When we were trying to build our registry, we knew we had to decide what kind of baby feeding items to ask for. If we were planning to exclusively breastfeed, we may have registered for some breastfeeding pillows but no bottle warmer or formula mixing pitcher. We ultimately decided to do a combination of breastfeeding and feeding breastmilk with bottles.
What's the big deal?
There are many differences between breastmilk and formula, which is why we weighed the pros and cons of each before making a decision on which we would use to feed our baby.
Breastmilk
Pros:
Free?
Can feed baby anywhere, without having to bring a cooler
"Mother's milk can change to meet baby's specific needs" (CDC & AAP)
Breastmilk protects against illnesses & diseases, including boosting baby's immune system with antibodies from mom (CDC & AAP)
Breastfeeding reduces mother's risk of certain diseases and cancers (CDC & AAP)
Breastfeeding can provide contraception if other conditions are also met (AAP)
Cons:
Restricts mom's "freedom" - must be around for pumping sessions and/or feeds. Mom cannot travel without baby, or must have milk in reserve for length of travel.
If bottle-feeding, must clean pump parts and bottles regularly
Can be painful/difficult, especially if modest
If exclusively breastfeeding, nobody else can feed baby
Dietary/Medication restrictions for mom while breastfeeding
Formula
Pros:
Convenience/Flexibility due to lack of attachment to mom for feeding
Dad & other family can help feed baby and bond through bottle feeding
Formula takes longer to digest - more time between feedings
No restrictions on mom's diet/medications
Cons:
Expensive
Requires stock to be kept on a regular basis, which can be influenced by recalls and shortages
Formula is not modified to match baby's needs
Lack of antibodies/immunity from mom
May cause gassiness, upset tummy, or constipation
Must be prepared in advance and following specific instructions in order to prevent infection, and to serve at preferred temperature for baby
How to decide?
Going into this, I knew that I wanted to be a stay at home mom if it was possible, so the desire to get back to work was just not present. All of the pros/cons that had to do with getting me back to work were immediately eliminated. As someone who believes following the pediatricians recommendations is important, I decided that we would try our best to breastfeed. If any problems developed with latching, I would pump, and if there were any issues developed with our little one eating/digesting breastmilk, that would leave us with formula.
One big concept I have learned through this process is that it's important not only to come up with a plan, but to also research multiple backup plans, so as to not get stuck in the moment trying to figure out where to go next.
With the intention to breastfeed or at least pump and bottle feed, we ended up registering for items which would set us up to be successful with both breastfeeding and pumping. More on that in another post.
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