How to feed the newborn is one of the first and major decisions every mother, or mom-to-be, will make. Marital status, education, age, culture, confidence, lifestyle, and comfort level are the factors that will greatly impact their choice of feeding.
The benefits and importance of breastfeeding in enhancing infant and maternal health can’t be stressed enough. Health experts are here to say that it’s the best choice for mothers who want to provide their babies with the best nutrition.
Despite this, the breastfeeding rate has remained below the standards of the AAP, the World Health Organization, and the United Nations Children’s Fund. For varied reasons, some mothers prefer the bottle over the breast for their infant.
Stay on this page as we at Omega Pediatrics dig deep into why mothers make this crucial decision—bottle or formula over the breast. Let’s hop on!
Why do Mothers Choose Bottle Feeding?
Babies should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months, as the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has pushed into practice. Further, this can continue until the baby is one year old or beyond, depending on the mother and baby.
Sadly enough, for some mothers, breastfeeding isn’t possible, while others choose not to. Their decision can be due to factors such as infant nutritional benefits. maternal benefits, knowledge about infant nutrition, and personal and professional support.
Not Enough Breastmilk
If you encounter mothers who don’t breastfeed their babies, you’ll most likely hear this as the most common reason. These mothers would claim they don’t produce enough breastmilk; hence, they aren’t confident enough to proceed with it.
As medical science would assert, breastmilk production is a natural process. Hence, this reasoning can be attributed to a lack of proper breastfeeding education, misinformation, or insufficient support from family and friends.
Research shows that mothers with supportive partners tend to breastfeed more than those with negative partner support. This also affects the weaning of those who breastfeed for six months, including maternal intention, self-efficacy, and social support.
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Personal Convenience
This could be one of the major reasons that pushes some mothers to choose the bottle. They point to the discomfort and inconveniences that breastfeeding causes them during each session. This may depend on the mother’s lifestyle and comfort level.
While it’s true that mothers endure problems with latching, nipple soreness, breast engorgement, and, in some cases, too much milk, it takes a lot of patience, practice, and perseverance to overcome these challenges.
Other mothers are concerned about how breastfeeding will affect their body image. They would prefer to pump the breast milk and feed it to the baby using a bottle instead of having the baby nurse directly. This is a matter of personal preference.
Also, some mothers feel that the bottle is more convenient than the breast since it allows other people to take care of the feeding routine of their babies, freeing up time for themselves. This helps them alleviate the strain of baby-caring.
With a bottle, mothers enjoy the convenience of easily measuring the amount of milk formula their baby will consume, thus giving them more control.
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Infant Feeding Support
Issues concerning this topic affect a mother’s decision to bottle-feed. For example, some women may not receive enough support from their mothers themselves, who may not have breastfed them during their infancy.
Additionally, some mothers may feel their partners would be unable to feed the baby if they had breastfed, leading them to choose the bottle instead.
Educating family members, especially the maternal grandmother and the father, can provide better information to enhance support and guidance. Lastly, it also proves beneficial to engage fathers in perinatal education.
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Perceived Knowledge in Infant Feeding
Some mothers may believe that formula provides better nutrition than breast milk, especially if they were told or educated to think that commercial milk is best.
They may also believe that milk formula has additional vitamins and supplements, such as Omega 3 and Omega 6, that aren’t found in breast milk.
Additionally, some mothers may believe that formula is just as good as, or even better than, breast milk due to health promotion campaigns that suggest breast is best.
Lack of Support from Family Members
There’s a lack of, or inadequate, support from their partners or other family members, making breastfeeding challenging. They opt for the bottle instead since it affords them more freedom and flexibility.
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Embarrassment in Public
While breastfeeding is a natural process, some mothers may feel uncomfortable doing so in public, leading them to choose the bottle instead. This may be due to a lack of practice, misinformation about infant nutrition, and a lack of family support.
Other mothers, especially the young ones and single mothers, feel the stigma of breastfeeding in public.
The Mother’s Choice: What Research Says
Research reveals that mothers differ in their choices depending on whether they’re infant-centered or maternal-centered. Sociocultural factors, knowledge and attitudes, and personal and professional support turn out to be strong determining factors.
