The Three

The Three
Bug, Mr. Chubbs and LalaBear May 2010

Thursday, November 3, 2011

The age old Battle between Formula Feeding and Breastfeeding

Ok so EVERYONE has a side to this issue.. You have the people who either COULD NOT breastfeed (for whatever reason) Did not WANT to breastfeed (for whatever reason) and then you have the breast feeders. It's pretty natural to breastfeed. I mean this is how we've fed our infants from the time of man.
Formula is a new invention.. started up about 50 years ago or so. It's basically MOCK Boob Juice in a can. Now i admit it, I'm a breast feeder. I don't like formula, even though my oldest was  fed it. I regret everyday that I gave her formula, under the ignorant guise of it being what is best for her. It wasn't, plain and simple.

So I'm on one of the online message board i go to daily (www.cafemom.com)  and I happened to come across some pictures of people's "emergency stock piles"  and i kept seeing cans upon cans of formula.  It made me think.
If you were hit with a tornado or something and had to use your stock pile... wouldn't it be better to breastfeed rather than formula feed? so say that the public water system was contaminated or something and you had to live off of the water storage you had... mixing formula would deplete that storage quicker than if you were breastfeeding (since only the mother is drinking from the water storage, and not mother and the formula fed baby)

So i posted these thoughts and asked the ladies why they had formula in their stockpiles when it seems that it's more of a resource depleter than if you just simply breastfeed.  I never ONCE said anything about them as mothers, or anything about formula feeding. I was hoping for a logic based discussion about this....

But i got slapped with angry mothers that formula feed. basically saying "saying I'm a bad mother for formula feeding is hurtful and mean"

Uh.... Where did i say that you were a bad mother?  NEVER!
I was just curious as to see what they thought. that's all.

This age old battle against each other has GOT TO STOP.  It doesn't matter how we feel about formula feeding or breastfeeding... As long as the parents understand that formula is NOT breast milk and have done the research on it, then it's not a huge deal.
We put each other down because of our convictions on this matter... when we should be supporting each other, spreading correct information to each other and loving each other for who we are.

It's time to give up the fight about who and what is better.. and just embrace our humanity and strive for a healthy, happy race.

Don't you think so?

1 comment:

  1. I agree with the fact that we should stop the fight. When i was in the hospital after Lily was born, I had not idea which to chose..Since I was not given the option we went straight to breast feeding. Well let me tell you, I am one of those moms who absolutely can NOT do it. I layed in that hospital bed in agony. The nurses came around to help me latch properly and still nothing helped. My nipples were bleeding and the skin was raw. I tried everything to make it work, and the pump was no better. I asked for a bottle to be made up but i was flat out refused... the nurses were so rude about it to when i pleaded with them to give her formula. I layed in that bed for 4 days bawling my eyes out cause of the pain I had to deal with to feed Lily naturally.. When i got home i thought maybe now i can relax and things will work better, WRONG, her first feeding when we got home was just as painful and when she burped it was red, so what i was feeding her was my blood. So needless to say i went out and got her on formula instantly. And I never looked back. I could let others feed her, I could get a full nights sleep, I was able to go back to work with out the worry of..oh no did i pump enough milk,.. Yes i agree if i could have breast fed i would have much prefered that..Now with Keegan once again i tried and once again i was unsucceful. Once again i was made to feel awful by the nurses for asking for formula, so for another 4 days i suffered in pain feeding my son nothing but bloody milk. When we got home he to was switched to formula, and i have never gave it a second thought. No formula is NOT breast milk but it is a great suppliment. My third son was not once even on the boob, the nurse i had here in alberta gave me the choice and was more then willing to accept my choice for formula. All of my children were raised on it and i dont regret it really one bit. There are moms out there like me whos body just physically cant do it.
    To all you who can, thats wonderful... but do you know how meny times i have been made to feel awful about NOT being able to.. it sucks, it makes you feel like less of a mom and women. Our babies grow up to be just as healththy as breast fed ones. so weither it be breast or bottle you should have the freedom to chose which suits your needs and lifestyle with out ridicule..

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