Why bottle feed?

One of our key decisions for our blog was not to exclude any mummy as we believe all mummys want to love their babies and do the best they can for them.  So we do agree that breast is best but we like to be real and understand sometimes that is not best for everyone.  There are many reasons why mummys do not breast feed as we thought below.  So if you are one of them, that is fine we respect your views.  What is important is a happy mummy and a happy baby.  So as promised this is the first of the series on bottle feeding.

The mother's health:

The mother is infected with HIVor has active tuberculosis. She is malnourished, extremely ill or has had certain kinds of breast surgery. She is taking any kind of drug that could harm the baby, or drinks unsafe levels of alcohol.

The baby is unable to breastfeed:

The child has a birth defect or inborn error of metabolism such as galactosemia (big word so hope I have spelt it correctly, even spell checker did not recognise it!) that makes breastfeeding difficult or impossible

The baby is considered at risk for malnutrition:

In certain circumstances infants may be at risk for malnutrition, such as due to  iron deficiency, vitamin deficiencies (e.g. vitamin D which may be less present in breast milk than needed at high latitudes where there is less sun exposure), or inadequate nutrition during transition to solid foods.

 

 

Personal preferences and beliefs:

The mother may dislike breast-feeding or think it inconvenient. She may feel that breasts are too sexual for a baby, or that bottle-feeding will increase the father's role in parenting his child.

Absence of the mother:

The child is adopted, orphaned, abandoned, or in the sole custody of a man. The mother is separated from her child by being in prison or a mental hospital. The mother has left the child in the care of another person for an extended period of time, such as while travelling or working abroad.

Food allergies:

The mother eats foods that may provoke an allergic reaction in the infant.

Financial pressures:

Maternity leave is unpaid, insufficient, or lacking. The mother's employment interferes with breastfeeding.

 

 

Societal structure:

Breastfeeding may be forbidden at the mother's job, school, place of worship or in other public places, or the mother may feel that breastfeeding in these places or around other people is immodest, unsanitary, or inappropriate.

Social pressures:

Family members, such as mother's husband or boyfriend, or friends or other members of society may encourage the use of infant formula. For example, they may believe that breastfeeding will decrease the mother's energy, health, or attractiveness.

 

 

Lack of training:

The mother is not trained sufficiently to breastfeed without pain and to produce enough milk.

 

 

Lactation insufficiency:

The mother is unable to produce sufficient milk.  Some women may choose infant formula either exclusively or as a supplement to breastfeeding.

Fear of exposure to environmental contaminants:

Certain environmental pollutants, such as poly chlorinated biphenyls, can bio accumulate in the food chain and may be found in humans including mothers' breast milk. However studies have shown that the greatest risk period for adverse effects from environmental exposures is prenatally. Other studies have further found that the levels of most persistent organohalogen compounds in human milk decreased significantly over the past three decades and equally did their exposure through breastfeeding.

Lack of wet nurses:

Wet nursing is illegal and stigmatised in some countries, and may not be available.It may also be socially unsupported, expensive, or health screening of wet nurses may not be available. The mother, her doctor,or family may not know that wet nursing is possible, or may believe that nursing by a relative or paid wet-nurse is unhygienic.

Lack of milk banks:

Human-milk banks may not be available, as few exist, and many countries cannot provide the necessary screening for diseases and refrigeration.

So if you are one of these mothers or have another reason why you will not breast feed.  That is okay as it is all about making sure mummy is happy, then baby is happy, then family is happy.  Just hate judgements these days, I reckon you can have an opinion or offer advice but a judgement is personal and people should respect others decisions.