why do people keep saying that formula is so bad?

Question

i have a 8 month old daughter that has been pn formula since she was 2 days old. i tryed to breast feed her and i didnt produce enough milk. we also dont have a lactation consoltant here so it is that much harder. people are always saying that mothers that choose to bottle feed are harming their child and that they will not be as smart as other children. i always feel guilty now because of it and i dont want to feel that way. my daughter is well ahead of other children her age. i feel that bottle feeding is just as good as breastfeeding as well as you still bond with your child as well as the father. i want to know if there is anyone that feels the same way

I think all of you breastfeeding monsters are the problem with why mothers that choose to bottle feed for one reason or another feel bad about what they chose. i also know that colosterm is produced befor milk and i didnt produce and of that either. as for the support i had my bf, my MIL, and my mother all trying to help me and that was it. my daughter hardly gets sick and is very advanced for everything she does. formula in my eyes IS JUST AS GOOD AS BREAST MILK.

Answer 1

Don't let any of these "Breast is Best" people let you down. Some people just do not understand that it is easier to bottle feed and some just cannot breast feed.

My daughter is 12mo. and she has been bottle fed since day one and she is is a smart kid. I still bonded with my daughter even though she was not attached to my body at feeding time.

My daughter and I are so close and we are growing a stronger bond as every day passes. Bottle feeding will not make your child come out to be a monster or dumb. It is all based on the environment in which the child grows up in and lives.

Just take a deep breath and you do not need to feel bad about anything. Remember this is YOUR child and you will do what is best no matter what.

Some people are so stuck in their one tracked minds to realize that it does not matter whether or not you bottle or breast feed.

Oh..one more thing..do not believe it when people tell you by bottle feeding your child they will get sick more than a breast fed baby. It is not true..again it is based on the child's exposure to the sickness. My daugher goes to daycare full time and is bottle fed and she has had 1 cold and 1 24 hr. stomach virus,since she has been born.

Answer 2

I'm sorry that you didn't have the support you needed to continue breastfeeding. If you have another child, you can plan well in advance and FIND someone who can help if problems arise (and they will). If you do that, you will learn that you can produce enough milk for your baby and you can be successful at breastfeeding. For now, you tried your best. You did the best you could, and that's what parenting is! Formula is not as good as your milk, and it's been proven scientifically and anecdotally. Formula is harmful in some ways, but we all choose to eat harmful foods sometimes (I'm heading into the kitchen for leftover pizza and a beer after this). It's OK to feel guilty about this. As mothers, we always feel guilty about something! ;) You'll feel better in time.

Edit: I want to add that I went through Hell to get my first child onto the breast. I endured weeks of excruciating pain at every feeding, and weeks of cluster feeds to get my supply back up. After three months, we were finally established. I never considered switching to a bottle because even the cans of formula say that mother's milk is best. I'm sorry that so many women had inadequate support and bad advice. We're trying to tell you that quality help is out there.

Answer 3

i work in a daycare centre and you CANT TELL THE DIFFERENCE between bottle fed and breast fed children for the most part all the children are bright and healthy. In fact one child had a g-tube so no bottle or breast and that child did well also. LOVE is the critical element when feeding not whether it comes from bottle or breast.

Answer 4

each and each formulation is made in any different case and so it could dissatisfied little ones tummy. you need to start mixing the extra budget friendly formulation with the unique formulation. And slowly swap him that way. I desire human beings could comprehend which you're no longer feeding your toddler grownup soy milk. there is soy based formulation. I too had to be fed soy milk via hypersensitive reactions.

Answer 5

Hi can i just say that i do agree with you and i don't know what everyone's problem is!

when my son was born i tried so hard to breast feed him, i even had a breast feeding specialist who tried to help me feed him but he just wouldn't latch on! the hospital then recommended i give him a bottle!

since then i have been very happy bottle feeding my children, i didn't even try to breast feed my other children!

my son is now 3 and is doing great, he eats healthy and hardly is ever ill, i feel i bonded great with all my children, i sat with them and cuddled them whilst feeding (out of a bottle) and they are all loved un-conditionally!

if you choose breast - great, but if you choose bottle - that's great too. everyone has a right to choose for themselves! and just because others breast feed their babies, doesn't mean they are any better than anyone else!

