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.

But psychomum - some people don't agree with the choices being 'informed' because the information includes factual stuff about risk of formula (not that it poisons babies - this only happen very rarely, thank goodness) which might make people who choose to formula feed/end up formula feeding feel bad.

How much information do you think women should have?

Genuine question

Got me there ticktock.

I think maybe leaflets for both, laying out both pro's n con's for breast and bottle, and easy access to more info should you then want more (IE...talks from other mums who actually have done it, rather than talks from midwives, some of whom haven't even given birth, nuch less fed a baby!!)

Just a simple telling of the information isn't bullying... repeated telling is.

I think that ALL information should be available easily (even the scary stuff) - but scary and good stuff ABOUT BOTH... hearing about bleeding and cracked nipples as well as lovely floaty bonding, hearing about dangers of formula as well as ease of things like dad taking over without mum having to pump etc.

Well, I dunno....the leaflets laying out information about both is what we already have. The current DoH leaflets - one on breast, one on formula - are pretty good. Then if people want more, they can ask their healthcare professional. There are plenty of opportunities for mothers to speak to other mothers about feeding - there's mumsnet and the rest of the web, antenatal classes often have 'real' mothers, there are four volunteer helplines staffed by mothers , hundreds and hundreds of peer supporters in the UK.

I still don't know what you are after.

I got nothing at all telling me about formula, and many on many occasions about breast. Maybe Bournemouth just need to print more formula leaflets!

If you were down as a potential breastfeeder, fs, you would not have got the formula leaflets.

Not being funny, but talking to other mums netters could be quite scary for the newly pregnant just wanting informed choices...after all...see how many arguements got started here, just from a (fairly) easy question!! (and I know I got in too, so I not claiming innocence !)

I don't know what I really think should be done, but hearing arguements about it is something that SHOULDN'T be done..

And if I'd had problems breastfeeding? Then I would have been a new mum, tired, miserable, with no idea about formual whatsoever.

I did have problem breastfeeding baby no.5, and he got taken into hospital cos he got to 10lb at eight weeks, and got stuck (was still 10lb at 18wks!!). I then had to give him bottles, and I knew lots about it, but it didn't stop me feeling guilty. Sadly, it was me causing the problems...he was massivly allergic to all the food I was eating, and had to have 'plastic milk' (hypoallergenic formula which smells gross). I think that made it worse...it wasn't even formula touted as being 'closest to breast milk'

moondog, mw's ARE NOT nurses! shame on you

Ooooh, moondog, naughty. Midwives are midwives, nurses are nurses, grrrrrrr...

I was being restrained and not mentioning that midwives weren't nurses

I don't often show restraint... its quite impressive!

Flame....how old was your daughter when you started to wean her???

Were you given advice then on bottlefeeding???

Impressed with the restraint Flame....but I did think that MW were nurses

(pyscho standing corrected )

And I gonna show more ignorance....aren't HV supposed to be nurses-re-midwives-re-healthvisitors???

B was about 10 weeks when I changed to mix feeding her (I had to go back to work and didn't want to be breastfeeding at work as I knew it would take too much out of me). She then decided she preferred bottles at 13 weeks and rejected me.

I still wasn't given any decent information then - was told "try a formula and if it doesn't work well with her, then give another a try".

The same friend who helped with breastfeeding ended up giving me the bottle advice too.

Luckily there were no issues because B will eat and drink anything. I have been very fortunate in both bottle and breast.

psychomum, one of the aspects of living in a democratic society is that mothers and mothers to be will hear arguments about many aspects of parenting, including feeding.....ones that you have contributed to, as you say There is no way of stopping them...I don't know what you propose takes place to 'protect' them from this. Why not accept that lively debate happens, that sometimes people will hear things that scare and confuse them, and that they will hear other things that perhaps help them through this, and they will then be inspired/supported to find out more?

fs - no one in the UK who has problems with breastfeeding is unable to source information about formula, if they need it. If you were tired, miserable and full of woe, some leaflet you had about formula would not have answered all your issues, anyway. What happens is that people who want to use formula go and buy it and read the package notes. This does not give the full story, but it does tell people how to prepare the feed. What more are you wanting at that time?

Hv's I had a feeling had to have been EITHER a nurse or a midwife for a certain length of time, and then go on to HV training... not completely sure though.

fs, what info were you missing when you needed to use formula with your baby? Sounds to me that the suggestion to use one brand and if it doesn't work, use another is common sense. You could have been given info about maintaining breastfeeding, that is, overcoming your baby's rejection of the breast - would that have helped?

mw's used to have to be nurses first then go on to do training to be a mw or hv. now mw's have seperate training, dont have to be a nurse first, but hv's do. sorry, im hijacking this thread and lurking

I also said that I didn't want a water birth, but that didn't stop them giving me the leaflet, so that when the time came and I changed my mind, I had read all the information and knew about what decision I was making.

What I want is balanced information BEFOREHAND so that you are not left making uniformed choices when you are already feeling low.

Ticktock...you shaming me...you much to logical

Do you have any suggestions, or do you think the amount of info is right?? (geniune Q from me too )

I think the Babyfriendly Hospitals have a good approach. We are one of those.

Mums are given advice on breastfeeding initially. Should they indicate that they wish to bottlefeed, then they are given individual advice on that too.

Women are offered breastfeeding workshops which go over the problems and how to avoid/treat them. Women are also taught how to position a baby properly at the breast too. At each workshop a new mum comes to discuss her experience and show other women their baby feeding.

All mums are given out the Ready Steady Baby book that covers both methods of feeding

babyfriendlywebsite

thankyou nailpolish

The info I was missing was all these facts you guys are all spouting about how evil formula is... I'm not saying I would have changed my mind, but a balanced arguement is always handy!