Breast vs. Bottle, Bottle vs. Breast: The debate lives on Jan 23 '00    Write an essay on this topic. Tweet I'm going to admit right up front that I hadn't made the decision to breastfeed until I was in my third trimester of pregnancy. During the second trimester, I researched every aspect of breastfeeding vs. bottlefeeding. I talked to the experts, my doctor, a pediatrician, read all I could find on the web and there certainly is a wealth of information out there. I decided that breastfeeding was for us and was looking forward to the experience. My labor was difficult and my son ended up in the NICU for a week and a half and I was in the hospital most of the week myself. Fortunately, because I couldn't go home, I was able to breastfeed him whenever he was hungry. Unfortunately, he was really hungry. He was the only baby in the NICU who was eating four ounces at a feeding with his feedings every 90 minutes to two hours. My poor body couldn't take it. The lactation specialists worked with both of us and were amazed at my little guy's appetite. We ended up breastfeeding every feeding and when the milk ran out, we'd have to supplement. Our feeding routine stayed like this for six months. I'd breastfeed him and only give him formula if he hadn't had enough. Believe me, we tried all the tricks and worked with many specialists. Even if we offered him only breastmilk for a couple days, the poor child would be absolutely starving and my breasts just couldn't keep up with the demand. I learned something during this experience. There is alot of prejudice against bottlefeeding moms. You hear a lot of stories about women who breastfeed in public getting nasty looks. I myself encountered a few of them. However on the flip side, I received some horrible looks from women who were obviously breastfeeding advocates. I also received a lot of unsolicited advice on our situation once I explained that we also breastfed. I cannot even begin to count the number of moms who told me that we weren't trying hard enough, or that I gave up too easily. Amazingly enough, it was the LaLeche League and lactation specialists who were the most supportive and gave me the most help. Do I believe 'breast is best'? I do. However, I now know there are many reasons out there why breastfeeding does not work for everyone. I've talked to women who had a poor milk supply (by the way, this was not the reason for our troubles. My son is just a little piggy) or had to bottlefeed because of medical problems. I've even talked to moms who just wanted to bottlefeed. I've come to the conclusion that breastfeeding is a mother's choice and we ought to respect that mother's choice. I've watched bottlefed and breastfed babies. Both categories had babies who walked early and late. Some breastfed babies went a year without being sick, but then so did the bottlefeeding group. Babies from both groups seemed very attached to mommy and some were very attached to daddy. I've talked to college graduates who were bottlefed and college graduates who were breastfed as infants. If you make an informed choice in whether or not you breastfeed, you make a correct choice.

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