Breastfeeding Guilt

When I found out I was pregnant with my son, I knew I wanted to breastfeed. I wanted to be able to go out without having to pack a bottle and packets of formula. Hell, I didn't want to formula feed. Everyone says "breast is best", but what about the moms that can't breast feed? What about the moms who are not bio moms and have no milk? That's when formula comes to the rescue. It doesn't matter what someone's reason for not breastfeeding is, it's how to allow your child to grow.

A month after I gave birth, I was slowly giving up as my son was demanding all my time and I was getting frustrated. We caved and gave him a bottle of formula. We found that he wasn't getting full from my breast milk and had to supplement with formula. It got to the point that he is being given a bottle for every feeding as he wouldn't want to eat the milk I was producing. I would research lactation cookies and I found multiple oatmeal cookies but I was getting bored of oatmeal cookies.

I was beginning to feel guilty for not breastfeeding and I was tearing myself apart for giving into formula. I ended up with postpartum depression. It's only been 2 months since my son was born and I've been kicking myself for going back on my word.

Formula vs. Breastmilk is usually on everyone's mind. Breastmilk is actually alive. It contains live antibodies that the child eats so that they can receive those antibodies to help their immune system. When mom is sick, the illness goes to the breastmilk and the baby drinks it so that their body knows the illness. The breastmilk also changes colour. Depending on what mom is feeling at that feed or pumping session, the colour varies.

Formula is a great invention. It allows moms to feed their babies when they are unable to breastfeed. It also allows dads to feed the baby as well so they have some bonding time too. However formula isn't full of live antibodies. When I was at the hospital, they had a picture of breastmilk vs formula and what is in each. The breastmilk side was longer than the formula side. This is because of all the minerals and vitamins that our bodies naturally produce. Babies who are formula fed strictly don't have to be given vitamin d drops, but babies who are supplementing or strictly breastfeed have to have the drops as the milk doesn't have enough of that specific vitamin.