Breastfeeding vs Formula

Most of my reading these days is baby related. It's fascinating to learn how babies grow, and reading up on baby development also helps when things are not going perfect with my newborn. After all, we all want only the best for our kiddos, right?

My baby has been on the skinny side of the weight charts since her first doctor visit. She lost more than average weight during the first 3 days at the hospital, she battled jaundice during her first month, and after that she settled into her own growth pattern...which she has maintained till date.

Inspite of being told by doctors, family and friends that she is healthy and okay, I keep worrying about her weight gain. Sometimes when I am told she is skinny or very small or anything else related to this, I get affected. God knows how much I have read online on this topic, and I think I shall continue to do so for the next few months.

Inspite of this worry, I have exclusively breast fed her so far. I know its the best nutrition for her, and I have resisted all advice and temptation to switch her or supplement her with formula. Breastfeeding has been very challenging, and my entire day revolves around that. During the first few weeks, I had to track her feedings to report to the doctor, and I found it extremely stressful. Then my maternity leave got over when she was 6 weeks old, so I had to pump in the day and during the night to have enough milk for her feedings while I was away at work. When she was 3 months old, I took my long break from work and came to India with my parents. I then fed her on demand, and only expressed milk if I had to go out for an errand. I introduced rice cereal and couple other foods to her recently.....mostly to develop her taste buds.

Today, I gave her a taste of Formula. She drank it normally, just like every other thing she has tried so far. I just wanted to introduce her to the taste, and also occasionally be able to give her formula so that I have an alternative when I need it. Also, she is almost 6 months old, so I felt it was the right time to experiment with it.

I found the formula so easy to make. It took me less than 2 minutes.....and a bottle of milk was ready. It set me thinking about the last 6 months when I have had to do so much in order to keep my baby properly fed with my milk. Starting from my intake of food and keeping myself hydrated (both of which affect my milk supply instantly) to monitoring her intake, washing/sterilizing all the equipment used, etc etc - everything needs to carefully managed so that she is happy and content and never hungry.

For a second, I thought life would be so much simpler if I gave her formula from day 1. But I know what I am doing is the best thing for my baby, and I don't mind continuing until I can, and/or until she wants to.

From what I have read online and from the many people I have spoken to....almost everyone finds this challenging. I feel actually blessed to be able to breastfeed my baby...so many moms are not able to do so. In the US, formula feeding is much more common than in India. I could not even find a decent cover-up for breastfeeding in public at stores in the US.....the one I found was like 40 dollars.

There are lactation consultants and free clinics at most hospitals in the US, and many other resources to help with breastfeeding as well, but I don't know how many people take advantage of it. From my experience, nurses always insist on feeding formula if you are not explicit about your preferences. Pediatricians don't seem to care either what you choose to do. Whereas in India, I met 2 pediatricians, and both applauded me for my efforts. I also found breastfeeding in public much easier in India than in US.

Here is a good link explaining the benefits of breast milk: http://www.nrdc.org/breastmilk/benefits.asp

Now than I am going over the 6-month hump, I feel less stressed about the whole feeding thing. I hope the combination of solids, occasional formula and breastmilk brings some substantial weight gain in my daughter over the next few months :).