I’m an avid breastfeeder. Neither of my girls ever had a drop of formula and I don’t intend for Doodle to ever have any either. I am pro-breastfeeding for so many reasons but the main reason is for the health of my children. I’ve always planned to be breast milk only but this decision for me was intensified when Honeybun was a baby. I went back to work at a childcare center when she was 6 weeks old and one morning I dripped some formula from another baby’s bottle on my pants. I still have those pants and despite many attempts at cleaning and stain removing, that spot is still there and all I’ve been able to think since is “If that is what happened to my pants, what does the inside of that child look like?” I realize it’s a bit extreme but it really bothered me and just gave me motivation for my breastfeeding choice.
The choice to breastfeed is obviously a very personal one and one that not all moms are able or willing to make but for me, it just makes sense all around. Most everyone knows now that it is what is truly best for the baby and a lot of people have learned of the benefits to mom but few people think about the benefits to the entire family and wider world.
The most obvious advantage to a family that chooses breastfeeding is the cost. It is estimated that, on average, a year’s worth of baby formula costs $1500 (and can be much more depending on what brand and type you use). But for me, another big advantage is the time and stress savings. I don’t have to warm, wash or sterilize bottles. I don’t have to mix bottles. I don’t have to run out to the store when I’m running low on formula. It also relieves the stress of night feeds and of having a hungry baby, there is no making a hungry baby wait while you prepare the feed and there is no additional work during the night. When baby is hungry, I pick him up, feed him, and when he is done I burp him and we’re done. This leaves more time for me to do other things like play with my girls, prepare meals and do necessary chores.
There is also an advantage to the environment. I’m not throwing heaps of plastic formula containers into the landfill. I’m not using water to wash bottles and I’m not adding extra cleaning chemicals into the water supply. For a mother who exclusively breastfeeds (at the breast, not breast milk in bottles), there are no waste products beyond what a mother would use for herself was she not breastfeeding.
And even less thought about is the advantage of breastfeeding in regards to others while out with baby. I am not going to be taking a mall chair away from an elderly person for a half hour while baby feeds. I put baby on my boob in a sling and continue my shopping. I also am not going to hold up security at the airport with my “allowable liquids”, they’re nicely contained where no one is going to want to check them for explosives. I also will not waste your waitress or flight attendants time by asking them to heat a bottle for me. My milk is ready to go at all times, no prep needed.
