why do people bottle feed?

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first of all, i dont want this to become a slanging match. i am honestly curious about the reasons.
im asking about those women who do not even try breastfeeding. the ones who think that it is an equal choice between breast and formula. i dont want to judge anyone, i just want to know how these women can justify denying their babies species specific milk.
my eldest was mainly bottlefed, my younger two were exclusively breastfed till they were weaned. and moved to formula around the eight month mark.

I'm in Bournemouth - I had wanted to breastfeed from the beginning, and did, but from very early on in my pregnancy I was being given leaflets, seeing posters, and having midwife and antenatal group telling me all about breastfeeding and how we should all do it (quoting "breast is best" way too many times).

Yes, I know hormones probably made it seem more than there might have been, but pregnant women are hormonal.

With things like cloth nappies, we were given a quick 5 min chat on them, given a leaflet and a number for more information, and left to make up our own minds. I didn't feel pressured into using them.

I have felt since the pregnancy though, that if I felt that it was being thrust at me from all angles, then those not wanting to b/f must have felt 10 times worse.

With pretty much any other aspect of pregnancy, you are just given the options - you are told all the types of pain relief, and left to make up your own mind, you are told about nappies, and left to decide, I just feel that it should be the same with how you choose to feed your child.

Psychomum, for someone who wants everyone to desist talking about this topic, you certainly have a lot to say. If you don't like it, then take yourself elsewhere...noone forced you here kicking and screaming...

Snap.....bournemouth too. Poole and bournemouth hospital both seem to push breastfeeding over all else!!!!

I agree...no one did...but I do have an opinion, and I wanted to share...so there!!!

i choose to bootlefeed my dfaughter purely and simpley because we live in tidworth my partners family live in south wales and my family live in portsmouth so the only way to get to see them is by driving upo and down the motorway to them so bottlefeeding was the most practical option my daughter has put weight on well and is very healthy so it hasnt done her any harm

Exactly!! So do we!! We want to make ours and hear yours. Thus it is nonsensical to tell people to stop!! Keep on making your points!!

(My God, gone into exclamation mark overdrive!!!)

LOL moondog....lets share away...gives us all something to do away from the tedium of housework and cbeebies!!!

(exclamation mark also in overdrive!!!!)

Cbeebies is tedious?!?!?!

How can you not want to see the same episode of tweenies 10 times a day?????

You should check out the cbeebies grown up boards... they get very hyped up there about fimbles saying that babys go with bottles and not boobies...

I personally like my question mark button. Did you notice?????

L.M.A.O lots now!!!! This is getting quite hilarious

still like this button tho!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Psychomum!!! I'm like a woman obsessed with the breast/bottle issue!Not bacause I want to to force people into my way of thinking but because it is really important to me and I feel that food/feeding are such key issues.
Also from a work point of view..but I won't go into that here.

One day I'll be banging on then suddenly stop and realise that everyone else drifted away quietly days ago....

LOL!!!

What do you do? Intrigued now....

Haven't read the whole thread but am just interested by what Flamesparrow and Psychomum have said. I was in Poole and lasted the grand total of 3 days b/f DS who became jaundiced with low blood sugar levels. Inevitably they started talking formula top ups, no mention of doing this from a cup to help me to continue b/f. I hadn't been successful b/f my DD, felt very weepy as it was that horrible weepy day you get, sore post emergency c/section and felt that I couldn't b/f and I was not given any encouragement to continue in the slightest - they pretty much shrugged and said it was my decision- whilst they were reluctant to let the lady in the next bed home until b/f had been established (cynically I think that was because she was the secretary of one of the consultants from the Child Health Department and various high up hospital managers kept on coming to visit her) I think I was very badly supported throughout and was quite shocked to find out fairly recently that Poole now had employed b/f counsellors.

Oh bollocks to Ceeebloodybeebies!!!
Have just got a tv (under duress..) but after a day or two I get fed up and tell dd that it's broken.
Am I a complete cow???

Note to self-find that Fimbles messageboard thingy and get STUCK IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kittypickle..that's really sad
Oh, can't say what I do-not that i think it's so fantastic, just that I can be bolshy and opinionated much better without mentioning it....

Oh cbeebies is a fun board - hours of entertainment reading the week they changed PC Plum's song!!!

Kitty - I wasn't actually given all that much help or encouragement when it came to the actual act of feeding... more just theory. My friend was the one who actually stayed with me to help get me going.

just lurking here, but - LOL moondog. you are a card

Anyway, I've decided to be an SAHM for a fe years so who cares??!!The freedom from office politics...fabulous!!
Catch you later. Got to collect dd from school.

Oooh, are you a spy???

Np!!!!!! How are YOU!!? I've been think ing that you are very quiet recently. I miss hearing about the dd's. Any further on on the holiday and emigration/moving back home plans??!

Awwww.... Bye bye xxxx

Ok...seriously here now (trying to stop laughing long enough to try!!!)

I loved breastfeeding, after I got thro the pain of it, and I would love to see more mums breastfeeding too. Our bodies were made for that purpose after all .

Sadly tho, there just isn't the right sort of encouragement for it. Yes, there are lots of leaflets and posters, but they just shout @you must do it this way, or no way', instead of helping grown women make informed choices.

And then, unfortunately, you get those women, who harp on about how you must be poisoning you child if you choose otherwise. AND they are the ones to look out for!!!!

Hah hah fs!!! Just let me say that (unsurprisingly!!!) it's something within the NHS. Not a nurse or an MW though. MWs are nurses aren't they!? Duh!!)

ooohhh......intriguing moondog

But if telling you about the risks of formula feeding or the benefits of breastfeeding is 'bullying' people into breastfeeding, then how can you tell people 'the pros and cons' and leave it up to them to decide? I don't understand that. And surely it is the job and the responsibility of health professionals to tell people about the health risks of certain behaviours and the benefits of others. I don't like to hear that drinking wine increases my risk of breast cancer...because I enjoy wine.. but I still think this information should be out there and not be suppressed just because it's a bit depressing to us wannabe alcoholics.
And though it's hard to say this without sounding judgmental, but because this question has been asked so many times, people are interested in how other people feed their babies for the same reason that Jamie Oliver is interested in how schools feed their pupils.

moondog - midwives most definately are not nurses!!!

Midwives used to have to train to be a nurse before going on to train as a midwife. They are 2 distinct priofessions but unfortunately always get lumped together. Just needed to get that correction in there