Why would a woman chose NOT to breastfeed . . .?

Question

when so much evidence has proven that breastmilk is the healthiest for the baby?

Thanks guys! This is for another one of my assignments_ it's nice to hear what real people have to say instead of just the books!!

Answer 1

(Obviously those women with health problems simply may not be able to. This is not aimed at you.) This is aimed at people who CHOSE not to breastfeed because they weren't willing to put their babies needs first.This is aimed at women who weren't willing to suck it up for 1-2 weeks (that is usually how long it is painful for, at the most). Who cares what your breasts look like when you are done if it means a multitude of physical and emotional (bonding, empathy) pluses for your baby. Stop giving excuses and try - reach out for support - it is there. Formula is not as good as breastmilk - they can't put antibodies in formula. Never mind the huge list of medical pluses that formula can't even compete with. Make a pros and cons list - the breastfeeding pros far outweight the breastfeeding cons/formula pros.

C-Section is not an excuse - I had a C-section (and I have a genetic blood disorder which made it take me longer to heal from my C-section. I couldn't even have an epidural b/c of it - I had to get a spinal. I was in the hospital for 4 days. My son was 8 lbs 11 oz but he was 3 weeks early - his due date weight was estimated at around 10 lbs).

Fathers can find other ways to bond with the child. My husbandis a school teacher. He had to take 2 weeks off because that is how long it took me to be able to get out of bed on my own, and hold my child standing up. So, since all I could do was lay or sit down, the only thing I did for my baby during the 1st two weeks was breastfeed him. My husband changed every diaper, gave every spongebath, sucked out his nose, burped him (it got to the point where he would only burp for my husband), consoled him, rocked him, put him to bed, etc. My husband bonded wonderfully with our son. And now that he is on baby food 1-2 times a day (supplementary, not in replacement of breastfeeding), my husband feeds him whenever he is home. When he gets home from work he takes special daddy-baby time where the two of them go and "play." Also, if more bonding is needed, Daddy can sit close to Mommy and baby will feeding and rub his back, or let baby hold his finger.

Many women just need to reach out for the support. I don't understand many women who opt not to out of choice - the research about the health (physical & emotional) benefits goes on and on, not to mention the bonding and money saver.

For the women who listed 1-5 reasons why they can't: EXCUSES EXCUSES EXCUSES

1) inverted nipples - I have inverted nipples and have successfully solely breastfed my 5 month old son (he couldn't draw my nipple out on his own) the entire time. I plan on continuing breastfeeding at least until he is a year old. I use the Medela nipple shield - it doesn't affect my milk supply. In fact, I am able to feed my son and still pump 1-2 bottles a day which I mix with his cereal.

2) Milk production - There is an herbal tea (mother's milk) that helps with that. Staying hydrated helps also. If neither of those work, meet with your local breastfeeding clinic, or your child's pediatrician (find one who supports breastfeeding). If that fails, visit the websites www.lalecheleague.com or www.kellymom.com for resources. The more you feed the more you produce - your body produces what your baby needs. I went to my local hospital's breastfeeding Q & A - the nurse who gave it had 5 children, all between 9 lbs and 11 lbs when delivered. She was able to nurse all of them. Milk supply is based on your baby's demand. Also, my neighbor lost her milk completely - twice. She met with a breastfeeding counselor, drank the tea, and had successfully breastfed her little girl through 16 months of age.

3) I have never even heard of the lack of nutrients excuse (except in cases where the mother is deficient herself). Breastmilk is richer in nutrients than formula - not to mention the antibodies.

4) My son was not able to suck properly. He was "chewing" and "biting" instead of sucking. I went to the hospital's breastfeeding clinic and then an oral motor therapist. The showed me physical exercises I could do to strengthen his jaw, as well as different positioning techniques that would help make him learn to suck. Also, some babies just develop it as they get older. My son was early - that is one thing they attribute to sucking problems. Again I mention the nipple shield - it can be used to lessen the pain while you work on the problem. The nipple shield can be used for the entire time you breastfeed if necessary.

5) For women who have to work: PUMP. A pump is still going to cost less than a year or more of buying formula.