Breastfeeding Mothers are Infant-Centered
The infant’s health is a powerful motivator to breastfeed. Demographical data reveal that women in this group belong to the higher socioeconomic strata and, hence, are more educated. Their decision is based on evidence-based information.
They perceive that breastmilk is healthy. They’re more informed and self-reliant. They learn from literature and online sources and attend educational sessions provided by healthcare providers who support their advocacy.
Additionally, perinatal education influences a mother’s decision to breastfeed. They seek professional consultations from their obstetrician and their child’s pediatrician.
Bottle-Feeding Mothers are Maternal-Centered
This group of women can be described as self-centered since they’re more concerned about their health than their infants. They’re more sensitive to the opinions of others and how people view them. Their decision is based on perceptions and not evidence-based. From this perspective, social science has more impact than medical science or science-backed information for women in the lower strata.
Contrary to the former, this group of mothers doesn’t rely on information or newborn educational sessions. They are less likely to read literature or attend informational sessions by healthcare providers who endorse breastfeeding.
How to Make Breastfeeding Easier for Baby and Mother
There are techniques to enhance the breastfeeding experience for both the mother and baby. Take these as expert advice from your compassionate provider at Omega Pediatrics, helping new moms navigate their breastfeeding journey.
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Skin-to-Skin Contact
Position the newborn close to the mother’s bare chest, thus promoting skin-to-skin contact. This positioning can trigger the newborn’s reflex to take the breast, especially during the first hour of life.
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Stay Close to Your Baby
Be physically near your newborn round-the-clock, if possible. This helps build trust and allows you to respond quickly to their hunger cues, paving for a strong bond between the mother and the baby.
Being physically present for the baby enables the mother, over time, to know and understand her baby’s cues, especially for signs of discomfort, hunger, and pain.
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Ensure a Good Latch
A good latch is an essential component. This prevents pain for the mother and fussiness for the baby. The mother and baby learn together how to make a pain-free latch and good suck, especially in the early days of breastfeeding.
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Feed on Demand
Recognize your baby’s hunger cues so you will know when to feed. This is essential to meeting the baby’s vital needs. Frequent latching encourages milk production and comforts the baby during the adaptation or transition.
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Avoid Bottles and Pacifiers
Using a bottle isn’t recommended when you’re inducing breastfeeding in your baby. This could be problematic since it creates “nipple confusion” for the baby since the shape and size of the bottle nipple are far different from that of the mother’s.
Additionally, there’s a difference in the flow rate between the bottle nipple and the mother’s nipple. The baby can sense this easily, which could hurt their feeding.
Lastly, you can hardly recognize the baby’s hunger cues when they’re sucking a pacifier. This may impact your milk production since the baby might “forget” to nurse breast milk if they struggle with the pacifier for long periods.
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Seek Support
Consider consulting a healthcare provider, lactation consultant, or breastfeeding specialist to provide assurance and guidance on proper positioning, latching, and other aspects. You may also consult your child’s pediatrician.
Reaching out for guidance and advice, especially during the adaptation period or the early months, can assure newbie moms to clear their queries. This paves the way for a better and more positive experience.
For new moms and veteran mothers, Omega Pediatrics would love to welcome you to our clinic to discuss more about breastfeeding your little one—from milk production, proper positioning and latching, feeding frequency, and other salient details.
Mothers, Take Your Pick—Bottle or Breast?
Health experts explicitly express their advocacy for breastfeeding due to its remarkable benefits for the infant’s nutrition and overall health. In addition, various healthcare professionals campaign for their support of proper infant nutrition.
Despite their promotional efforts, some mothers choose to feed their babies with a bottle and not the breast for various reasons.
Whether it’s the bottle or the breast, the baby’s nutritional and emotional needs are still met. That said, it’s essential to support mothers in their decisions and reduce the stigma associated with each method.
Whether you choose the bottle or the breast, we at Omega Pediatrics will help you navigate your chosen journey. We respect and fully support your decision.
With our expertise in children’s health and our advocacy for breastfeeding, your decision as the primary caregiver of our young patients takes precedence. As compassionate as we are, we care for your maternal health too.
After all, we are one family at Omega Pediatrics. We want you to feel at peace with whatever feeding method you choose. We ensure that you and your baby are comfortable, creating a wholesome and positive experience for the whole family.
