Breast or bottle - how did you decide?

'My point was that women who decide not to breastfeed from the outset are making this choice for their own benefit, not their child's. Are we not allowed to congratulate women for trying to breastfeed their babies for fear of making women who don't (or can't) feel bad? While you may have felt a great deal of pressure to breastfeed, the majority of women don't, judging by the extremely low levels of breastfeeding in this country. If you present the decision to breastfeed (or not) as being a value-free 'life-style' choice, then you are encouraging women to see breastfeeding and bottle-feeding as roughly equivalent, which they aren't. I'm not religious, but I think it's interesting that traditionally in Islam and in the Christian church, women were applauded for breastfeeding their own children. It was seen as a virtuous, moral thing to do because it involved self-sacrifice for the good of another. The difference today is that the multi-national corporations who manufacture formula milk have convinced women that formula is actually good for babies. OK, they do pay lip service to the 'breast is best' idea, but the general message that comes across is that formula is a very satisfactory substitute for breast milk.'

'Your comments about the lack of informed help available to mothers who are having difficulty breastfeeding are very valid. I received bad advice and little practical support from NHS staff, when I was having difficulty breastfeeding my daughter. However, it's not just the lack of advice and help that leads to such widespread failure or unwillingness to breastfeed. After all, in many developing countries, over 95% of women breastfeed successfully. Of course there's far more pressure to succeed at breastfeeding if you can't afford formula, or don't have access to clean water. The point is we don't have a breastfeeding 'culture' in this country. If you haven't grown up seeing women around you breastfeeding successfully, if it's something that's hidden away, then it becomes even harder for you to succeed yourself.'