One of the important decisions a mother has to make for her newborn is whether to feed them breastmilk or formula. All mothers are told breastmilk is the healthiest, and its free! Both statements are true, but what some mothers don't know is breastfeeding is incredibly painful, there is also risk of swelling and infections. Also sometimes the baby has a hard time latching on, luckily there are other ways to give an infant breastmilk. The mother can pump the milk using an electronic or a manual pump. The only downside is if the mother is still breastfeeding when they go back to work, they might have to pump and dump at work. That stinks because its a lot of pain just to throw away the milk.
Formula feeding has lots of nutrients as well, and is recommended if you have a lactose sensitive or a baby with colic. This is nice because a mother can't decide to have stomach-sensitive milk for her child. The only thing a parent needs to remember with formula is that a mother should stick to one brand of formula, because sometimes switching can cause gas problems. Another nice thing about bottle feeding is it's easier to pack a can of formula in a diaper bag for daycare, and to know its being kept well. Breast milk has to be kept frozen and then thaw out, which can cause delays in feeding the hungry baby. Personally for myself, formula has just been more convenient.
Another option for mothers is to mix the both, it's a little abnormal, but some mothers will switch between the two, depending on what's easier for them, as long as its healthy for the baby. It's very uncommon to mix breastmilk and formula together for one feeding, the reasoning for this is because breastmilk will keep in the freezer, but formula needs to be discarded after an allotted amount of time. Another reason for mixing the two is sometimes, a mother cannot produce enough milk for their child. Some mothers just breastfeed the baby colostrum and then switch them to breastmilk. Colostrum, is the first of the breastmilk that comes out. Colostrum is very high in antibodies, and it is incredibly good for the baby.
Whatever the mother decides is usually the best decision for their child. It is important for the mother to do what they are comfortable with for feeding, as long as the doctor says it's okay. But the mother's choice is theirs, and a mother should not listen to what anyone, other than the doctor, says about how they chose to feed. As long as the baby is happy, healthy, and well fed; it doesn't matter.
