Breastfeeding v Bottlefeeding – whose business is it anyway?

Recently mummy blogger Crafty Creative asked if there is a civil war among mums when it comes to the breast v bottle debate. The responses proved she’s probably right. Personally I’ve never understood why some women feel they have the right to tell others how to feed their babies. Some (not all) mums who breastfeed successfully seem to be under the impression that those who don’t have failed in some way because they didn’t have the right support or information (how patronising) while those that bottlefeed become defensive about their decision. My feeling is that as long as a child isn’t at risk in any way, no one has the right to tell another mum how to feed their baby. And actually that goes for every other decision they make, too. Help, support, offer advice but for goodness’ sake don’t preach, belittle, condemn or make the mum feel inadequate in some way. Breast is (probably) best for baby but ONLY if it’s right for you. If you find it difficult, either physically or emotionally, your baby will sense it and that won’t be good for either of you. I’d love to hear your views – does becoming a mum give you the right to tell other mums (even strangers!) how to feed their babies? And meanwhile, to read some personal experiences of breast and bottle feeding, click here. written by Liz Jarvis