Anybody else tired of being ridiculed for bottle feeding?

Question

Folks, there's nobody on this planet who doesn't know that breastmilk is better for babies than formula is. You don't have to keep telling us it's better. However, it would be very nice if you'd understand and accept the fact that some of us don't have a choice. I've raised three children to adulthood and never had a drop of breastmilk. Some moms don't have the choice to breastfeed because of illness, physical disability, or life circumstances.

Just a request... please be sensitive to how you word things. Many of our new parents are stressing out over every little thing anyway... They really don't need to hear complete strangers telling them the best they can give their child isn't good enough.

Answer 1

Ya no kidding. I seen somebody post a smart *** comment about not breastfeeding and the question was about bottlefeeding so I said something and this is the response I got...

shannonmangan
As far as I can tell, I didn't say she was a bad parent. I merely pointed out that if she is TOO LAZY to freakin' warm a bottle, then she might want to try an EASIER way to feed her baby- BREAST FEEDING! I don't know your story, but I know that I had a hard time with my first baby but I got help from nurses, lactation consultants and when that didn't work, I had my MIL and SIL who are OB nurses help me. If that hadn't of worked I would have called a doula, a midwife and LA LECHE LEAGUE. I wouldn't have given up.

You can BITE ME if you think I believe people who can't breastfeed for physical reasons beyond their control are 'BAD' parents. But being TOO LAZY to warm a bottle? PA-LEASE! THAT IS S-A-D!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...


What a freakin joke. I used to be a lactation consultant and still was not able to breastfeed and this **** makes it seem if you don't succeed at it then you are just too lazy. My doctor told me after I had my first I wouldn't be able to but I tried anyways, with all three of them. These people think what they say is not bashing or calling nonbreastfeeding mothers bad mothers but that is exactly what they are doing. Some people are so ignorant.

Answer 2

Yes, breast milk is better, but it doesn't guarantee that your baby will not get sick, or that he will grow up smarter or taller or faster. Milk is the only source of nutrients for just the first few months in the life of a child. Most parents start solids at 6 months old or at doctors advice, and this includes a variety of new sources of vitamins and minerals that help your baby grow. I have a 12 year old in the High Honor Roll since she was in preschool that succeeds in sports and a 18 month old baby that can run a race at the signal "ready-set-go", bounce a ball 3 times in a row, kicks the ball soccer style, climbs over practically everything, calls most of his toys and family members by two syllable names, and can understand and obey two consecutive orders. All this with NO BREAST MILK. I am glad there was an option to feed my babies. I believe your babies will grow wonderfully if you make the choices you think are best for them.

Answer 3

AMEN TO THAT!!
I felt so guilty that I could not breastfeed my second daughter that I actually got depressed. It took alot of help to get over it and realize that it did not make me a bad parent.
When my third daughter came along , she could not breastfeed either but through the care of my husband's family I did not have the same probs as I did with the second one. People need to realize that eventhough we bottlefed , it does not mean we are less of a parent than those who could breastfeed.

Answer 4

I know this wasn't really a question, but I wanted to reply and say Kudos to you for this post. I have two wonderful kids who were bottle fed. Not by choice either!! There is nothing wrong with bottle feeding or bottle fed babies. Like you said, there are circumstances that we can not always control.

Answer 5

I both breastfed and bottlefed my babies..and boy when I switched to bottle feeding did the local Mums give me a hard time..Id be the last one to try and tell a new Mum that she wasnt doing the right thing...more understanding is needed not judgements!!!

Answer 6

Thank you I'm glad there is someone out there who can also see it that way.

I was told by my mother in-law that I should breast feed and I tried to tell her and my husband no because I was on some strong medicine for my seizures and she didn't let me live it down until she was with my husband and I at our son's checkup and I talked to the doctor about it and he told me who ever told me that I should breast feed my son while I'm on that kind of medicine doesn't know what their talking about and she was sitting right there in the room with us.

Thank you again.

Answer 7

You are preaching to the choir sister. It wasn't all that long ago that doctors thought that formula was BETTER than breast milk (yes I am old enough to remember). Bottle fed babies go to Harvard too ya' know!

Answer 8

I'm so glad you posted this. Both of my kids were bottle fed BY CHOICE and I get alot of **** for it. My playgroup moms look at me like I'm the worst mom when I mix a bottle. I wanted to try since it's so good for baby and all, but when it came down to it , it just wasn't for me and I'm sick of it being an issue. My kids are healthy and my daughter is smartest in her class.

Answer 9

I agree completely!!!

With my first, I breastfed and swore that was the best choice.

With my second, she couldn't latch on and I wasn't producing enough milk anyways. I think it was that damn Depo shot. Anyways, she got formula and I think she turned out more than just fine.

Thank you so much for voicing your opinion.

Answer 10

i think its kind of naturally thought of that way , like i always say "if you dont breastfeed for your own damn selfish reasons, you should go to hell, but if you have no choice, well, **** happens." ♥