How to feed your baby is one of the most challenging choices you will make as a new parent. The following is a detailed article explaining your options for better understanding. The final decision is entirely up to you and your partner.
Choices: How will you feed your baby?
Babies
One of the most challenging choices a new parent faces is how to feed her baby in those first months of life. No doubt you have already received enthusiastic advice from friends and family members who favor one feeding method over the other. While this decision is entirely up to you and your partner, it is wise to get as much information as possible before you decide. Whatever method you choose, it should be based on a good understanding of infant nutritional and emotional needs and an honest assessment your own situation.
Breast Feeding
Breast feeding is a gift mothers have given their babies since the beginning of time. It is only in this century that bottle-feeding has become a viable option for mothers, as pre-prepared formulas and specially-designed bottles have become commonly available. The result is a cultural trend toward bottle-feeding that reached its peak in the 1970s, creating a culture that was irrationally intolerant of breastfeeding. As the children of the 1970's begin to have children of their own, a major effort is underway to help them make informed decisions about the health and nurturing of their babies, even as we inform the culture to make it more supportive of nursing mothers. While bottle-feeding is an adequate source of nutrition, modern medical research has concluded that breastfeeding is vastly healthier for both mother and child.