The Battle Over Breast and Bottle

The topic of breast verses bottle will probably be a topic of controversy till the end of time. The doctors say that breast milk is best because it gives the baby nutrients that a bottle- fed baby just doesn't get. There is also talk now of DHA that is contained in breast milk which helps the child's brain to develop better and the bonuses to the mother help with post-partum depression, as well. After hearing all the pluses of breast- fed babies, why would a mother opt for the bottle?

I remember friends and perfect strangers coming up to me when I was expecting and telling me (not asking) to breast feed my child, while touching my stomach. Even the doctors and nurses chimed in to tell me their views on the matter. You feel like you are alone and totally wrong if you protest the idea, especially when the eyes of disappointment glare at you with each protest made. My nagging , negative thoughts kept surfacing though, thoughts like...

What do I do when I go back to work? Will Scott have to call me every two hours begging me to come home because my daughter wants my breasts? What if I'm running late from work and he runs out of breast milk? How sore is this going to make me? How am I going to feel about sex if I breast feed? Will sex take a back seat to breast feeding for the first year because I'll feel like my breasts should be exclusive to the baby instead of my husband? And then there's the matter of teeth-- isn't that going to hurt? I know it's important to bond with my baby, but is she going to be too dependent on me once she knows how to latch on (pardon the pun). What about later in life? Will it be a detriment to her really if she is breast- fed verses bottle to the point that she becomes dependent? Shouldn't she know right from the start that she is a separate being from me?

These were the thoughts I had and I worried like every mother does, because I love my child, and want to make all the right decisions even though I know I'm not perfect. I didn't want to scar my child for life with this very first and very big decision that would change both of our lives permanently. I was torn between two worlds, it seemed, one natural world (breast), and one synthetic one (bottle). Yet, I couldn't help thinking, I was a bottle fed child and I turned out fine (I think, I hope).

When my baby finally came and it was feeding time, I chose the bottle. The nurse looked at me as if I just killed her dog, but those nagging thoughts that plagued me, were making my decision a bit easier. I knew I needed to be comfortable too, not just my baby. I still worried about the decision until a week after my daughter's birth. My mother and I took my little one out for her first shopping experience at the mall I worked in. We had packed up the diaper bag with more than enough formula and diapers for the whole week let alone an hour or two. Every thing was wonderful for the first half hour with the ooo's and ahh's of my co- workers and passers- by. Then, the cry for feeding came on sudden and fast. We went to benches and my mom started to fed my little one. As the milk disappeared, my mother pulled out the bottle and we both looked at it. The brand- new nipple looked like a squashed prune after my daughter had hungrily sucked it down. The next words from my mother's lips were, " Now aren't you glad you didn't chose to breast fed?" We both laughed and took my daughter home for her nap.

Whether breast is best or not, may be the question for all new mothers to pine over till the end of time. This mother, made the decision after carefully weighing all the options and found that best way to care for a child, is to first, be comfortable with all aspects of your decision, and lastly, to not look back on it and regret what you've done. After all, something that is well, thought out, should never be regretted. I also know that my now six year-old child, is a fine, healthy, and beautifully independent child, just like her bottle- fed Mother.