Many pregnant women I know said they wanted to breastfeed, but simply weren't willing to do the work necessary. The decision should be made while you are still pregnant (obviously if your milk doesn't come in, or you have health problems which prohibit you, that can't be helped). I made the decision while I was pregnant, and took steps during my pregnancy to assure that it would happen. I took a breastfeeding class at my local hospital. I researched breastfeeding in books and on the internet. When my son was born and I started trying to feed him colostrum, my nipples were bloody because he was unable to draw my inverted nipples out on his own. I kept trying, and asked the nurses if I could meet with the breastfeeding counselor. She recommended the nipple shield - even gave me one to start out with. (You can get them at Target or online at Amazon.com or other places). When I first went home, feeding was extremely difficult. The first few nights my son ate constantly - I few him for upwards of 45 minutes at a time because it was all he wanted to do. I fed him every hour on the hour every couple of days because he was inconsolable if I didn't (pediatrician mentioned growth spurts as the cause). I kept on feeding and met with the local breastfeeding clinic for help. His biting/chewing made the feedings take twice as long as they should have, which is why my son was still hungry after the usual 30 minutes. So I went to an oral motor therapist (they have financial aid to assist with it) every week for 2 months.

Now my son eats for about 20 minutes a feeding (if I let him go longer he just pukes because of his acid reflux) every 2-4. He started sleeping through the night 2 nights ago. Most babies gain an average of 1/2 lb to 2 lbs a month. My son gained 1 lb a week until he was 2 months old (when his acid reflux kicked in). Even with the acid reflux he is still gaining about 3 lbs a month. He is in the 90th percentile for height and weight and is developing wonderfully. He has never caught a cold from my husband and I (we have been sick 3 times since he was born).

Many women who don't do it simply aren't willing to go the extra mile in the first few weeks. If they were, they wold reach out for help instead of just giving up and making excuses. It may be harder for the first week or two, but once you get it down, it is a wonderful bonding experience, healthier for your child, cheaper, and easier - no midnight runs to the kitchen to mix & heat a bottle.

(Side note - most states now have laws protecting breastfeeding women. In many states you can actually have a successful lawsuit against anyone who comes up and asks you to put it away, or something harass you in some other way about your breastfeeding.)

Basically, I don't understand why on earth more women don't breatfeed. (Again, not including women who physically couldn't.)

Answer 2

Sometimes breast milk actually isn't the healthiest. I chose not to breast milk because I have two vitamin deficiencies and so by breastfeeding, I would be denying my daughter the amount of vitamins that she needs and then she would take the vitamins that I do have and leave me with none, so neither of us would be healthy. I couldn't even take too many extra vitamins because your body can only absorb so much, no matter how much I would take, it wouldn't make any difference. So I chose to do the best thing for my baby and put her on a formula that would meet her needs best. There are a lot of reasons similar that explain why some women choose not to breastfeed. Overall, it is proven that breast milk in healthy women is the healthiest but for some women like me, it isn't and for some women who have mental health issues like bipolar and such, it was okay for them to get off of the medication while pregnant but it's safer for the baby to have formula and the mom to have the medication that she needs than to breastfeed and be mentally unstable. Situations can really vary from one person to the next and all of these need to be taken into consideration.

Answer 3

health reasons, maybe they tried and just couldn't do it, it hurt too bad, to give the dad a chance to bond with the baby while feeding too, there's lot's of reasons... it's all personal choice. Breastmilk is very healthy for the baby, but they wouldn't sell the formula if it didn't provide the nutrients the baby needs to be healthy. Breastfeeding isn't for everyone, and when there is something that is pretty darn close to replace it, then people are going to use it. People on here will judge me because I didn't breastfeed, but I had my reasons whether they are liked or disliked.... I had a bad long labor then a c-section - I was put under for it, and when I woke up, I couldn't even hold my baby. It was terribly painful for me, I really did want to breastfeed, but with the pain, having a huge baby boy, and all the drugs I was on afterwards, I just chose to bottle feed instead. Everyone can tolerate c-sections differently... mine was so painful I can't describe. Anyways, if I have another baby, and all goes well, I'd like to breastfeed. But I have a VERY healthy baby and he was on formula... he has only been sick once and is 16 months old.... and that was a couple months ago (a couple months after being switched from formula to regular milk. So he wasn't even on the formula when he got the flu bug.) Try not to be too judgemental about this- as should others. Everyone has their own reason, it may not be one you like, but it works best for them.

Answer 4

You can still provide breast milk and not breast feed. My son will be 19months when I have our second baby and I've been going back and forth and have decided to do a combo of breast and formula. Having an active toddler, I might not always have the time I need to sit quietly and breastfeed. Also, unless my husband can produce milk, I want him to be able to feed the baby as well and if I haven't pumped he can be a part of the feeding expeience. Some women are forced to use formula. My son had jondus (sp?) at a week and my doctor made me bottle and breastfeed to provide him with enough nourishment.

