Breastfeeding or Formula?

This is big decision for all moms to be. I remember when I was making the decision as there were pros for each of them. But in the end I chose to breastfeed my son. I learned that it was better for him as well as mother after birth as it helped your body shrink. 

The main reason I chose was the mother/son bonding that it resulted in. Being able to sit there and hold him, while watching his nurse was so precious. It's a precious time in my life that I will always remember. The first few times it does hurt and feel like someone is chewing and bruising your nippled, but it does get better. It was hard at first as he had trouble latching, but once we got the hang of it, it was smooth sailing. 

I guess the only down side was that sometimes I had to feed my son in public, and even though I was covered just felt awkward. I would have people staring at me and I'm pretty sure that some people even tried to peer down to see if they could catch a glimpse :)

Overall breastfeeding to me is the way to go due to the benefits and the bond it creates between a mother and their child.  What are your thoughts ladies?

-E
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I know this is a huge decision that a lot of mothers have to eventually decide on for once they give birth. For me, it gets a little more complicated to make the decision.

When I was born, my mom had chose to breastfeed me. After I arrived at my first home, a nurse had come to the house after a few days and noticed that I had lost a lot of wait and looked very frail. It turns out that my mother wasn't producing (or at least not producing enough) and that if the nurse hadn't stopped by to see how everything was going, I could've died from starvation. This, of course, got me changed to drinking formula.

I hear every time I hear about a mother breastfeeding that it's one of the best ways to bond and has amazing benefits for the baby and I want that so much for me and my son but so afraid that the same thing would happen to me, or even worse, I don't catch it like my parents did and I really hurt him.

This made the decision a lot harder for me because bonding is important to me but obviously, I don't wanna hurt my son. I came down to the conclusion that I was going to try to breastfeed but if watch close enough that if I wasn't making enough, I could use formula to make sure that he grows up healthy and strong.

-D
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Sometimes we can breastfeed, and sometimes we can't. The baby might not latch on, might not eat long enough to get that good back milk, a mother may not be able to produce enough, or sometimes your baby will refuse to even take to breastfeeding anymore if they already were. All things that are sadly real and that we new mom's need to be aware of and okay with.

The bonding experience between a mother and child, from what I've heard, during breastfeeding can be another magical moment. Some mom's might not feel like that, and may start to not bond with their child in that way anymore. And that's okay mom's! Yes, giving your baby breast milk is one of the best things to give them, but if he/she wont take, or you no longer have a bond, they push away the boob, there is always formula.

I myself do of course want to try what I can to breastfeed my daughter, but am aware that it's okay if I can't or if anything else arises. I was a formula and breast milk baby. I wouldn't eat long enough to get the good boobie juice, as my mother would always say, so they had to put me on formula due to me becoming jaundice*. 

We all want a bond with our child, but no matter if its through breast milk, or formula, you get to hold your baby and watch them drink up all the good nutrients to make them grow big and strong.

*To help understand what jaundice is, here is a link https://www.healthline.com/health/newborn-jaundice

-X