I really hate the idea of breastfeeding. But the nurses in the hospital are putting pressure on me to try it. Isn’t formula just as good?

There are a very tiny proportion of women for whom breastfeeding is impossible. For them formula will meet all the nutritional needs of their babies. But if you are in a position to breastfeed at all, you should give it a try and persevere for at least six weeks. Then you can give up with a clear conscience that you have given the baby’s immunity a boost, and that you gave breastfeeding a fair try. If you try to breast and formula feed in the very early days you may run the risk of both nipple confusion and extreme discomfort as your breast milk supply tries to meet the erratic demand. Nipple confusion occurs because for very many babies a teat is easier to drink from and once tried, is the preferred feeding method. However once your breastfeeding is well established, you can start to supplement certain feeds. At the end of the day, perhaps when your milk may be naturally low, might be a good place to start. It will be a balancing act but you can get well established to breastfeed some feeds a day such as the early morning feed when you have a good supply and can start the day off gently. The choice is yours, but there will be pressure on you to try breastfeeding because of the benefits for your baby.

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