Recently there's been A LOT of controversy over breast-feeding vs formula feeding, I've stayed out of these arguments because honestly, no one can win, no one person is right or wrong. Like I said in my previous post My 10 Survival Tips for Expecting Moms, you MUST do what is right for your child and you and only you can make those decisions, you can't let what's the new hype or popular argument keep you from doing what is best for your family.
For me personally, I come from the family of the Big Breast Club, breast feeding was not something that came easily to me even the slightest bit. With Hannah I tried breast feeding probably 3 weeks while supplementing with formula. Then when I was having problems with my milk production I tried pumping. Unfortunately, no matter how hard I tried or what I did, Hannah was losing weight, she was constantly hungry and my body just couldn't give her what she needed. So as much as I wanted to be a breast-feeding mommy (cost above all other reasons) I had to make the RIGHT choice for her and me and put her on formula. I experienced the same thing with Savannah but my milk was even worse off, barely producing 1 oz a day, so Savannah went onto formula much faster than her sister. Formula was much easier for both girls, they eat well, they are more than healthy and happy and even when Hannah was in daycare it was easier to handle for her provider.
I still remember being in the hospital with Savannah and a family member came to visit, I was feeding Savannah a formula bottle and she said "well, breast is best, that's what I'm going to do when I'm a mom" and I just so wanted to snap and say "well, when your a mom and you realize it's not as easy as it looks, you'll see", but instead I said "research and studies have shown that children on breast milk or formula don't grow any different, they are getting the correct nutrients and that's all that matters". Regardless of her words or any other opinion both my girls are perfectly healthy, in their correct height and weight percentages for their ages and great eaters, they even sleep better than about 50% of the breast fed babies I know.
I personally believe that formula was the best decision for me, my girls and my husband. He loves being able to feed Savannah and I love watching him interact with her during those feeding times. Having his help made sleeping so much easier as well. I would get up one time, him the next, because of formula we were able to share the responsibilities of feedings rather than it falling solely on me because of breast-feeding. Him being able to help with feedings also allowed me to not build resentment or be overly tired and get grumpy which is overall healthier for the entire family....trust me, me and grumpy don't go well together!
Again, this is my own experience and what worked for me and my family, it might not work for you and you might be great at breast-feeding and I applaud that 1,000% but don't feel like formula is the enemy or that you have to exhaust yourself and possibly hurt your child just to not get looked at wrong because you aren't breast-feeding. Just like picking out the diaper that works for your baby, not everyone likes Pampers Swaddlers but I do, some prefer Huggies but I don't, I feel this debate can go either way, but I don't think there's a right or wrong way to make sure your child is getting everything he or she should be getting nutrition wise.
Not a sermon, just a thought (I've always wanted to put that in an post!!! eeekkkk!)
