Why Strictly Breast-Feeding Is Not Always Practical

There has been an ongoing debate for many years about why new moms should strictly breast-feed their babies, and not use formula at all. You will find that there are people on both sides of the fence that feel pretty strongly about this topic, and it is difficult not to let their views influence you once you have a baby of your own. I did a lot of research about this topic whenever my daughter was first born, and my wife indicated to me that she wanted to strictly breast-feed her baby for as long as she could. I fully supported my wife and told her that she had to make the decision that she thought was best for not only our daughter, but herself as well.

However, when my wife wanted to start supplementing our daughter with formula after she was about a month old, she really fretted over this decision and was concerned about what the physician and our midwife would say. She really had no idea what to do and was really upset about making this decision. Basically, she felt like she was doing a disservice to our daughter by giving her formula. I finally told her that it was her decision, and if she felt it was okay to give our baby formula, then it was our decision and ours alone. In the end, our baby was on both breast milk and formula, and grew into an extremely healthy and strong baby, proving that my wife made a good decision.

I understand that it is widely accepted that there is nothing quite like breast milk for helping a baby thrive. Labs simply can't replicate in a formula, all of the nutrients that are made by nature in breast milk. This honestly is not up for debate by anybody, as it is just simply a fact that is indisputable. However, those who are proponents of strictly breast-feeding, try to make you feel guilty about using formula and tell you that you are doing your baby a disservice by feeding him or her formula. While I understand where these people are coming from, it is not always feasible to keep your baby on breast milk for an entire year. There are many mothers who must go back to work, or they simply are having trouble getting their baby to breast-feed. In other cases, mothers are experiencing sore and cracked nipples, and a plethora of other complications that prevent them from breast-feeding.

You alone are responsible for making the decisions for your baby, and I would strongly encourage you to do what you feel is best for you and your situation. Do not allow others to pressure you into doing something you are not comfortable with. I can tell you from experience that while it is ideal to breast-feed your baby strictly for a year, that using formula is not the end of the world, and I have a happy and healthy daughter to prove otherwise.

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William Jason writes for http://BabyDollStroller.net where you can find his latest article on how to stop breast milk production by visiting the blog today.

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