Breastfeeding Vs Bottle feeding… a new mom’s question. Me too had the same.  As I googled the same, I got lots of useful pieces of information. However that confused me more. Would love you go through my thought process and verdict about  it.

I am a full time mom :) . I don’t have any troubles breastfeeding my baby throughout the day and night. However I considered bottle feeding or so called formula feeding for couple of reasons. Neil is 2 months and 10 days old today. And it has been a full test of my endurance.  Recently a very nice family friend of mine visited our place to see our cutie pie. As usual, super woman inside me woke up. I was all excited to be hostess for my childhood friend’s family.  Everything was just great, dinner was too good. I was the iron chef :) . However as soon as they left, my battery was down. Totally exhausted.  That night, I felt I should have started formula for my baby.  I fed my baby that night… however was determined to do some reading and research on formula feeding as well as use of breast pump.

Quickly putting the what I see in each side.

Breast feeding advantages, Why to consider breast feeding your new born

Convenient. No prep work needed. No bottles, no sterilizer.

Very easy to digest. Hence needed frequently

Very nutritional for babies (as per my reading.) It also increases immunity for various infections newborns are susceptible to. Also prevents allergies. Contains Antibodies which can’t be produced in formula. This is quite interesting.  Eg. If mother catches fever or flu, her body produces antibodies to fight against those. And same is prepared in the breast milk. Quite amazing… Please read more on Google. Breast milk also naturally contains many of the vitamins and minerals that a newborn requires.

Although this isn’t one of my favorites, cause I am happy the way I am.. still worth mentioning. Breast feeding will help you lose weight and be in shape again :)

Challenges with breast feeding:

Mom has to be there in person. No matter what how mom is feeling, she has to be fit, up and running all the time in order to be able to feed the baby. This poses a strong reason for using formula. It’s a huge time and mental commitment. ON the other hand, formula can be prepared by any one, any time.  Well someone might immediately share the word of wisdom about pump and breast milk.  I am yet to check that option. With this option comes all sorts of accessories… breast milk storage bags, breast feeding pump, etc.

Diet of mom: Dear moms, till the birth of your son, you have taken exceptional care of your diet. No spicy food, no high mercury contained fish, no heavy food, carbs etc. Now that you have chosen to breastfeed, you need to continue the good daily eating habits. Any compromises with it, your baby will let you know that. Howz that?

A little initial challenge is baby and mother getting used to routine of breast feeding.  Trust me, if your baby is not latching properly, you might want to give up that. Be persistent. It increases the bonding with your baby.

Well, this is all I know about breast feeding. What’s good about formula or bottle feeding?
First of all, formula is closer to breast milk however stands at no competition for breast milk of a healthy mom. Even formula companies write that on the bottles.  Of course, breast milk contains so many complex substances that it can not be copied completely.  Many of those are not even chemically known.

Formula is easy and handy way to feed a hungry child… especially when you are out in public place. You need not find a place for feeding. Just take out the formula bottle and  baby is ready to eat. How simple. Of course, you need to pay for this comfort. Formulas are of different needs and types.

Baby need not be feed too frequently. Some moms may consider this good. Well, even I was happy when my cutie slept 4 hours straight one night after I gave him formula.  Having put this, I want to convey that I use formula mainly to maintain the habit so that he is taking it when needed.

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