I originally planned to breastfeed, my DS had other ideas and arrived a month early and my milk didnt get the new schedual so he was bottle fed lol I was very young and didnt know any better so thought thats what I should do and I have since got 2 degree and no longer believe in the be all and end all importance of breast milk.
Everyone I know bottle fed, its really not unusual in the UK (although its actually illegal in some other countries without medical approval which is insane) however when my oldest was born over a decade ago there was a push for midwives to force mams to breastfeed (they where expected to fill a quota). I was physically bullied and hooked up to a huge industrial milking machine thing for hours on end day after day until my boobs bled and I broke down crying and was even told it was because I was a 'bad mother' and that I was 'giving up on my child' - I was 19 and had just had a damn preemie and severe medical complications ffs.
When I had my youngest I mentioned the horror of last time and that I was now a qualified nutritionalist and had made my own choice to bottle feed and didnt want to be forced otherwise and she seemed pretty shocked, she said they dont do that anymore and at the hospital they didnt even mention it this time and where very helpful even giving us free milk to take home.
I am now a medical scientist and as a part of my degree I studied nutrition and formula is called that because it 'formulated' to be balanced, this isnt the victorian era anymore and we arent just putting anything in our children where as breatmilk is only as healthy as the mothers lifestyle (and nobody is perfect) and even if you do everything right it still need to be suplimented. Also children naturally carry their mothers immunity for the first 12 months from the blood passage in utero, it has nothing to do with breast milk.
That said things have changed for the better with safe bottle practices, my eldest did have digestive problems and now looking back its because things werent done as safely back then. We followed the correct advice at the time we just now no better thanks to better understanding of how formula can harbor gastro based bacteria. Its insane that we use to just keep a bottle on the bedside cabinet and use it throughout the night even after it had sat for hours or that we use to use unsterile powder in cold water but that was believed to be the best back then.
I realise I sound a little 'anti-breastmilk' and I'm really not, if anyone breast feeds I wish them the best and I just hope its an informed and safe choice they have made because its the best personal fit for their family not just something forced on them due to fear and pressure without an understanding of the risks it also carries.