Answer 6

While it is sad that you didnt have the information, or support to be successful at nursing your daughter, it doesnt change the facts.

As others have stated, breastfeeding is superior to formula in every way. Formula is an acceptable substitute, but thats all it is.. a substitue. It will get your child from infancy to toddlerhood... from there, it is up to you to provide nutritious food (and i dont mean mac'n'cheese, PB&J, and chicken nuggets here!)

Learn from this experience and get more information and support for your next baby.

IMO, formula is like living on a diet of processed food. You will survive, but it is not the best thing for you.

So many women are passionate about breastfeeding because they don't want what happend to you to happen to other moms.

We should all have the information and support we need handed to us on a silver platter... but thats not the case in america today.

We have to fight to offer good info and we are looked down upon for being proud of our acomplishments.

Again, learn from this experience and do better next time. As someone already stated, most womens milk is not even in by day 2... colostrum is plenty for the baby for several days. 1 oz of colostrum = 16 oz of formula.

Answer 7

I am breastfeeding, but do not judge anyone for formula feeding. As a matter of fact, I felt a lot of pressure when I was pregnant from friends and family TO formula feed... very opposite of on here. I was bottle fed, as was my sister, as was many in my family. We all turned out ok. I think breastfeeding/bottle feeding is a very personal choise, and we as women should support eachother in whatever decision we make!! My husband would agree with the "father bonding" part.... he is totally jealous about me breastfeeding :) Please don't feel guilty!!

Answer 8

Well, you should go and check out this link:

http://www.babyreference.com/InfantDeaths.htm

I'm sorry, but bottlefeeding IS NOT just as good as breastfeeding as you stated. Neither of my children ever had a bottle or formula, and both are well-bonded with their father. I'm very sorry that breastfeeding did not work out for you. It sounds like you did not have the support you needed. Very rarely can a mother not produce enough milk for her child. Judging by Yahoo Answers, though, you would think that about half of all women who try to breastfeed don't have enough milk, which is absurd! Not enough children in this country are getting their mothers' milk. Instead, they are stuck with substandard imitation milk that is mass produced in factories. There is just a lack of education and the proper support, and it is very, very sad.

Edit: Okay, so you and other women are going to choose bottlefeeding just so you can show us "breastfeeding monsters" that you can? Yeah, that makes sense. Give your baby formula to teach us a lesson. If in your eyes formula is just as good as breastmilk, then I suggest you get your eyes examined.

Answer 9

If you only tried for two days, you didn't even give it enough time to establish a supply! For most mothers, their milk doesn't come in until 3-5 days postpartum. You weren't even producing milk yet, just colostrum.

Formula (the SUBSTANCE) will NEVER be "just as good" as breastmilk as man doesn't even understand what all the ingredients of breastmilk are yet. Breastmilk is a LIVE SUBSTANCE that changes day to day, hour to hour, to meet the needs of that specific child. Formula is a dead substance that doesn't change and is the same for all kids. Breastmilk is species specific. Most formulas are based on cow's milk, which is made for baby cows and not baby humans. Breastmilk contains antibodies to anything mom and baby are exposed to. Formula contains no antibodies.

Formula is simply an acceptable substitute for breastmilk, which is the gold standard.

Answer 10

People say formula is so bad because, according to extensive research, it IS bad. It is not healthy, nor normal for a baby to be on formula. It goes against our instincts as mother's to formula feed, and this is mostly due to the brainwashing our culture recieves about formula vs breastfeeding. Formula is not even close to breastmilk, and should only be used in the rare cases (less than 2%) who absolutely cannot breastfeed. It puts your child at such a disadvantange, and, the mother as well.

I am sorry you didn't pursue support or educate yourself on breastfeeding. At 2 days, you were still making colostrum, which is ALL your baby would have needed until your milk came in. You feel guilty because you know what was best for your baby is not what you are giving her. While, I think, in your case, you should be more angry at the hospital staff, or perhaps more angry at yourself for not being educated about breastfeeding. Please don't go into denial about how much more superior breastfeeding is, or go around telling women that its "just as good" just because you weren't able. Just accept what happened, and get support and educate yourself for your next child.