I want to talk about my journey with feeding my baby. When I was younger and imagined having a baby of my own, I always imagined myself breastfeeding. My mom breastfed me, so breastfeeding was modeled for me. As I got older and closer to trying to get pregnant, I started questioning my assumption that I would breastfeed.

I talked to my friends who had already had kids and many of them had a lot to say about breastfeeding as a complex issue. There are pros and cons. One of my closest friends chose to exclusively formula feed her children and we talked extensively. She was candid and honest and I really appreciated having her point of view. Of all of my friends who have had children, I only know one mother who chose to exclusively formula feed. It was not a commonly talked about choice. 

After I talked to mothers, I began researching online. I found a couple articles written from the perspective of mothers who chose formula and had fantastic experiences with it. I did some digging into the health benefits of breastfeeding and discovered that the social narrative frequently overestimated the benefits.

Lastly, I made a pro-con list. Even after all my research and knowing that my gut was leading me to choose formula feeding, I had residual guilt about making the choice. As I wrote the phrase, “have control of my body back,” in the pros list, I broke into tears. At that moment, I knew formula feeding was the right thing for me. I knew it in my mind and felt it in my body.

I talked to my husband about it, and although he was confused about why we would feed our baby, as he put it, “cow food instead of human food”, he was supportive of my decision. We researched formulas and found one that worked well for us. 

One of the benefits of formula was that my husband could participate in feeding a lot. He had the ability to bond with our baby through feeding as much as I did. Also we could both do nighttime feedings and it was amazing. After my daughter reached her birth weight, we started to take turns and each did two nights of nighttime feedings and then we switched.

Formula feeding also had other benefits, like the fact that the supply was always endless and that we could pack it in our bag and go. Our daughter always had formula, so she could drink bottles at room temperature. Our baby never had digestive issues and she gained weight. My diet didn’t affect her digestion and she wasn’t much of a spitter-upper. I got to put feeding the baby in the easy column for parenting, and that was a huge win for my experiential life and my well-being.

I’m proud of my decision to formula feed and to be shining a light on choosing this as something to be proud of. Formula feeding is just as good and healthy as breastfeeding.

I think that supporting each other in our choices is important. Everyone has different ideas about pregnancy, delivery, and newborns, and we’re all doing the best that we can. I had agency and the ability to choose, and that’s what I want for all mothers.

If you’re considering formula feeding, I can share our favorite brand and bottles with you. It’s important to find what works well for you and your baby. Formula feeding was the right choice for me and my family, and I’m grateful for the experience. I hope that sharing my journey can help other moms feel empowered to make a choice that’s best for them and their babies.