When I was doing an MBA, I did a collaboration project with a Swiss multinational infant formula company on uncovering and capturing the changing trend of consumer preference.
It was a tiring time for the world’s largest food and infant formula maker as moms (specifically millennials) grew wearier of the inferiority of infant formula and shifted favour towards natural means like breastfeeding.
I wasn’t a mom yet at the time I did this project, but little did I know that my entire perspective about breastfeeding was about to change.
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I Was Not a Breastfed Baby
My mom once told me that she was not able to the breastfeed my sisters nor me because she couldn’t produce any breast milk. During her time, education on parenthood was limited and lactation consultants have not existed yet.
Furthermore, moms at her time had a preconception that infant formula was more superior to breast milk. The premise is that large companies have strong R&D to support their products while liquid coming out of a human must be less sanitary.
This is on top of the fact that infant formula samples were given in hospitals and were highly recommended by doctors (not to mention the aggressive marketing campaigns at the time).
Once a baby take in infant formula from the beginning, it becomes much more difficult for moms to produce milk since the baby will be less inclined to latch onto the breasts as often. This could negatively affect milk production as without constant latching, the breasts could not produce enough milk.
Learning about this, I was shell-shocked with a newfound revelation.
Why I Chose Breastfeeding
Through my research I learned that there is a varying degree of breastfeeding.
On one side of the spectrum, you have moms who mix feed breast milk with formula and on the other side, exclusive breastfeeding with zero infant formula.
To get even more technical, within the spectrum of breastfeeding are those who mainly feed breast milk via bottles and those who breastfeed directly from the source (i.e. the boobies).
I chose to exclusively breastfeed most of the time but I also “breast milk feed through the bottles” while I’m out and about. I do this because I was incentivized by the unbeatable benefits that breast milk can provide for my baby and, surprisingly, for me as well.
Six Unbeatable Benefits of Breastfeeding
1. Breastfeeding contains antibodies
Breast milk contains antibodies that pass from a mom’s body to her baby. These antibodies help babies to fight virus and diseases, which are not replicable by infant formula.
Due to such benefit, the World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months and continued breastfeeding up to the age of two years and beyond.
This provides the best optimal result for the baby’s growth and development, thus having these antibodies during the foundational life of a baby serves as an important building block for his/her future health.
2. Breastfeeding reduces risk of infections
Babies are prone to infections such as colds, gut, intestinal, SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome), allergy, diabetes, and childhood leukemia. (Oh my!)
Luckily, all of this can be combated by breastfeeding alone!
I personally had no experience with any of the mentioned infections except when Baby Bear caught a cold once during her first six months, and she certainly recovered quickly through just drinking my breast milk alone.
3. Breastfeeding serves as a source of food and medicine
Breast milk is the most nutritious source of food for baby. It is, in fact, the only source that a baby needs to stay full and hydrated.
On top of that, when Baby Bear had the cough and sinus, our pediatrician would only recommend that she drinks as much breast milk as possible.
In this case, my breast milk served not only as food and hydration, it also became her most trustworthy medicine.
4. Breastfeeding benefits the mom, too
The numerous benefits of breast milk were enough to convince me to start breastfeeding, but as it turns out, it also provides valuable benefits for moms.
Theses benefits include:
- Lower risk of breast and ovarian cancer
- Lower risk of postpartum depression
- Uterus contraction (from the expansion during pregnancy)
- Weight loss
- Convenience*
*The last one is really a huge bonus. Breastfeeding could save tremendous amount of time from the need to heat and clean bottles. All I had to do was lift up my shirt anytime and anywhere (TMI, sorry).
5. Breastfeeding is cost effective
Although breastfeeding is not free (see my baby expense report), it still costs way less than buying infant formula. Here’s an example:
Consider the first year of the baby’s life, moms could spend an average of $1,200 – $1,500 on infant formulas (based on USA Today’s data) plus we need to factor in the cost of bottle waters ($5 – $10 per average week times 52 weeks). On top of that, they could spend about $200 – $400 on baby bottles, bottle heater, insulated baby bottle bags, and cleaning supplies.
On the other hand, moms who breastfeed would usually require a breast pump since we can’t always readily feed directly from the breast. This is especially true for working moms.
A quality electric breast pump (such as Medela) would cost around $150 – $350 plus another $200 – 300 for breast milk storage bags, nipple cream (to alleviate soreness), and nursing pads (to avoid leakage).
This is only a rough estimation and built on the assumption of an average mom. Each mom’s case is different depending on the baby’s feeding pattern and the schedule of the mom.
As a result, the total estimated cost of breastfeeding is roughly $350 – $650 whereas the cost of infant formula feeding is roughly $1,660 – $2,420 per year.
Related: Save Money Without Using A Budget
6. Breastfeeding provides bonding between a mom and her baby
Watching my baby calmly suckle my breasts was initially a strange feeling, but it quickly became one of my most unforgettable moments.
