A Personal Decision


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Before baby is even born, every new mother faces what can be a very tough question for many. Should I breastfeed or bottle feed my baby? While opinions run very strong on both sides of this issue for some, there are many legitimate choices for going either way on this, and mothers should not feel bad about either choice. Your baby can grow up healthy and well adjusted regardless of which way she is fed.

On the one hand, breastfeeding is obviously the most natural way for a baby to eat. A mother’s milk is custom made for babies, and designed by nature with all of the nutrients most important for babies. In addition, numerous antibodies are found in breast milk which can help your baby be her healthiest. For these reasons, it is best to breast feed your baby if you are able to do so, at least for the first few months of babies life.

Additionally, breast feeding allows a certain bond between a mother and her infant that nothing else quite compares to. The closeness of skin against skin, coupled with the suckling instinct, provides for an intimacy that is tough to match with any other parenting activity.

On the other hand, there are many reasons why some mothers choose to bottle feed, and there is no shame in bottle feeding your baby. Today’s infant formulas are designed to be healthy for baby, too, and are fortified with several of the vitamins and minerals most important to baby’s health.

While the reasons for choosing bottle feeding over breastfeeding are varied, and every mother has her own reasons for making the decision she does, either way, some of the more common reasons for bottle feeding include convenience (others can help feed baby) and difficulty nursing. Believe it or not, as natural as it is, nursing does not come easily to every mother and infant. Additionally, there are certain medications that can cause a mother’s breast milk to be hazardous to baby. Your doctor will advise you, of course, if medications you are taking fall into this category. If you’re not sure, ask.

Regardless of how you feed your baby, you will want to make sure that feeding times are warm, intimate times, when baby is snuggled closely and feels secure. Babies form some of their closest bonds while feeding, as they are so completely dependent, at least for the first few months, on whoever is feeding them. Whether you breast feed or bottle feed, you want feeding times to be a close and intimate time for you and your baby.



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