Bottle Feeding Has Many Advantages
When you start to bottle feed your baby you will soon discover for yourself the advantages of using formula milk, especially if you have already been nursing. Below, are listed some of the main advantages. If you know of other benefits to mother or child, then please share your knowledge with other bottle feeding mothers by posting your advice on our forum.
Bottle-fed babies need to be fed less often
Formula milk is not as easily digested as mother’s milk. Consequently, the baby feels satiated for longer periods and this extends the time between feedings at an earlier stage. The main advantage here is for the mother. Breastfeeding is a time consuming business leaving little time for a mother to do anything else. This can lead to a mother feeling exhausted and with a feeling of body-enslavement towards her new baby. Bottle feeding leaves the mother with more time for herself and feeling less tired and therefore, can contribute to a better relationship between mother and baby.
A mother gets her life back
Many mothers really enjoy the intense emotional and physical bond between herself and her baby. However, many soon want a degree of autonomy over their life. They want to continue to care and provide for their baby but at the same time, they want to get back to a normal life. Bottle feeding can help in this.
- A mother can wear whatever clothes to choose, not having to wearing nursing bras and tops.
- Nursing a child can impose certain restrictions on birth control. Breastfeeding inhibits conception, no bad thing in most cases, however some mothers may want to try for a pregnancy before her first child is weaned. Also, a mother is limited on the form of contraception she takes when she is nursing, as certain methods can be harmful to baby. This is not a concern when a mother bottle feeds.
- When using formula milk, a mother knows exactly how much her baby has had. Some nursing mothers become anxious about whether the baby has had enough. Not so with bottle feeding. A mother knows exactly how much formula milk her baby has and therefore how much nutrition the baby it getting
- A mother can eat whatever she wants when she bottle feeds her child. She doesn't have to avoid spicy or rich foods and she can enjoy drinking alcohol.
- If the mother becomes sick this can stop milk flow and be a real problem when breastfeeding. Not so when bottle feeding.
- Many mothers who breastfeed are extremely embarrassed to feed in public and consequently never leave home. Women who bottle feed, on the other hand, feel no such embarrassment.
- Going back to work is made a lot easier if you bottle feed. Many employers still don't provide a private place where a mother can breastfeed her child. Also, many mothers who do go back to work soon after the birth of their child, don't have the time to express their milk and then feed it later to their child.
- Lovemaking is sometimes not easy for the breastfeeding woman because the hormonal changes associated with lactation leaves her vagina dry. In addition, breastfeeding can lead to sore nipples and leaky breasts, which are not conducive to lovemaking.
- And perhaps, the biggest advantage of all; others can bottle feed your baby. The preparation of formula milk is straight forward and your partner or other members of the family can bottle feed the child, allowing mother more time to rest.