While breastfeeding, I can see how comforted she feels and how much she enjoyed the milk. At the end of the feed, I was sometimes rewarded with a huge smile of satisfaction that can easily melt any heart.
I can certainly see the strong bonding between my baby and me as a result of breastfeeding. She made me feel that I’m the world to her and I love watching her grow into a strong, healthy and happy baby.
Tips for tea lovers: Milk supply regulation is an important aspect in breastfeeding and drinking tea can help! To boost milk production, I drank fennel tea. When I wean, I drank mint tea.
However, Breastfeeding Comes with A Cost (And It’s Not Money)
My breastfeeding journey hasn’t been an easy one. That was an understatement so let me rephrase.
My breastfeeding journey was THE toughest experience I had to endure as a new mom – more than the screaming and crying, more than not being able to go out anytime, and certainly more than the sleep deprivation although this was the effect of it.
To start, I had slow milk production at the beginning that made the pain so much more difficult since it required Baby Bear to latch on frequently. Then when my milk production was finally up and running, I suffered from engorgement as a result of my mismanagement of milk supply. It really isn’t an easy science.
In addition, breastfeeding can quickly sap one’s energy. After each feed, I’ll immediately become tired, thirsty, and extremely hungry like a bear looking for food after a 10-mile walk.
With all the trial and tribulation, the most important factor to successfully breastfeed is to have time. And it’s certainly a lot easier to breastfeed for stay-at-home moms who are present and free from the stress that work can bring.
Not only is it time-consuming to breastfeed, it also requires us to be well-rested and well-fed in order for milk to continuously produce. This is no small feat for working moms as they are the most sleep deprived.
At the end of the day, though, only moms can decide what is best for their babies based on their unique situations.
Whether a mom pumps, breastfeeds, or infant formula feeds, all moms deserve the credit for the growth of their babies. After all, what matters most is that the baby is fed one way or another!
And even though I wasn’t breastfed, I still love my mom all the same.
Additional Resources:
–> The Ultimate Breastfeeding Class
–> Learn How to Maximize Your Pumping Output
–> Master Your Milk Supply
–> Exclusive Pumping Course
–> Back to Work Pumping Class
Note: The above courses are created by a certified lactation consultant.
What is your preference for feeding your baby? Are you aware of the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding? What are your experiences of breastfeeding or infant formula feeding?
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We eventually got her to latch but it was never for long. When I went home, I no longer had the football team of nurses mushing my babies face into my chest, but in a lot of ways I wished I still did. It just got harder. At a little more than two weeks postpartum, I was emotionally and physically tapped. I would get cold sweats from the pain but cry from relief when she did latch. I felt like my body was betraying me. I had over 25 stitches and a fourth degree tear from vaginal birth—I could barely walk. The one thing I was supposed to be able to do as a woman was this and my body wouldn’t do it correctly. But I had to let go of what I thought it would look like and adjust my perspective. I ordered a pump and supplemented with Similac. And you know what I realized? I’m not less of a woman or a mom because I chose to not breastfeed. And I don’t owe an explanation to anyone.
I can so relate with your experience regarding the cold sweats from the pain of latching! I wrote more about it here.
In many ways, I’m grateful to have my baby in Switzerland where the healthcare (even basic insurance) covers lactation consultation/midwife services. It’s certainly an uphill battle if you have to face it all alone. Also, I was a stay-at-home mom so that made it a thousand times easier since I don’t have to worry about work. Without these factors, I’m pretty sure my story would have taken another turn.
Thanks so much for sharing your experience!
Every other account of formula feeding that I have read was from moms who came to formula feeding reluctantly after not being able to breastfeed as much as they had planned. I believe that there are others out there like me who thoughtfully chose this path, but choose to keep their choice private to avoid the potentially fierce criticism from others. I’m willing to take the heat if it can help other women let go of any guilt. Let’s not be so quick to judge other parents. If you want to comment about how I’m a terrible person who is abusing my baby, please don’t. I’m very familiar with this perspective, and you can rest assured that your view that breast is best and formula is evil is more than adequately represented in the modern cultural consciousness (and I will swiftly delete any such comments).
Thanks so much for your thought on this subject. I hear you COMPLETELY, and I salute you for making the decision to formula feed and standing up for moms who do. Formula is an essential part of parents’ lives – it gives us choices! When my supply suddenly dropped before my baby turned 1, I turned to formula. But in retrospect, had I not done an extensive research on breastfeeding, I would not have chosen this painful path which I will share tomorrow in a new post.
Rest assured that I stand by all moms who feed their baby one way or another – formula feed or breastfeed (as I’ve written at the end). Thanks again for your comment, I will do better at highlighting this point next time so that it doesn’t get misconstrued.