burns about 500 calories to feed the infant.
Rocking, cajoling, and otherwise calming down the baby for hours in the wee hours of the morning will also burn calories.
Formula is safe and effective nutrition for a newborn baby. You can measure formula and no exactly how much your baby is eating at every meal. There is no reason to guess if your baby is getting enough food.
Breast-feeding “until your baby stops” is not always effective. Some breast-fed babies are not getting enough nutrition and do not gain weight as they should even if they stop eating in the middle of a feeding and appear satisfied. There are a number of reasons for this that include difficulty latching onto the breast and the mother’s milk not coming in fully. Some mothers end up having to supplement with formula feeding in the long run.
Breast-feeding can be a great bonding experience, but mothers who breast-feed may find it embarrassing if their baby decides they need to eat in the middle of the mall, church, or family gathering. Sometimes it is difficult to find a quiet place where you can nurse and not all mothers are comfortable bearing their breasts in public. Bottle feeding mothers can whip out a bottle anywhere, anytime.
Whatever decision you make to feed your newborn will be the right one for you and your family. With significant improvements in formulas over the years and greater social exceptance about breast-feeding, either choice should leave you feeling like a competent, thoughtful parent.
Hip tip of the day: “Look before you leap”