Answer 5

If a women is physically able to breastfeed and chooses not to I think she is being selfish. Why would you choose to feed a tiny little baby formula that is filled with sugary junk when it is proven that breast is best. There is a reason why women produce milk and that is to feed their babies. I have 2 very healthy children both who were breastfed until 12 months old. Yes I had to plan outings etc to fall around feeds but when I weigh up 12 months of breastfeeding to the ultimate health of by children and doing what is best for them the decision was simple. Formula was never an option even when I had breast infections and the flu and food poisoning.

Don't be selfish!!!

Answer 6

i dont know i think thats a personal choice but in my opinion i think its the best and i will breastfeed as much as io can. Breastfeeding is hard i know sometimes you can sleep and you can eat when your hungry but its worth it. its worthy to know you are given your child a good health a better alimentation and a great start not spiting up because oof intolerance because the breastmilk are just right for them have everything they need. Some dosent do it because foprmula is easy you prepare it give it to the baby a 10 minutes maximun and they sleep more. Mine is full time breastfeeding a she sleep all night only wake up one time at night and is gaining weight beautifully. so i dont regret my choice at all, wish everyday i could have done it with my first one but coudnt because my milk never came in. I didnt have as good adviced as now

Answer 7

I couldn't with either of my children. I Got mastitis with my first and my milk didn't even come in for a week and then they had me on alot of meds. With baby # 2 I was very ill has toxemia and a pinched nerve in my back so i was on high doses of morphine.

Or I would have. Baby 2 had to take nutramigen,( not sure if i spelled it right) it was the only formula she could digest. But some women just aren't comfy with breast feeding.

Answer 8

First of all, women do not choose not to breastfeed. It is the default path of least resistance that our culture propels women towards. To breastfeed successfully is to be strong and swim against the current.

There is a huge issue of lack of support for breastfeeding. A lot of doctors have little knowledge of breastfeeding, so at the first sign of problems, they recommend bottles. Friends and family are uncomfortable and unfamiliar with breastfeeding, so they do not give a new mother support with it, or they tell her to switch to bottles, or they tell her that breastfeeding is gross and that she needs to go to another room and be by herself. Churches and businesses will set aside a room for breastfeeding (if they are progressive), but those rooms are so lonely and boring. Much better if people gave you the tolerance to sit with them and have a conversation with them while you breastfeed. "Proper women" will feed babies bottles of formula or pumped milk in public places or they will isolate themselves while they nurse. The only women who insist on nursing while being in public, participating in public life, are troublemakers, feminazi, exhibitionist whores. Not to mention the lack of support in most workplaces for continuing breastfeeding. Women are faced with the choice of breastfeeding and staying at home or returning to work and weaning. It is possible to work and continue breastfeeding, but like breastfeeding as a whole, there is little support or information.

Also, the formulas companies have a huge amount of influence through advertising, and the freebie bags at hospital. Did you know that the formula companies now make a special freebie bag just for mothers who plan to breastfeed? There is no formula in the bag, but the is a breastfeeding education booklet. This is a summary of the booklet: 1. Breastfeeding is best 2. Here is a list of common and painful breastfeeding problems. 3. Here are complicated ways to hold babies while you breastfeed. 4. Our brand of formulas is almost as good as breastmilk, so good even doctors choose it for their own children 5. Here is how to wean your baby. This about like letting Phillip Morris design a smoking cessasion program, yet for some women, this is the only information they get. Hospitals should let a pro-breastfeeding group design the bags for nursing mothers.

It seems like the old cultural expectation was to only use formula.
The new cultural expectation is to nurse in the hospital but give it up sometime between 2 to 6 weeks.

Good luck with your research.

Answer 9

I was gonna breastfeed and started to try when she was born but she wasn't taking so easy to my breast and she was jaundice and they wanted her to eat so she could get the stuff out of her system so I made the choice to bottle feed so she could get healthy asap plus I was toxiemic and had to take diaretics to get rid of my swelling which was all over and doctor said not to breastfeed her while on it so many people have many different circumstances dont judge besides my childs more healthy then most ive ever seen.

Answer 10

Because medical science can pr oven it is not always a good idea to breastfeed, such as antibodies can be transmitted though breast milk, so can diseases like hepatitis, infections tuberculosis, and HIV 1 (does not say on the site but I be live i read both strains of HIV are a no for breastfeeding)

Answer 11

I chose not to breastfeed my child because i don't feel very comfortable doing it. I was not breastfed myself and I'm very healthy. I always heard horror stories about it, and I've seen pictures of a breast before and after and believe me its not pretty. I was worried that the doctors would have a problem with me not breastfeeding and I thought they would try to push me, but they didn't. They told me that formula is starting to be just as good for your child as breast milk. The problem with breastfeeding is that it is so yesteryear's. Mothers nowadays have to work, that's why formula is more sufficient.