Are There Any Advantages To Bottle Feeding?

There is no doubt that breastfeeding is best for baby. Infant formula can’t offer the same health benefits as breast milk. However, many mothers don’t breastfeed – for many reasons - and are they failing to provide the best for their child and does bottle feeding offer any advantages at all for a mother or child? The answer is, yes, bottle feeding does have its advantages.

First off, if you are a mother who has chosen not to breastfeed or who can't breastfeed, you must never, ever feel guilty about doing so. Nurturing a child involves far more than breastfeeding. You can also rest assured that the infant formula on sale today is the closest it’s ever been to breast milk. Here are some of the advantages to bottle feeding.

Today’s infant formula comes fortified with many nutrients that are low or absent in many mother's breast milk. Many mothers are too tired and stressful in the first few months after birth to pay much attention to their diet – in fact, many mothers’ diet can be less than ideal before they were pregnant. Therefore many important minerals and vitamins may be found in low levels or even absent in breast milk. Infant formula comes fortified with iron and vitamin D. Fact: Iron-fortified infant formulas have actually been credited for the declining incidence of anemia in infants.

Babies who are breastfed are fed more frequently than those that are fed infant formula. This is because infant formula takes longer to digest than breast milk. This has the advantage of giving mother more time to rest between feed times.

Many breastfeeding mothers are anxious as to whether or not her baby is getting enough milk. Mothers who give their child infant formula don’t have this concern. A mother who bottle feeds her baby knows exactly how much she has fed her child and can rest easy knowing her child has received its recommended daily allowance.

A woman’s life changes after childbirth. Bottle feeding at least allows a mother to return to a semblance of her previous life. She can wear the clothes she wants, eat exactly what she wants and take any medication she wants to.

Breastfeeding a baby in public can be very embarrassing for many mothers, so much so, that many spend more time than they would like sequestered inside the family home. Mother’s who bottle feed don’t have to worry about prying eyes when feeding their child in public or have to worry about finding a discreet feeding room when at work or shopping.

Lovemaking can be difficult for some breastfeeding mothers. Many find leaky breasts and sore nipples are not conducive to lovemaking. Also, hormonal changes brought about by breastfeeding can leave her vagina dry.

The above are just some of the advantages of bottle feeding. If you do bottle feed your child never let anyone deride you for your decision to do so. Remember, there are many things more important in the physical and mental development of your child than breastfeeding.

Robin O'Brien is a founder of a website that helps parents with bottle feeding problems where you can get advice about the best baby formula to use and bottle feeding tips.